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12,600 | 12,600 | 14,191,217 | 3,693 | This disclosure describes, generally, methods and systems for dynamically generating coupons. The method may include associating a coupon value with a manufacturer's offer onto a presentation instrument. The presentation instrument may include a barcode to store terms of the manufacturer's offer and a storage device to store coupon value information. The method may further include distributing the presentation instrument to a customer, scanning the barcode to verify the terms of the offer have been fulfilled, and presenting the presentation instrument to a merchant to access the coupon value information stored on the storage device. Furthermore, the method includes receiving funds in the amount of the coupon value from the manufacturer, and transferring the received funds to the merchant. | 1. (canceled) 2. A computer-implemented method, comprising:
receiving, by a computing system, a request to register an instrument that has an initial coupon value associated therewith, wherein the request includes at least one of demographic information, personal information, historical spending information, and survey information associated with a particular individual; and increasing, by the computing system based on the received request, the initial coupon value associated with the instrument to a value greater than the initial coupon value as incentive for the particular individual to register the instrument. 3. The method of claim 2, further comprising receiving authorization to increase the initial coupon value associated with the instrument to the value greater than the initial coupon value. 4. The method of claim 2, further comprising sending to a mobile device associated with the particular individual a message that indicates a coupon value expiration date. 5. The method of claim 2, wherein the instrument is one of a tangible instrument and a nontangible instrument. 6. The method of claim 2, further comprising sending to a mobile device associated with the particular individual a message that indicates availability of an offer associated with the instrument. 7. The method of claim 2, further comprising sending to a mobile device associated with the particular individual a message that indicates availability of a loyalty offer associated with the instrument based on usage of the instrument by the particular individual. 8. The method of claim 2, wherein the request includes a username and a password associated with the particular individual. 9. The method of claim 2, wherein the request includes at least one of email address, residential address phone number, date of birth, ethnicity, occupation, salary, and household occupancy associated with the particular individual. 10. The method of claim 2, further comprising sending to a manufacturer computing system the at least one of the demographic information, personal information, historical spending information, and survey information associated with the particular individual. 11. The method of claim 2, further comprising receiving from a manufacturer computing system information associated with a particular coupon offer. 12. The method of claim 11, further comprising generating a number of instruments for distribution based on the information associated with the particular coupon offer. 13. The method of claim 12, further comprising transmitting a request to the manufacturer computing system to associate a particular coupon value with the number of instruments for distribution. 14. The method of claim 13, further comprising receiving indication of a coupon value amount and an account number assigned to each of the number of instruments for distribution. 15. The method of claim 2, wherein the instrument comprises at least one of a form factor card, a stored value card, a prepaid credit card, and a mobile device. 16. The method of claim 2, further comprising receiving the request from a website over a network. 17. The method of claim 2, wherein the instrument includes a barcode that is encoded with information associated with a particular coupon. 18. The method of claim 2, wherein the instrument includes a magnetic strip that is encoded with information associated with a particular coupon. 19. The method of claim 2, wherein the instrument includes a description of one or more steps to complete a registration process. 20. The method of claim 2, further comprising associating another coupon value with the instrument different than the value greater than the initial coupon value. 21. The method of claim 2, wherein the request includes an identifier that is associated with the instrument. | This disclosure describes, generally, methods and systems for dynamically generating coupons. The method may include associating a coupon value with a manufacturer's offer onto a presentation instrument. The presentation instrument may include a barcode to store terms of the manufacturer's offer and a storage device to store coupon value information. The method may further include distributing the presentation instrument to a customer, scanning the barcode to verify the terms of the offer have been fulfilled, and presenting the presentation instrument to a merchant to access the coupon value information stored on the storage device. Furthermore, the method includes receiving funds in the amount of the coupon value from the manufacturer, and transferring the received funds to the merchant.1. (canceled) 2. A computer-implemented method, comprising:
receiving, by a computing system, a request to register an instrument that has an initial coupon value associated therewith, wherein the request includes at least one of demographic information, personal information, historical spending information, and survey information associated with a particular individual; and increasing, by the computing system based on the received request, the initial coupon value associated with the instrument to a value greater than the initial coupon value as incentive for the particular individual to register the instrument. 3. The method of claim 2, further comprising receiving authorization to increase the initial coupon value associated with the instrument to the value greater than the initial coupon value. 4. The method of claim 2, further comprising sending to a mobile device associated with the particular individual a message that indicates a coupon value expiration date. 5. The method of claim 2, wherein the instrument is one of a tangible instrument and a nontangible instrument. 6. The method of claim 2, further comprising sending to a mobile device associated with the particular individual a message that indicates availability of an offer associated with the instrument. 7. The method of claim 2, further comprising sending to a mobile device associated with the particular individual a message that indicates availability of a loyalty offer associated with the instrument based on usage of the instrument by the particular individual. 8. The method of claim 2, wherein the request includes a username and a password associated with the particular individual. 9. The method of claim 2, wherein the request includes at least one of email address, residential address phone number, date of birth, ethnicity, occupation, salary, and household occupancy associated with the particular individual. 10. The method of claim 2, further comprising sending to a manufacturer computing system the at least one of the demographic information, personal information, historical spending information, and survey information associated with the particular individual. 11. The method of claim 2, further comprising receiving from a manufacturer computing system information associated with a particular coupon offer. 12. The method of claim 11, further comprising generating a number of instruments for distribution based on the information associated with the particular coupon offer. 13. The method of claim 12, further comprising transmitting a request to the manufacturer computing system to associate a particular coupon value with the number of instruments for distribution. 14. The method of claim 13, further comprising receiving indication of a coupon value amount and an account number assigned to each of the number of instruments for distribution. 15. The method of claim 2, wherein the instrument comprises at least one of a form factor card, a stored value card, a prepaid credit card, and a mobile device. 16. The method of claim 2, further comprising receiving the request from a website over a network. 17. The method of claim 2, wherein the instrument includes a barcode that is encoded with information associated with a particular coupon. 18. The method of claim 2, wherein the instrument includes a magnetic strip that is encoded with information associated with a particular coupon. 19. The method of claim 2, wherein the instrument includes a description of one or more steps to complete a registration process. 20. The method of claim 2, further comprising associating another coupon value with the instrument different than the value greater than the initial coupon value. 21. The method of claim 2, wherein the request includes an identifier that is associated with the instrument. | 3,600 |
12,601 | 12,601 | 12,333,256 | 3,689 | A computer implemented method, apparatus, and computer program product for generating general risk scores for general risk cohorts. Digital sensor data associated with a general risk cohort is received from a set of multimodal sensors. The digital sensor data comprises metadata describing attributes associated with at least one member of the general risk cohort. Each member of the general risk cohort comprises data describing objects belonging to a category. A general risk score for the general risk cohort is generated based on selected risk factors and the attributes associated with the at least one member of the general risk cohort. In response to a determination that the general risk score exceeds a risk threshold, a response action is initiated. | 1. A computer implemented method of generating general risk scores for general risk cohorts, the computer implemented method comprising:
receiving digital sensor data associated with a general risk cohort from a set of multimodal sensors, wherein the digital sensor data comprises metadata describing attributes associated with at least one member of the general risk cohort, wherein each member of the general risk cohort comprises data describing objects belonging to a category; generating a general risk score for the general risk cohort based on selected risk factors and the attributes associated with the at least one member of the general risk cohort; and responsive to a determination that the general risk score exceeds a risk threshold, initiating a response action. 2. The computer implemented method of claim 1 further comprising:
responsive to a determination that the general risk score fails to exceed a risk threshold, monitoring digital sensor data associated with the general risk cohort that is received from the set of multimodal sensors. 3. The computer implemented method of claim 2 wherein the response action is a first response action and wherein monitoring the digital sensor data further comprises:
responsive to a determination that new digital sensor data associated with the general risk cohort is available, receiving the digital sensor data, wherein the new digital sensor data comprises updated metadata describing updated attributes associated with the at least one member of the general risk cohort; generating an updated general risk score for the general risk cohort based on the selected risk factors and the updated attributes; comparing the updated general risk score with the risk threshold; responsive to a determination that the updated general risk score fails to exceed the risk threshold, ceasing the first response action; and responsive to a determination that the updated general risk score exceeds the risk threshold, initiating a second response action, wherein the process iteratively generates updated general risk scores using updated sensor data to monitor risk scores and initiate response actions when any risk score exceeds the risk threshold. 4. The computer implemented method of claim 1 wherein the response action is a first response action and wherein monitoring the digital sensor data further comprises:
responsive to a determination that updated risk factors are selected, generating an updated general risk score for the general risk cohort based on the updated risk factors and the attributes associated with the at least one member of the general risk cohort; responsive to a determination that the updated general risk score fails to exceed the risk threshold, ceasing the first response action; and responsive to a determination that the updated general risk score exceeds the risk threshold, initiating a second response action, wherein the process iteratively generates updated general risk scores using updated sensor data to monitor risk scores and initiate response actions when any risk score exceeds the risk threshold 5. The computer implemented method of claim 1 wherein the risk threshold comprises an upper risk threshold and a lower risk threshold, and wherein general risk score exceeds the risk threshold if the risk score exceeds an upper risk threshold, and wherein the general risk score exceeds the risk threshold if the risk score is less than a lower risk threshold. 6. The computer implemented method of claim 1 wherein receiving digital sensor data associated with a general risk cohort from a set of multimodal sensors further comprises:
receiving digital cohort data for a set of multimodal cohorts, wherein the digital cohort data comprises metadata describing attributes of members of the set of multimodal cohorts; and generating the general risk score for the general risk cohort based on the selected risk factors, the attributes associated with the set of multimodal cohorts, and the attributes associated with the at least one member of the general risk cohort. 7. The computer implemented method of claim 6 wherein the set of multimodal cohorts comprises at least one of a video cohort, an audio cohort, an olfactory cohort, a biometric cohort, a furtive glance cohort, and a sensor and actuator cohort. 8. The computer implemented method of claim 1 further comprising:
analyzing the digital sensor data using manual input and at least one of cohort criteria, cohort constraints, a set of data models, and risk patterns to generate the general risk cohort. 9. The computer implemented method of claim 1 further comprising:
analyzing the selected risk factors using at least one of manual input from a user and a lookup table of weight indicators to generate weighted risk factors; and identifying a weighted risk score associated with the general risk cohort based on the weighted risk factors, wherein the response action is initiated if the weighted risk score exceeds the risk threshold. 10. The computer implemented method of claim 1 wherein the set of multimodal sensors comprises at least one of a set of chemical sensors, a set of audio sensors, a set of cameras, a set of biometric sensors, and a set of sensors and actuators, and further comprising:
responsive to receiving sensor data from the set of multimodal sensors, processing the sensor data to the form digital sensor data, wherein a sensor data analysis engine converts any input received in an analog format into a digital format to form the digital sensor data. 11. A computer program product for generating risk scores for general risk cohorts, the computer program product comprising:
a computer usable medium having computer usable program code embodied therewith, the computer usable program code comprising: computer usable program code configured to receive digital sensor data associated with a general risk cohort from a set of multimodal sensors, wherein the digital sensor data comprises metadata describing attributes associated with at least one member of the general risk cohort, wherein each member of the general risk cohort comprises data describing objects belonging to a category; computer usable program code configured to generate a general risk score for the general risk cohort based on selected risk factors and the attributes associated with the at least one member of the general risk cohort; and computer usable program code configured to initiate a response action, in response to a determination that the general risk score exceeds a risk threshold. 12. The computer program product of claim 11 further comprising:
computer usable program code configured to monitor digital sensor data associated with the general risk cohort that is received from the set of multimodal sensors in response to a determination that the general risk score fails to exceed a risk threshold. 13. The computer program product of claim 11 wherein the response action is a first response action and further comprising:
computer usable program code configured to receive the digital sensor data in response to a determination that new digital sensor data associated with the general risk cohort is available, wherein the new digital sensor data comprises updated metadata describing updated attributes associated with the at least one member of the general risk cohort; computer usable program code configured to generate an updated general risk score for the general risk cohort based on the selected risk factors and the updated attributes; computer usable program code configured to compare the updated general risk score with the risk threshold; computer usable program code configured to cease the first response action in response to a determination that the updated general risk score fails to exceed the risk threshold; and computer usable program code configured to initiate a second response action in response to a determination that the updated general risk score exceeds the risk threshold, wherein the process iteratively generates updated general risk scores using updated sensor data to monitor risk scores and initiate response actions when any risk score exceeds the risk threshold. 14. The computer program product of claim 11 wherein the response action is a first response action further comprising:
computer usable program code configured to generate an updated general risk score for the general risk cohort based on the updated risk factors and the attributes associated with the at least one member of the general risk cohort in response to a determination that updated risk factors are selected; computer usable program code configured to cease the first response action in response to a determination that the updated general risk score fails to exceed the risk threshold; and computer usable program code configured to initiate a second response action in response to a determination that the updated general risk score exceeds the risk threshold, wherein the process iteratively generates updated general risk scores using updated sensor data to monitor risk scores and initiate response actions when any risk score exceeds the risk threshold. 15. The computer program product of claim 11 wherein the risk threshold comprises an upper risk threshold and a lower risk threshold, and wherein general risk score exceeds the risk threshold if the risk score exceeds an upper risk threshold; and wherein the general risk score exceeds the risk threshold if the risk score is less than a lower risk threshold. 16. An apparatus comprising:
a bus system; a communications system coupled to the bus system; a memory connected to the bus system, wherein the memory includes computer usable program code; and a processing unit coupled to the bus system, wherein the processing unit executes the computer usable program code to receive digital sensor data associated with a general risk cohort from a set of multimodal sensors, wherein the digital sensor data comprises metadata describing attributes associated with at least one member of the general risk cohort, wherein each member of the general risk cohort comprises data describing objects belonging to a category, generates a general risk score for the general risk cohort based on selected risk factors and the attributes associated with the at least one member of the general risk cohort, and initiates a response action, in response to a determination that the general risk score exceeds a risk threshold. 17. The apparatus of claim 16 wherein the processing unit executes the computer usable program code to monitor digital sensor data associated with the general risk cohort that is received from the set of multimodal sensors in response to a determination that the general risk score fails to exceed a risk threshold. 18. The apparatus of claim 16 wherein the processing unit executes the computer usable program code to receive the digital sensor data in response to a determination that new digital sensor data associated with the general risk cohort is available, wherein the new digital sensor data comprises updated metadata describing updated attributes associated with the at least one member of the general risk cohort, generate an updated general risk score for the general risk cohort based on the selected risk factors and the updated attributes, compare the updated general risk score with the risk threshold, and cease the first response action in response to a determination that the updated general risk score fails to exceed the risk threshold, and initiate a second response action in response to a determination that the updated general risk score exceeds the risk threshold, wherein the process iteratively generates updated general risk scores using updated sensor data to monitor risk scores and initiate response actions when any risk score exceeds the risk threshold. 19. The apparatus of claim 16 wherein the risk threshold comprises an upper risk threshold and a lower risk threshold, wherein general risk score exceeds the risk threshold if the risk score exceeds an upper risk threshold, and wherein the general risk score exceeds the risk threshold if the risk score is less than a lower risk threshold. 20. A general risk cohort risk analysis system comprising:
a set of multimodal sensors, wherein the set of multimodal sensors generates sensor data associated with a general risk cohort; a digital sensor data analysis engine, wherein the digital signal analysis engine processes the sensor data to form digital sensor data associated with a general risk cohort, wherein the digital sensor data comprises metadata describing attributes associated with at least one member of the general risk cohort, wherein each member of the general risk cohort comprises data describing objects belonging to a category; and an inference engine, wherein the inference engine comprises a risk assessment engine, wherein the risk assessment engine generate a general risk score for the general risk cohort based on selected risk factors and the attributes associated with the at least one member of the general risk cohort, and initiates a response action, in response to a determination that the general risk score exceeds a risk threshold. | A computer implemented method, apparatus, and computer program product for generating general risk scores for general risk cohorts. Digital sensor data associated with a general risk cohort is received from a set of multimodal sensors. The digital sensor data comprises metadata describing attributes associated with at least one member of the general risk cohort. Each member of the general risk cohort comprises data describing objects belonging to a category. A general risk score for the general risk cohort is generated based on selected risk factors and the attributes associated with the at least one member of the general risk cohort. In response to a determination that the general risk score exceeds a risk threshold, a response action is initiated.1. A computer implemented method of generating general risk scores for general risk cohorts, the computer implemented method comprising:
receiving digital sensor data associated with a general risk cohort from a set of multimodal sensors, wherein the digital sensor data comprises metadata describing attributes associated with at least one member of the general risk cohort, wherein each member of the general risk cohort comprises data describing objects belonging to a category; generating a general risk score for the general risk cohort based on selected risk factors and the attributes associated with the at least one member of the general risk cohort; and responsive to a determination that the general risk score exceeds a risk threshold, initiating a response action. 2. The computer implemented method of claim 1 further comprising:
responsive to a determination that the general risk score fails to exceed a risk threshold, monitoring digital sensor data associated with the general risk cohort that is received from the set of multimodal sensors. 3. The computer implemented method of claim 2 wherein the response action is a first response action and wherein monitoring the digital sensor data further comprises:
responsive to a determination that new digital sensor data associated with the general risk cohort is available, receiving the digital sensor data, wherein the new digital sensor data comprises updated metadata describing updated attributes associated with the at least one member of the general risk cohort; generating an updated general risk score for the general risk cohort based on the selected risk factors and the updated attributes; comparing the updated general risk score with the risk threshold; responsive to a determination that the updated general risk score fails to exceed the risk threshold, ceasing the first response action; and responsive to a determination that the updated general risk score exceeds the risk threshold, initiating a second response action, wherein the process iteratively generates updated general risk scores using updated sensor data to monitor risk scores and initiate response actions when any risk score exceeds the risk threshold. 4. The computer implemented method of claim 1 wherein the response action is a first response action and wherein monitoring the digital sensor data further comprises:
responsive to a determination that updated risk factors are selected, generating an updated general risk score for the general risk cohort based on the updated risk factors and the attributes associated with the at least one member of the general risk cohort; responsive to a determination that the updated general risk score fails to exceed the risk threshold, ceasing the first response action; and responsive to a determination that the updated general risk score exceeds the risk threshold, initiating a second response action, wherein the process iteratively generates updated general risk scores using updated sensor data to monitor risk scores and initiate response actions when any risk score exceeds the risk threshold 5. The computer implemented method of claim 1 wherein the risk threshold comprises an upper risk threshold and a lower risk threshold, and wherein general risk score exceeds the risk threshold if the risk score exceeds an upper risk threshold, and wherein the general risk score exceeds the risk threshold if the risk score is less than a lower risk threshold. 6. The computer implemented method of claim 1 wherein receiving digital sensor data associated with a general risk cohort from a set of multimodal sensors further comprises:
receiving digital cohort data for a set of multimodal cohorts, wherein the digital cohort data comprises metadata describing attributes of members of the set of multimodal cohorts; and generating the general risk score for the general risk cohort based on the selected risk factors, the attributes associated with the set of multimodal cohorts, and the attributes associated with the at least one member of the general risk cohort. 7. The computer implemented method of claim 6 wherein the set of multimodal cohorts comprises at least one of a video cohort, an audio cohort, an olfactory cohort, a biometric cohort, a furtive glance cohort, and a sensor and actuator cohort. 8. The computer implemented method of claim 1 further comprising:
analyzing the digital sensor data using manual input and at least one of cohort criteria, cohort constraints, a set of data models, and risk patterns to generate the general risk cohort. 9. The computer implemented method of claim 1 further comprising:
analyzing the selected risk factors using at least one of manual input from a user and a lookup table of weight indicators to generate weighted risk factors; and identifying a weighted risk score associated with the general risk cohort based on the weighted risk factors, wherein the response action is initiated if the weighted risk score exceeds the risk threshold. 10. The computer implemented method of claim 1 wherein the set of multimodal sensors comprises at least one of a set of chemical sensors, a set of audio sensors, a set of cameras, a set of biometric sensors, and a set of sensors and actuators, and further comprising:
responsive to receiving sensor data from the set of multimodal sensors, processing the sensor data to the form digital sensor data, wherein a sensor data analysis engine converts any input received in an analog format into a digital format to form the digital sensor data. 11. A computer program product for generating risk scores for general risk cohorts, the computer program product comprising:
a computer usable medium having computer usable program code embodied therewith, the computer usable program code comprising: computer usable program code configured to receive digital sensor data associated with a general risk cohort from a set of multimodal sensors, wherein the digital sensor data comprises metadata describing attributes associated with at least one member of the general risk cohort, wherein each member of the general risk cohort comprises data describing objects belonging to a category; computer usable program code configured to generate a general risk score for the general risk cohort based on selected risk factors and the attributes associated with the at least one member of the general risk cohort; and computer usable program code configured to initiate a response action, in response to a determination that the general risk score exceeds a risk threshold. 12. The computer program product of claim 11 further comprising:
computer usable program code configured to monitor digital sensor data associated with the general risk cohort that is received from the set of multimodal sensors in response to a determination that the general risk score fails to exceed a risk threshold. 13. The computer program product of claim 11 wherein the response action is a first response action and further comprising:
computer usable program code configured to receive the digital sensor data in response to a determination that new digital sensor data associated with the general risk cohort is available, wherein the new digital sensor data comprises updated metadata describing updated attributes associated with the at least one member of the general risk cohort; computer usable program code configured to generate an updated general risk score for the general risk cohort based on the selected risk factors and the updated attributes; computer usable program code configured to compare the updated general risk score with the risk threshold; computer usable program code configured to cease the first response action in response to a determination that the updated general risk score fails to exceed the risk threshold; and computer usable program code configured to initiate a second response action in response to a determination that the updated general risk score exceeds the risk threshold, wherein the process iteratively generates updated general risk scores using updated sensor data to monitor risk scores and initiate response actions when any risk score exceeds the risk threshold. 14. The computer program product of claim 11 wherein the response action is a first response action further comprising:
computer usable program code configured to generate an updated general risk score for the general risk cohort based on the updated risk factors and the attributes associated with the at least one member of the general risk cohort in response to a determination that updated risk factors are selected; computer usable program code configured to cease the first response action in response to a determination that the updated general risk score fails to exceed the risk threshold; and computer usable program code configured to initiate a second response action in response to a determination that the updated general risk score exceeds the risk threshold, wherein the process iteratively generates updated general risk scores using updated sensor data to monitor risk scores and initiate response actions when any risk score exceeds the risk threshold. 15. The computer program product of claim 11 wherein the risk threshold comprises an upper risk threshold and a lower risk threshold, and wherein general risk score exceeds the risk threshold if the risk score exceeds an upper risk threshold; and wherein the general risk score exceeds the risk threshold if the risk score is less than a lower risk threshold. 16. An apparatus comprising:
a bus system; a communications system coupled to the bus system; a memory connected to the bus system, wherein the memory includes computer usable program code; and a processing unit coupled to the bus system, wherein the processing unit executes the computer usable program code to receive digital sensor data associated with a general risk cohort from a set of multimodal sensors, wherein the digital sensor data comprises metadata describing attributes associated with at least one member of the general risk cohort, wherein each member of the general risk cohort comprises data describing objects belonging to a category, generates a general risk score for the general risk cohort based on selected risk factors and the attributes associated with the at least one member of the general risk cohort, and initiates a response action, in response to a determination that the general risk score exceeds a risk threshold. 17. The apparatus of claim 16 wherein the processing unit executes the computer usable program code to monitor digital sensor data associated with the general risk cohort that is received from the set of multimodal sensors in response to a determination that the general risk score fails to exceed a risk threshold. 18. The apparatus of claim 16 wherein the processing unit executes the computer usable program code to receive the digital sensor data in response to a determination that new digital sensor data associated with the general risk cohort is available, wherein the new digital sensor data comprises updated metadata describing updated attributes associated with the at least one member of the general risk cohort, generate an updated general risk score for the general risk cohort based on the selected risk factors and the updated attributes, compare the updated general risk score with the risk threshold, and cease the first response action in response to a determination that the updated general risk score fails to exceed the risk threshold, and initiate a second response action in response to a determination that the updated general risk score exceeds the risk threshold, wherein the process iteratively generates updated general risk scores using updated sensor data to monitor risk scores and initiate response actions when any risk score exceeds the risk threshold. 19. The apparatus of claim 16 wherein the risk threshold comprises an upper risk threshold and a lower risk threshold, wherein general risk score exceeds the risk threshold if the risk score exceeds an upper risk threshold, and wherein the general risk score exceeds the risk threshold if the risk score is less than a lower risk threshold. 20. A general risk cohort risk analysis system comprising:
a set of multimodal sensors, wherein the set of multimodal sensors generates sensor data associated with a general risk cohort; a digital sensor data analysis engine, wherein the digital signal analysis engine processes the sensor data to form digital sensor data associated with a general risk cohort, wherein the digital sensor data comprises metadata describing attributes associated with at least one member of the general risk cohort, wherein each member of the general risk cohort comprises data describing objects belonging to a category; and an inference engine, wherein the inference engine comprises a risk assessment engine, wherein the risk assessment engine generate a general risk score for the general risk cohort based on selected risk factors and the attributes associated with the at least one member of the general risk cohort, and initiates a response action, in response to a determination that the general risk score exceeds a risk threshold. | 3,600 |
12,602 | 12,602 | 14,249,144 | 3,623 | In one embodiment, a system for motivating electronically-scheduled event attendance can include a set of attendance listening components, an attendance prompt, and an attendance prompting tool. The attendance listening components can monitor activities performed in a networked environment. The attendance prompt can represent an electronic message and feedback mechanism that is provided on an electronic device. The attendance prompting tool can interject the attendance prompt into an activity identified by an attendance listening component as being performed by a user-selected member of the networked environment. The attendance prompt can be associated with an electronically-scheduled event the user-selected member is to attend. | 1. A method comprising:
a computing device receiving of a command by an attendance prompting tool to issue an attendance prompt to at least one attendee of an electronically-scheduled event, wherein said at least one attendee is denoted as being absent from the electronically-scheduled event when the at least one attendee is not present at a scheduled time of the electronically scheduled event; the computing device ascertaining, whether an existence of at least one activity being performed by the at least one attendee with at least one electronic device; the computing device, if at least one activity exists, generating an attendance prompt for the electronically-scheduled event, wherein said attendance prompt comprises at least a reminder message for the electronically-scheduled event and an attendance update mechanism for the at least one attendee to provide a response to the attendance prompt, and, wherein the attendance prompt is compatible with the at least one electronic device; and the computing device interjecting, the generated attendance prompt into the at least one activity, wherein contents of the attendance prompt are presented to the at least one attendee operating the at least one electronic device. 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
the computing device, in response to receiving the response from the attendance prompt, updating attendance information presented within a graphical user interface (GUI) of the attendance prompting tool. 3. The method of claim 1, wherein, if the at least one activity is non-existent, said method further comprising:
the computing device determining an offline contact method for the at least one attendee; the computing device generating the attendance prompt for the electronically-scheduled event and an electronic device associated with the offline contact method; and the computing device initiating the offline contact method for the at least one attendee, wherein a success of the offline contact method presents the generated attendance prompt to the at least one attendee. 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the ascertaining of the at least one activity further comprises:
the computing device aggregating contact data and at least one electronic identifier for the at least one attendee from a plurality of data sources; and the computing device querying a plurality of listener components for the at least one activity involving at least one of an item of contact data and the at least one electronic identifier for the at least one attendee. 5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:
the computing device accessing data of an electronic calendar associated with the at least one attendee; the computing device from said electronic calendar data, identifying whether an event occurring within a predefined time span exists prior to the electronically-scheduled event for which the attendance prompt is being sent; and the computing device if a prior event exists, capturing details for said prior event, wherein the details comprise at least a location and a coordinator of the prior event. 6. The method of claim 1, wherein the generation of the attendance prompt further comprises:
the computing device identifying at least one prompting rule applicable to the at one least activity existing for the at least one attendee, wherein prompting rules define business rules, performance options, and user preferences for delivery of the attendance prompt; and the computing device enacting the at least one identified prompting rule to influence the generation of the attendance prompt. 7. The method of claim 1, wherein the generation of the attendance prompt further comprises:
the computing device for each ascertained activity and electronic device combination, determining a format for the attendance prompt; and the computing device invoking a specific attendance prompt generator to properly format the attendance prompt. 8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
the computing device determining a current location of the at least one attendee using a scheduled information of a calendaring location or presence information maintained for the at least one attendee; the computing device using the current location, determining the at least one electronic device proximate to the at least one attendee; and the computing device interjecting the generated attendance prompt after determining the at least one electronic device proximate to the at least one attendee. 9. The method of claim 2, further comprising:
the computing device failing to receive a response after interjecting the generated attendance prompt into the at least one activity of the electronic device; the computing device responsive to the failing to receive the response, determining a different electronic device believed to be proximate to or in use by the user; and the computing device presenting the generated attendance prompt upon the different electronic device, wherein the response resulting in the updating of attendance information is provided by the different electronic device. 10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
the computing device for each of the at least one attendee, determining a set of two or more electronic devices associated with the attendee, upon which the attendance prompt is able to be presented; the computing device determining one of the two or more electronic devices that is in use by the at least one attendee; and the computing device selecting the determined one of the electronic devices for interjecting the generated attendance prompt based on the determined use of the one electronic device. 11. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one electronic device is a telephony device, wherein the activity is a real-time voice communication, wherein the generated attendance prompt is interjected into the real-time voice communication as an audio prompt. 12. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one attendee comprises a plurality of different attendees, each of which receives the generated attendance prompt, wherein the different ones of the different attendees are utilizing different types of electronic devices that are communicating in different modalities with the corresponding attendee, wherein the generated attendance prompt is provided in the modality being used on the specific one of the different type of electronic device in response to the interjecting step occurring, wherein different ones of the attendance prompts are provided to different ones of the attendees as an audio prompt, as a visual prompt overlaid on a video stream, and as a notification presented in a computing screen. 13. The method of claim 2, wherein the attendance prompting tool selects the at least one electronic device upon which the generated attendance prompt is presented without a user of the graphical user interface (GUI) of the attendance prompting tool being aware of what electronic device the generated attendance prompt is sent to. 14. A system comprising:
one or more processors; one or more memories storing program instructions, which the one or more processors execute; a plurality of attendance listening components, comprising at least a subset of the program instructions, configured to monitor activities performed in a networked environment; an attendance prompt, generated by executing at least a subset of the program instructions, representing an electronic message and feedback mechanism, wherein said electronic message comprises at least a reminder message for an electronically-scheduled event and said feedback mechanism comprises an attendance update mechanism for the at least one attendee to provide a response to the attendance prompt; and an attendance prompting tool, comprising at least a subset of the program instructions, configured to interject the attendance prompt, into an activity identified by an attendance listening component as being performed by a user selected member of the networked environment, wherein said attendance prompt is associated with an electronically-scheduled event the user-selected member is to attend. 15. The system of claim 14, wherein the attendance prompting tool further comprises:
an attendee locator, comprising at least a subset of the program instructions, configured to utilize the plurality of attendance listening components to determine an electronic device to which the attendance prompt is to be sent; a plurality of prompt data, stored in the one or more memories, containing user-selectable predefined textual components for the attendance prompt; a plurality of prompting rules, stored in one or more of the memories, defining business rules, performance options, and user preferences for delivery of the attendance prompt; a user interface configured to allow selection of prompt data and configuration of prompting rules; and a prompt manager, comprising at least a subset of the program instructions, configured to manage delivery of the attendance prompt to the electronic device determined by the attendee locator in accordance with applicable prompting rules. 16. A computer program product comprising a computer readable storage medium having computer usable program code embodied therewith, the computer usable program code comprising:
computer usable program code stored in the storage medium that upon being executed by a processor is operable to receive of a command by an attendance prompting tool to issue an attendance prompt to at least one attendee of an electronically-scheduled event, wherein said at least one attendee is denoted as being absent from the electronically-scheduled event; computer usable program code stored in the storage medium that upon being executed by a processor is operable to ascertain whether an existence of at least one activity being performed by the at least one attendee with at least one electronic device; computer usable program code stored in the storage medium that upon being executed by a processor is operable to, if at least one activity exists, generate an attendance prompt for the electronically-scheduled event, wherein said attendance prompt comprises at least a reminder message for the electronically-scheduled event and an attendance update mechanism for the at least one attendee to provide a response to the attendance prompt, and, wherein the attendance prompt is compatible with the at least one electronic device; computer usable program code stored in the storage medium that upon being executed by a processor is operable to interject the generated attendance prompt into the at least one activity, wherein contents of the attendance prompt are presented to the at least one attendee operating the at least one electronic device; and computer usable program code stored in the storage medium that upon being executed by a processor is operable to, in response to receiving the response from the attendance prompt, update attendance information presented within a graphical user interface (GUI) of the attendance prompting tool. 17. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein, if the at least one activity is non-existent, said computer program product further comprising:
computer usable program code stored in the storage medium that upon being executed by a processor is operable to determine an offline contact method for the at least one attendee; computer usable program code stored in the storage medium that upon being executed by a processor is operable to generate the attendance prompt for the electronically-scheduled event and an electronic device associated with the offline contact method; and computer usable program code stored in the storage medium that upon being executed by a processor is operable to initiate the offline contact method for the at least one attendee, wherein a success of the offline contact method presents the generated attendance prompt to the at least one attendee. 18. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the ascertaining of the at least one activity further comprises:
computer usable program code stored in the storage medium that upon being executed by a processor is operable to aggregate contact data and at least one electronic identifier for the at least one attendee from a plurality of data sources; and computer usable program code stored in the storage medium that upon being executed by a processor is operable to query a plurality of listener components for the at least one activity involving at least one of an item of contact data and the at least one electronic identifier for the at least one attendee. 19. The computer program product of claim 18, further comprising:
computer usable program code stored in the storage medium that upon being executed by a processor is operable to access data of an electronic calendar associated with the at least one attendee; computer usable program code stored in the storage medium that upon being executed by a processor is operable to, from said electronic calendar data, identify whether an event occurring within a predefined time span exists prior to the electronically-scheduled event for which the attendance prompt is being sent; and computer usable program code stored in the storage medium that upon being executed by a processor is operable to, if a prior event exists, capture details for said prior event, wherein the details comprise at least a location and a coordinator of the prior event. 20. The computer program product of claim 16, further comprising:
computer usable program code stored in the storage medium that upon being executed by a processor is operable to identify at least one prompting rule applicable to the at least one activity existing for the at least one attendee, wherein prompting rules define business rules, performance options, and user preferences for delivery of the attendance prompt; and computer usable program code stored in the storage medium that upon being executed by a processor is operable to enact the at least one identified prompting rule to influence the generation of the attendance prompt. 21. The computer program product of claim 16, further comprising:
computer usable program code stored in the storage medium that upon being executed by a processor is operable to determine a current location of the at least one attendee using a scheduled information of a calendaring location or presence information maintained for the at least one attendee; computer usable program code stored in the storage medium that upon being executed by a processor is operable to use the current location, determining the at least one electronic device proximate to the at least one attendee; and computer usable program code stored in the storage medium that upon being executed by a processor is operable to interject the generated attendance prompt after determining the at least one electronic device proximate to the at least one attendee. 22. A system comprising:
a data system comprising event data for a plurality of events and corresponding attendee data for the events; a plurality of attendance listening components configured to monitor activities performed in a networked environment; a means for ascertaining whether at least one of the activities being monitored by the listening components are being performed by any of the attendees of one of the events as determined by the data system; means for generating an attendance prompt for the corresponding event, wherein said attendance prompt comprises at least a reminder message for the corresponding event and an attendance update mechanism for the at least one attendee performing the activity to provide a response to the attendance prompt; and an attendance prompting tool configured to interject the generated attendance prompt into the ascertained activity. 23. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
the computing device utilizing a plurality of attendance listening components configured to monitor activities performed in a networked environment, wherein the ascertaining is performed utilizing at least one of the attendance listening components, wherein the attendance prompt represents an electronic message and feedback mechanism; and the computing device utilizing the attendance prompting tool to perform the interjecting, wherein said attendance prompting tool interjects the attendance prompt into the at least one activity identified as being performed by a user-selected member of the networked environment, wherein said attendance prompt is associated with an electronically-scheduled event the user-selected member is to attend. 24. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
the computing device storing event data for a plurality of events and corresponding attendee data for the events in a data system, wherein the electronically-scheduled event is one of the stored plurality of events, wherein the denoting as being absent for the at least one attendee is based on records stored in the data system; the computing device utilizing a plurality of attendance listening components configured to monitor activities performed in a networked environment, wherein the ascertaining is performed by any of the attendees of one of the events as determined by the data system, wherein said attendance prompt comprises at least a reminder message for the electronically scheduled event; the computing device utilizing an attendance update mechanism for the at least one attendee performing the activity to provide a response to the attendance prompt; and the computing device utilizing the attendance prompting tool to perform the interjecting, wherein said attendance prompting tool interjects the attendance prompt into the at least one activity identified as being performed by a user-selected member of the networked environment, wherein said attendance prompt is associated with an electronically-scheduled event the user-selected member is to attend. 25. The computer program product of claim 16, further comprising:
a plurality of attendance listening components, comprising at least a portion of the computer usable program code, configured to monitor activities performed in a networked environment; the attendance prompt, generated by one or more processors executing at least a portion of the computer usable program code, representing an electronic message and feedback mechanism; and the attendance prompting tool, comprising at least a portion of the computer usable program code, configured to interject the attendance prompt into an activity identified by one of the attendance listening components as being performed by a user selected member of the networked environment, wherein said attendance prompt is associated with an electronically-scheduled event the user-selected member is to attend; and a data system, comprising hardware and at least a portion of the computer usable program code, comprising event data for a plurality of events and corresponding attendee data for the events, wherein the electronically-scheduled event is one of the stored plurality of events, wherein the denoting as being absent for the at least one attendee is based on records stored in the data system. | In one embodiment, a system for motivating electronically-scheduled event attendance can include a set of attendance listening components, an attendance prompt, and an attendance prompting tool. The attendance listening components can monitor activities performed in a networked environment. The attendance prompt can represent an electronic message and feedback mechanism that is provided on an electronic device. The attendance prompting tool can interject the attendance prompt into an activity identified by an attendance listening component as being performed by a user-selected member of the networked environment. The attendance prompt can be associated with an electronically-scheduled event the user-selected member is to attend.1. A method comprising:
a computing device receiving of a command by an attendance prompting tool to issue an attendance prompt to at least one attendee of an electronically-scheduled event, wherein said at least one attendee is denoted as being absent from the electronically-scheduled event when the at least one attendee is not present at a scheduled time of the electronically scheduled event; the computing device ascertaining, whether an existence of at least one activity being performed by the at least one attendee with at least one electronic device; the computing device, if at least one activity exists, generating an attendance prompt for the electronically-scheduled event, wherein said attendance prompt comprises at least a reminder message for the electronically-scheduled event and an attendance update mechanism for the at least one attendee to provide a response to the attendance prompt, and, wherein the attendance prompt is compatible with the at least one electronic device; and the computing device interjecting, the generated attendance prompt into the at least one activity, wherein contents of the attendance prompt are presented to the at least one attendee operating the at least one electronic device. 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
the computing device, in response to receiving the response from the attendance prompt, updating attendance information presented within a graphical user interface (GUI) of the attendance prompting tool. 3. The method of claim 1, wherein, if the at least one activity is non-existent, said method further comprising:
the computing device determining an offline contact method for the at least one attendee; the computing device generating the attendance prompt for the electronically-scheduled event and an electronic device associated with the offline contact method; and the computing device initiating the offline contact method for the at least one attendee, wherein a success of the offline contact method presents the generated attendance prompt to the at least one attendee. 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the ascertaining of the at least one activity further comprises:
the computing device aggregating contact data and at least one electronic identifier for the at least one attendee from a plurality of data sources; and the computing device querying a plurality of listener components for the at least one activity involving at least one of an item of contact data and the at least one electronic identifier for the at least one attendee. 5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:
the computing device accessing data of an electronic calendar associated with the at least one attendee; the computing device from said electronic calendar data, identifying whether an event occurring within a predefined time span exists prior to the electronically-scheduled event for which the attendance prompt is being sent; and the computing device if a prior event exists, capturing details for said prior event, wherein the details comprise at least a location and a coordinator of the prior event. 6. The method of claim 1, wherein the generation of the attendance prompt further comprises:
the computing device identifying at least one prompting rule applicable to the at one least activity existing for the at least one attendee, wherein prompting rules define business rules, performance options, and user preferences for delivery of the attendance prompt; and the computing device enacting the at least one identified prompting rule to influence the generation of the attendance prompt. 7. The method of claim 1, wherein the generation of the attendance prompt further comprises:
the computing device for each ascertained activity and electronic device combination, determining a format for the attendance prompt; and the computing device invoking a specific attendance prompt generator to properly format the attendance prompt. 8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
the computing device determining a current location of the at least one attendee using a scheduled information of a calendaring location or presence information maintained for the at least one attendee; the computing device using the current location, determining the at least one electronic device proximate to the at least one attendee; and the computing device interjecting the generated attendance prompt after determining the at least one electronic device proximate to the at least one attendee. 9. The method of claim 2, further comprising:
the computing device failing to receive a response after interjecting the generated attendance prompt into the at least one activity of the electronic device; the computing device responsive to the failing to receive the response, determining a different electronic device believed to be proximate to or in use by the user; and the computing device presenting the generated attendance prompt upon the different electronic device, wherein the response resulting in the updating of attendance information is provided by the different electronic device. 10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
the computing device for each of the at least one attendee, determining a set of two or more electronic devices associated with the attendee, upon which the attendance prompt is able to be presented; the computing device determining one of the two or more electronic devices that is in use by the at least one attendee; and the computing device selecting the determined one of the electronic devices for interjecting the generated attendance prompt based on the determined use of the one electronic device. 11. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one electronic device is a telephony device, wherein the activity is a real-time voice communication, wherein the generated attendance prompt is interjected into the real-time voice communication as an audio prompt. 12. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one attendee comprises a plurality of different attendees, each of which receives the generated attendance prompt, wherein the different ones of the different attendees are utilizing different types of electronic devices that are communicating in different modalities with the corresponding attendee, wherein the generated attendance prompt is provided in the modality being used on the specific one of the different type of electronic device in response to the interjecting step occurring, wherein different ones of the attendance prompts are provided to different ones of the attendees as an audio prompt, as a visual prompt overlaid on a video stream, and as a notification presented in a computing screen. 13. The method of claim 2, wherein the attendance prompting tool selects the at least one electronic device upon which the generated attendance prompt is presented without a user of the graphical user interface (GUI) of the attendance prompting tool being aware of what electronic device the generated attendance prompt is sent to. 14. A system comprising:
one or more processors; one or more memories storing program instructions, which the one or more processors execute; a plurality of attendance listening components, comprising at least a subset of the program instructions, configured to monitor activities performed in a networked environment; an attendance prompt, generated by executing at least a subset of the program instructions, representing an electronic message and feedback mechanism, wherein said electronic message comprises at least a reminder message for an electronically-scheduled event and said feedback mechanism comprises an attendance update mechanism for the at least one attendee to provide a response to the attendance prompt; and an attendance prompting tool, comprising at least a subset of the program instructions, configured to interject the attendance prompt, into an activity identified by an attendance listening component as being performed by a user selected member of the networked environment, wherein said attendance prompt is associated with an electronically-scheduled event the user-selected member is to attend. 15. The system of claim 14, wherein the attendance prompting tool further comprises:
an attendee locator, comprising at least a subset of the program instructions, configured to utilize the plurality of attendance listening components to determine an electronic device to which the attendance prompt is to be sent; a plurality of prompt data, stored in the one or more memories, containing user-selectable predefined textual components for the attendance prompt; a plurality of prompting rules, stored in one or more of the memories, defining business rules, performance options, and user preferences for delivery of the attendance prompt; a user interface configured to allow selection of prompt data and configuration of prompting rules; and a prompt manager, comprising at least a subset of the program instructions, configured to manage delivery of the attendance prompt to the electronic device determined by the attendee locator in accordance with applicable prompting rules. 16. A computer program product comprising a computer readable storage medium having computer usable program code embodied therewith, the computer usable program code comprising:
computer usable program code stored in the storage medium that upon being executed by a processor is operable to receive of a command by an attendance prompting tool to issue an attendance prompt to at least one attendee of an electronically-scheduled event, wherein said at least one attendee is denoted as being absent from the electronically-scheduled event; computer usable program code stored in the storage medium that upon being executed by a processor is operable to ascertain whether an existence of at least one activity being performed by the at least one attendee with at least one electronic device; computer usable program code stored in the storage medium that upon being executed by a processor is operable to, if at least one activity exists, generate an attendance prompt for the electronically-scheduled event, wherein said attendance prompt comprises at least a reminder message for the electronically-scheduled event and an attendance update mechanism for the at least one attendee to provide a response to the attendance prompt, and, wherein the attendance prompt is compatible with the at least one electronic device; computer usable program code stored in the storage medium that upon being executed by a processor is operable to interject the generated attendance prompt into the at least one activity, wherein contents of the attendance prompt are presented to the at least one attendee operating the at least one electronic device; and computer usable program code stored in the storage medium that upon being executed by a processor is operable to, in response to receiving the response from the attendance prompt, update attendance information presented within a graphical user interface (GUI) of the attendance prompting tool. 17. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein, if the at least one activity is non-existent, said computer program product further comprising:
computer usable program code stored in the storage medium that upon being executed by a processor is operable to determine an offline contact method for the at least one attendee; computer usable program code stored in the storage medium that upon being executed by a processor is operable to generate the attendance prompt for the electronically-scheduled event and an electronic device associated with the offline contact method; and computer usable program code stored in the storage medium that upon being executed by a processor is operable to initiate the offline contact method for the at least one attendee, wherein a success of the offline contact method presents the generated attendance prompt to the at least one attendee. 18. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the ascertaining of the at least one activity further comprises:
computer usable program code stored in the storage medium that upon being executed by a processor is operable to aggregate contact data and at least one electronic identifier for the at least one attendee from a plurality of data sources; and computer usable program code stored in the storage medium that upon being executed by a processor is operable to query a plurality of listener components for the at least one activity involving at least one of an item of contact data and the at least one electronic identifier for the at least one attendee. 19. The computer program product of claim 18, further comprising:
computer usable program code stored in the storage medium that upon being executed by a processor is operable to access data of an electronic calendar associated with the at least one attendee; computer usable program code stored in the storage medium that upon being executed by a processor is operable to, from said electronic calendar data, identify whether an event occurring within a predefined time span exists prior to the electronically-scheduled event for which the attendance prompt is being sent; and computer usable program code stored in the storage medium that upon being executed by a processor is operable to, if a prior event exists, capture details for said prior event, wherein the details comprise at least a location and a coordinator of the prior event. 20. The computer program product of claim 16, further comprising:
computer usable program code stored in the storage medium that upon being executed by a processor is operable to identify at least one prompting rule applicable to the at least one activity existing for the at least one attendee, wherein prompting rules define business rules, performance options, and user preferences for delivery of the attendance prompt; and computer usable program code stored in the storage medium that upon being executed by a processor is operable to enact the at least one identified prompting rule to influence the generation of the attendance prompt. 21. The computer program product of claim 16, further comprising:
computer usable program code stored in the storage medium that upon being executed by a processor is operable to determine a current location of the at least one attendee using a scheduled information of a calendaring location or presence information maintained for the at least one attendee; computer usable program code stored in the storage medium that upon being executed by a processor is operable to use the current location, determining the at least one electronic device proximate to the at least one attendee; and computer usable program code stored in the storage medium that upon being executed by a processor is operable to interject the generated attendance prompt after determining the at least one electronic device proximate to the at least one attendee. 22. A system comprising:
a data system comprising event data for a plurality of events and corresponding attendee data for the events; a plurality of attendance listening components configured to monitor activities performed in a networked environment; a means for ascertaining whether at least one of the activities being monitored by the listening components are being performed by any of the attendees of one of the events as determined by the data system; means for generating an attendance prompt for the corresponding event, wherein said attendance prompt comprises at least a reminder message for the corresponding event and an attendance update mechanism for the at least one attendee performing the activity to provide a response to the attendance prompt; and an attendance prompting tool configured to interject the generated attendance prompt into the ascertained activity. 23. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
the computing device utilizing a plurality of attendance listening components configured to monitor activities performed in a networked environment, wherein the ascertaining is performed utilizing at least one of the attendance listening components, wherein the attendance prompt represents an electronic message and feedback mechanism; and the computing device utilizing the attendance prompting tool to perform the interjecting, wherein said attendance prompting tool interjects the attendance prompt into the at least one activity identified as being performed by a user-selected member of the networked environment, wherein said attendance prompt is associated with an electronically-scheduled event the user-selected member is to attend. 24. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
the computing device storing event data for a plurality of events and corresponding attendee data for the events in a data system, wherein the electronically-scheduled event is one of the stored plurality of events, wherein the denoting as being absent for the at least one attendee is based on records stored in the data system; the computing device utilizing a plurality of attendance listening components configured to monitor activities performed in a networked environment, wherein the ascertaining is performed by any of the attendees of one of the events as determined by the data system, wherein said attendance prompt comprises at least a reminder message for the electronically scheduled event; the computing device utilizing an attendance update mechanism for the at least one attendee performing the activity to provide a response to the attendance prompt; and the computing device utilizing the attendance prompting tool to perform the interjecting, wherein said attendance prompting tool interjects the attendance prompt into the at least one activity identified as being performed by a user-selected member of the networked environment, wherein said attendance prompt is associated with an electronically-scheduled event the user-selected member is to attend. 25. The computer program product of claim 16, further comprising:
a plurality of attendance listening components, comprising at least a portion of the computer usable program code, configured to monitor activities performed in a networked environment; the attendance prompt, generated by one or more processors executing at least a portion of the computer usable program code, representing an electronic message and feedback mechanism; and the attendance prompting tool, comprising at least a portion of the computer usable program code, configured to interject the attendance prompt into an activity identified by one of the attendance listening components as being performed by a user selected member of the networked environment, wherein said attendance prompt is associated with an electronically-scheduled event the user-selected member is to attend; and a data system, comprising hardware and at least a portion of the computer usable program code, comprising event data for a plurality of events and corresponding attendee data for the events, wherein the electronically-scheduled event is one of the stored plurality of events, wherein the denoting as being absent for the at least one attendee is based on records stored in the data system. | 3,600 |
12,603 | 12,603 | 12,156,269 | 3,662 | Disclosed is a feature for a vehicle that enables taking precautionary actions in response to conditions on the road network around or ahead of the vehicle, in particular, a speed limit change that occurs between a straight road section and a curved road section. A database that represents the road network is used to determine locations where a speed limit change occurs between a straight road section and a curved road section along a road. Then, precautionary action data is added to the database to indicate a location at which a precautionary action is to be taken about the speed limit change between a straight road section and a curved road section. A precautionary action system installed in a vehicle uses this database, or a database derived therefrom, in combination with a positioning system to determine when the vehicle is at a location that corresponds to the location of a precautionary action. When the vehicle is at such a location, a precautionary action is taken by a vehicle system as the vehicle is approaching a speed limit change that occurs between a straight road section and a curved road section. | 1. A method for making a database that represents a road network in a geographic region, the method comprising:
using data contained in the database to identify locations where a speed limit change occurs between a straight road section and a curved road section located along roads throughout the geographic region; and adding precautionary action data to the database to indicate a condition for which a precautionary action is to be taken by a vehicle system. 2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
selecting from the database data records that represents road segments; upon determining that a road segment leads to a curved road segment and that a speed limit change occurs between the straight road segment and the curved road segment, adding the precautionary action data to the database to indicate the presence of a condition for which a precautionary action is to be taken. 3. The method of claim 2 further wherein the road segment is determined to have a speed limit change between a straight road section and a curved road section by evaluating shape point data associated with a successor road segment. 4. The method of claim 2 further comprising:
continuing to select from the database data records that represent road segments to identify all locations where a speed limit change occurs between a straight road section and a curved road section throughout the geographic region. 5. The method of claim 2 further comprising:
continuing to select from the database data records that represent road segments until all data records that represent road segments have been selected. 6. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
compiling the database into a format suitable for use in a navigation system. 7. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of using data contained in the database comprises evaluating at least two items of data contained in the database to determine whether a speed limit change occurs between a straight road section and a curved road section located along a road. 8. A database stored on a computer-readable medium, wherein the database includes data that represents a road network in a geographic region, wherein the database comprises:
data records that represent road segments that make up the road network; data that indicate a speed limit change occurs between a straight road section and a curved road section along the road network; and data that indicates precautionary action locations, wherein a precautionary action location is associated with a location where a speed limit change occurs between a straight road section and a curved road section along the road network. 9. The database of claim 8 wherein the precautionary action data further includes data that indicates a location along a road segment at which a precautionary action is to be taken by a vehicle system. 10. The database of claim 8 wherein the precautionary action data further includes data that indicates a direction along a road segment at which a precautionary action is to be taken. 11. The database of claim 8 wherein the precautionary action data further includes data that refers to the location of the actual speed limit change that occurs between a straight road section and a curved road section. 12. The database of claim 8 further comprising data that indicates permitted directions of travel along road segments, speed limits along road segments, classifications of road segments, and locations of road segments. 13. The database of claim 8 further comprising data that identifies successor road segments of each road segment, wherein successor road segments are those road segments that connect to a road segment at each end thereof. 14. A vehicle system comprising:
a database that contains data representing a geographic region in which a vehicle is being operated, wherein the data includes data that represents a road network located in the geographic region and precautionary action data that indicates precautionary action locations associated with locations where a speed limit change occurs between a straight road section and a curved road section along roads; a positioning system that determines a current location of the vehicle relative to the data representing a geographic region; and a precautionary action application responsive to the positioning system and the database that provides a precautionary action when the positioning system determines that the current location of the vehicle is approaching a speed limit change between a straight road section and a curved road section located along a road. 15. The system of claim 14 wherein the precautionary action data further includes data that indicates a location along a road segment at which a precautionary action is to be taken by a vehicle system. 16. The system of claim 14 wherein the precautionary action data further includes data that indicates a direction along a road segment at which a precautionary action is to be taken. 17. The system of claim 14 wherein the precautionary action data further includes data that refers to the location of the actual speed limit change between a straight road section and a curved road section along the road. 18. A method for providing precautionary actions in a vehicle comprising:
determining a current position of the vehicle; accessing a database that represents a road network to obtain data representations of a part of the road network around of the current position of the vehicle; and upon determining that the data representations of the part of the road network around the current position of the vehicle include precautionary action data, taking a precautionary action as the vehicle is approaching a speed limit change that occurs between a straight road section and a curved road section along a road. 19. The method of claim 18 further comprising:
building an electronic horizon after accessing the database; and using the electronic horizon to determine whether precautionary action data is included therein. 20. The method of claim 18 wherein the precautionary action is provided via a user interface of the vehicle. | Disclosed is a feature for a vehicle that enables taking precautionary actions in response to conditions on the road network around or ahead of the vehicle, in particular, a speed limit change that occurs between a straight road section and a curved road section. A database that represents the road network is used to determine locations where a speed limit change occurs between a straight road section and a curved road section along a road. Then, precautionary action data is added to the database to indicate a location at which a precautionary action is to be taken about the speed limit change between a straight road section and a curved road section. A precautionary action system installed in a vehicle uses this database, or a database derived therefrom, in combination with a positioning system to determine when the vehicle is at a location that corresponds to the location of a precautionary action. When the vehicle is at such a location, a precautionary action is taken by a vehicle system as the vehicle is approaching a speed limit change that occurs between a straight road section and a curved road section.1. A method for making a database that represents a road network in a geographic region, the method comprising:
using data contained in the database to identify locations where a speed limit change occurs between a straight road section and a curved road section located along roads throughout the geographic region; and adding precautionary action data to the database to indicate a condition for which a precautionary action is to be taken by a vehicle system. 2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
selecting from the database data records that represents road segments; upon determining that a road segment leads to a curved road segment and that a speed limit change occurs between the straight road segment and the curved road segment, adding the precautionary action data to the database to indicate the presence of a condition for which a precautionary action is to be taken. 3. The method of claim 2 further wherein the road segment is determined to have a speed limit change between a straight road section and a curved road section by evaluating shape point data associated with a successor road segment. 4. The method of claim 2 further comprising:
continuing to select from the database data records that represent road segments to identify all locations where a speed limit change occurs between a straight road section and a curved road section throughout the geographic region. 5. The method of claim 2 further comprising:
continuing to select from the database data records that represent road segments until all data records that represent road segments have been selected. 6. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
compiling the database into a format suitable for use in a navigation system. 7. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of using data contained in the database comprises evaluating at least two items of data contained in the database to determine whether a speed limit change occurs between a straight road section and a curved road section located along a road. 8. A database stored on a computer-readable medium, wherein the database includes data that represents a road network in a geographic region, wherein the database comprises:
data records that represent road segments that make up the road network; data that indicate a speed limit change occurs between a straight road section and a curved road section along the road network; and data that indicates precautionary action locations, wherein a precautionary action location is associated with a location where a speed limit change occurs between a straight road section and a curved road section along the road network. 9. The database of claim 8 wherein the precautionary action data further includes data that indicates a location along a road segment at which a precautionary action is to be taken by a vehicle system. 10. The database of claim 8 wherein the precautionary action data further includes data that indicates a direction along a road segment at which a precautionary action is to be taken. 11. The database of claim 8 wherein the precautionary action data further includes data that refers to the location of the actual speed limit change that occurs between a straight road section and a curved road section. 12. The database of claim 8 further comprising data that indicates permitted directions of travel along road segments, speed limits along road segments, classifications of road segments, and locations of road segments. 13. The database of claim 8 further comprising data that identifies successor road segments of each road segment, wherein successor road segments are those road segments that connect to a road segment at each end thereof. 14. A vehicle system comprising:
a database that contains data representing a geographic region in which a vehicle is being operated, wherein the data includes data that represents a road network located in the geographic region and precautionary action data that indicates precautionary action locations associated with locations where a speed limit change occurs between a straight road section and a curved road section along roads; a positioning system that determines a current location of the vehicle relative to the data representing a geographic region; and a precautionary action application responsive to the positioning system and the database that provides a precautionary action when the positioning system determines that the current location of the vehicle is approaching a speed limit change between a straight road section and a curved road section located along a road. 15. The system of claim 14 wherein the precautionary action data further includes data that indicates a location along a road segment at which a precautionary action is to be taken by a vehicle system. 16. The system of claim 14 wherein the precautionary action data further includes data that indicates a direction along a road segment at which a precautionary action is to be taken. 17. The system of claim 14 wherein the precautionary action data further includes data that refers to the location of the actual speed limit change between a straight road section and a curved road section along the road. 18. A method for providing precautionary actions in a vehicle comprising:
determining a current position of the vehicle; accessing a database that represents a road network to obtain data representations of a part of the road network around of the current position of the vehicle; and upon determining that the data representations of the part of the road network around the current position of the vehicle include precautionary action data, taking a precautionary action as the vehicle is approaching a speed limit change that occurs between a straight road section and a curved road section along a road. 19. The method of claim 18 further comprising:
building an electronic horizon after accessing the database; and using the electronic horizon to determine whether precautionary action data is included therein. 20. The method of claim 18 wherein the precautionary action is provided via a user interface of the vehicle. | 3,600 |
12,604 | 12,604 | 13,656,497 | 3,681 | Methods and systems for testing, comparing, and optimizing creatives with multiple factors in digital advertising is presented. Experiments are designed for testing a plurality of factors combined to form a creative. Ad campaigns are launched or continue according to the design and the creatives' campaign performance data is collected. Statistical modeling and hypothesis testing are used to predict the performance of the creatives based on the performance data. The creatives are compared based on the predictions and either activated or deactivated based upon their relationship to statistical confidence levels. All the stages are executed automatically and iteratively. | 1. A method, comprising:
performing, by one or more computers:
selecting a subset of creatives from a group of creatives for a campaign;
collecting performance data for the campaign, wherein the performance data includes performance data for each creative of the subset;
constructing a predictive model based upon the performance data to predict performance of creatives from the group of creatives;
performing statistical hypothesis testing based on the predicted performance to determine one or more creatives of the campaign to deactivate;
selecting, based on the predicted performance for each creative, one or more creatives from the group of creatives to replace the deactivated creatives in the subset for the campaign; and
continuing the campaign and repeating for one or more iterations said collecting, said constructing, said performing and said selecting one or more creatives. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein said selecting a subset of creatives comprises generating each creative using a different combination of creative elements from a plurality of different creative element categories. 3. The method of claim 2, wherein said using a different combination of creative elements from a plurality of different creative element categories is performed in a manner ensuring that the subset of creatives includes a specified distribution of creative elements from each different creative element category. 4. The method of claim 1, wherein said collecting performance data comprises collecting network site analytics metric values from one or more data sources for each creative of the subset, wherein the performance data comprises data for one or more of impressions, clicks, revenue, costs, click through rate, conversion rate, revenue per click, revenue per impression, cost per click, cost per action, or cost per impression. 5. The method of claim 1, wherein the predictive model comprises a linear regression model, a generalized linear model, a decision tree, or a neural network. 6. The method of claim 1, wherein the predictive model is used to predict one or more performance metric distributions for each creative of the group, wherein said performing statistical hypothesis testing comprises applying simultaneous hypothesis testing using the performance metric distributions for multiple creatives to determine one or more creatives of the campaign to deactivate at a specified confidence level. 7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
determining whether any new creatives have been added to the creative groups; and in response to determining that one or more new creatives have been added, said selecting selects creatives from both the previous group of creatives and from the new creatives according to a specified ration. 8. The method of claim 1, further comprising, in response to determining that performance data for an initial subset of creatives for the campaign is insufficient to construct the predictive model:
perform hypothesis testing based on the collected performance data to determine one or more creatives of the campaign to deactivate; and selecting one or more creatives from the group of creatives to replace the deactivated creatives in the subset for the campaign. 9. A system, comprising:
at least one processor; and memory comprising program instructions that when executed by the at least one processor implement:
selecting a subset of creatives from a group of creatives for a campaign;
collecting performance data for the campaign, wherein the performance data includes performance data for each creative of the subset;
constructing a predictive model based upon the performance data to predict performance of creatives from the group of creatives;
performing statistical hypothesis testing based on the predicted performance to determine one or more creatives of the campaign to deactivate;
selecting, based on the predicted performance for each creative, one or more creatives from the group of creatives to replace the deactivated creatives in the subset for the campaign; and
continuing the campaign and repeating for one or more iterations said collecting, said constructing, said performing and said selecting one or more creatives. 10. The system of claim 9, wherein said selecting a subset of creatives comprises generating each creative using a different combination of creative elements from a plurality of different creative element categories, wherein said using a different combination of creative elements from a plurality of different creative element categories is performed in a manner ensuring that the subset of creatives includes a specified distribution of creative elements from each different creative element category. 11. The system of claim 9, wherein said collecting performance data comprises collecting network site analytics metric values from one or more data sources for each creative of the subset, wherein the performance data comprises data for one or more of impressions, clicks, revenue, costs, click through rate, conversion rate, revenue per click, revenue per impression, cost per click, cost per action, or cost per impression. 12. The system of claim 9, wherein the predictive model is used to predict one or more performance metric distributions for each creative of the group, wherein said performing statistical hypothesis testing comprises applying simultaneous hypothesis testing using the performance metric distributions for multiple creatives to determine one or more creatives of the campaign to deactivate at a specified confidence level. 13. The system of claim 9, further comprising:
determining whether any new creatives have been added to the creative groups; and in response to determining that one or more new creatives have been added, said selecting selects creatives from both the previous group of creatives and from the new creatives according to a specified ration. 14. The system of claim 9, further comprising, in response to determining that performance data for an initial subset of creatives for the campaign is insufficient to construct the predictive model:
perform hypothesis testing based on the collected performance data to determine one or more creatives of the campaign to deactivate; and selecting one or more creatives from the group of creatives to replace the deactivated creatives in the subset for the campaign. 15. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing program instructions that when executed by a computer implement:
selecting a subset of creatives from a group of creatives for a campaign; collecting performance data for the campaign, wherein the performance data includes performance data for each creative of the subset; constructing a predictive model based upon the performance data to predict performance of creatives from the group of creatives; performing statistical hypothesis testing based on the predicted performance to determine one or more creatives of the campaign to deactivate; selecting, based on the predicted performance for each creative, one or more creatives from the group of creatives to replace the deactivated creatives in the subset for the campaign; and continuing the campaign and repeating for one or more iterations said collecting, said constructing, said performing and said selecting one or more creatives. 16. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein said selecting a subset of creatives comprises generating each creative using a different combination of creative elements from a plurality of different creative element categories. 17. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein said using a different combination of creative elements from a plurality of different creative element categories is performed in a manner ensuring that the subset of creatives includes a specified distribution of creative elements from each different creative element category. 18. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the predictive model is used to predict one or more performance metric distributions for each creative of the group, wherein said performing statistical hypothesis testing comprises applying simultaneous hypothesis testing using the performance metric distributions for multiple creatives to determine one or more creatives of the campaign to deactivate at a specified confidence level. 19. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, further comprising:
determining whether any new creatives have been added to the creative groups; and in response to determining that one or more new creatives have been added, said selecting selects creatives from both the previous group of creatives and from the new creatives according to a specified ration. 20. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, further comprising, in response to determining that performance data for an initial subset of creatives for the campaign is insufficient to construct the predictive model:
perform hypothesis testing based on the collected performance data to determine one or more creatives of the campaign to deactivate; and selecting one or more creatives from the group of creatives to replace the deactivated creatives in the subset for the campaign. | Methods and systems for testing, comparing, and optimizing creatives with multiple factors in digital advertising is presented. Experiments are designed for testing a plurality of factors combined to form a creative. Ad campaigns are launched or continue according to the design and the creatives' campaign performance data is collected. Statistical modeling and hypothesis testing are used to predict the performance of the creatives based on the performance data. The creatives are compared based on the predictions and either activated or deactivated based upon their relationship to statistical confidence levels. All the stages are executed automatically and iteratively.1. A method, comprising:
performing, by one or more computers:
selecting a subset of creatives from a group of creatives for a campaign;
collecting performance data for the campaign, wherein the performance data includes performance data for each creative of the subset;
constructing a predictive model based upon the performance data to predict performance of creatives from the group of creatives;
performing statistical hypothesis testing based on the predicted performance to determine one or more creatives of the campaign to deactivate;
selecting, based on the predicted performance for each creative, one or more creatives from the group of creatives to replace the deactivated creatives in the subset for the campaign; and
continuing the campaign and repeating for one or more iterations said collecting, said constructing, said performing and said selecting one or more creatives. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein said selecting a subset of creatives comprises generating each creative using a different combination of creative elements from a plurality of different creative element categories. 3. The method of claim 2, wherein said using a different combination of creative elements from a plurality of different creative element categories is performed in a manner ensuring that the subset of creatives includes a specified distribution of creative elements from each different creative element category. 4. The method of claim 1, wherein said collecting performance data comprises collecting network site analytics metric values from one or more data sources for each creative of the subset, wherein the performance data comprises data for one or more of impressions, clicks, revenue, costs, click through rate, conversion rate, revenue per click, revenue per impression, cost per click, cost per action, or cost per impression. 5. The method of claim 1, wherein the predictive model comprises a linear regression model, a generalized linear model, a decision tree, or a neural network. 6. The method of claim 1, wherein the predictive model is used to predict one or more performance metric distributions for each creative of the group, wherein said performing statistical hypothesis testing comprises applying simultaneous hypothesis testing using the performance metric distributions for multiple creatives to determine one or more creatives of the campaign to deactivate at a specified confidence level. 7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
determining whether any new creatives have been added to the creative groups; and in response to determining that one or more new creatives have been added, said selecting selects creatives from both the previous group of creatives and from the new creatives according to a specified ration. 8. The method of claim 1, further comprising, in response to determining that performance data for an initial subset of creatives for the campaign is insufficient to construct the predictive model:
perform hypothesis testing based on the collected performance data to determine one or more creatives of the campaign to deactivate; and selecting one or more creatives from the group of creatives to replace the deactivated creatives in the subset for the campaign. 9. A system, comprising:
at least one processor; and memory comprising program instructions that when executed by the at least one processor implement:
selecting a subset of creatives from a group of creatives for a campaign;
collecting performance data for the campaign, wherein the performance data includes performance data for each creative of the subset;
constructing a predictive model based upon the performance data to predict performance of creatives from the group of creatives;
performing statistical hypothesis testing based on the predicted performance to determine one or more creatives of the campaign to deactivate;
selecting, based on the predicted performance for each creative, one or more creatives from the group of creatives to replace the deactivated creatives in the subset for the campaign; and
continuing the campaign and repeating for one or more iterations said collecting, said constructing, said performing and said selecting one or more creatives. 10. The system of claim 9, wherein said selecting a subset of creatives comprises generating each creative using a different combination of creative elements from a plurality of different creative element categories, wherein said using a different combination of creative elements from a plurality of different creative element categories is performed in a manner ensuring that the subset of creatives includes a specified distribution of creative elements from each different creative element category. 11. The system of claim 9, wherein said collecting performance data comprises collecting network site analytics metric values from one or more data sources for each creative of the subset, wherein the performance data comprises data for one or more of impressions, clicks, revenue, costs, click through rate, conversion rate, revenue per click, revenue per impression, cost per click, cost per action, or cost per impression. 12. The system of claim 9, wherein the predictive model is used to predict one or more performance metric distributions for each creative of the group, wherein said performing statistical hypothesis testing comprises applying simultaneous hypothesis testing using the performance metric distributions for multiple creatives to determine one or more creatives of the campaign to deactivate at a specified confidence level. 13. The system of claim 9, further comprising:
determining whether any new creatives have been added to the creative groups; and in response to determining that one or more new creatives have been added, said selecting selects creatives from both the previous group of creatives and from the new creatives according to a specified ration. 14. The system of claim 9, further comprising, in response to determining that performance data for an initial subset of creatives for the campaign is insufficient to construct the predictive model:
perform hypothesis testing based on the collected performance data to determine one or more creatives of the campaign to deactivate; and selecting one or more creatives from the group of creatives to replace the deactivated creatives in the subset for the campaign. 15. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing program instructions that when executed by a computer implement:
selecting a subset of creatives from a group of creatives for a campaign; collecting performance data for the campaign, wherein the performance data includes performance data for each creative of the subset; constructing a predictive model based upon the performance data to predict performance of creatives from the group of creatives; performing statistical hypothesis testing based on the predicted performance to determine one or more creatives of the campaign to deactivate; selecting, based on the predicted performance for each creative, one or more creatives from the group of creatives to replace the deactivated creatives in the subset for the campaign; and continuing the campaign and repeating for one or more iterations said collecting, said constructing, said performing and said selecting one or more creatives. 16. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein said selecting a subset of creatives comprises generating each creative using a different combination of creative elements from a plurality of different creative element categories. 17. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein said using a different combination of creative elements from a plurality of different creative element categories is performed in a manner ensuring that the subset of creatives includes a specified distribution of creative elements from each different creative element category. 18. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the predictive model is used to predict one or more performance metric distributions for each creative of the group, wherein said performing statistical hypothesis testing comprises applying simultaneous hypothesis testing using the performance metric distributions for multiple creatives to determine one or more creatives of the campaign to deactivate at a specified confidence level. 19. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, further comprising:
determining whether any new creatives have been added to the creative groups; and in response to determining that one or more new creatives have been added, said selecting selects creatives from both the previous group of creatives and from the new creatives according to a specified ration. 20. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, further comprising, in response to determining that performance data for an initial subset of creatives for the campaign is insufficient to construct the predictive model:
perform hypothesis testing based on the collected performance data to determine one or more creatives of the campaign to deactivate; and selecting one or more creatives from the group of creatives to replace the deactivated creatives in the subset for the campaign. | 3,600 |
12,605 | 12,605 | 14,619,786 | 3,683 | Techniques are disclosed for statistically and ontologically correlated business intelligence (BI) analytics. An example method includes performing an ontological analysis on relevant data defined for a BI analytics query to determine correlations with ontological concepts. The method includes performing a statistical analysis on direct analytics output data to rank the direct analytics output data in order of influence on the direct analytics output. The method includes performing a statistical analysis on the relevant data set relative to the direct analytics output data to determine data in the relevant data set that influence the direct analytics output data, thereby generating a list of key drivers ranked in order of influence. The method includes revising the ranking of the key drivers based on correlations of the key drivers with the ontological concepts. The method includes generating a correlated analytics output comprising information on the key drivers based on the ranking. | 1-10. (canceled) 11. A computer program product for business intelligence (BI) analytics, the computer program product comprising a computer-readable storage medium having program code embodied therewith, the program code executable by a computing device to:
perform an ontological analysis on data items in a relevant data set defined for a BI analytics query to determine one or more correlations of the data items in the relevant data set with ontological concepts in an ontological concept subsystem; perform a first statistical analysis on a set of direct analytics output data items from the relevant data set that are included in a direct BI analytics output to rank the direct analytics output data items in an order of influence on the direct BI analytics output; perform a second statistical analysis on the data items in the relevant data set relative to the direct analytics output data items to determine one or more of the data items in the relevant data set that influence the respective direct analytics output data items, thereby generating a list of key drivers from among the data items in the relevant data set such that the list of key drivers has a ranking in an order of the influence; revise the ranking of the list of key drivers based at least in part on the correlations of the key drivers with the ontological concepts; and generate a correlated analytics output comprising information on one or more of the key drivers based on the ranking of the list of key drivers. 12. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the program code is further executable by the computing device to remove, from the list of key drivers, key drivers that are already present in the direct analytics output data items. 13. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the program code executable by the computing device to generate the correlated analytics output comprising the information on the one or more of the key drivers based on the ranking of the list of key drivers further comprises program code executable by the computing device to generate a correlated analytics output comprising information on how the key drivers influence the direct analytics output data items. 14. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the program code executable by the computing device to generate the correlated analytics output comprising the information on the one or more of the key drivers comprises program code executable by the computing device to generate the correlated analytics output comprising correlations between one or more of the key drivers and one or more of the direct analytics output data items based on the ranking of the list of key drivers. 15. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the program code executable by the computing device to revise the ranking of the list of key drivers based at least in part on the correlations of the key drivers with the ontological concepts further comprises program code executable by the computing device to rank key drivers that have a correlation with one of the ontological concepts higher than key drivers that do not have a correlation with one of the ontological concepts. 16. A computer system for business intelligence (BI) analytics, the computer system comprising:
one or more processors, one or more computer-readable memories, and one or more computer-readable, tangible storage devices; program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices for execution by at least one of the one or more processors via at least one of the one or more memories, to perform an ontological analysis on data items in a relevant data set defined for a BI analytics query to determine one or more correlations of the data items in the relevant data set with ontological concepts in an ontological concept subsystem; program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices for execution by at least one of the one or more processors via at least one of the one or more memories, to perform a first statistical analysis on a set of direct analytics output data items from the relevant data set that are included in a direct BI analytics output to rank the direct analytics output data items in an order of influence on the direct BI analytics output; program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices for execution by at least one of the one or more processors via at least one of the one or more memories, to perform a second statistical analysis on the data items in the relevant data set relative to the direct analytics output data items to determine one or more of the data items in the relevant data set that influence the respective direct analytics output data items, thereby generating a list of key drivers from among the data items in the relevant data set such that the list of key drivers has a ranking in an order of the influence; program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices for execution by at least one of the one or more processors via at least one of the one or more memories, to revise the ranking of the list of key drivers based at least in part on the correlations of the key drivers with the ontological concepts; and program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices for execution by at least one of the one or more processors via at least one of the one or more memories, to generate a correlated analytics output comprising information on one or more of the key drivers based on the ranking of the list of key drivers. 17. The computer system of claim 16, further comprising program instructions to remove, from the list of key drivers, key drivers that are already present in the direct analytics output data items. 18. The computer system of claim 16, wherein the program instructions to generate the correlated analytics output comprising the information on the one or more of the key drivers based on the ranking of the list of key drivers further comprise program instructions to generate a correlated analytics output comprising information on how the key drivers influence the direct analytics output data items. 19. The computer system of claim 16, wherein the program instructions to generate the correlated analytics output comprising the information on the one or more of the key drivers comprise program instructions to generate the correlated analytics output comprising correlations between one or more of the key drivers and one or more of the direct analytics output data items based on the ranking of the list of key drivers. 20. The computer system of claim 16, wherein the program instructions to revise the ranking of the list of key drivers based at least in part on the correlations of the key drivers with the ontological concepts further comprise program instructions to rank key drivers that have a correlation with one of the ontological concepts higher than key drivers that do not have a correlation with one of the ontological concepts. | Techniques are disclosed for statistically and ontologically correlated business intelligence (BI) analytics. An example method includes performing an ontological analysis on relevant data defined for a BI analytics query to determine correlations with ontological concepts. The method includes performing a statistical analysis on direct analytics output data to rank the direct analytics output data in order of influence on the direct analytics output. The method includes performing a statistical analysis on the relevant data set relative to the direct analytics output data to determine data in the relevant data set that influence the direct analytics output data, thereby generating a list of key drivers ranked in order of influence. The method includes revising the ranking of the key drivers based on correlations of the key drivers with the ontological concepts. The method includes generating a correlated analytics output comprising information on the key drivers based on the ranking.1-10. (canceled) 11. A computer program product for business intelligence (BI) analytics, the computer program product comprising a computer-readable storage medium having program code embodied therewith, the program code executable by a computing device to:
perform an ontological analysis on data items in a relevant data set defined for a BI analytics query to determine one or more correlations of the data items in the relevant data set with ontological concepts in an ontological concept subsystem; perform a first statistical analysis on a set of direct analytics output data items from the relevant data set that are included in a direct BI analytics output to rank the direct analytics output data items in an order of influence on the direct BI analytics output; perform a second statistical analysis on the data items in the relevant data set relative to the direct analytics output data items to determine one or more of the data items in the relevant data set that influence the respective direct analytics output data items, thereby generating a list of key drivers from among the data items in the relevant data set such that the list of key drivers has a ranking in an order of the influence; revise the ranking of the list of key drivers based at least in part on the correlations of the key drivers with the ontological concepts; and generate a correlated analytics output comprising information on one or more of the key drivers based on the ranking of the list of key drivers. 12. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the program code is further executable by the computing device to remove, from the list of key drivers, key drivers that are already present in the direct analytics output data items. 13. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the program code executable by the computing device to generate the correlated analytics output comprising the information on the one or more of the key drivers based on the ranking of the list of key drivers further comprises program code executable by the computing device to generate a correlated analytics output comprising information on how the key drivers influence the direct analytics output data items. 14. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the program code executable by the computing device to generate the correlated analytics output comprising the information on the one or more of the key drivers comprises program code executable by the computing device to generate the correlated analytics output comprising correlations between one or more of the key drivers and one or more of the direct analytics output data items based on the ranking of the list of key drivers. 15. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the program code executable by the computing device to revise the ranking of the list of key drivers based at least in part on the correlations of the key drivers with the ontological concepts further comprises program code executable by the computing device to rank key drivers that have a correlation with one of the ontological concepts higher than key drivers that do not have a correlation with one of the ontological concepts. 16. A computer system for business intelligence (BI) analytics, the computer system comprising:
one or more processors, one or more computer-readable memories, and one or more computer-readable, tangible storage devices; program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices for execution by at least one of the one or more processors via at least one of the one or more memories, to perform an ontological analysis on data items in a relevant data set defined for a BI analytics query to determine one or more correlations of the data items in the relevant data set with ontological concepts in an ontological concept subsystem; program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices for execution by at least one of the one or more processors via at least one of the one or more memories, to perform a first statistical analysis on a set of direct analytics output data items from the relevant data set that are included in a direct BI analytics output to rank the direct analytics output data items in an order of influence on the direct BI analytics output; program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices for execution by at least one of the one or more processors via at least one of the one or more memories, to perform a second statistical analysis on the data items in the relevant data set relative to the direct analytics output data items to determine one or more of the data items in the relevant data set that influence the respective direct analytics output data items, thereby generating a list of key drivers from among the data items in the relevant data set such that the list of key drivers has a ranking in an order of the influence; program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices for execution by at least one of the one or more processors via at least one of the one or more memories, to revise the ranking of the list of key drivers based at least in part on the correlations of the key drivers with the ontological concepts; and program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices for execution by at least one of the one or more processors via at least one of the one or more memories, to generate a correlated analytics output comprising information on one or more of the key drivers based on the ranking of the list of key drivers. 17. The computer system of claim 16, further comprising program instructions to remove, from the list of key drivers, key drivers that are already present in the direct analytics output data items. 18. The computer system of claim 16, wherein the program instructions to generate the correlated analytics output comprising the information on the one or more of the key drivers based on the ranking of the list of key drivers further comprise program instructions to generate a correlated analytics output comprising information on how the key drivers influence the direct analytics output data items. 19. The computer system of claim 16, wherein the program instructions to generate the correlated analytics output comprising the information on the one or more of the key drivers comprise program instructions to generate the correlated analytics output comprising correlations between one or more of the key drivers and one or more of the direct analytics output data items based on the ranking of the list of key drivers. 20. The computer system of claim 16, wherein the program instructions to revise the ranking of the list of key drivers based at least in part on the correlations of the key drivers with the ontological concepts further comprise program instructions to rank key drivers that have a correlation with one of the ontological concepts higher than key drivers that do not have a correlation with one of the ontological concepts. | 3,600 |
12,606 | 12,606 | 13,869,246 | 3,697 | The invention comprises a method for distributing dead bank cards to customers who have not solicited a bank card or submitted an application. The dead bank card is a bank card (e.g., ATM card, debit card, check card, and the like) which contains all necessary information to be used, including a pre-assigned bank account number, and which only requires activation/approval by the prospective new bank account customer. In one embodiment, the dead bank card is distributed in connection with live credit cards issued to applicants for credit card accounts. Once operative, the bank card and the credit card may be linked together through a rebate/rewards program. | 1-40. (canceled) 41. A system for distributing bank cards, the system comprising:
at least one computer memory storing at least one database; and at least one computer processor, accessing the computer memory and executing instructions to perform steps including:
identifying a pool of potential new bank deposit account holders for a bank;
determining if a person from the pool is an existing bank deposit account holder;
determining whether the person is eligible for opening a new bank deposit account if the person is not an existing bank account holder;
creating a dead bank card comprising a stored value card associated with an inactive stored value account, the dead bank card and the inactive stored value account being unsolicited, the dead bank card including information specific to the person; and
distributing the dead bank card from the issuing bank to the person. 42. The system of claim 41, wherein the pool is identified based on the region or regions served by the bank issuing the new bank accounts. 43. The system of claim 41, wherein the pool is identified based on individuals applying for a new credit account. 44. The system of claim 41, wherein the pool is identified based on a life event comprising a move to a new residence. 45. The system of claim 41, wherein the pool is identified based on a life event including one of: a marriage or divorce, death of a partner or spouse, and a birth. 46. The system of claim 41, wherein upon activation, the bank funds the stored value account with an initial deposit. 47. The system of claim 41, wherein customer activation of the dead bank card occurs via mobile device. 48. The system of claim 41, wherein the pool is identified based on a life event comprising a new phone account. 49. The system of claim 41, further including determining whether the person was a previous bank account holder. 50. The system of claim 49, further including determining why the person closed the previous bank account in the event the person was a previous bank account holder. 51. The system of claim 41, wherein the step of determining whether the person is eligible comprises evaluating credit score information supplied by a credit bureau. 52. The system of claim 41, wherein the step of determining whether the person is eligible comprises determining whether the person is an existing or past credit card account holder with the bank and evaluating the payment history if the person is an existing or past credit account holder. 53. The system of claim 41, wherein the step of determining whether the person is eligible comprises evaluating the age of the person. 54. The system of claim 41, further comprising the step of prebuilding an account if the person is determined to be eligible, thereby permitting the bank to implement the new bank account quickly upon acceptance of the offer by the person. 55. The system of claim 41, wherein the stored value card is a smart card. 56. The system of claim 41, further comprising providing an incentive when the person is an existing or past account holder. 57. A system for distributing bank cards, comprising:
at least one computer memory storing at least one database; and at least one computer processor, accessing the computer memory and executing instructions to perform steps including:
receiving, via a communication interface, a customer application for a credit card to be issued by a bank;
processing the application to determine a decision on the credit card;
determining whether the customer is an existing bank deposit account holder of the bank;
distributing a live credit card to the customer if the application is approved and the customer is an existing bank deposit account holder; and
distributing a live credit card and an unsolicited dead bank card comprising a dead card associated with an inactive account from the issuing bank to the customer if the application is approved and the customer is not an existing bank account holder, wherein the dead card is a stored value card and the inactive account is a stored value account;
the dead card and inactive account being unsolicited and the dead bank card being delivered with information specific to the person. 58. The system of claim 57, further comprising the step of determining if the customer is eligible to be a bank account holder of the bank. 59. The system of claim 58, wherein the step of determining if the customer is eligible comprises determining whether the customer resides within the bank account service footprint of the bank. 60. The system of claim 58, wherein the step of determining if the customer is eligible comprises performing a credit check or risk analysis supplemental to that performed for the credit card application. 61. The system of claim 57, further comprising the step of determining whether the customer is a past bank account holder of the bank. 62. The system of claim 61, further comprising determining the reason the past bank account was closed and evaluating the reason prior to the decision to distribute a dead bank card to the customer. 63. The system of claim 61, further comprising the step of providing an incentive to a customer who is not an existing bank account holder, a first incentive being provided to a customer who is not an existing bank account holder and who is not a past bank account holder, and a second incentive being provided to a customer who is not an existing bank account holder and who is a past bank account holder, thereby providing different incentives to new bank account customers and past bank account customers. 64. The system of claim 57, wherein the live credit card and dead bank card are communicated to the customer in a single mailing. 65. The system of claim 57, wherein the live credit card and dead bank card are communicated to the customer in different mailings. 66. The system of claim 57, wherein the customer activates the dead bank card using a mobile device. 67. A system for distributing solicited credit cards and unsolicited bank cards, the system comprising:
at least one computer memory storing at least one database; and at least one computer processor, accessing the computer memory and executing instructions to perform steps including:
receiving, via a communication interface, from a customer an application for a credit card to be issued by a bank;
processing the application by the at least one computer processor;
determining, by said at least one computer processor, if the customer is an existing bank deposit account holder with the bank;
distributing a credit card to the customer if the application is approved and the customer is already an existing bank deposit account holder;
distributing a credit card and an unsolicited dead bank card from the issuing bank to the customer if the application is approved and the customer is not an existing bank deposit account holder;
the dead bank card being unsolicited and delivered with information specific to the person, the dead bank card being a stored value card; and
processing a customer response to the dead bank card, wherein the customer response includes interaction with a customer mobile device. 68. The system of claim 67, wherein the customer response accepts a new stored value account associated with the dead bank card, and wherein the processing comprises funding the new stored value account. 69. The system of claim 68, wherein the funding is from a customer-supplied source of funds. 70. The system of claim 68, wherein the funding is from the credit account associated with the credit card distributed with the dead bank card. 71. The system of claim 68, wherein the funding is an incentive deposit provided by the bank to incentivize the customer to accept the new bank account. 72. The system of claim 67, wherein the credit card and the bank card are linked through a reward or rebate program. 73. The system of claim 72, wherein the credit card is a cobranded credit card offering first rewards or rebates based on credit card usage, and the customer also receives second rewards or rebates based on bank card usage. 74. The system of claim 73, wherein the first rewards or rebates and second rewards or rebates are the same. 75. The system of claim 73, wherein the first rewards or rebates and the second rewards or rebates are different, thereby offering different levels of incentive to the customer to use the credit card and the bank card. 76. The system of claim 67, wherein the credit card is a cobranded credit card offering first rewards or rebates based on credit card usage, and the bank provides the customer an incentive deposit of rewards or rebates to accept the new bank account associated with the dead bank card. | The invention comprises a method for distributing dead bank cards to customers who have not solicited a bank card or submitted an application. The dead bank card is a bank card (e.g., ATM card, debit card, check card, and the like) which contains all necessary information to be used, including a pre-assigned bank account number, and which only requires activation/approval by the prospective new bank account customer. In one embodiment, the dead bank card is distributed in connection with live credit cards issued to applicants for credit card accounts. Once operative, the bank card and the credit card may be linked together through a rebate/rewards program.1-40. (canceled) 41. A system for distributing bank cards, the system comprising:
at least one computer memory storing at least one database; and at least one computer processor, accessing the computer memory and executing instructions to perform steps including:
identifying a pool of potential new bank deposit account holders for a bank;
determining if a person from the pool is an existing bank deposit account holder;
determining whether the person is eligible for opening a new bank deposit account if the person is not an existing bank account holder;
creating a dead bank card comprising a stored value card associated with an inactive stored value account, the dead bank card and the inactive stored value account being unsolicited, the dead bank card including information specific to the person; and
distributing the dead bank card from the issuing bank to the person. 42. The system of claim 41, wherein the pool is identified based on the region or regions served by the bank issuing the new bank accounts. 43. The system of claim 41, wherein the pool is identified based on individuals applying for a new credit account. 44. The system of claim 41, wherein the pool is identified based on a life event comprising a move to a new residence. 45. The system of claim 41, wherein the pool is identified based on a life event including one of: a marriage or divorce, death of a partner or spouse, and a birth. 46. The system of claim 41, wherein upon activation, the bank funds the stored value account with an initial deposit. 47. The system of claim 41, wherein customer activation of the dead bank card occurs via mobile device. 48. The system of claim 41, wherein the pool is identified based on a life event comprising a new phone account. 49. The system of claim 41, further including determining whether the person was a previous bank account holder. 50. The system of claim 49, further including determining why the person closed the previous bank account in the event the person was a previous bank account holder. 51. The system of claim 41, wherein the step of determining whether the person is eligible comprises evaluating credit score information supplied by a credit bureau. 52. The system of claim 41, wherein the step of determining whether the person is eligible comprises determining whether the person is an existing or past credit card account holder with the bank and evaluating the payment history if the person is an existing or past credit account holder. 53. The system of claim 41, wherein the step of determining whether the person is eligible comprises evaluating the age of the person. 54. The system of claim 41, further comprising the step of prebuilding an account if the person is determined to be eligible, thereby permitting the bank to implement the new bank account quickly upon acceptance of the offer by the person. 55. The system of claim 41, wherein the stored value card is a smart card. 56. The system of claim 41, further comprising providing an incentive when the person is an existing or past account holder. 57. A system for distributing bank cards, comprising:
at least one computer memory storing at least one database; and at least one computer processor, accessing the computer memory and executing instructions to perform steps including:
receiving, via a communication interface, a customer application for a credit card to be issued by a bank;
processing the application to determine a decision on the credit card;
determining whether the customer is an existing bank deposit account holder of the bank;
distributing a live credit card to the customer if the application is approved and the customer is an existing bank deposit account holder; and
distributing a live credit card and an unsolicited dead bank card comprising a dead card associated with an inactive account from the issuing bank to the customer if the application is approved and the customer is not an existing bank account holder, wherein the dead card is a stored value card and the inactive account is a stored value account;
the dead card and inactive account being unsolicited and the dead bank card being delivered with information specific to the person. 58. The system of claim 57, further comprising the step of determining if the customer is eligible to be a bank account holder of the bank. 59. The system of claim 58, wherein the step of determining if the customer is eligible comprises determining whether the customer resides within the bank account service footprint of the bank. 60. The system of claim 58, wherein the step of determining if the customer is eligible comprises performing a credit check or risk analysis supplemental to that performed for the credit card application. 61. The system of claim 57, further comprising the step of determining whether the customer is a past bank account holder of the bank. 62. The system of claim 61, further comprising determining the reason the past bank account was closed and evaluating the reason prior to the decision to distribute a dead bank card to the customer. 63. The system of claim 61, further comprising the step of providing an incentive to a customer who is not an existing bank account holder, a first incentive being provided to a customer who is not an existing bank account holder and who is not a past bank account holder, and a second incentive being provided to a customer who is not an existing bank account holder and who is a past bank account holder, thereby providing different incentives to new bank account customers and past bank account customers. 64. The system of claim 57, wherein the live credit card and dead bank card are communicated to the customer in a single mailing. 65. The system of claim 57, wherein the live credit card and dead bank card are communicated to the customer in different mailings. 66. The system of claim 57, wherein the customer activates the dead bank card using a mobile device. 67. A system for distributing solicited credit cards and unsolicited bank cards, the system comprising:
at least one computer memory storing at least one database; and at least one computer processor, accessing the computer memory and executing instructions to perform steps including:
receiving, via a communication interface, from a customer an application for a credit card to be issued by a bank;
processing the application by the at least one computer processor;
determining, by said at least one computer processor, if the customer is an existing bank deposit account holder with the bank;
distributing a credit card to the customer if the application is approved and the customer is already an existing bank deposit account holder;
distributing a credit card and an unsolicited dead bank card from the issuing bank to the customer if the application is approved and the customer is not an existing bank deposit account holder;
the dead bank card being unsolicited and delivered with information specific to the person, the dead bank card being a stored value card; and
processing a customer response to the dead bank card, wherein the customer response includes interaction with a customer mobile device. 68. The system of claim 67, wherein the customer response accepts a new stored value account associated with the dead bank card, and wherein the processing comprises funding the new stored value account. 69. The system of claim 68, wherein the funding is from a customer-supplied source of funds. 70. The system of claim 68, wherein the funding is from the credit account associated with the credit card distributed with the dead bank card. 71. The system of claim 68, wherein the funding is an incentive deposit provided by the bank to incentivize the customer to accept the new bank account. 72. The system of claim 67, wherein the credit card and the bank card are linked through a reward or rebate program. 73. The system of claim 72, wherein the credit card is a cobranded credit card offering first rewards or rebates based on credit card usage, and the customer also receives second rewards or rebates based on bank card usage. 74. The system of claim 73, wherein the first rewards or rebates and second rewards or rebates are the same. 75. The system of claim 73, wherein the first rewards or rebates and the second rewards or rebates are different, thereby offering different levels of incentive to the customer to use the credit card and the bank card. 76. The system of claim 67, wherein the credit card is a cobranded credit card offering first rewards or rebates based on credit card usage, and the bank provides the customer an incentive deposit of rewards or rebates to accept the new bank account associated with the dead bank card. | 3,600 |
12,607 | 12,607 | 12,431,489 | 3,694 | A consumer device is disclosed. It includes a body, and a memory element coupled to the body, the memory storing a first account identifier associated with a first account, a second account identifier associated with a second account, and an alterable flag linking the first account and the second account. | 1. A consumer device comprising:
a body; and a memory element coupled to the body, the memory storing a first account identifier associated with a first account, a second account identifier associated with a second account, and an alterable flag linking the first account and the second account. 2. The consumer device of claim 1 wherein the consumer device is a portable consumer device. 3. The consumer device of claim 1 wherein the consumer device is a portable consumer device, wherein the portable consumer device is a phone. 4. The consumer device of claim 1 wherein the first account identifier is a prepaid account number and the second account identifier is a debit or credit account number. 5. The consumer device of claim 1 wherein the memory element is in the form of a magnetic stripe or a memory chip. 6. A method comprising:
receiving, at a server computer, an authorization request message comprising a first account identifier associated with a first account, a second account identifier associated with a second account, and an alterable flag, wherein the alterable flag links the first account and the second account; analyzing the authorization request message; and performing additional processing depending upon the state of the alterable flag. 7. The method of claim 6 wherein the authorization request message is associated with a purchase transaction and the first account identifier is a prepaid account number and the second account identifier is a debit or credit account number, and wherein additional processing includes initiating the transfer of value from the second account to the first account if the alterable flag is in a transfer state. 8. The method of claim 6 wherein the authorization request message is associated with a purchase transaction, and wherein the transfer of value includes automatically refilling the first account with a predetermined amount of money if the value amount in the first account is zero. 9. The method of claim 8 wherein the authorization request message is associated with a purchase transaction, and wherein the method further comprises:
sending an authorization response message to a merchant. 10. The method of claim 6 wherein the authorization response message comprises an indication of the amount of money from the first account and the amount of money from the second account that are used to pay for the purchase. 11. A computer readable medium having a computer readable program code embodied therein, said computer readable program code adapted to be executed by a processor to implement a method according to claim 6. 12. A server computer comprising the computer readable medium of claim 11. 13. A method comprising:
sending an authorization request message comprising a first account identifier associated with a first account, a second account identifier associated with a second account, and an alterable flag, wherein the alterable flag links the first account and the second account, to a server computer, wherein the server computer thereafter analyzes the authorization request message and performs additional processing based on the alterable flag; and receiving an authorization response message from the server computer. 14. The method of claim 13 wherein the authorization request message is associated with a purchase transaction and the first account identifier is a prepaid account number and the second account identifier is a debit or credit account number. 15. The method of claim 13 further comprising receiving the first account identifier, the second account identifier, and the alterable flag from a portable consumer device. 16. The method of 15 wherein the portable consumer device is a phone or a card. 17. The method of claim 15 wherein the server computer resides at an issuer. 18. A computer readable medium having a computer readable program code embodied therein, said computer readable program code adapted to be executed by a processor to implement a method according to claim 13. 19. An access device comprising the computer readable medium of claim 18. 20. A system comprising the access device of claim 18. | A consumer device is disclosed. It includes a body, and a memory element coupled to the body, the memory storing a first account identifier associated with a first account, a second account identifier associated with a second account, and an alterable flag linking the first account and the second account.1. A consumer device comprising:
a body; and a memory element coupled to the body, the memory storing a first account identifier associated with a first account, a second account identifier associated with a second account, and an alterable flag linking the first account and the second account. 2. The consumer device of claim 1 wherein the consumer device is a portable consumer device. 3. The consumer device of claim 1 wherein the consumer device is a portable consumer device, wherein the portable consumer device is a phone. 4. The consumer device of claim 1 wherein the first account identifier is a prepaid account number and the second account identifier is a debit or credit account number. 5. The consumer device of claim 1 wherein the memory element is in the form of a magnetic stripe or a memory chip. 6. A method comprising:
receiving, at a server computer, an authorization request message comprising a first account identifier associated with a first account, a second account identifier associated with a second account, and an alterable flag, wherein the alterable flag links the first account and the second account; analyzing the authorization request message; and performing additional processing depending upon the state of the alterable flag. 7. The method of claim 6 wherein the authorization request message is associated with a purchase transaction and the first account identifier is a prepaid account number and the second account identifier is a debit or credit account number, and wherein additional processing includes initiating the transfer of value from the second account to the first account if the alterable flag is in a transfer state. 8. The method of claim 6 wherein the authorization request message is associated with a purchase transaction, and wherein the transfer of value includes automatically refilling the first account with a predetermined amount of money if the value amount in the first account is zero. 9. The method of claim 8 wherein the authorization request message is associated with a purchase transaction, and wherein the method further comprises:
sending an authorization response message to a merchant. 10. The method of claim 6 wherein the authorization response message comprises an indication of the amount of money from the first account and the amount of money from the second account that are used to pay for the purchase. 11. A computer readable medium having a computer readable program code embodied therein, said computer readable program code adapted to be executed by a processor to implement a method according to claim 6. 12. A server computer comprising the computer readable medium of claim 11. 13. A method comprising:
sending an authorization request message comprising a first account identifier associated with a first account, a second account identifier associated with a second account, and an alterable flag, wherein the alterable flag links the first account and the second account, to a server computer, wherein the server computer thereafter analyzes the authorization request message and performs additional processing based on the alterable flag; and receiving an authorization response message from the server computer. 14. The method of claim 13 wherein the authorization request message is associated with a purchase transaction and the first account identifier is a prepaid account number and the second account identifier is a debit or credit account number. 15. The method of claim 13 further comprising receiving the first account identifier, the second account identifier, and the alterable flag from a portable consumer device. 16. The method of 15 wherein the portable consumer device is a phone or a card. 17. The method of claim 15 wherein the server computer resides at an issuer. 18. A computer readable medium having a computer readable program code embodied therein, said computer readable program code adapted to be executed by a processor to implement a method according to claim 13. 19. An access device comprising the computer readable medium of claim 18. 20. A system comprising the access device of claim 18. | 3,600 |
12,608 | 12,608 | 10,319,182 | 3,692 | A system for analyzing and optimizing allocation of factors among different business entities. The analysis, or optimization, can be targeted to a specific business financials measurement, or metric. Many different types of factors can be considered regardless of their initial definition, description or form. For example, along with revenues, profit, inventory size, etc., human characteristics such as incentive and performance can be measured and optimized. A preferred embodiment of the invention concerns analyzing factor allocation to reduce overall taxes for a company with subsidiaries in regions with different tax laws. The system includes consideration of local, state, federal and international taxes, transfer pricing, tax credit limitations, inter-state allocations in unitary and non unitary environments, carry-overs, and others. The system preferably uses a versatile matching engine, described herein, to automate the analysis and optimization. The matching engine is capable of discrete and continuous attribute value weighting, and of performing substitution of attributes, or other variables. | 1. A method for assigning a financial factor to one of a plurality of business entities, the method comprising
identifying a factor to be assigned; indicating a metric to be optimized; defining one or more rules to be used in a matching process; using a computer system to perform a step of comparing degrees of optimization of the metric based on assignment of the factor to different ones of the plurality of business entities, wherein the one or more rules are used to derive the degrees of optimization; and using the result of the comparing step to assign the financial factor to the one of a plurality of business entities. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the factor includes cost. 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the factor includes revenue. 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the factor includes product shipping allocation. 5. The method of claim 1, wherein the factor includes sales allocation. 6. The method of claim 1, wherein the business entities are located in different geographic regions. 7. The method of claim 1, wherein the business entities are located in regions with different commercial laws. 8. The method of claim 1, wherein the metric includes growth. 9. The method of claim 1, wherein the metric includes profitability. 10. The method of claim 1, wherein the metric includes tax liability. 11. The method of claim 1, wherein the metric includes risk associated with changes to business allocations among a plurality of entities. 12. The method of claim 1, wherein the metric includes human incentives. 13. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of comparing degrees of optimization uses a matching engine as described herein. 14. The method of claim 1, wherein the step to create complete and stable planning models using only essential data elements. 15. A method for analyzing a business operation, the method comprising
using a computer system to provide projected tax liability when costs and revenue are allocated among a plurality of business entities, wherein the computer system executes a matching engine using weighting of attribute values. 16. The method of claim 15, wherein the computer system uses discrete weighting. 17. The method of claim 15, wherein the computer system uses continuous weighting. 18. The method of claim 15, wherein the computer system uses substitution of variables. 19. A method for analyzing a business operation, the method comprising
allocating one of cost or revenue among a plurality of business entities; using a computer system to provide projected tax liability based on the allocations made in the step of allocating; and using the computer system to provide incentive determination based on the allocations made in the step of allocating. 20. The method of claim 19 further comprising using the computer system to access a cost allocation module; a transfer pricing module; an income shifting module; a capital investment module; and a financing module. 21. The method of claim 19 further comprising the defining a base case having a first set of either cost or revenue allocations and performing a series of iterations to define a plurality of “what if” cases based on at least a second set of either cost or revenue allocations. 22. A method for analyzing a business operation, the method comprising
allocating one of cost or revenue among a plurality of business entities; using a computer system to provide projected tax liability based on the allocations made in the step of allocating; using the computer system to provide an risk assessment projection based on the allocations made in the step of allocating. 23. A method for optimizing taxes for a multi-jurisdiction entity, the method comprising:
defining a plurality of case, including at least one base case; defining said entity in terms of at least one location, the number of subsidiary entities and the relationship between each such subsidiary entities; using a computer system to perform an optimization process based on at least one model, said model having a plurality of rules for deriving tax implications of business operation, and the defined entity; using the computer system to allocate financial metrics. 24. The method of claim 23 further comprising generating a report, said report including a comparison of the allocation of financial metrics for the base case and at least one other case based on a different allocation of financial metrics. 25. The method of claim 24 further comprising exporting the report to a data management application to enable a user to drill down to data supporting said report. 26. The method of claim 23 further comprising generating a “what-if” case using a wizard to reassign the financial metrics of a parent to a sub-entity. 27. A system for providing strategic business units, finance, treasury, and tax departments in a global company visibility on its forecasted cash flow, including forecasted revenues, forecasted expense and forecasted capital decisions, where said business units are located in a plurality of jurisdictions such that said cash flow is allocated to selected ones of said strategic business units in view of the tax laws for each jurisdiction and generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP), said system comprising:
Means for defining a plurality of scenario-based approaches that allows multi-year tax planning and analysis across said business units and for sharing the results between users; and Means for disseminating said scenario-based approaches to each of said business units. 28. The system of claim 27 wherein said disseminating means further includes a server and a plurality of web-based browsers, coupled to said server, so that said defining means accepts factors from each of said strategic business units. 29. The system of claim 28 further comprising an optimizing function for splitting an entity into a plurality of entities in different jurisdictions to modify a selected one of said scenario-based approaches. 30. The system of claim 28 further comprising an optimizing function for combining a plurality of entities located in a plurality of entities in different jurisdictions to a common entity to modify a selected one of said scenario-based approaches. 31. The system of claim 28 further comprising an optimizing function for creating a new entity to modify a selected one of said scenario-based approaches. 32. The system of claim 28 further comprising an optimizing function to optimize the transfer pricing to modify a selected one of said scenario-based approaches. 33. The system of claim 28 further comprising an optimizing function for splitting an entity into a plurality of entities in different jurisdictions to modify a selected one of said scenario-based approaches. 34. The system of claim 28 further comprising a plurality of optimizing functions to modify a selected one of said scenario-based approaches. 35. The system of claim 28 further comprising:
An allocation engine;
An analysis engine; and
Means for defining the relationship between each of said strategic business units. | A system for analyzing and optimizing allocation of factors among different business entities. The analysis, or optimization, can be targeted to a specific business financials measurement, or metric. Many different types of factors can be considered regardless of their initial definition, description or form. For example, along with revenues, profit, inventory size, etc., human characteristics such as incentive and performance can be measured and optimized. A preferred embodiment of the invention concerns analyzing factor allocation to reduce overall taxes for a company with subsidiaries in regions with different tax laws. The system includes consideration of local, state, federal and international taxes, transfer pricing, tax credit limitations, inter-state allocations in unitary and non unitary environments, carry-overs, and others. The system preferably uses a versatile matching engine, described herein, to automate the analysis and optimization. The matching engine is capable of discrete and continuous attribute value weighting, and of performing substitution of attributes, or other variables.1. A method for assigning a financial factor to one of a plurality of business entities, the method comprising
identifying a factor to be assigned; indicating a metric to be optimized; defining one or more rules to be used in a matching process; using a computer system to perform a step of comparing degrees of optimization of the metric based on assignment of the factor to different ones of the plurality of business entities, wherein the one or more rules are used to derive the degrees of optimization; and using the result of the comparing step to assign the financial factor to the one of a plurality of business entities. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the factor includes cost. 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the factor includes revenue. 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the factor includes product shipping allocation. 5. The method of claim 1, wherein the factor includes sales allocation. 6. The method of claim 1, wherein the business entities are located in different geographic regions. 7. The method of claim 1, wherein the business entities are located in regions with different commercial laws. 8. The method of claim 1, wherein the metric includes growth. 9. The method of claim 1, wherein the metric includes profitability. 10. The method of claim 1, wherein the metric includes tax liability. 11. The method of claim 1, wherein the metric includes risk associated with changes to business allocations among a plurality of entities. 12. The method of claim 1, wherein the metric includes human incentives. 13. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of comparing degrees of optimization uses a matching engine as described herein. 14. The method of claim 1, wherein the step to create complete and stable planning models using only essential data elements. 15. A method for analyzing a business operation, the method comprising
using a computer system to provide projected tax liability when costs and revenue are allocated among a plurality of business entities, wherein the computer system executes a matching engine using weighting of attribute values. 16. The method of claim 15, wherein the computer system uses discrete weighting. 17. The method of claim 15, wherein the computer system uses continuous weighting. 18. The method of claim 15, wherein the computer system uses substitution of variables. 19. A method for analyzing a business operation, the method comprising
allocating one of cost or revenue among a plurality of business entities; using a computer system to provide projected tax liability based on the allocations made in the step of allocating; and using the computer system to provide incentive determination based on the allocations made in the step of allocating. 20. The method of claim 19 further comprising using the computer system to access a cost allocation module; a transfer pricing module; an income shifting module; a capital investment module; and a financing module. 21. The method of claim 19 further comprising the defining a base case having a first set of either cost or revenue allocations and performing a series of iterations to define a plurality of “what if” cases based on at least a second set of either cost or revenue allocations. 22. A method for analyzing a business operation, the method comprising
allocating one of cost or revenue among a plurality of business entities; using a computer system to provide projected tax liability based on the allocations made in the step of allocating; using the computer system to provide an risk assessment projection based on the allocations made in the step of allocating. 23. A method for optimizing taxes for a multi-jurisdiction entity, the method comprising:
defining a plurality of case, including at least one base case; defining said entity in terms of at least one location, the number of subsidiary entities and the relationship between each such subsidiary entities; using a computer system to perform an optimization process based on at least one model, said model having a plurality of rules for deriving tax implications of business operation, and the defined entity; using the computer system to allocate financial metrics. 24. The method of claim 23 further comprising generating a report, said report including a comparison of the allocation of financial metrics for the base case and at least one other case based on a different allocation of financial metrics. 25. The method of claim 24 further comprising exporting the report to a data management application to enable a user to drill down to data supporting said report. 26. The method of claim 23 further comprising generating a “what-if” case using a wizard to reassign the financial metrics of a parent to a sub-entity. 27. A system for providing strategic business units, finance, treasury, and tax departments in a global company visibility on its forecasted cash flow, including forecasted revenues, forecasted expense and forecasted capital decisions, where said business units are located in a plurality of jurisdictions such that said cash flow is allocated to selected ones of said strategic business units in view of the tax laws for each jurisdiction and generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP), said system comprising:
Means for defining a plurality of scenario-based approaches that allows multi-year tax planning and analysis across said business units and for sharing the results between users; and Means for disseminating said scenario-based approaches to each of said business units. 28. The system of claim 27 wherein said disseminating means further includes a server and a plurality of web-based browsers, coupled to said server, so that said defining means accepts factors from each of said strategic business units. 29. The system of claim 28 further comprising an optimizing function for splitting an entity into a plurality of entities in different jurisdictions to modify a selected one of said scenario-based approaches. 30. The system of claim 28 further comprising an optimizing function for combining a plurality of entities located in a plurality of entities in different jurisdictions to a common entity to modify a selected one of said scenario-based approaches. 31. The system of claim 28 further comprising an optimizing function for creating a new entity to modify a selected one of said scenario-based approaches. 32. The system of claim 28 further comprising an optimizing function to optimize the transfer pricing to modify a selected one of said scenario-based approaches. 33. The system of claim 28 further comprising an optimizing function for splitting an entity into a plurality of entities in different jurisdictions to modify a selected one of said scenario-based approaches. 34. The system of claim 28 further comprising a plurality of optimizing functions to modify a selected one of said scenario-based approaches. 35. The system of claim 28 further comprising:
An allocation engine;
An analysis engine; and
Means for defining the relationship between each of said strategic business units. | 3,600 |
12,609 | 12,609 | 14,523,355 | 3,688 | A system for interacting with a passenger within a vehicle is provided. The system includes, but is not limited to, in-vehicle equipment which communicates with a remote server, a wireless communication device which communicates information between the remote server outside of the vehicle and the in-vehicle equipment, and a mobile device having a display. The in-vehicle equipment retrieves content from the remote server. The mobile device receives passenger information from the passenger. The mobile device pairs with and provides passenger information to the in-vehicle equipment. The in-vehicle equipment provides content to display on the mobile device in response to the provided passenger information. | 1. A system for interacting with a passenger within a vehicle comprising:
a passenger information monitor having a first display for presenting primary content to the passenger; a wireless communication device which communicates information between a remote server outside of the vehicle and the passenger information monitor; and a mobile device having a second display, wherein the mobile device is in communication with the passenger information monitor, wherein the passenger information monitor is provided with and sends passenger information along with vehicle information to the remote server via the wireless communication device, and wherein the passenger information monitor receives primary content to display on the first display in response to the provided passenger information. 2. The system of claim 1, wherein the mobile device receives passenger information from the passenger and provides the passenger information to the passenger information monitor. 3. The system of claim 1, wherein the passenger information is generated by in-vehicle equipment and then provided to the passenger information monitor. 4. The system of claim 1, wherein the mobile device receives additional content to display on the second display, and wherein additional content is displayed in conjunction with the primary content, and wherein the additional content is received in response to the provided passenger information. 5. The system of claim 4, wherein the additional content is related to the primary content, and wherein the additional content is displayed simultaneously with the primary content. 6. The system of claim 5, wherein the additional content is displayed in response to provided vehicle information. 7. The system of claim 6, wherein the initial and additional content are displayed in response to vehicle information. 8. The system of claim 7, wherein the vehicle information includes one of environmental information, location information, route information, time information, and date information. 9. The system of claim 1, wherein the mobile device is in communication with and provides passenger information to the passenger information monitor via the remote server. 10. The system of claim 1, wherein the passenger earns rewards based on participation with the system in the vehicle via an incentives manager. 11. The system of claim 10, wherein the passenger is provided with surveys either on the mobile device or on the passenger information monitor, and wherein the rewards earned are increased based on passenger interaction with the surveys. 12. The system of claim 1, wherein the passenger interacts with the primary content on the passenger information monitor via the additional content on the mobile device. 13. The system of claim 12, wherein the primary content is an advertisement, a game, or a survey, and the additional content is a related advertisement, related content, or an application which allows the passenger to interact with the advertisement, the game, or the survey. 13. The system of claim 1, wherein the primary content is downloaded onto the passenger information monitor from a remote server via the wireless communication device. 14. A system for interacting with a passenger within a vehicle comprising:
in-vehicle equipment which communicates with a remote server via a wireless communication device, wherein the in-vehicle equipment retrieves content from the remote server; and a mobile device having a display, wherein the mobile device receives passenger information from the passenger, wherein the mobile device pairs with and provides passenger information to the in-vehicle equipment, and wherein the in-vehicle equipment provides content to display on the mobile device in response to the provided passenger information. 15. The system of claim 14, wherein the in-vehicle equipment includes a passenger information monitor, and wherein the passenger is provided with surveys either on the display of the mobile device or on the passenger information monitor, and wherein the rewards earned are increased based on passenger interaction with the surveys. 16. The system of claim 14, wherein the in-vehicle equipment includes a passenger information monitor, wherein the passenger interacts with primary content on the passenger information monitor via additional content on the mobile device. 17. The system of claim 16, wherein the primary content is an advertisement, a game, or a survey, and the additional content is a related advertisement, related content, or an application which allows the passenger to interact with the advertisement, the game, or the survey. 18. A system for interacting with a passenger within a vehicle comprising:
in-vehicle equipment which communicates with a remote server via a wireless communication device, wherein the remote server includes a content manager which provides content to the passenger; and a mobile device, wherein the mobile device pairs with and provides passenger information to the in-vehicle equipment, and wherein the content manager transmits content selected based on the passenger information and/or the vehicle information to the in-vehicle equipment and/or the mobile device and presented to the passenger by the in-vehicle equipment and/or the mobile device. 19. The system of claim 18, wherein the content manager includes a content broker to service requests for content from either the mobile device or the in-vehicle equipment, and wherein the content broker compares tagged content attributes with a list of attributes provided by the either the mobile device or the in-vehicle equipment in order to select content to be delivered to the in-vehicle equipment and/or the mobile device. 20. The system of claim 19, wherein a passenger attribute made up of passenger information provided by the passenger is subsequently used by the content manager to broker targeted content to the passenger via the in-vehicle equipment and/or the mobile device. 21. A system for interacting with a passenger within a vehicle comprising:
in-vehicle equipment which communicates with a remote server via a wireless communication device, wherein the remote server includes an incentives manager; and a mobile device, wherein the mobile device pairs with the in-vehicle equipment and provides passenger information to incentives manager, and wherein the incentives manager provides something of perceived value to the passenger in exchange for passenger information from the passenger or in exchange for a performed action from the passenger. 22. The system of claim 21, wherein passenger information provided by the passenger to the incentives manages is subsequently used by a content manager to broker targeted content to the passenger via the in-vehicle equipment and/or the mobile device. | A system for interacting with a passenger within a vehicle is provided. The system includes, but is not limited to, in-vehicle equipment which communicates with a remote server, a wireless communication device which communicates information between the remote server outside of the vehicle and the in-vehicle equipment, and a mobile device having a display. The in-vehicle equipment retrieves content from the remote server. The mobile device receives passenger information from the passenger. The mobile device pairs with and provides passenger information to the in-vehicle equipment. The in-vehicle equipment provides content to display on the mobile device in response to the provided passenger information.1. A system for interacting with a passenger within a vehicle comprising:
a passenger information monitor having a first display for presenting primary content to the passenger; a wireless communication device which communicates information between a remote server outside of the vehicle and the passenger information monitor; and a mobile device having a second display, wherein the mobile device is in communication with the passenger information monitor, wherein the passenger information monitor is provided with and sends passenger information along with vehicle information to the remote server via the wireless communication device, and wherein the passenger information monitor receives primary content to display on the first display in response to the provided passenger information. 2. The system of claim 1, wherein the mobile device receives passenger information from the passenger and provides the passenger information to the passenger information monitor. 3. The system of claim 1, wherein the passenger information is generated by in-vehicle equipment and then provided to the passenger information monitor. 4. The system of claim 1, wherein the mobile device receives additional content to display on the second display, and wherein additional content is displayed in conjunction with the primary content, and wherein the additional content is received in response to the provided passenger information. 5. The system of claim 4, wherein the additional content is related to the primary content, and wherein the additional content is displayed simultaneously with the primary content. 6. The system of claim 5, wherein the additional content is displayed in response to provided vehicle information. 7. The system of claim 6, wherein the initial and additional content are displayed in response to vehicle information. 8. The system of claim 7, wherein the vehicle information includes one of environmental information, location information, route information, time information, and date information. 9. The system of claim 1, wherein the mobile device is in communication with and provides passenger information to the passenger information monitor via the remote server. 10. The system of claim 1, wherein the passenger earns rewards based on participation with the system in the vehicle via an incentives manager. 11. The system of claim 10, wherein the passenger is provided with surveys either on the mobile device or on the passenger information monitor, and wherein the rewards earned are increased based on passenger interaction with the surveys. 12. The system of claim 1, wherein the passenger interacts with the primary content on the passenger information monitor via the additional content on the mobile device. 13. The system of claim 12, wherein the primary content is an advertisement, a game, or a survey, and the additional content is a related advertisement, related content, or an application which allows the passenger to interact with the advertisement, the game, or the survey. 13. The system of claim 1, wherein the primary content is downloaded onto the passenger information monitor from a remote server via the wireless communication device. 14. A system for interacting with a passenger within a vehicle comprising:
in-vehicle equipment which communicates with a remote server via a wireless communication device, wherein the in-vehicle equipment retrieves content from the remote server; and a mobile device having a display, wherein the mobile device receives passenger information from the passenger, wherein the mobile device pairs with and provides passenger information to the in-vehicle equipment, and wherein the in-vehicle equipment provides content to display on the mobile device in response to the provided passenger information. 15. The system of claim 14, wherein the in-vehicle equipment includes a passenger information monitor, and wherein the passenger is provided with surveys either on the display of the mobile device or on the passenger information monitor, and wherein the rewards earned are increased based on passenger interaction with the surveys. 16. The system of claim 14, wherein the in-vehicle equipment includes a passenger information monitor, wherein the passenger interacts with primary content on the passenger information monitor via additional content on the mobile device. 17. The system of claim 16, wherein the primary content is an advertisement, a game, or a survey, and the additional content is a related advertisement, related content, or an application which allows the passenger to interact with the advertisement, the game, or the survey. 18. A system for interacting with a passenger within a vehicle comprising:
in-vehicle equipment which communicates with a remote server via a wireless communication device, wherein the remote server includes a content manager which provides content to the passenger; and a mobile device, wherein the mobile device pairs with and provides passenger information to the in-vehicle equipment, and wherein the content manager transmits content selected based on the passenger information and/or the vehicle information to the in-vehicle equipment and/or the mobile device and presented to the passenger by the in-vehicle equipment and/or the mobile device. 19. The system of claim 18, wherein the content manager includes a content broker to service requests for content from either the mobile device or the in-vehicle equipment, and wherein the content broker compares tagged content attributes with a list of attributes provided by the either the mobile device or the in-vehicle equipment in order to select content to be delivered to the in-vehicle equipment and/or the mobile device. 20. The system of claim 19, wherein a passenger attribute made up of passenger information provided by the passenger is subsequently used by the content manager to broker targeted content to the passenger via the in-vehicle equipment and/or the mobile device. 21. A system for interacting with a passenger within a vehicle comprising:
in-vehicle equipment which communicates with a remote server via a wireless communication device, wherein the remote server includes an incentives manager; and a mobile device, wherein the mobile device pairs with the in-vehicle equipment and provides passenger information to incentives manager, and wherein the incentives manager provides something of perceived value to the passenger in exchange for passenger information from the passenger or in exchange for a performed action from the passenger. 22. The system of claim 21, wherein passenger information provided by the passenger to the incentives manages is subsequently used by a content manager to broker targeted content to the passenger via the in-vehicle equipment and/or the mobile device. | 3,600 |
12,610 | 12,610 | 10,113,841 | 3,693 | Systems and methods for rule-based bilateral negotiation of quotes in response to request for quotes (RFQ) and inside market inquiries is provided. A trader is provided with a user-interactive trading interface for submitting and receiving an RFQ. The user-interactive trading interface may provide a requesting trader with an opportunity to generate requests or inquires pertaining to a desired instrument in a particular market (e.g., a bond market). The RFQ may be forwarded to a select group of market participants, determined automatically or by the requesting trader. The market participant may respond to the RFQ with a quote via the user-interactive trading interface. A rule-based negotiation session may be initialized upon receiving the quote from the market participant. | 1. A method for rule-based bilateral negotiation of a quote using a user-interactive trading interface, the quote being a price quote for a traded instrument, the method comprising:
receiving a request for quote from a requesting trader; posting said request for quote to at least one market participant; receiving said price quote from said market participant; initiating a rule-based negotiation session based on said requesting trader accepting said price quote; and policing said rule-based negotiation session for inappropriate trading transactions. 2. The method defined in claim 1 wherein said user-interactive trading interface is configured to display a plurality of grids. 3. The method defined in claim 1 wherein said user-interactive trading interface is automatically configured based on a traded instrument's market. 4. The method defined in claim 1 wherein said user-interactive trading interface is configured by said requesting trader. 5. The method defined in claim 1 wherein said user-interactive trading interface is configured by said market participant. 6. The method defined in claim 2 wherein said grids are selected from the group consisting of a request for quote trading grid, an instrument grid, a trader information grid, and a confirmation grid. 7. The method defined in claim 6 wherein said request for quote trading grid provides a listing of all request for quotes available in a market to said requesting trader. 8. The method defined in claim 6 wherein said request for quote trading grid provides a listing of all request for quotes available in said market to said market participant. 9. The method defined in claim 6 wherein said instrument grid provides said traded instruments available in said market. 10. The method defined in claim 6 wherein said trader information grid provides individual information pertaining to requesting trader's request for quotes and responses to said request for quotes. 11. The method defined in claim 6 wherein said confirmation grid provides information pertaining to an executed trade. 12. The method defined in claim 1 wherein said requesting trader initiates said request for quote by selecting said traded instrument from said instrument grid. 13. The method defined in claim 12 wherein selecting said traded instrument from said instrument grid triggers an order entry dialog box. 14. The method defined in claim 13 wherein said order entry dialog box allows said requesting trader to specify parameters of said request for quote and submit said request for quote to be posted to said market participant. 15. The method defined in claim 1 further comprising said market participant receiving a notification of a request for quote being posted. 16. The method defined in claim 1 wherein said market participant responds to said request for quote with said price quote by selecting said request for quote from said instrument grid. 17. The method defined in claim 1 further comprising determining said rules to be applied in said negotiation session based on said traded instrument's market in which said request for quote is posted. 18. The method defined in claim 1 wherein said requesting trader accepting said price quote executes a trade for said traded instrument and is provided with an opportunity to make a request for more size of said traded instrument from said market participant. 19. A method for rule-based bilateral negotiation of a quote using a user-interactive trading interface, the quote being a price quote for a traded instrument, the method comprising:
receiving a request for quote from a requesting trader; posting said request for quote to at least one market participant; receiving said price quote from said market participant; initiating a rule-based negotiation session based on said requesting trader rejecting said price quote and providing a counter-quote; and policing said rule-based negotiation session for inappropriate trading transactions. 20. The method defined in claim 19 wherein said user-interactive trading interface is configured to display a plurality of grids. 21. The method defined in claim 19 wherein said user-interactive trading interface is automatically configured based on a traded instrument's market. 22. The method defined in claim 19 wherein said user-interactive trading interface is configured by said requesting trader. 23. The method defined in claim 19 wherein said user-interactive trading interface is configured by said market participant. 24. The method defined in claim 20 wherein said grids are selected from the group consisting of a request for quote trading grid, an instrument grid, a trader information grid, and a confirmation grid. 25. The method defined in claim 24 wherein said request for quote trading grid provides a listing of all request for quotes available in a market to said requesting trader. 26. The method defined in claim 24 wherein said request for quote trading grid provides a listing of all request for quotes available in said market to said market participant. 27. The method defined in claim 24 wherein said instrument grid provides said traded instruments available in said market. 28. The method defined in claim 24 wherein said trader information grid provides individual information pertaining to requesting trader's request for quotes and responses to said request for quotes. 29. The method defined in claim 24 wherein said confirmation grid provides information pertaining to an executed trade. 30. The method defined in claim 19 wherein said requesting trader initiates said request for quote by selecting said traded instrument from said instrument grid. 31. The method defined in claim 30 wherein selecting said traded instrument from said instrument grid triggers an order entry dialog box. 32. The method defined in claim 31 wherein said order entry dialog box allows said requesting trader to specify parameters of said request for quote and submit said request for quote to be posted to said market participant. 33. The method defined in claim 19 further comprising said market participant receiving a notification of a request for quote being posted. 34. The method defined in claim 19 wherein said market participant responds to said request for quote with said price quote by selecting said request for quote from said instrument grid. 35. The method defined in claim 19 further comprising determining said rules to be applied in said negotiation session based on said traded instrument's market in which said request for quote is posted. 36. The method defined in claim 19 wherein said requesting trader rejecting said price quote and providing said counter-quote is provided with an opportunity to execute a trade on said traded instrument based on said market participant accepting said counter-quote. 37. The method defined in claim 36 wherein said market participant is provided with an opportunity to issue a counter-quote in response to said counter-quote provided by said requesting trader. 38. A method for rule-based bilateral negotiation of a quote using a user-interactive trading interface, the quote being a price quote for a traded instrument, the method comprising:
receiving a request for quote from a requesting trader; posting said request for quote to at least one market participant; receiving said price quote from said market participant; initiating a rule-based negotiation session based on said requesting trader rejecting said price quote without providing a counter-quote; and policing said rule-based negotiation session for inappropriate trading transactions. 39. The method defined in claim 38 wherein said user-interactive trading interface is configured to display a plurality of grids. 40. The method defined in claim 38 wherein said user-interactive trading interface is automatically configured based on a traded instrument's market. 41. The method defined in claim 38 wherein said user-interactive trading interface is configured by said requesting trader. 42. The method defined in claim 38 wherein said user-interactive trading interface is configured by said market participant. 43. The method defined in claim 39 wherein said grids are selected from the group consisting of a request for quote trading grid, an instrument grid, a trader information grid, and a confirmation grid. 44. The method defined in claim 43 wherein said request for quote trading grid provides a listing of all request for quotes available in a market to said requesting trader. 45. The method defined in claim 43 wherein said request for quote trading grid provides a listing of all request for quotes available in said market to said market participant. 46. The method defined in claim 43 wherein said instrument grid provides said traded instruments available in said market. 47. The method defined in claim 43 wherein said trader information grid provides individual information pertaining to requesting trader's request for quotes and responses to said request for quotes. 48. The method defined in claim 43 wherein said confirmation grid provides information pertaining to an executed trade. 49. The method defined in claim 38 wherein said requesting trader initiates said request for quote by selecting said traded instrument from said instrument grid. 50. The method defined in claim 49 wherein selecting said traded instrument from said instrument grid triggers an order entry dialog box. 51. The method defined in claim 50 wherein said order entry dialog box allows said requesting trader to specify parameters of said request for quote and submit said request for quote to be posted to said market participant. 52. The method defined in claim 38 further comprising said market participant receiving a notification of a request for quote being posted. 53. The method defined in claim 38 wherein said market participant responds to said request for quote with said price quote by selecting said request for quote from said instrument grid. 54. The method defined in claim 38 further comprising determining said rules to be applied in said negotiation session based on said traded instrument's market in which said request for quote is posted. 55. The method defined in claim 38 wherein said requesting trader rejecting said price quote without providing said counter-quote provides said market participant with an opportunity to request a counter-quote from said requesting trader. 56. The method defined in claim 55 wherein said market participant is further provided with an opportunity to issue a counter-quote in response to said counter-quote from said requesting trader. 57. A method for market policing a rule-based bilateral negotiation of a quote, the quote being a price quote for a traded instrument, the method comprising:
determining rules associated with a request for quote; monitoring said rule-based bilateral negotiation of said quote; determining if a penalty is defined for an inappropriate trading transaction executed in said rule-based bilateral negotiation of said quote; and applying said penalty for said inappropriate trading transaction. 58. The method defined in claim 57 wherein said determining rules associated with a request for quote is based on a market in which said request for quote is posted. 59. The method defined in claim 57 wherein said determining rules associated with a request for quote is based on a requesting trader's defined rules. 60. The method defined in claim 57 wherein said determining rules associated with a request for quote is based on a market participant's defined rules. 61. The method defined in claim 57 wherein said applying said penalty is regulated automatically by said market. 62. The method defined in claim 57 wherein said applying said penalty is regulated by said requesting trader when said requesting trader is awaiting a response to a quote. 63. The method defined in claim 57 wherein said applying said penalty is regulated by said market participant when said market participant is awaiting a response to a quote. 64. The method defined in claim 57 wherein said applying said penalty terminates said rule-based bilateral negotiation. 65. A method for distributing a request for quote, comprising:
determining rules for distributing said request for quote to a market participant; and distributing said request for quote to at least one market participant. 66. The method defined in claim 65 wherein said market participant is selected from the group consisting of an individual, a plurality of individuals, a market group, a plurality of market groups, a submarket group within said market group, and a plurality of submarket groups within said market group. 67. The method defined in claim 65 wherein said rules for distributing said request for quote to a market participant are defined by criteria provided by a requesting trader. 68. The method defined in claim 65 wherein said rules for distributing said request for quote to a market participant are defined by grouping through permissions. 69. The method defined in claim 68 wherein said grouping through permissions provides at least one requesting trader to request a private session for a select group of market participants. 70. A system for rule-based bilateral negotiation of a quote using a user computer configured to provide a user-interactive trading interface, the quote being a price quote for a traded instrument, the system comprising:
said user computer configured to receive a request for quote from a requesting trader; an electronic trade management facility configured to post said request for quote to at least one market participant; said electronic trade management facility configured to receive said price quote from said market participant; said electronic trade management facility configured to initiate a rule-based negotiation session based on said requesting trader accepting said price quote; and said electronic trade management facility configured to police said rule-based negotiation session for inappropriate trading transactions. 71. The system defined in claim 70 wherein said user computer configured to provide said user-interactive trading interface is further configured to display a plurality of grids. 72. The system defined in claim 70 wherein said user computer configured to provide said user-interactive trading interface is further configured automatically based on a traded instrument's market. 73. The system defined in claim 70 wherein said user computer configured to provide said user-interactive trading interface is further configured by said requesting trader. 74. The system defined in claim 70 wherein said user computer configured to provide said user-interactive trading interface is further configured by said market participant. 75. The system defined in claim 71 wherein said grids are selected from the group consisting of a request for quote trading grid, an instrument grid, a trader information grid, and a confirmation grid. 76. The system defined in claim 75 wherein said request for quote trading grid provides a listing of all request for quotes available in a market to said requesting trader. 77. The system defined in claim 75 wherein said request for quote trading grid provides a listing of all request for quotes available in said market to said market participant. 78. The system defined in claim 75 wherein said instrument grid provides said traded instruments available in said market. 79. The system defined in claim 75 wherein said trader information grid provides individual information pertaining to requesting trader's request for quotes and responses to said request for quotes. 80. The system defined in claim 75 wherein said confirmation grid provides information pertaining to an executed trade. 81. The system defined in claim 70 wherein said requesting trader initiates said request for quote by selecting said traded instrument from said instrument grid. 82. The system defined in claim 81 wherein said user computer is further configured to provide an order entry dialog box when said traded instrument is selected from said instrument grid. 83. The system defined in claim 82 wherein said order entry dialog box allows said requesting trader to specify parameters of said request for quote and submit said request for quote to be posted to said market participant. 84. The system defined in claim 70 wherein said user computer is further configured to receive a notification of a request for quote being posted. 85. The system defined in claim 70 wherein said market participant responds to said request for quote with said price quote by selecting said request for quote from said instrument grid. 86. The system defined in claim 70 wherein said electronic trade management facility is further configured to determine said rules to be applied in said negotiation session based on said traded instrument's market in which said request for quote is posted. 87. The system defined in claim 70 wherein said requesting trader accepting said price quote executes a trade for said traded instrument and is provided with an opportunity to make a request for more size of said traded instrument from said market participant. 88. A system for rule-based bilateral negotiation of a quote using a user computer configured to provide a user-interactive trading interface, the quote being a price quote for a traded instrument, the system comprising:
said user computer configured to receive a request for quote from a requesting trader; an electronic trade management facility configured to post said request for quote to at least one market participant; said electronic trade management facility configured to receive said price quote from said market participant; said electronic trade management facility configured to initiate a rule-based negotiation session based on said requesting trader rejecting said price quote and providing a counter-quote; and said electronic trade management facility configured to police said rule-based negotiation session for inappropriate trading transactions. 89. The system defined in claim 88 wherein said user computer configured to provide said user-interactive trading interface is further configured to display a plurality of grids. 90. The system defined in claim 88 wherein said user computer configured to provide said user-interactive trading interface is further configured automatically based on a traded instrument's market. 91. The system defined in claim 88 wherein said user computer configured to provide said user-interactive trading interface is further configured by said requesting trader. 92. The system defined in claim 88 wherein said user computer configured to provide said user-interactive trading interface is further configured by said market participant. 93. The system defined in claim 89 wherein said grids are selected from the group consisting of a request for quote trading grid, an instrument grid, a trader information grid, and a confirmation grid. 94. The system defined in claim 93 wherein said request for quote trading grid provides a listing of all request for quotes available in a market to said requesting trader. 95. The system defined in claim 93 wherein said request for quote trading grid provides a listing of all request for quotes available in said market to said market participant. 96. The system defined in claim 93 wherein said instrument grid provides said traded instruments available in said market. 97. The system defined in claim 93 wherein said trader information grid provides individual information pertaining to requesting trader's request for quotes and responses to said request for quotes. 98. The system defined in claim 93 wherein said confirmation grid provides information pertaining to an executed trade. 99. The system defined in claim 88 wherein said requesting trader initiates said request for quote by selecting said traded instrument from said instrument grid. 100. The system defined in claim 99 wherein said user computer is further configured to provide an order entry dialog box when said traded instrument is selected from said instrument grid. 101. The system defined in claim 100 wherein said order entry dialog box allows said requesting trader to specify parameters of said request for quote and submit said request for quote to be posted to said market participant. 102. The system defined in claim 88 wherein said user computer is further configured to receive a notification of a request for quote being posted. 103. The system defined in claim 88 wherein said market participant responds to said request for quote with said price quote by selecting said request for quote from said instrument grid. 104. The system defined in claim 88 wherein said electronic trade management facility is further configured to determine said rules to be applied in said negotiation session based on said traded instrument's market in which said request for quote is posted. 105. The system defined in claim 88 wherein said requesting trader rejecting said price quote and providing said counter-quote is provided with an opportunity to execute a trade on said traded instrument based on said market participant accepting said counter-quote. 106. The system defined in claim 105 wherein said market participant is provided with an opportunity to issue a counter-quote in response to said counter-quote provided by said requesting trader. 107. A system for rule-based bilateral negotiation of a quote using a user computer configured to provide a user-interactive trading interface, the quote being a price quote for a traded instrument, the system comprising:
said user computer configured to receive a request for quote from a requesting trader; an electronic trade management facility configured to post said request for quote to at least one market participant; said electronic trade management facility configured to receive said price quote from said market participant; said electronic trade management facility configured to initiate a rule-based negotiation session based on said requesting trader rejecting said price quote without providing a counter-quote; and said electronic trade management facility configured to police said rule-based negotiation session for inappropriate trading transactions. 108. The system defined in claim 107 wherein said user computer configured to provide said user-interactive trading interface is further configured to display a plurality of grids. 109. The system defined in claim 107 wherein said user computer configured to provide said user-interactive trading interface is further configured automatically based on a traded instrument's market. 110. The system defined in claim 107 wherein said user computer configured to provide said user-interactive trading interface is further configured by said requesting trader. 111. The system defined in claim 107 wherein said user computer configured to provide said user-interactive trading interface is further configured by said market participant. 112. The system defined in claim 108 wherein said grids are selected from the group consisting of a request for quote trading grid, an instrument grid, a trader information grid, and a confirmation grid. 113. The system defined in claim 112 wherein said request for quote trading grid provides a listing of all request for quotes available in a market to said requesting trader. 114. The system defined in claim 112 wherein said request for quote trading grid provides a listing of all request for quotes available in said market to said market participant. 115. The system defined in claim 112 wherein said instrument grid provides said traded instruments available in said market. 116. The system defined in claim 112 wherein said trader information grid provides individual information pertaining to requesting trader's request for quotes and responses to said request for quotes. 117. The system defined in claim 112 wherein said confirmation grid provides information pertaining to an executed trade. 118. The system defined in claim 107 wherein said requesting trader initiates said request for quote by selecting said traded instrument from said instrument grid. 119. The system defined in claim 118 wherein said user computer is further configured to provide an order entry dialog box when said traded instrument is selected from said instrument grid. 120. The system defined in claim 119 wherein said order entry dialog box allows said requesting trader to specify parameters of said request for quote and submit said request for quote to be posted to said market participant. 121. The system defined in claim 107 wherein said user computer is further configured to receive a notification of a request for quote being posted. 122. The system defined in claim 107 wherein said market participant responds to said request for quote with said price quote by selecting said request for quote from said instrument grid. 123. The system defined in claim 107 wherein said electronic trade management facility is further configured to determine said rules to be applied in said negotiation session based on said traded instrument's market in which said request for quote is posted. 124. The system defined in claim 107 wherein said requesting trader rejecting said price quote without providing said counter-quote provides said market participant with an opportunity to request a counter-quote. 125. The system defined in claim 124 wherein said market participant is further provided with an opportunity to issue a counter-quote in response to said counter-quote from said requesting trader. 126. A system for market policing a rule-based bilateral negotiation of a quote, the quote being a price quote for a traded instrument, the system comprising:
an electronic trade management facility configured to determine rules associated with a request for quote; said electronic trade management facility configured to monitor said rule-based bilateral negotiation of said quote; said electronic trade management facility configured to determine if a penalty is defined for an inappropriate trading transaction executed in said rule-based bilateral negotiation of said quote; and said electronic trade management facility configured to apply said penalty for said inappropriate trading transaction. 127. The system defined in claim 126 wherein said electronic trade management facility configured to determine rules associated with a request for quote is further configured to determine rules based on a market in which said request for quote is posted. 128. The system defined in claim 126 wherein said electronic trade management facility configured to determine rules associated with a request for quote is further configured to determine rules based on a requesting trader's defined rules. 129. The system defined in claim 126 wherein said electronic trade management facility configured to determine rules associated with a request for quote is further configured to determine rules based on a market participant's defined rules. 130. The system defined in claim 126 wherein said electronic trade management facility configured to apply said penalty is further configured to allow said market to automatically regulate said penalty. 131. The system defined in claim 126 wherein said electronic trade management facility configured to apply said penalty is further configured to allow said requesting trader to regulate said penalty when said requesting trader is awaiting a response to a quote. 132. The system defined in claim 126 wherein said electronic trade management facility configured to apply said penalty is further configured to allow said market participant to regulate said penalty when said market participant is awaiting a response to a quote. 133. The system defined in claim 126 wherein said electronic trade management facility configured to apply said penalty is further configured to terminate said rule-based bilateral negotiation when said penalty is applied. 134. A system for distributing a request for quote, comprising:
an electronic trade management facility configured to determine rules for distributing said request for quote to a market participant; and a routing server configured to distribute said request for quote to at least one market participant according to said rules. 135. The system defined in claim 134 wherein said market participant is selected from the group consisting of an individual, a plurality of individuals, a market group, a plurality of market groups, a submarket group within said market group, and a plurality of submarket groups within said market group. 136. The system defined in claim 134 wherein said rules for distributing said request for quote to a market participant are defined by criteria provided by a requesting trader. 137. The system defined in claim 134 wherein said rules for distributing said request for quote to a market participant are defined by grouping through permissions. 138. The system defined in claim 137 wherein said grouping through permissions provides at least one requesting trader with an ability to request a private session for a select group of market participants. | Systems and methods for rule-based bilateral negotiation of quotes in response to request for quotes (RFQ) and inside market inquiries is provided. A trader is provided with a user-interactive trading interface for submitting and receiving an RFQ. The user-interactive trading interface may provide a requesting trader with an opportunity to generate requests or inquires pertaining to a desired instrument in a particular market (e.g., a bond market). The RFQ may be forwarded to a select group of market participants, determined automatically or by the requesting trader. The market participant may respond to the RFQ with a quote via the user-interactive trading interface. A rule-based negotiation session may be initialized upon receiving the quote from the market participant.1. A method for rule-based bilateral negotiation of a quote using a user-interactive trading interface, the quote being a price quote for a traded instrument, the method comprising:
receiving a request for quote from a requesting trader; posting said request for quote to at least one market participant; receiving said price quote from said market participant; initiating a rule-based negotiation session based on said requesting trader accepting said price quote; and policing said rule-based negotiation session for inappropriate trading transactions. 2. The method defined in claim 1 wherein said user-interactive trading interface is configured to display a plurality of grids. 3. The method defined in claim 1 wherein said user-interactive trading interface is automatically configured based on a traded instrument's market. 4. The method defined in claim 1 wherein said user-interactive trading interface is configured by said requesting trader. 5. The method defined in claim 1 wherein said user-interactive trading interface is configured by said market participant. 6. The method defined in claim 2 wherein said grids are selected from the group consisting of a request for quote trading grid, an instrument grid, a trader information grid, and a confirmation grid. 7. The method defined in claim 6 wherein said request for quote trading grid provides a listing of all request for quotes available in a market to said requesting trader. 8. The method defined in claim 6 wherein said request for quote trading grid provides a listing of all request for quotes available in said market to said market participant. 9. The method defined in claim 6 wherein said instrument grid provides said traded instruments available in said market. 10. The method defined in claim 6 wherein said trader information grid provides individual information pertaining to requesting trader's request for quotes and responses to said request for quotes. 11. The method defined in claim 6 wherein said confirmation grid provides information pertaining to an executed trade. 12. The method defined in claim 1 wherein said requesting trader initiates said request for quote by selecting said traded instrument from said instrument grid. 13. The method defined in claim 12 wherein selecting said traded instrument from said instrument grid triggers an order entry dialog box. 14. The method defined in claim 13 wherein said order entry dialog box allows said requesting trader to specify parameters of said request for quote and submit said request for quote to be posted to said market participant. 15. The method defined in claim 1 further comprising said market participant receiving a notification of a request for quote being posted. 16. The method defined in claim 1 wherein said market participant responds to said request for quote with said price quote by selecting said request for quote from said instrument grid. 17. The method defined in claim 1 further comprising determining said rules to be applied in said negotiation session based on said traded instrument's market in which said request for quote is posted. 18. The method defined in claim 1 wherein said requesting trader accepting said price quote executes a trade for said traded instrument and is provided with an opportunity to make a request for more size of said traded instrument from said market participant. 19. A method for rule-based bilateral negotiation of a quote using a user-interactive trading interface, the quote being a price quote for a traded instrument, the method comprising:
receiving a request for quote from a requesting trader; posting said request for quote to at least one market participant; receiving said price quote from said market participant; initiating a rule-based negotiation session based on said requesting trader rejecting said price quote and providing a counter-quote; and policing said rule-based negotiation session for inappropriate trading transactions. 20. The method defined in claim 19 wherein said user-interactive trading interface is configured to display a plurality of grids. 21. The method defined in claim 19 wherein said user-interactive trading interface is automatically configured based on a traded instrument's market. 22. The method defined in claim 19 wherein said user-interactive trading interface is configured by said requesting trader. 23. The method defined in claim 19 wherein said user-interactive trading interface is configured by said market participant. 24. The method defined in claim 20 wherein said grids are selected from the group consisting of a request for quote trading grid, an instrument grid, a trader information grid, and a confirmation grid. 25. The method defined in claim 24 wherein said request for quote trading grid provides a listing of all request for quotes available in a market to said requesting trader. 26. The method defined in claim 24 wherein said request for quote trading grid provides a listing of all request for quotes available in said market to said market participant. 27. The method defined in claim 24 wherein said instrument grid provides said traded instruments available in said market. 28. The method defined in claim 24 wherein said trader information grid provides individual information pertaining to requesting trader's request for quotes and responses to said request for quotes. 29. The method defined in claim 24 wherein said confirmation grid provides information pertaining to an executed trade. 30. The method defined in claim 19 wherein said requesting trader initiates said request for quote by selecting said traded instrument from said instrument grid. 31. The method defined in claim 30 wherein selecting said traded instrument from said instrument grid triggers an order entry dialog box. 32. The method defined in claim 31 wherein said order entry dialog box allows said requesting trader to specify parameters of said request for quote and submit said request for quote to be posted to said market participant. 33. The method defined in claim 19 further comprising said market participant receiving a notification of a request for quote being posted. 34. The method defined in claim 19 wherein said market participant responds to said request for quote with said price quote by selecting said request for quote from said instrument grid. 35. The method defined in claim 19 further comprising determining said rules to be applied in said negotiation session based on said traded instrument's market in which said request for quote is posted. 36. The method defined in claim 19 wherein said requesting trader rejecting said price quote and providing said counter-quote is provided with an opportunity to execute a trade on said traded instrument based on said market participant accepting said counter-quote. 37. The method defined in claim 36 wherein said market participant is provided with an opportunity to issue a counter-quote in response to said counter-quote provided by said requesting trader. 38. A method for rule-based bilateral negotiation of a quote using a user-interactive trading interface, the quote being a price quote for a traded instrument, the method comprising:
receiving a request for quote from a requesting trader; posting said request for quote to at least one market participant; receiving said price quote from said market participant; initiating a rule-based negotiation session based on said requesting trader rejecting said price quote without providing a counter-quote; and policing said rule-based negotiation session for inappropriate trading transactions. 39. The method defined in claim 38 wherein said user-interactive trading interface is configured to display a plurality of grids. 40. The method defined in claim 38 wherein said user-interactive trading interface is automatically configured based on a traded instrument's market. 41. The method defined in claim 38 wherein said user-interactive trading interface is configured by said requesting trader. 42. The method defined in claim 38 wherein said user-interactive trading interface is configured by said market participant. 43. The method defined in claim 39 wherein said grids are selected from the group consisting of a request for quote trading grid, an instrument grid, a trader information grid, and a confirmation grid. 44. The method defined in claim 43 wherein said request for quote trading grid provides a listing of all request for quotes available in a market to said requesting trader. 45. The method defined in claim 43 wherein said request for quote trading grid provides a listing of all request for quotes available in said market to said market participant. 46. The method defined in claim 43 wherein said instrument grid provides said traded instruments available in said market. 47. The method defined in claim 43 wherein said trader information grid provides individual information pertaining to requesting trader's request for quotes and responses to said request for quotes. 48. The method defined in claim 43 wherein said confirmation grid provides information pertaining to an executed trade. 49. The method defined in claim 38 wherein said requesting trader initiates said request for quote by selecting said traded instrument from said instrument grid. 50. The method defined in claim 49 wherein selecting said traded instrument from said instrument grid triggers an order entry dialog box. 51. The method defined in claim 50 wherein said order entry dialog box allows said requesting trader to specify parameters of said request for quote and submit said request for quote to be posted to said market participant. 52. The method defined in claim 38 further comprising said market participant receiving a notification of a request for quote being posted. 53. The method defined in claim 38 wherein said market participant responds to said request for quote with said price quote by selecting said request for quote from said instrument grid. 54. The method defined in claim 38 further comprising determining said rules to be applied in said negotiation session based on said traded instrument's market in which said request for quote is posted. 55. The method defined in claim 38 wherein said requesting trader rejecting said price quote without providing said counter-quote provides said market participant with an opportunity to request a counter-quote from said requesting trader. 56. The method defined in claim 55 wherein said market participant is further provided with an opportunity to issue a counter-quote in response to said counter-quote from said requesting trader. 57. A method for market policing a rule-based bilateral negotiation of a quote, the quote being a price quote for a traded instrument, the method comprising:
determining rules associated with a request for quote; monitoring said rule-based bilateral negotiation of said quote; determining if a penalty is defined for an inappropriate trading transaction executed in said rule-based bilateral negotiation of said quote; and applying said penalty for said inappropriate trading transaction. 58. The method defined in claim 57 wherein said determining rules associated with a request for quote is based on a market in which said request for quote is posted. 59. The method defined in claim 57 wherein said determining rules associated with a request for quote is based on a requesting trader's defined rules. 60. The method defined in claim 57 wherein said determining rules associated with a request for quote is based on a market participant's defined rules. 61. The method defined in claim 57 wherein said applying said penalty is regulated automatically by said market. 62. The method defined in claim 57 wherein said applying said penalty is regulated by said requesting trader when said requesting trader is awaiting a response to a quote. 63. The method defined in claim 57 wherein said applying said penalty is regulated by said market participant when said market participant is awaiting a response to a quote. 64. The method defined in claim 57 wherein said applying said penalty terminates said rule-based bilateral negotiation. 65. A method for distributing a request for quote, comprising:
determining rules for distributing said request for quote to a market participant; and distributing said request for quote to at least one market participant. 66. The method defined in claim 65 wherein said market participant is selected from the group consisting of an individual, a plurality of individuals, a market group, a plurality of market groups, a submarket group within said market group, and a plurality of submarket groups within said market group. 67. The method defined in claim 65 wherein said rules for distributing said request for quote to a market participant are defined by criteria provided by a requesting trader. 68. The method defined in claim 65 wherein said rules for distributing said request for quote to a market participant are defined by grouping through permissions. 69. The method defined in claim 68 wherein said grouping through permissions provides at least one requesting trader to request a private session for a select group of market participants. 70. A system for rule-based bilateral negotiation of a quote using a user computer configured to provide a user-interactive trading interface, the quote being a price quote for a traded instrument, the system comprising:
said user computer configured to receive a request for quote from a requesting trader; an electronic trade management facility configured to post said request for quote to at least one market participant; said electronic trade management facility configured to receive said price quote from said market participant; said electronic trade management facility configured to initiate a rule-based negotiation session based on said requesting trader accepting said price quote; and said electronic trade management facility configured to police said rule-based negotiation session for inappropriate trading transactions. 71. The system defined in claim 70 wherein said user computer configured to provide said user-interactive trading interface is further configured to display a plurality of grids. 72. The system defined in claim 70 wherein said user computer configured to provide said user-interactive trading interface is further configured automatically based on a traded instrument's market. 73. The system defined in claim 70 wherein said user computer configured to provide said user-interactive trading interface is further configured by said requesting trader. 74. The system defined in claim 70 wherein said user computer configured to provide said user-interactive trading interface is further configured by said market participant. 75. The system defined in claim 71 wherein said grids are selected from the group consisting of a request for quote trading grid, an instrument grid, a trader information grid, and a confirmation grid. 76. The system defined in claim 75 wherein said request for quote trading grid provides a listing of all request for quotes available in a market to said requesting trader. 77. The system defined in claim 75 wherein said request for quote trading grid provides a listing of all request for quotes available in said market to said market participant. 78. The system defined in claim 75 wherein said instrument grid provides said traded instruments available in said market. 79. The system defined in claim 75 wherein said trader information grid provides individual information pertaining to requesting trader's request for quotes and responses to said request for quotes. 80. The system defined in claim 75 wherein said confirmation grid provides information pertaining to an executed trade. 81. The system defined in claim 70 wherein said requesting trader initiates said request for quote by selecting said traded instrument from said instrument grid. 82. The system defined in claim 81 wherein said user computer is further configured to provide an order entry dialog box when said traded instrument is selected from said instrument grid. 83. The system defined in claim 82 wherein said order entry dialog box allows said requesting trader to specify parameters of said request for quote and submit said request for quote to be posted to said market participant. 84. The system defined in claim 70 wherein said user computer is further configured to receive a notification of a request for quote being posted. 85. The system defined in claim 70 wherein said market participant responds to said request for quote with said price quote by selecting said request for quote from said instrument grid. 86. The system defined in claim 70 wherein said electronic trade management facility is further configured to determine said rules to be applied in said negotiation session based on said traded instrument's market in which said request for quote is posted. 87. The system defined in claim 70 wherein said requesting trader accepting said price quote executes a trade for said traded instrument and is provided with an opportunity to make a request for more size of said traded instrument from said market participant. 88. A system for rule-based bilateral negotiation of a quote using a user computer configured to provide a user-interactive trading interface, the quote being a price quote for a traded instrument, the system comprising:
said user computer configured to receive a request for quote from a requesting trader; an electronic trade management facility configured to post said request for quote to at least one market participant; said electronic trade management facility configured to receive said price quote from said market participant; said electronic trade management facility configured to initiate a rule-based negotiation session based on said requesting trader rejecting said price quote and providing a counter-quote; and said electronic trade management facility configured to police said rule-based negotiation session for inappropriate trading transactions. 89. The system defined in claim 88 wherein said user computer configured to provide said user-interactive trading interface is further configured to display a plurality of grids. 90. The system defined in claim 88 wherein said user computer configured to provide said user-interactive trading interface is further configured automatically based on a traded instrument's market. 91. The system defined in claim 88 wherein said user computer configured to provide said user-interactive trading interface is further configured by said requesting trader. 92. The system defined in claim 88 wherein said user computer configured to provide said user-interactive trading interface is further configured by said market participant. 93. The system defined in claim 89 wherein said grids are selected from the group consisting of a request for quote trading grid, an instrument grid, a trader information grid, and a confirmation grid. 94. The system defined in claim 93 wherein said request for quote trading grid provides a listing of all request for quotes available in a market to said requesting trader. 95. The system defined in claim 93 wherein said request for quote trading grid provides a listing of all request for quotes available in said market to said market participant. 96. The system defined in claim 93 wherein said instrument grid provides said traded instruments available in said market. 97. The system defined in claim 93 wherein said trader information grid provides individual information pertaining to requesting trader's request for quotes and responses to said request for quotes. 98. The system defined in claim 93 wherein said confirmation grid provides information pertaining to an executed trade. 99. The system defined in claim 88 wherein said requesting trader initiates said request for quote by selecting said traded instrument from said instrument grid. 100. The system defined in claim 99 wherein said user computer is further configured to provide an order entry dialog box when said traded instrument is selected from said instrument grid. 101. The system defined in claim 100 wherein said order entry dialog box allows said requesting trader to specify parameters of said request for quote and submit said request for quote to be posted to said market participant. 102. The system defined in claim 88 wherein said user computer is further configured to receive a notification of a request for quote being posted. 103. The system defined in claim 88 wherein said market participant responds to said request for quote with said price quote by selecting said request for quote from said instrument grid. 104. The system defined in claim 88 wherein said electronic trade management facility is further configured to determine said rules to be applied in said negotiation session based on said traded instrument's market in which said request for quote is posted. 105. The system defined in claim 88 wherein said requesting trader rejecting said price quote and providing said counter-quote is provided with an opportunity to execute a trade on said traded instrument based on said market participant accepting said counter-quote. 106. The system defined in claim 105 wherein said market participant is provided with an opportunity to issue a counter-quote in response to said counter-quote provided by said requesting trader. 107. A system for rule-based bilateral negotiation of a quote using a user computer configured to provide a user-interactive trading interface, the quote being a price quote for a traded instrument, the system comprising:
said user computer configured to receive a request for quote from a requesting trader; an electronic trade management facility configured to post said request for quote to at least one market participant; said electronic trade management facility configured to receive said price quote from said market participant; said electronic trade management facility configured to initiate a rule-based negotiation session based on said requesting trader rejecting said price quote without providing a counter-quote; and said electronic trade management facility configured to police said rule-based negotiation session for inappropriate trading transactions. 108. The system defined in claim 107 wherein said user computer configured to provide said user-interactive trading interface is further configured to display a plurality of grids. 109. The system defined in claim 107 wherein said user computer configured to provide said user-interactive trading interface is further configured automatically based on a traded instrument's market. 110. The system defined in claim 107 wherein said user computer configured to provide said user-interactive trading interface is further configured by said requesting trader. 111. The system defined in claim 107 wherein said user computer configured to provide said user-interactive trading interface is further configured by said market participant. 112. The system defined in claim 108 wherein said grids are selected from the group consisting of a request for quote trading grid, an instrument grid, a trader information grid, and a confirmation grid. 113. The system defined in claim 112 wherein said request for quote trading grid provides a listing of all request for quotes available in a market to said requesting trader. 114. The system defined in claim 112 wherein said request for quote trading grid provides a listing of all request for quotes available in said market to said market participant. 115. The system defined in claim 112 wherein said instrument grid provides said traded instruments available in said market. 116. The system defined in claim 112 wherein said trader information grid provides individual information pertaining to requesting trader's request for quotes and responses to said request for quotes. 117. The system defined in claim 112 wherein said confirmation grid provides information pertaining to an executed trade. 118. The system defined in claim 107 wherein said requesting trader initiates said request for quote by selecting said traded instrument from said instrument grid. 119. The system defined in claim 118 wherein said user computer is further configured to provide an order entry dialog box when said traded instrument is selected from said instrument grid. 120. The system defined in claim 119 wherein said order entry dialog box allows said requesting trader to specify parameters of said request for quote and submit said request for quote to be posted to said market participant. 121. The system defined in claim 107 wherein said user computer is further configured to receive a notification of a request for quote being posted. 122. The system defined in claim 107 wherein said market participant responds to said request for quote with said price quote by selecting said request for quote from said instrument grid. 123. The system defined in claim 107 wherein said electronic trade management facility is further configured to determine said rules to be applied in said negotiation session based on said traded instrument's market in which said request for quote is posted. 124. The system defined in claim 107 wherein said requesting trader rejecting said price quote without providing said counter-quote provides said market participant with an opportunity to request a counter-quote. 125. The system defined in claim 124 wherein said market participant is further provided with an opportunity to issue a counter-quote in response to said counter-quote from said requesting trader. 126. A system for market policing a rule-based bilateral negotiation of a quote, the quote being a price quote for a traded instrument, the system comprising:
an electronic trade management facility configured to determine rules associated with a request for quote; said electronic trade management facility configured to monitor said rule-based bilateral negotiation of said quote; said electronic trade management facility configured to determine if a penalty is defined for an inappropriate trading transaction executed in said rule-based bilateral negotiation of said quote; and said electronic trade management facility configured to apply said penalty for said inappropriate trading transaction. 127. The system defined in claim 126 wherein said electronic trade management facility configured to determine rules associated with a request for quote is further configured to determine rules based on a market in which said request for quote is posted. 128. The system defined in claim 126 wherein said electronic trade management facility configured to determine rules associated with a request for quote is further configured to determine rules based on a requesting trader's defined rules. 129. The system defined in claim 126 wherein said electronic trade management facility configured to determine rules associated with a request for quote is further configured to determine rules based on a market participant's defined rules. 130. The system defined in claim 126 wherein said electronic trade management facility configured to apply said penalty is further configured to allow said market to automatically regulate said penalty. 131. The system defined in claim 126 wherein said electronic trade management facility configured to apply said penalty is further configured to allow said requesting trader to regulate said penalty when said requesting trader is awaiting a response to a quote. 132. The system defined in claim 126 wherein said electronic trade management facility configured to apply said penalty is further configured to allow said market participant to regulate said penalty when said market participant is awaiting a response to a quote. 133. The system defined in claim 126 wherein said electronic trade management facility configured to apply said penalty is further configured to terminate said rule-based bilateral negotiation when said penalty is applied. 134. A system for distributing a request for quote, comprising:
an electronic trade management facility configured to determine rules for distributing said request for quote to a market participant; and a routing server configured to distribute said request for quote to at least one market participant according to said rules. 135. The system defined in claim 134 wherein said market participant is selected from the group consisting of an individual, a plurality of individuals, a market group, a plurality of market groups, a submarket group within said market group, and a plurality of submarket groups within said market group. 136. The system defined in claim 134 wherein said rules for distributing said request for quote to a market participant are defined by criteria provided by a requesting trader. 137. The system defined in claim 134 wherein said rules for distributing said request for quote to a market participant are defined by grouping through permissions. 138. The system defined in claim 137 wherein said grouping through permissions provides at least one requesting trader with an ability to request a private session for a select group of market participants. | 3,600 |
12,611 | 12,611 | 15,035,884 | 3,645 | Described herein are implementations of various technologies for a method for seismic data processing. The method may receive seismic data for a region of interest. The seismic data may be acquired in a seismic survey. The method may determine sparse seismic data by selecting shot points in the acquired seismic data using statistical sampling. The method may determine simulated seismic data based on an earth model for the region of interest, a reflection model for the region of interest, and the selected shot points. The method may determine an objective function that represents a mismatch between the sparse seismic data and the simulated seismic data. The method may update the reflection model using the objective function. | 1. A method for seismic data processing, comprising:
receiving seismic data for a region of interest, wherein the seismic data were acquired in a seismic survey; determining sparse seismic data by selecting shot points in the acquired seismic data using statistical sampling; determining simulated seismic data based at least in part on an earth model for the region of interest, a reflection model for the region of interest, and the selected shot points; determining an objective function that represents a mismatch between the simulated seismic data and the sparse seismic data; and updating the reflection model based at least in part on the objective function. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein updating the reflection model comprises:
determining a gradient of the objective function; updating the gradient of the objective function; and updating the reflection model using the updated gradient. 3. The method of claim 2, wherein updating the reflection model further comprises iteratively updating the reflection model and the gradient of the objective function until the objective function satisfies predetermined stopping criteria or converges. 4. The method of claim 2, wherein updating the gradient of the objective function comprises smoothing the gradient of the objective function. 5. The method of claim 1, wherein the reflection model was obtained using a reverse time migration algorithm. 6. The method of claim 1, wherein the reflection model was obtained in an initial iteration of updating the reflection model based at least in part on the objective function. 7. The method of claim 1, wherein the reflection model describes the propagation of seismic waves in response to reflection interfaces in the region of interest. 8. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the selected shot points was selected in a previous iteration for updating the reflection model. 9. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the selected shot points is excluded from being selected in a future iteration for updating the reflection model. 10. The method of claim 1, wherein the objective function corresponds to a least squares norm. 11. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the sparse seismic data comprises determining at least one exclusion criterion that provides one or more rules for selecting the shot points in the acquired seismic data, and wherein the shot points are selected based on the at least one exclusion criterion. 12. The method of claim 11, wherein the at least one exclusion criterion comprises an exclusion radius that provides a predetermined minimum distance between the selected shot points in the sparse seismic data. 13. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the at least one exclusion criterion comprises dividing the acquired seismic data into a grid of seismic data cells. 14. The method of claim 1, wherein the earth model is a velocity model that describes the propagation of seismic waves between reflection points in the region of interest. 15. The method of claim 1, wherein the earth model comprises one or more of the following elastic properties:
density; P-velocity (Vp); S-velocity (Vs); acoustic impedance; shear impedance; Poisson's ratio; elastic stiffness; elastic compliances; or a combination thereof. 16. The method of claim 1, wherein the reflection model comprises one or more of the following reflection properties:
the time of a reflection, the slope of a reflection interface, the curvature of a reflection interface; or a combination thereof. 17. A method for seismic data processing, comprising:
receiving seismic data for a region of interest, wherein the seismic data were acquired in a seismic survey; sorting the acquired seismic data into one or more receiver gathers, wherein the receiver gathers describe a single shot point or a plurality of shot points that are associated with a respective receiver location; determining a plurality of effective shot points for the region of interest using the one or more receiver gathers; determining sparse seismic data by selecting effective shot points using statistical sampling; determining simulated seismic data based at least in part on an earth model for the region of interest, a reflection model for the region of interest, and the selected effective shot points; determining an objective function that represents a mismatch between the simulated seismic data and the sparse seismic data; and updating the reflection model based at least in part on the objective function. 18. The method of claim 17, wherein updating the earth model comprises:
determining a gradient of the objective function; updating the gradient of the objective function; and updating the reflection model using the updated gradient. 19. The method of claim 17, wherein one of the effective shot points corresponds to a respective receiver location in the receiver gathers. 20. A method, comprising:
receiving survey data for a multi-dimensional region of interest, wherein the survey data were acquired in an imaging procedure; determining sparse survey data by selecting survey points from the acquired survey data using statistical sampling; determining simulated survey data based at least in part on a velocity model for a multi-dimensional region of interest, a reflection model for the multi-dimensional region of interest, and the selected survey points; determining an objective function that represents a mismatch between the simulated survey data and the sparse survey data; and updating the reflection model based at least in part on the objective function. | Described herein are implementations of various technologies for a method for seismic data processing. The method may receive seismic data for a region of interest. The seismic data may be acquired in a seismic survey. The method may determine sparse seismic data by selecting shot points in the acquired seismic data using statistical sampling. The method may determine simulated seismic data based on an earth model for the region of interest, a reflection model for the region of interest, and the selected shot points. The method may determine an objective function that represents a mismatch between the sparse seismic data and the simulated seismic data. The method may update the reflection model using the objective function.1. A method for seismic data processing, comprising:
receiving seismic data for a region of interest, wherein the seismic data were acquired in a seismic survey; determining sparse seismic data by selecting shot points in the acquired seismic data using statistical sampling; determining simulated seismic data based at least in part on an earth model for the region of interest, a reflection model for the region of interest, and the selected shot points; determining an objective function that represents a mismatch between the simulated seismic data and the sparse seismic data; and updating the reflection model based at least in part on the objective function. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein updating the reflection model comprises:
determining a gradient of the objective function; updating the gradient of the objective function; and updating the reflection model using the updated gradient. 3. The method of claim 2, wherein updating the reflection model further comprises iteratively updating the reflection model and the gradient of the objective function until the objective function satisfies predetermined stopping criteria or converges. 4. The method of claim 2, wherein updating the gradient of the objective function comprises smoothing the gradient of the objective function. 5. The method of claim 1, wherein the reflection model was obtained using a reverse time migration algorithm. 6. The method of claim 1, wherein the reflection model was obtained in an initial iteration of updating the reflection model based at least in part on the objective function. 7. The method of claim 1, wherein the reflection model describes the propagation of seismic waves in response to reflection interfaces in the region of interest. 8. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the selected shot points was selected in a previous iteration for updating the reflection model. 9. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the selected shot points is excluded from being selected in a future iteration for updating the reflection model. 10. The method of claim 1, wherein the objective function corresponds to a least squares norm. 11. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the sparse seismic data comprises determining at least one exclusion criterion that provides one or more rules for selecting the shot points in the acquired seismic data, and wherein the shot points are selected based on the at least one exclusion criterion. 12. The method of claim 11, wherein the at least one exclusion criterion comprises an exclusion radius that provides a predetermined minimum distance between the selected shot points in the sparse seismic data. 13. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the at least one exclusion criterion comprises dividing the acquired seismic data into a grid of seismic data cells. 14. The method of claim 1, wherein the earth model is a velocity model that describes the propagation of seismic waves between reflection points in the region of interest. 15. The method of claim 1, wherein the earth model comprises one or more of the following elastic properties:
density; P-velocity (Vp); S-velocity (Vs); acoustic impedance; shear impedance; Poisson's ratio; elastic stiffness; elastic compliances; or a combination thereof. 16. The method of claim 1, wherein the reflection model comprises one or more of the following reflection properties:
the time of a reflection, the slope of a reflection interface, the curvature of a reflection interface; or a combination thereof. 17. A method for seismic data processing, comprising:
receiving seismic data for a region of interest, wherein the seismic data were acquired in a seismic survey; sorting the acquired seismic data into one or more receiver gathers, wherein the receiver gathers describe a single shot point or a plurality of shot points that are associated with a respective receiver location; determining a plurality of effective shot points for the region of interest using the one or more receiver gathers; determining sparse seismic data by selecting effective shot points using statistical sampling; determining simulated seismic data based at least in part on an earth model for the region of interest, a reflection model for the region of interest, and the selected effective shot points; determining an objective function that represents a mismatch between the simulated seismic data and the sparse seismic data; and updating the reflection model based at least in part on the objective function. 18. The method of claim 17, wherein updating the earth model comprises:
determining a gradient of the objective function; updating the gradient of the objective function; and updating the reflection model using the updated gradient. 19. The method of claim 17, wherein one of the effective shot points corresponds to a respective receiver location in the receiver gathers. 20. A method, comprising:
receiving survey data for a multi-dimensional region of interest, wherein the survey data were acquired in an imaging procedure; determining sparse survey data by selecting survey points from the acquired survey data using statistical sampling; determining simulated survey data based at least in part on a velocity model for a multi-dimensional region of interest, a reflection model for the multi-dimensional region of interest, and the selected survey points; determining an objective function that represents a mismatch between the simulated survey data and the sparse survey data; and updating the reflection model based at least in part on the objective function. | 3,600 |
12,612 | 12,612 | 12,392,908 | 3,686 | Examples of the present invention include profiling systems that store, manage and respond to electronic profiles. The profiling systems utilize attributes of the electronic profiles to take predictive or deterministic action, including identifying content to be provided and notification of selected content. Embodiments of the invention allow the profiling system to be used as a trusted intermediary where the profile owning entity controls access to their electronic profiles across their network of devices and services. | 1. A system for providing selected content from a provider to an entity, the system comprising:
a user system having a user interface, a display, a memory, and a processor coupled to the user interface, display and memory, the memory having computer readable instructions that, when executed cause the processor to receive information identifying the entity and search criteria for content entered by the entity through the user interface and to display selected content on the display; a provider system configured to be in communication with the user system, the provider system having content storage, a memory, and a processor coupled to the content storage and the memory, the memory having computer readable instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to analyze scoring results for content stored in the content storage, access the content storage, and provide selected content to the user system in accordance with the scoring results; and a profiling system configured to be in communication with the user system and the provider system, the profiling system having a profile storage configured to store electronic profiles, the profiles associated with respective entities and including profile attributes for the respective entities, the profiling system further having a memory, and a processor coupled to the profile storage and memory, the memory encoded with computer readable instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to: receive the information identifying at least one of the entity, an abstracted entity index, or combinations thereof and the search criteria from the user system, access the electronic profile associated with the entity, compute a degree of at least one of relevance, irrelevance, or combinations thereof of each content item according to the search criteria and the profile attributes of the entity to provide scoring results, and provide the scoring results for the content to the provider system. 2. The system of claim 1 wherein the content stored in the content storage comprises at least one of product information, advertisements, promotions, warranties, or combinations thereof for products of the provider. 3. The system of claim 2 wherein the content stored in the content storage further comprises secondary information related to a field in which the products are included, and the memory of the profiling system further includes computer readable instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to compute a degree of at least one of relevance, irrelevance, or combinations thereof for the secondary information according to the search criteria and the profile attributes of the entity. 4. The system of claim 3 wherein the secondary information comprises at least one of systems components, peripherals, other products associated with the primary product, or combinations thereof. 5. The system of claim 1 wherein the content stored in the content storage comprises information for retail items from the provider. 6. The system of claim 1 wherein the content stored in the content storage comprises information for charitable organizations. 7. The system of claim 1 wherein the memory of the profiling system further includes computer readable instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to update profile attributes of the entity according to the entity's selections of the selected content provided by the provider system. 8. The system of claim 1 wherein the memory of the profiling system further includes computer readable instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to infer profile attributes of the entity and add the same to the entity's electronic profile stored in the profile storage. 9. The system of 8 wherein the processor is configured to infer profile attributes of the entity based on at least one of existing profile attributes included in the entity's electronic profile, profile attributes included in electronic profiles for other entities, entity's behavior, or combinations thereof. 10. The system of claim 1 wherein the profiling system comprises:
a profile management system configured to receive information from the user system and generate the electronic profiles stored in the profile storage; and an analysis engine configured to score content items based on one or more of the electronic profiles stored in profile storage. 11. The system of claim 10 wherein the profiling system further comprises a disambiguation engine configured to receive profile attributes from the user system and process the attributes to reduce at least one of ambiguity, noise, or combinations thereof in the information provided. 12. The system of claim 1 wherein the memory of the profiling system encoded with computer readable instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to compute a degree of at least one of relevance, irrelevance, or combinations thereof comprises a memory encoded with computer readable instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to compute a degree of irrelevance for at least some of the content items. 13. The system of claim 1 wherein the memory of the profiling system encoded with computer readable instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to compute a degree of at least one of relevance, irrelevance, or combinations thereof comprises a memory encoded with computer readable instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to compute a degree of at least one of relevance, irrelevance, or combinations thereof for each content item according to the search criteria, profile attributes of the entity, and profile attributes from electronic profiles for other entities. 14. The system of claim 1 wherein the memory of the profiling system encoded with computer readable instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to compute a degree of at least one of relevance, irrelevance, or combinations thereof comprises a memory encoded with computer readable instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to compute a degree of at least one of relevance, irrelevance, or combinations thereof for each content item according to the search criteria, profile attributes of the entity, and additional information, the additional information being relevant to the entity based on at least the electronic profile associated with the entity, electronic profiles associated with other entities, the search criteria, or combinations thereof. 15. The system of claim 1 wherein the content stored in the content storage comprises drug information and the entity comprises at least one of a patient, the patient's physician, or combinations thereof, the electronic profile stored in the profile storage for the patient having at least medical history for the patient, genetic information for the patient, or combinations thereof, the memory of the profiling system further includes computer readable instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to provide the scoring results for the drug information to the provider system to identify a least one of drugs, treatment programs, or combinations thereof relevant to the patient. 16. A system for providing notification of selected content from a provider to an entity, the system comprising:
a user system having a user interface, a display, a memory, and a processor coupled to the user interface, display and memory, the memory having computer readable instructions that, when executed cause the processor to display a notification for selected content in response to receiving the same; a provider system configured to be in communication with the user system, the provider system having content storage, a memory, and a processor coupled to the content storage and the memory, the memory having computer readable instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to analyze scoring results for selected content stored in the content storage and generate electronic messages for entities identified by the scoring results that provide information regarding the selected content; and a profiling system configured to be in communication with the user system and the provider system, the profiling system having a profile storage configured to store electronic profiles, the profiles associated with respective entities and including profile attributes for the respective entities, the profiling system further having a memory, and a processor coupled to the profile storage and memory, the memory encoded with computer readable instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to: receive information for the selected content from the provider system, access electronic profiles, compute a degree of at least one of relevance, irrelevance, or combinations thereof for the electronic profiles according to the information for the selected content and the profile attributes of the entities to provide scoring results, and provide the scoring results for the electronic profiles to the provider system. 17. The system of claim 16 wherein the selected content stored in the content storage comprises at least one of information for retail items, promotions, programs, data or combinations thereof from the provider. 18. The system of claim 17 wherein the content stored in the content storage comprises at least one of gift cards, retailers, promoter channel or sponsor, personalization content and associated data, or combinations thereof. 19. The system of claim 17 wherein the content stored in the content storage comprises at least one of travel information, weather information, promotional information for various destinations, flight status, or combinations thereof. 20. The system of claim 16 wherein the content stored in the content storage comprises information for charitable organizations. 21. The system of claim 16 wherein the content stored in the content storage comprises social groups, social connections, or combinations thereof. 22. The system of claim 16 wherein the user system comprises a portable electronic device. 23. The system of claim 22 wherein the portable electronic device interacts with the provider system to determine at least one of presence or proximity of the user system to a marker of content in the content storage triggering the process of receipt of information on the content and contributing to the computation of a degree of at least one of relevance, irrelevance, or combinations thereof. 24. The system of claim 16 wherein the provider system comprises a content scoring interface configured to provide access to the content stored in the content storage and receive the scoring results from the profiling system. 25. The system of claim 16 wherein the user device comprises a profile management interface configured to communicate with the profiling system to create, modify, or combinations thereof profile attributes of the electronic profiles. 26. The system of claim 16 wherein the memory of the profiling system encoded with computer readable instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to compute a degree of at least one of relevance, irrelevance, or combinations thereof comprises a memory encoded with computer readable instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to compute a degree of irrelevance for at least some of electronic profiles. 27. A method for providing selected content from a provider to an entity, the method comprising:
storing electronic profiles, each of the electronic profiles including at least one profile attribute for a respective entity; receiving information identifying an entity and search criteria; accessing the electronic profile associated with the entity; computing a degree of at least one of relevance, irrelevance, or combinations thereof of provider content according to the search criteria and the profile attributes of the entity to provide scoring results; analyzing the scoring results for the provider content; and providing selected content to the entity in accordance with the scoring results. 28. The method of claim 27, further comprising:
computing a degree of at least one of relevance, irrelevance, or combinations thereof of secondary content according to the search criteria and the profile attributes of the entity to provide secondary scoring results; analyzing the secondary scoring results; and providing selected secondary content to the entity based on the secondary scoring results. 29. The method of claim 27 wherein computing a degree of at least one of relevance, irrelevance, or combinations thereof of provider content comprises computing a degree of irrelevance for at least some of the provider content. 30. The method of claim 27 wherein computing a degree of at least one of relevance, irrelevance, or combinations thereof of provider content comprises computing a degree of at least one of relevance, irrelevance, or combinations thereof according to the search criteria, profile attributes of the entity, and profile attributes from electronic profiles for other entities. 31. The method of claim 27 wherein computing a degree of at least one of relevance, irrelevance, or combinations thereof of provider content comprises computing a degree of at least one of relevance, irrelevance, or combinations thereof according to the search criteria, profile attributes of the entity, and additional information, the additional information being relevant to the entity based on at least the electronic profile associated with the entity, electronic profiles associated with other entities, the search criteria, or combinations thereof. 32. The method of claim 27 wherein the provider content comprises drug information and the entity comprises at least one of a patient, patient's physician, or combinations thereof, the electronic profile stored for the patient having at least medical history for the patient, biological data for the patient, imagery for the patient or combinations thereof, and wherein analyzing the scoring results comprises analyzing the scoring results for the drug information to at least one of isolate diagnosis, identify drugs or treatment programs, or combinations thereof relevant to the patient. 33. The method of claim 27 wherein the provider content comprises drug information and the entity user comprises at least one of a patient, patient's physician, or combinations thereof, the electronic profile stored for the patient having at least genetic information for the patient, and wherein analyzing the scoring results comprises analyzing the scoring results for the drug information to at least one of isolate diagnosis, identify drugs or treatment programs, or combinations thereof relevant to the patient. 34. The method of claim 27, further comprising:
receiving information for selected content from the provider; accessing the electronic profiles for a plurality of entities; computing a degree of at least one of relevance, irrelevance, or combinations thereof for the electronic profiles according to the information for the selected content and the profile attributes of the entities to provide scoring results; analyzing the scoring results for selected content; selecting entities to deliver electronic messages that provide information regarding the selected content in accordance with the scoring results for the electronic profiles; and delivering electronic messages to the selected entities. 35. The method of claim 27, further comprising inferring profile attributes for the entity and adding the same to the electronic profile associated with the entity. 36. The method of claim 35 wherein inferring profile attributes for the entity comprises inferring profile attributes for the entity based on at least one of existing profile attributes included in the entity's electronic profile, profile attributes included in electronic profiles for other entities, entity's behavior, or combinations thereof. 37. The method of claim 27, further comprising updating profile attributes of the electronic profile associated with the entity based on entity selection of the content provided to the entity. 38. A user device for use by an entity, the user device comprising:
a display; a processor coupled to the display; and a memory, the memory encoded with computer readable instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to:
receive a search criteria entered by the entity;
receive content items and respective relevance scores associated with each content item, the relevance score computed based in part on a stored electronic profile associated with the entity, the search criteria, and indexed information for each content item; and
render at least one of the content items on a display of the user device, the content items rendered as first-level nodes connected to an entry node by first-level connectors, the search criteria rendered as the entry node, each of the first-level nodes having at least one second-level node connected thereto by a respective second level connector, indexed information on which the relevance score of the respective content items is based rendered as a respective second-level node. 39. The user device of claim 38 wherein the display comprises a display physically unconnected from the user device. 40. The user device of claim 38 wherein the memory encoded with computer readable instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to render at least one of the content items on a display of the user device comprising a memory encoded with computer readable instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to render content items on a display of the user device, the content items rendered as first-level nodes having a size based at least in part on the computed score for the respective content item. 41. The user device of claim 38 wherein the memory encoded with computer readable instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to render at least one of the content items on a display of the user device comprising a memory encoded with computer readable instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to render content items on a display of the user device, the content items rendered as first-level nodes having a distance from the entry node based at least in part on the computed score for the respective content item. 42. The user device of claim 38 wherein the memory encoded with computer readable instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to render at least one of the content items on a display of the user device comprising a memory further encoded with computer readable instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to:
receive selection of a node from the entity; receive content items and respective relevance scores associated with each content item, the relevance score computed based in part on a stored electronic profile associated with the entity, the search criteria, the selected node, and indexed information for each content item; and render the selected node as the entry node and render the content items as first- and second-level nodes according to the relevance scores relative to the entry node. 43. A user device for use by an entity, the user device comprising:
a display; a processor coupled to the display; and a memory, the memory encoded with computer readable instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to:
receive a profile attribute entered by the entity;
receive content items in accordance with respective relevance scores associated with each content item, the relevance score computed based in part on a stored electronic profile associated with the entity, the entered profile attribute, and indexed information for each content item; and
render at least one of the content items on a display of the user device, the documents rendered as first-level nodes connected to an entry node by first-level connectors, the entered profile attribute rendered as the entry node, each of the first-level nodes having at least one second-level node connected thereto by a respective second level connector, indexed information on which the relevance score of the respective content items is based rendered as a respective second-level node. 44. The user device of claim 43 wherein the memory encoded with computer readable instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to render at least one of the content items on a display of the user device comprising a memory further encoded with computer readable instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to:
receive selection of a node from the entity; adding the content item or indexed information rendered as the selected node as a profile attribute to the electronic profile associated with the entity; receive content items in accordance with respective relevance scores associated with each content item, the relevance score computed based in part on the stored electronic profile associated with the entity, the added profile attribute, the entered profile attribute, and indexed information for each content items; and render the entered profile attribute and added profile attribute as the entry node and render the content items and respective indexed information as first- and second-level nodes according to the relevance scores relative to the entry node. | Examples of the present invention include profiling systems that store, manage and respond to electronic profiles. The profiling systems utilize attributes of the electronic profiles to take predictive or deterministic action, including identifying content to be provided and notification of selected content. Embodiments of the invention allow the profiling system to be used as a trusted intermediary where the profile owning entity controls access to their electronic profiles across their network of devices and services.1. A system for providing selected content from a provider to an entity, the system comprising:
a user system having a user interface, a display, a memory, and a processor coupled to the user interface, display and memory, the memory having computer readable instructions that, when executed cause the processor to receive information identifying the entity and search criteria for content entered by the entity through the user interface and to display selected content on the display; a provider system configured to be in communication with the user system, the provider system having content storage, a memory, and a processor coupled to the content storage and the memory, the memory having computer readable instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to analyze scoring results for content stored in the content storage, access the content storage, and provide selected content to the user system in accordance with the scoring results; and a profiling system configured to be in communication with the user system and the provider system, the profiling system having a profile storage configured to store electronic profiles, the profiles associated with respective entities and including profile attributes for the respective entities, the profiling system further having a memory, and a processor coupled to the profile storage and memory, the memory encoded with computer readable instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to: receive the information identifying at least one of the entity, an abstracted entity index, or combinations thereof and the search criteria from the user system, access the electronic profile associated with the entity, compute a degree of at least one of relevance, irrelevance, or combinations thereof of each content item according to the search criteria and the profile attributes of the entity to provide scoring results, and provide the scoring results for the content to the provider system. 2. The system of claim 1 wherein the content stored in the content storage comprises at least one of product information, advertisements, promotions, warranties, or combinations thereof for products of the provider. 3. The system of claim 2 wherein the content stored in the content storage further comprises secondary information related to a field in which the products are included, and the memory of the profiling system further includes computer readable instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to compute a degree of at least one of relevance, irrelevance, or combinations thereof for the secondary information according to the search criteria and the profile attributes of the entity. 4. The system of claim 3 wherein the secondary information comprises at least one of systems components, peripherals, other products associated with the primary product, or combinations thereof. 5. The system of claim 1 wherein the content stored in the content storage comprises information for retail items from the provider. 6. The system of claim 1 wherein the content stored in the content storage comprises information for charitable organizations. 7. The system of claim 1 wherein the memory of the profiling system further includes computer readable instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to update profile attributes of the entity according to the entity's selections of the selected content provided by the provider system. 8. The system of claim 1 wherein the memory of the profiling system further includes computer readable instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to infer profile attributes of the entity and add the same to the entity's electronic profile stored in the profile storage. 9. The system of 8 wherein the processor is configured to infer profile attributes of the entity based on at least one of existing profile attributes included in the entity's electronic profile, profile attributes included in electronic profiles for other entities, entity's behavior, or combinations thereof. 10. The system of claim 1 wherein the profiling system comprises:
a profile management system configured to receive information from the user system and generate the electronic profiles stored in the profile storage; and an analysis engine configured to score content items based on one or more of the electronic profiles stored in profile storage. 11. The system of claim 10 wherein the profiling system further comprises a disambiguation engine configured to receive profile attributes from the user system and process the attributes to reduce at least one of ambiguity, noise, or combinations thereof in the information provided. 12. The system of claim 1 wherein the memory of the profiling system encoded with computer readable instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to compute a degree of at least one of relevance, irrelevance, or combinations thereof comprises a memory encoded with computer readable instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to compute a degree of irrelevance for at least some of the content items. 13. The system of claim 1 wherein the memory of the profiling system encoded with computer readable instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to compute a degree of at least one of relevance, irrelevance, or combinations thereof comprises a memory encoded with computer readable instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to compute a degree of at least one of relevance, irrelevance, or combinations thereof for each content item according to the search criteria, profile attributes of the entity, and profile attributes from electronic profiles for other entities. 14. The system of claim 1 wherein the memory of the profiling system encoded with computer readable instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to compute a degree of at least one of relevance, irrelevance, or combinations thereof comprises a memory encoded with computer readable instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to compute a degree of at least one of relevance, irrelevance, or combinations thereof for each content item according to the search criteria, profile attributes of the entity, and additional information, the additional information being relevant to the entity based on at least the electronic profile associated with the entity, electronic profiles associated with other entities, the search criteria, or combinations thereof. 15. The system of claim 1 wherein the content stored in the content storage comprises drug information and the entity comprises at least one of a patient, the patient's physician, or combinations thereof, the electronic profile stored in the profile storage for the patient having at least medical history for the patient, genetic information for the patient, or combinations thereof, the memory of the profiling system further includes computer readable instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to provide the scoring results for the drug information to the provider system to identify a least one of drugs, treatment programs, or combinations thereof relevant to the patient. 16. A system for providing notification of selected content from a provider to an entity, the system comprising:
a user system having a user interface, a display, a memory, and a processor coupled to the user interface, display and memory, the memory having computer readable instructions that, when executed cause the processor to display a notification for selected content in response to receiving the same; a provider system configured to be in communication with the user system, the provider system having content storage, a memory, and a processor coupled to the content storage and the memory, the memory having computer readable instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to analyze scoring results for selected content stored in the content storage and generate electronic messages for entities identified by the scoring results that provide information regarding the selected content; and a profiling system configured to be in communication with the user system and the provider system, the profiling system having a profile storage configured to store electronic profiles, the profiles associated with respective entities and including profile attributes for the respective entities, the profiling system further having a memory, and a processor coupled to the profile storage and memory, the memory encoded with computer readable instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to: receive information for the selected content from the provider system, access electronic profiles, compute a degree of at least one of relevance, irrelevance, or combinations thereof for the electronic profiles according to the information for the selected content and the profile attributes of the entities to provide scoring results, and provide the scoring results for the electronic profiles to the provider system. 17. The system of claim 16 wherein the selected content stored in the content storage comprises at least one of information for retail items, promotions, programs, data or combinations thereof from the provider. 18. The system of claim 17 wherein the content stored in the content storage comprises at least one of gift cards, retailers, promoter channel or sponsor, personalization content and associated data, or combinations thereof. 19. The system of claim 17 wherein the content stored in the content storage comprises at least one of travel information, weather information, promotional information for various destinations, flight status, or combinations thereof. 20. The system of claim 16 wherein the content stored in the content storage comprises information for charitable organizations. 21. The system of claim 16 wherein the content stored in the content storage comprises social groups, social connections, or combinations thereof. 22. The system of claim 16 wherein the user system comprises a portable electronic device. 23. The system of claim 22 wherein the portable electronic device interacts with the provider system to determine at least one of presence or proximity of the user system to a marker of content in the content storage triggering the process of receipt of information on the content and contributing to the computation of a degree of at least one of relevance, irrelevance, or combinations thereof. 24. The system of claim 16 wherein the provider system comprises a content scoring interface configured to provide access to the content stored in the content storage and receive the scoring results from the profiling system. 25. The system of claim 16 wherein the user device comprises a profile management interface configured to communicate with the profiling system to create, modify, or combinations thereof profile attributes of the electronic profiles. 26. The system of claim 16 wherein the memory of the profiling system encoded with computer readable instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to compute a degree of at least one of relevance, irrelevance, or combinations thereof comprises a memory encoded with computer readable instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to compute a degree of irrelevance for at least some of electronic profiles. 27. A method for providing selected content from a provider to an entity, the method comprising:
storing electronic profiles, each of the electronic profiles including at least one profile attribute for a respective entity; receiving information identifying an entity and search criteria; accessing the electronic profile associated with the entity; computing a degree of at least one of relevance, irrelevance, or combinations thereof of provider content according to the search criteria and the profile attributes of the entity to provide scoring results; analyzing the scoring results for the provider content; and providing selected content to the entity in accordance with the scoring results. 28. The method of claim 27, further comprising:
computing a degree of at least one of relevance, irrelevance, or combinations thereof of secondary content according to the search criteria and the profile attributes of the entity to provide secondary scoring results; analyzing the secondary scoring results; and providing selected secondary content to the entity based on the secondary scoring results. 29. The method of claim 27 wherein computing a degree of at least one of relevance, irrelevance, or combinations thereof of provider content comprises computing a degree of irrelevance for at least some of the provider content. 30. The method of claim 27 wherein computing a degree of at least one of relevance, irrelevance, or combinations thereof of provider content comprises computing a degree of at least one of relevance, irrelevance, or combinations thereof according to the search criteria, profile attributes of the entity, and profile attributes from electronic profiles for other entities. 31. The method of claim 27 wherein computing a degree of at least one of relevance, irrelevance, or combinations thereof of provider content comprises computing a degree of at least one of relevance, irrelevance, or combinations thereof according to the search criteria, profile attributes of the entity, and additional information, the additional information being relevant to the entity based on at least the electronic profile associated with the entity, electronic profiles associated with other entities, the search criteria, or combinations thereof. 32. The method of claim 27 wherein the provider content comprises drug information and the entity comprises at least one of a patient, patient's physician, or combinations thereof, the electronic profile stored for the patient having at least medical history for the patient, biological data for the patient, imagery for the patient or combinations thereof, and wherein analyzing the scoring results comprises analyzing the scoring results for the drug information to at least one of isolate diagnosis, identify drugs or treatment programs, or combinations thereof relevant to the patient. 33. The method of claim 27 wherein the provider content comprises drug information and the entity user comprises at least one of a patient, patient's physician, or combinations thereof, the electronic profile stored for the patient having at least genetic information for the patient, and wherein analyzing the scoring results comprises analyzing the scoring results for the drug information to at least one of isolate diagnosis, identify drugs or treatment programs, or combinations thereof relevant to the patient. 34. The method of claim 27, further comprising:
receiving information for selected content from the provider; accessing the electronic profiles for a plurality of entities; computing a degree of at least one of relevance, irrelevance, or combinations thereof for the electronic profiles according to the information for the selected content and the profile attributes of the entities to provide scoring results; analyzing the scoring results for selected content; selecting entities to deliver electronic messages that provide information regarding the selected content in accordance with the scoring results for the electronic profiles; and delivering electronic messages to the selected entities. 35. The method of claim 27, further comprising inferring profile attributes for the entity and adding the same to the electronic profile associated with the entity. 36. The method of claim 35 wherein inferring profile attributes for the entity comprises inferring profile attributes for the entity based on at least one of existing profile attributes included in the entity's electronic profile, profile attributes included in electronic profiles for other entities, entity's behavior, or combinations thereof. 37. The method of claim 27, further comprising updating profile attributes of the electronic profile associated with the entity based on entity selection of the content provided to the entity. 38. A user device for use by an entity, the user device comprising:
a display; a processor coupled to the display; and a memory, the memory encoded with computer readable instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to:
receive a search criteria entered by the entity;
receive content items and respective relevance scores associated with each content item, the relevance score computed based in part on a stored electronic profile associated with the entity, the search criteria, and indexed information for each content item; and
render at least one of the content items on a display of the user device, the content items rendered as first-level nodes connected to an entry node by first-level connectors, the search criteria rendered as the entry node, each of the first-level nodes having at least one second-level node connected thereto by a respective second level connector, indexed information on which the relevance score of the respective content items is based rendered as a respective second-level node. 39. The user device of claim 38 wherein the display comprises a display physically unconnected from the user device. 40. The user device of claim 38 wherein the memory encoded with computer readable instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to render at least one of the content items on a display of the user device comprising a memory encoded with computer readable instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to render content items on a display of the user device, the content items rendered as first-level nodes having a size based at least in part on the computed score for the respective content item. 41. The user device of claim 38 wherein the memory encoded with computer readable instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to render at least one of the content items on a display of the user device comprising a memory encoded with computer readable instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to render content items on a display of the user device, the content items rendered as first-level nodes having a distance from the entry node based at least in part on the computed score for the respective content item. 42. The user device of claim 38 wherein the memory encoded with computer readable instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to render at least one of the content items on a display of the user device comprising a memory further encoded with computer readable instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to:
receive selection of a node from the entity; receive content items and respective relevance scores associated with each content item, the relevance score computed based in part on a stored electronic profile associated with the entity, the search criteria, the selected node, and indexed information for each content item; and render the selected node as the entry node and render the content items as first- and second-level nodes according to the relevance scores relative to the entry node. 43. A user device for use by an entity, the user device comprising:
a display; a processor coupled to the display; and a memory, the memory encoded with computer readable instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to:
receive a profile attribute entered by the entity;
receive content items in accordance with respective relevance scores associated with each content item, the relevance score computed based in part on a stored electronic profile associated with the entity, the entered profile attribute, and indexed information for each content item; and
render at least one of the content items on a display of the user device, the documents rendered as first-level nodes connected to an entry node by first-level connectors, the entered profile attribute rendered as the entry node, each of the first-level nodes having at least one second-level node connected thereto by a respective second level connector, indexed information on which the relevance score of the respective content items is based rendered as a respective second-level node. 44. The user device of claim 43 wherein the memory encoded with computer readable instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to render at least one of the content items on a display of the user device comprising a memory further encoded with computer readable instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to:
receive selection of a node from the entity; adding the content item or indexed information rendered as the selected node as a profile attribute to the electronic profile associated with the entity; receive content items in accordance with respective relevance scores associated with each content item, the relevance score computed based in part on the stored electronic profile associated with the entity, the added profile attribute, the entered profile attribute, and indexed information for each content items; and render the entered profile attribute and added profile attribute as the entry node and render the content items and respective indexed information as first- and second-level nodes according to the relevance scores relative to the entry node. | 3,600 |
12,613 | 12,613 | 15,151,628 | 3,657 | A method for operating a hydraulic motor vehicle brake system with an anti-lock brake system having a plurality of brake cylinders associated with the wheels to be braked. A central pressure generating device generates a hydraulic brake pressure, wherein the hydraulic brake pressure is distributed to the brake cylinders and may be selectively modified for individual brake cylinders or a group of brake cylinders. The hydraulic brake pressure maintained at a level exceeding an estimated brake pressure limit of each wheel. | 1. A method of operating a vehicle brake system comprising:
generating a hydraulic brake pressure; providing a plurality of brake cylinders, each cylinder associated with a wheel; obtaining an estimated brake pressure for each wheel resulting in wheel lock; determining a pressure limit based on the maximum estimated brake pressure; and continuously maintaining the hydraulic brake pressure at a constant margin above the pressure limit. 2. The method of claim 1 wherein the hydraulic brake pressure correlates to the pressure limit. 3. The method of claim 2 wherein the margin is 10 to 25 bar. 4. The method of claim 1 wherein the hydraulic brake pressure is reduced only when the brake cylinders of all wheels are activated by an anti-lock brake system. 5. The method of claim 1 including a hydraulic brake cylinder with electric motor brake boosting component for generating the hydraulic brake pressure wherein any reduction of hydraulic brake pressure is conducted by the electric motor brake boosting component. 6. The method of claim 1 including using a mechanically decoupled brake pedal to generate hydraulic brake pressure. 7. The method of claim 1 wherein any change in hydraulic brake pressure is made continuously over a predetermined period to avoid sudden pressure changes. 8. The method of claim 1 including the step of using a controller and a motor to increase or decrease hydraulic brake pressure thereby maintaining the hydraulic brake pressure at a constant margin above the pressure limit. 9. A method of operating a vehicle brake system with anti-lock brakes comprising:
providing a central pressure generating device for generating a hydraulic brake pressure; providing a plurality of brake cylinders, each cylinder associated with a wheel to be braked, each brake cylinder connected to the central pressure generating device; obtaining an estimated brake pressure limit for each wheel, the estimated brake pressure limit being a brake pressure resulting in a locking of the wheel; monitoring the hydraulic brake pressure of the central pressure generating device; and maintaining the hydraulic brake pressure in the central pressure generating device at a level that always exceeds the estimated brake pressure limit of each wheel. 10. The method of claim 9 including the step of using a controller and a motor to increase or decrease the hydraulic brake pressure in the central pressure generating device. 11. The method of claim 9 wherein pressure changes in the brake pressure generated by the central pressure generating device ramped in or out over a predetermined period to avoid sudden pressure changes. 12. The method of claim 9 determining a pressure limit based on the highest estimated brake pressure limit for each wheel wherein the hydraulic brake pressure correlates to the pressure limit. 13. The method of claim 9 determining a pressure limit based on the highest estimated brake pressure limit for each wheel wherein the hydraulic brake pressure correlates to the pressure limit and increasing the pressure limit by a predetermined margin. 14. The method of claim 13 wherein the predetermined margin is 10 to 25 bar. 15. The method of claim 9 wherein the hydraulic brake pressure of the central pressure generating device is reduced only when the brake cylinders of all wheels are activated by an anti-lock brake system. 16. The method of claim 9 wherein the central pressure generating device for generating a hydraulic brake pressure is a hydraulic brake cylinder with electric motor brake boosting component, and the step of reducing the hydraulic brake pressure is conducted by the electric motor brake boosting component. 17. The method of claim 9 wherein the central pressure generating device for generating a hydraulic brake pressure includes a mechanically decoupled brake pedal. | A method for operating a hydraulic motor vehicle brake system with an anti-lock brake system having a plurality of brake cylinders associated with the wheels to be braked. A central pressure generating device generates a hydraulic brake pressure, wherein the hydraulic brake pressure is distributed to the brake cylinders and may be selectively modified for individual brake cylinders or a group of brake cylinders. The hydraulic brake pressure maintained at a level exceeding an estimated brake pressure limit of each wheel.1. A method of operating a vehicle brake system comprising:
generating a hydraulic brake pressure; providing a plurality of brake cylinders, each cylinder associated with a wheel; obtaining an estimated brake pressure for each wheel resulting in wheel lock; determining a pressure limit based on the maximum estimated brake pressure; and continuously maintaining the hydraulic brake pressure at a constant margin above the pressure limit. 2. The method of claim 1 wherein the hydraulic brake pressure correlates to the pressure limit. 3. The method of claim 2 wherein the margin is 10 to 25 bar. 4. The method of claim 1 wherein the hydraulic brake pressure is reduced only when the brake cylinders of all wheels are activated by an anti-lock brake system. 5. The method of claim 1 including a hydraulic brake cylinder with electric motor brake boosting component for generating the hydraulic brake pressure wherein any reduction of hydraulic brake pressure is conducted by the electric motor brake boosting component. 6. The method of claim 1 including using a mechanically decoupled brake pedal to generate hydraulic brake pressure. 7. The method of claim 1 wherein any change in hydraulic brake pressure is made continuously over a predetermined period to avoid sudden pressure changes. 8. The method of claim 1 including the step of using a controller and a motor to increase or decrease hydraulic brake pressure thereby maintaining the hydraulic brake pressure at a constant margin above the pressure limit. 9. A method of operating a vehicle brake system with anti-lock brakes comprising:
providing a central pressure generating device for generating a hydraulic brake pressure; providing a plurality of brake cylinders, each cylinder associated with a wheel to be braked, each brake cylinder connected to the central pressure generating device; obtaining an estimated brake pressure limit for each wheel, the estimated brake pressure limit being a brake pressure resulting in a locking of the wheel; monitoring the hydraulic brake pressure of the central pressure generating device; and maintaining the hydraulic brake pressure in the central pressure generating device at a level that always exceeds the estimated brake pressure limit of each wheel. 10. The method of claim 9 including the step of using a controller and a motor to increase or decrease the hydraulic brake pressure in the central pressure generating device. 11. The method of claim 9 wherein pressure changes in the brake pressure generated by the central pressure generating device ramped in or out over a predetermined period to avoid sudden pressure changes. 12. The method of claim 9 determining a pressure limit based on the highest estimated brake pressure limit for each wheel wherein the hydraulic brake pressure correlates to the pressure limit. 13. The method of claim 9 determining a pressure limit based on the highest estimated brake pressure limit for each wheel wherein the hydraulic brake pressure correlates to the pressure limit and increasing the pressure limit by a predetermined margin. 14. The method of claim 13 wherein the predetermined margin is 10 to 25 bar. 15. The method of claim 9 wherein the hydraulic brake pressure of the central pressure generating device is reduced only when the brake cylinders of all wheels are activated by an anti-lock brake system. 16. The method of claim 9 wherein the central pressure generating device for generating a hydraulic brake pressure is a hydraulic brake cylinder with electric motor brake boosting component, and the step of reducing the hydraulic brake pressure is conducted by the electric motor brake boosting component. 17. The method of claim 9 wherein the central pressure generating device for generating a hydraulic brake pressure includes a mechanically decoupled brake pedal. | 3,600 |
12,614 | 12,614 | 14,163,993 | 3,626 | A computerized tool and method for delivery of pharmacogenetic and pharmacological information, comprising a core system having algorithms and databases for storing, collating, accessing, cross-referencing, and interpreting genetic and pharmacologic data, with a graphical user interface for a client network of providers of laboratory genetic testing services to access the core services under contract. The system includes “paypoints” in support of improved business models. Included are mechanisms for ‘pass through’ third party and insurance reimbursement for interpretive reports, insurance reimbursement for on-line access to pharmacogenetic information at the point of care, tools for market segmentation, and a conversion tool for capturing new subscribers. Also disclosed are tools and predictive algorithms for preventing drug-drug and drug-gene adverse drug reactions. | 1. A method comprising:
receiving, at a computing system, an identification of a drug; identifying, using the computing system, metabolic routes used in metabolization of the drug; selecting, using the computing system, certain factors affecting exposure of a patient to the drug, wherein the certain factors are selected from a plurality of factors stored in at least one database accessible to the computing system, wherein the factors include other drugs, substances, characteristics of the patient, phenotypes of the patient, genotypes of the patient, clinical factors, or combinations or sub-combinations thereof; for each metabolic route of the metabolic routes, quantifying, using the computing system, an expected effect on metabolization of the drug by the patient due to each of the certain factors; summing, using the computing system, the expected effects to determine a score; and providing an indicator of total effect on metabolization of the drug due to the certain factors, based at least in part on the score, to another computing system. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the indicator comprises a predicted percent change AUC. 3. The method of claim 1, wherein said providing an indicator comprises causing, by the computing system, the indicator to be displayed on the user interface. 4. The method of claim 1, wherein said providing an indicator comprises providing a warning of a potential patient-specific adverse reaction if the score exceeds a threshold. 5. The method of claim 1, wherein the indicator is provided for use in writing or modifying a prescription. 6. The method of claim 1, comprising receiving, at the computing system, a change to or an addition to the list of factors, and providing an updated indicator based, at least in part, on the change. 7. The method of claim 1, wherein the computing system is in electronic communication with a database of electronic medical records, and wherein at least one of the factors are stored in the database of electronic medical records. 8. The method of claim 1, wherein the calculation further comprises:
for at least one interaction between the drug and the certain factors for at least one of the metabolic routes, identifying at least one record accessible to the computing system of published reports of the interaction; and providing, together with the indicator, at least one note or warning based, at least in part on the record of published reports of the interaction. 9. The method of claim 1, wherein said quantifying comprises, for at least one factor for at least one metabolic route, utilizing an intensity factor extracted from clinical literature. 10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
identifying a therapeutic class associated with the drug; if the score is greater than a threshold, identifying an alternate member of the therapeutic class and calculating an alternate score using the alternate member; and providing an indication of the alternate member as a therapeutic alternative if the alternate score does not exceed the threshold. 11. A computer program product including a non-transitory computer readable medium encoded with executable instructions that, when executed, cause a computing system to perform actions including:
receiving an identification of a drug; identifying metabolic routes used in metabolization of the drug; selecting certain factors affecting exposure of a patient to the drug, wherein the certain factors are selected from a plurality of factors stored in at least one database accessible to the computing system, wherein the factors include other drugs, substances, characteristics of the patient, phenotypes of the patient, genotypes of the patient, clinical factors, or combinations or sub-combinations thereof; for each metabolic route of the metabolic routes, quantifying an expected effect on metabolization of the drug by the patient due to each of the certain factors; summing the expected effects to determine a score; and providing an indicator of total effect on metabolization of the drug due to the certain factors, based at least in part on the score, to another computing system. 12. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the indicator comprises a predicted percent change AUC. 13. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein said providing an indicator comprises causing the indicator to be displayed on the user interface. 14. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein said providing an indicator comprises providing a warning of a potential patient-specific adverse reaction if the score exceeds a threshold. 15. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the indicator is provided for use in writing or modifying a prescription. 16. The method of claim 11, wherein the actions further include receiving a change to or an addition to the list of factors, and providing an updated indicator based, at least in part, on the change. 17. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein at least one of the factors are stored in a database of electronic medical records and the actions further include accessing the database of electronic medical records. 18. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the calculation further comprises:
for at least one interaction between the drug and the certain factors for at least one of the metabolic routes, identifying at least one record accessible to the computing system of published reports of the interaction; and providing, together with the indicator, at least one note or warning based, at least in part on the record of published reports of the interaction. 19. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein said quantifying comprises, for at least one factor for at least one metabolic route, utilizing an intensity factor extracted from clinical literature. 20. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the actions further comprise:
identifying a therapeutic class associated with the drug; and if the score is greater than a threshold, identifying an alternate member of the therapeutic class and calculating an alternate score using the alternate member; providing an indication of the alternate member as a therapeutic alternative if the alternate score does not exceed the threshold. | A computerized tool and method for delivery of pharmacogenetic and pharmacological information, comprising a core system having algorithms and databases for storing, collating, accessing, cross-referencing, and interpreting genetic and pharmacologic data, with a graphical user interface for a client network of providers of laboratory genetic testing services to access the core services under contract. The system includes “paypoints” in support of improved business models. Included are mechanisms for ‘pass through’ third party and insurance reimbursement for interpretive reports, insurance reimbursement for on-line access to pharmacogenetic information at the point of care, tools for market segmentation, and a conversion tool for capturing new subscribers. Also disclosed are tools and predictive algorithms for preventing drug-drug and drug-gene adverse drug reactions.1. A method comprising:
receiving, at a computing system, an identification of a drug; identifying, using the computing system, metabolic routes used in metabolization of the drug; selecting, using the computing system, certain factors affecting exposure of a patient to the drug, wherein the certain factors are selected from a plurality of factors stored in at least one database accessible to the computing system, wherein the factors include other drugs, substances, characteristics of the patient, phenotypes of the patient, genotypes of the patient, clinical factors, or combinations or sub-combinations thereof; for each metabolic route of the metabolic routes, quantifying, using the computing system, an expected effect on metabolization of the drug by the patient due to each of the certain factors; summing, using the computing system, the expected effects to determine a score; and providing an indicator of total effect on metabolization of the drug due to the certain factors, based at least in part on the score, to another computing system. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the indicator comprises a predicted percent change AUC. 3. The method of claim 1, wherein said providing an indicator comprises causing, by the computing system, the indicator to be displayed on the user interface. 4. The method of claim 1, wherein said providing an indicator comprises providing a warning of a potential patient-specific adverse reaction if the score exceeds a threshold. 5. The method of claim 1, wherein the indicator is provided for use in writing or modifying a prescription. 6. The method of claim 1, comprising receiving, at the computing system, a change to or an addition to the list of factors, and providing an updated indicator based, at least in part, on the change. 7. The method of claim 1, wherein the computing system is in electronic communication with a database of electronic medical records, and wherein at least one of the factors are stored in the database of electronic medical records. 8. The method of claim 1, wherein the calculation further comprises:
for at least one interaction between the drug and the certain factors for at least one of the metabolic routes, identifying at least one record accessible to the computing system of published reports of the interaction; and providing, together with the indicator, at least one note or warning based, at least in part on the record of published reports of the interaction. 9. The method of claim 1, wherein said quantifying comprises, for at least one factor for at least one metabolic route, utilizing an intensity factor extracted from clinical literature. 10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
identifying a therapeutic class associated with the drug; if the score is greater than a threshold, identifying an alternate member of the therapeutic class and calculating an alternate score using the alternate member; and providing an indication of the alternate member as a therapeutic alternative if the alternate score does not exceed the threshold. 11. A computer program product including a non-transitory computer readable medium encoded with executable instructions that, when executed, cause a computing system to perform actions including:
receiving an identification of a drug; identifying metabolic routes used in metabolization of the drug; selecting certain factors affecting exposure of a patient to the drug, wherein the certain factors are selected from a plurality of factors stored in at least one database accessible to the computing system, wherein the factors include other drugs, substances, characteristics of the patient, phenotypes of the patient, genotypes of the patient, clinical factors, or combinations or sub-combinations thereof; for each metabolic route of the metabolic routes, quantifying an expected effect on metabolization of the drug by the patient due to each of the certain factors; summing the expected effects to determine a score; and providing an indicator of total effect on metabolization of the drug due to the certain factors, based at least in part on the score, to another computing system. 12. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the indicator comprises a predicted percent change AUC. 13. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein said providing an indicator comprises causing the indicator to be displayed on the user interface. 14. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein said providing an indicator comprises providing a warning of a potential patient-specific adverse reaction if the score exceeds a threshold. 15. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the indicator is provided for use in writing or modifying a prescription. 16. The method of claim 11, wherein the actions further include receiving a change to or an addition to the list of factors, and providing an updated indicator based, at least in part, on the change. 17. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein at least one of the factors are stored in a database of electronic medical records and the actions further include accessing the database of electronic medical records. 18. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the calculation further comprises:
for at least one interaction between the drug and the certain factors for at least one of the metabolic routes, identifying at least one record accessible to the computing system of published reports of the interaction; and providing, together with the indicator, at least one note or warning based, at least in part on the record of published reports of the interaction. 19. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein said quantifying comprises, for at least one factor for at least one metabolic route, utilizing an intensity factor extracted from clinical literature. 20. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the actions further comprise:
identifying a therapeutic class associated with the drug; and if the score is greater than a threshold, identifying an alternate member of the therapeutic class and calculating an alternate score using the alternate member; providing an indication of the alternate member as a therapeutic alternative if the alternate score does not exceed the threshold. | 3,600 |
12,615 | 12,615 | 12,847,589 | 3,623 | Mechanisms are provided for monitoring a process of a data processing system. With these mechanisms, a notification of an event comprising information regarding the event, and a process running in the data processing system that generated the event, is generated. It is determined whether one or more key performance indicators (KPIs) have been defined for an element corresponding to the process, in a model of the data processing system. In response to one or more KPIs not having been defined for an element in the model corresponding to the process, new KPI definitions are generated for the element in the model corresponding to the process based on specified default KPIs. The new KPI definitions constitute an extension of the model of the data processing system to thereby generate an extended model of the data processing system. The extended model is then used to monitor an operation of the data processing system. | 1. A method, in a computing system, for monitoring a process of a data processing system, comprising:
receiving, in the computing system, a notification of an event comprising information regarding the event and a process running in the data processing system that generated the event; determining, by the computing system, whether one or more key performance indicators (KPIs) have been defined for an element corresponding to the process, in a model of the data processing system; in response to one or more KPIs not having been defined for an element in the model corresponding to the process, generating, by the computing system, new KPI definitions for the element in the model corresponding to the process based on default KPIs specified in the computing system, wherein the new KPI definitions constitute an extension of the model of the data processing system to thereby generate an extended model of the data processing system; and monitoring an operation of the data processing system based on the extended model of the data processing system. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the event is an event received from a process which is not already modeled in the model of the data processing system. 3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
determining, by the computing system, whether the process is already modeled in the model of the data processing system; and in response to the process not already being modeled in the model of the data processing system, generating, by the computing system, a new element, in the model of the data processing system, corresponding to the process, wherein the new element and new KPI definitions constitute the extension of the model of the data processing system, and wherein the new element is the element corresponding to the process. 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the model of the data processing system is a generic model of the general framework of the data processing system and does not provide a model for detailed monitoring of individual processes within the data processing system. 5. The method of claim 1, wherein the default KPIs are specified in a user defined KPI list data structure, and wherein the new KPI definitions are generated automatically using the KPI list data structure in response to detecting the event from the process. 6. The method of claim 5, wherein generating the new KPIs for the element in the model of the data processing system comprises:
retrieving a list of KPI definitions from the KPI list data structure; presenting the list of KPI definitions to a user via a user interface; receiving user input selecting one or more of the KPI definitions from the list of KPI definitions for creation of new KPI definitions for the element in the model of the data processing system; and generating the new KPI definitions for the element in the model of the data processing system based on the user input. 7. The method of claim 1, wherein monitoring an operation of the data processing system based on the extended model comprises:
gathering operation information from additional events generated by the process executing in the data processing system based on the new KPI definitions in the extended model of the data processing system; generating measures of KPIs corresponding to the new KPI definitions in the extended model of the data processing system based on the gathered operation information; and storing the measures of KPIs in a data structure for generation of reports for users. 8. A computer program product comprising a computer readable storage medium having a computer readable program stored therein, wherein the computer readable program, when executed on a computing system, causes the computing system to:
receive a notification of an event comprising information regarding the event and a process running in the data processing system that generated the event; determine whether one or more key performance indicators (KPIs) have been defined for an element corresponding to the process, in a model of a data processing system; in response to one or more KPIs not having been defined for an element in the model corresponding to the process, generate new KPI definitions for the element in the model corresponding to the process based on default KPIs specified in the computing system, wherein the new KPI definitions constitute an extension of the model of the data processing system to thereby generate an extended model of the data processing system; and monitor an operation of the data processing system based on the extended model of the data processing system. 9. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the event is an event received from a process which is not already modeled in the model of the data processing system. 10. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the computer readable program further causes the computing system to:
determine whether the process is already modeled in the model of the data processing system; and in response to the process not already being modeled in the model of the data processing system, generate a new element, in the model of the data processing system, corresponding to the process, wherein the new element and new KPI definitions constitute the extension of the model of the data processing system, and wherein the new element is the element corresponding to the process. 11. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the model of the data processing system is a generic model of the general framework of the data processing system and does not provide a model for detailed monitoring of individual processes within the data processing system. 12. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the default KPIs are specified in a user defined KPI list data structure, and wherein the new KPI definitions are generated automatically using the KPI list data structure in response to detecting the event from the process. 13. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein the computer readable program further causes the computing system to generate the new KPIs for the element in the model of the data processing system by:
retrieving a list of KPI definitions from the KPI list data structure; presenting the list of KPI definitions to a user via a user interface; receiving user input selecting one or more of the KPI definitions from the list of KPI definitions for creation of new KPI definitions for the element in the model of the data processing system; and generating the new KPI definitions for the element in the model of the data processing system based on the user input. 14. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the computer readable program further causes the computing system to monitor an operation of the data processing system based on the extended model by:
gathering operation information from additional events generated by the process executing in the data processing system based on the new KPI definitions in the extended model of the data processing system; generating measures of KPIs corresponding to the new KPI definitions in the extended model of the data processing system based on the gathered operation information; and storing the measures of KPIs in a data structure for generation of reports for users. 15. An apparatus, comprising:
a processor; and a memory coupled to the processor, wherein the memory comprises instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to: receive a notification of an event comprising information regarding the event and a process running in the data processing system that generated the event; determine whether one or more key performance indicators (KPIs) have been defined for an element corresponding to the process, in a model of a data processing system; in response to one or more KPIs not having been defined for an element in the model corresponding to the process, generate new KPI definitions for the element in the model corresponding to the process based on default KPIs specified in the computing system, wherein the new KPI definitions constitute an extension of the model of the data processing system to thereby generate an extended model of the data processing system; and monitor an operation of the data processing system based on the extended model of the data processing system. 16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the event is an event received from a process which is not already modeled in the model of the data processing system. 17. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the instructions further cause the processor to:
determine whether the process is already modeled in the model of the data processing system; and in response to the process not already being modeled in the model of the data processing system, generate a new element, in the model of the data processing system, corresponding to the process, wherein the new element and new KPI definitions constitute the extension of the model of the data processing system, and wherein the new element is the element corresponding to the process. 18. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the model of the data processing system is a generic model of the general framework of the data processing system and does not provide a model for detailed monitoring of individual processes within the data processing system. 19. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the default KPIs are specified in a user defined KPI list data structure, and wherein the new KPI definitions are generated automatically using the KPI list data structure in response to detecting the event from the process. 20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the instructions further cause the processor to generate the new KPIs for the element in the model of the data processing system by:
retrieving a list of KPI definitions from the KPI list data structure; presenting the list of KPI definitions to a user via a user interface; receiving user input selecting one or more of the KPI definitions from the list of KPI definitions for creation of new KPI definitions for the element in the model of the data processing system; and generating the new KPI definitions for the element in the model of the data processing system based on the user input. 21. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the instructions further cause the processor to monitor an operation of the data processing system based on the extended model by:
gathering operation information from additional events generated by the process executing in the data processing system based on the new KPI definitions in the extended model of the data processing system; generating measures of KPIs corresponding to the new KPI definitions in the extended model of the data processing system based on the gathered operation information; and storing the measures of KPIs in a data structure for generation of reports for users. | Mechanisms are provided for monitoring a process of a data processing system. With these mechanisms, a notification of an event comprising information regarding the event, and a process running in the data processing system that generated the event, is generated. It is determined whether one or more key performance indicators (KPIs) have been defined for an element corresponding to the process, in a model of the data processing system. In response to one or more KPIs not having been defined for an element in the model corresponding to the process, new KPI definitions are generated for the element in the model corresponding to the process based on specified default KPIs. The new KPI definitions constitute an extension of the model of the data processing system to thereby generate an extended model of the data processing system. The extended model is then used to monitor an operation of the data processing system.1. A method, in a computing system, for monitoring a process of a data processing system, comprising:
receiving, in the computing system, a notification of an event comprising information regarding the event and a process running in the data processing system that generated the event; determining, by the computing system, whether one or more key performance indicators (KPIs) have been defined for an element corresponding to the process, in a model of the data processing system; in response to one or more KPIs not having been defined for an element in the model corresponding to the process, generating, by the computing system, new KPI definitions for the element in the model corresponding to the process based on default KPIs specified in the computing system, wherein the new KPI definitions constitute an extension of the model of the data processing system to thereby generate an extended model of the data processing system; and monitoring an operation of the data processing system based on the extended model of the data processing system. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the event is an event received from a process which is not already modeled in the model of the data processing system. 3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
determining, by the computing system, whether the process is already modeled in the model of the data processing system; and in response to the process not already being modeled in the model of the data processing system, generating, by the computing system, a new element, in the model of the data processing system, corresponding to the process, wherein the new element and new KPI definitions constitute the extension of the model of the data processing system, and wherein the new element is the element corresponding to the process. 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the model of the data processing system is a generic model of the general framework of the data processing system and does not provide a model for detailed monitoring of individual processes within the data processing system. 5. The method of claim 1, wherein the default KPIs are specified in a user defined KPI list data structure, and wherein the new KPI definitions are generated automatically using the KPI list data structure in response to detecting the event from the process. 6. The method of claim 5, wherein generating the new KPIs for the element in the model of the data processing system comprises:
retrieving a list of KPI definitions from the KPI list data structure; presenting the list of KPI definitions to a user via a user interface; receiving user input selecting one or more of the KPI definitions from the list of KPI definitions for creation of new KPI definitions for the element in the model of the data processing system; and generating the new KPI definitions for the element in the model of the data processing system based on the user input. 7. The method of claim 1, wherein monitoring an operation of the data processing system based on the extended model comprises:
gathering operation information from additional events generated by the process executing in the data processing system based on the new KPI definitions in the extended model of the data processing system; generating measures of KPIs corresponding to the new KPI definitions in the extended model of the data processing system based on the gathered operation information; and storing the measures of KPIs in a data structure for generation of reports for users. 8. A computer program product comprising a computer readable storage medium having a computer readable program stored therein, wherein the computer readable program, when executed on a computing system, causes the computing system to:
receive a notification of an event comprising information regarding the event and a process running in the data processing system that generated the event; determine whether one or more key performance indicators (KPIs) have been defined for an element corresponding to the process, in a model of a data processing system; in response to one or more KPIs not having been defined for an element in the model corresponding to the process, generate new KPI definitions for the element in the model corresponding to the process based on default KPIs specified in the computing system, wherein the new KPI definitions constitute an extension of the model of the data processing system to thereby generate an extended model of the data processing system; and monitor an operation of the data processing system based on the extended model of the data processing system. 9. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the event is an event received from a process which is not already modeled in the model of the data processing system. 10. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the computer readable program further causes the computing system to:
determine whether the process is already modeled in the model of the data processing system; and in response to the process not already being modeled in the model of the data processing system, generate a new element, in the model of the data processing system, corresponding to the process, wherein the new element and new KPI definitions constitute the extension of the model of the data processing system, and wherein the new element is the element corresponding to the process. 11. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the model of the data processing system is a generic model of the general framework of the data processing system and does not provide a model for detailed monitoring of individual processes within the data processing system. 12. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the default KPIs are specified in a user defined KPI list data structure, and wherein the new KPI definitions are generated automatically using the KPI list data structure in response to detecting the event from the process. 13. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein the computer readable program further causes the computing system to generate the new KPIs for the element in the model of the data processing system by:
retrieving a list of KPI definitions from the KPI list data structure; presenting the list of KPI definitions to a user via a user interface; receiving user input selecting one or more of the KPI definitions from the list of KPI definitions for creation of new KPI definitions for the element in the model of the data processing system; and generating the new KPI definitions for the element in the model of the data processing system based on the user input. 14. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the computer readable program further causes the computing system to monitor an operation of the data processing system based on the extended model by:
gathering operation information from additional events generated by the process executing in the data processing system based on the new KPI definitions in the extended model of the data processing system; generating measures of KPIs corresponding to the new KPI definitions in the extended model of the data processing system based on the gathered operation information; and storing the measures of KPIs in a data structure for generation of reports for users. 15. An apparatus, comprising:
a processor; and a memory coupled to the processor, wherein the memory comprises instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to: receive a notification of an event comprising information regarding the event and a process running in the data processing system that generated the event; determine whether one or more key performance indicators (KPIs) have been defined for an element corresponding to the process, in a model of a data processing system; in response to one or more KPIs not having been defined for an element in the model corresponding to the process, generate new KPI definitions for the element in the model corresponding to the process based on default KPIs specified in the computing system, wherein the new KPI definitions constitute an extension of the model of the data processing system to thereby generate an extended model of the data processing system; and monitor an operation of the data processing system based on the extended model of the data processing system. 16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the event is an event received from a process which is not already modeled in the model of the data processing system. 17. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the instructions further cause the processor to:
determine whether the process is already modeled in the model of the data processing system; and in response to the process not already being modeled in the model of the data processing system, generate a new element, in the model of the data processing system, corresponding to the process, wherein the new element and new KPI definitions constitute the extension of the model of the data processing system, and wherein the new element is the element corresponding to the process. 18. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the model of the data processing system is a generic model of the general framework of the data processing system and does not provide a model for detailed monitoring of individual processes within the data processing system. 19. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the default KPIs are specified in a user defined KPI list data structure, and wherein the new KPI definitions are generated automatically using the KPI list data structure in response to detecting the event from the process. 20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the instructions further cause the processor to generate the new KPIs for the element in the model of the data processing system by:
retrieving a list of KPI definitions from the KPI list data structure; presenting the list of KPI definitions to a user via a user interface; receiving user input selecting one or more of the KPI definitions from the list of KPI definitions for creation of new KPI definitions for the element in the model of the data processing system; and generating the new KPI definitions for the element in the model of the data processing system based on the user input. 21. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the instructions further cause the processor to monitor an operation of the data processing system based on the extended model by:
gathering operation information from additional events generated by the process executing in the data processing system based on the new KPI definitions in the extended model of the data processing system; generating measures of KPIs corresponding to the new KPI definitions in the extended model of the data processing system based on the gathered operation information; and storing the measures of KPIs in a data structure for generation of reports for users. | 3,600 |
12,616 | 12,616 | 14,033,965 | 3,683 | Systems, methods, and computer program products are provided for managing fuel costs. Fuel-related data, including a request for authorization of a fuel transaction, is received from a fuel-related data source via a communications network. A fuel-related score is computed based on the fuel-related data and a predetermined weighting factor. The fuel-related score is presented through a user interface. In one example aspect, a fuel-related notification is generated for the fuel transaction based on the fuel-related score and a predetermined alert rule stored in an alert rule database. The predetermined alert rule is one of a plurality of sets of predetermined alert rules stored in association with a plurality of corresponding fleets, in another example. | 1. A method for managing fuel costs, the method comprising steps of:
receiving, from a fuel-related data source via a communications network, fuel-related data including a request for authorization of a fuel transaction; computing a fuel-related score based on the fuel-related data and a predetermined weighting factor; and presenting, through a user interface, the fuel-related score. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the computing the fuel-related score includes:
identifying, based on the fuel-related data, a geographical location of the fuel transaction; identifying, based on the geographical location of the fuel transaction, a plurality of nearby alternative fuel provider locations; retrieving, from a database, fuel-related data associated with the plurality of nearby alternative fuel provider locations; and computing the fuel-related score based on the fuel-related data associated with the plurality of nearby alternative fuel provider locations. 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the predetermined weighting factor includes any one or a combination of a price-related weighting factor and a non-price-related weighting factor, and wherein the predetermined weighting factor is one of a plurality of predetermined weighting factors stored in association with a corresponding fleet. 4. The method of claim 1, further comprising a step of generating, based on the fuel-related score and a predetermined alert rule stored in an alert rule database, a fuel-related notification for the fuel transaction, the predetermined alert rule being one of a plurality of predetermined alert rules stored in association with a plurality of fleets, correspondingly. 5. The method of claim 1, further comprising a step of presenting, via the user interface, any one or a combination of a list of notable transactions, a ranking of a plurality of drivers, and a ranking of a plurality of fuel provider locations. 6. The method of claim 1, further comprising steps of:
aggregating, from a plurality of fuel-related data sources via the communications network, a plurality of fuel-related data associated with any one or a combination of a plurality of fuel providers, a plurality of geographical locations, and a plurality of drivers; and presenting, through the user interface, a comparison of the aggregated fuel-related data. 7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
matching, in a database, the transaction to a fleet and a merchant; and retrieving, from the database, pricing agreement information associated with the fleet and the merchant, wherein the computing the fuel-related score includes computing the fuel-related score based on the pricing agreement information. 8. A system for managing fuel costs, the system comprising at least one processor configured to:
receive, from a fuel-related data source via a communications network, fuel-related data including a request for authorization of a fuel transaction; compute a fuel-related score based on the fuel-related data and a predetermined weighting factor; and present, through a user interface, the fuel-related score. 9. The system of claim 8, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to compute the fuel-related score by:
identifying, based on the fuel-related data, a geographical location of the fuel transaction; identifying, based on the geographical location of the fuel transaction, a plurality of nearby alternative fuel provider locations; retrieving, from a database, fuel-related data associated with the plurality of nearby alternative fuel provider locations; and computing the fuel-related score based on the fuel-related data associated with the plurality of nearby alternative fuel provider locations. 10. The system of claim 8, wherein the predetermined weighting factor includes any one or a combination of a price-related weighting factor and a non-price-related weighting factor, and wherein the predetermined weighting factor is one of a plurality of predetermined weighting factors stored in a memory in association with a corresponding fleet. 11. The system of claim 8, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to generate, based on the fuel-related score and a predetermined alert rule stored in an alert rule database, a fuel-related notification for the fuel transaction, the predetermined alert rule being one of a plurality of predetermined alert rules stored in a memory in association with a plurality of fleets, correspondingly. 12. The system of claim 8, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to present, through the user interface, any one or a combination of a list of notable transactions, a ranking of a plurality of drivers, and a ranking of a plurality of fuel provider locations. 13. The system of claim 8, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:
aggregate, from a plurality of fuel-related data sources via the communications network, a plurality of fuel-related data associated with any one or a combination of a plurality of fuel providers, a plurality of geographical locations, and a plurality of drivers; and present, through the user interface, a comparison of the aggregated fuel-related data. 14. The system of claim 8, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:
match, in a database, the transaction to a fleet and a merchant; and retrieve, from the database, pricing agreement information associated with the fleet and the merchant, wherein the computing the fuel-related score includes computing the fuel-related score based on the pricing agreement information. 15. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored thereon sequences of instructions that, when executed by a computer processor, cause the computer processor to:
receive, from a fuel-related data source via a communications network, fuel-related data including a request for authorization of a fuel transaction; compute a fuel-related score based on the fuel-related data and a predetermined weighting factor; and present, through a user interface, the fuel-related score. 16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the computing of the fuel-related score includes:
identifying, based on the fuel-related data, a geographical location of the fuel transaction; identifying, based on the geographical location of the fuel transaction, a plurality of nearby alternative fuel provider locations; retrieving, from a database, fuel-related data associated with the plurality of nearby alternative fuel provider locations; and computing the fuel-related score based on the fuel-related data associated with the plurality of nearby alternative fuel provider locations. 17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the predetermined weighting factor includes any one or a combination of a price-related weighting factor and a non-price-related weighting factor, and wherein the predetermined weighting factor is one of a plurality of predetermined weighting factors stored in association with a corresponding fleet. 18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein, when executed by the computer processor, the sequences of instructions further cause the computer processor to generate, based on the fuel-related score and a predetermined alert rule stored in an alert rule database, a fuel-related notification for the fuel transaction, the predetermined alert rule being one of a plurality of predetermined alert rules stored in association with a plurality of fleets, correspondingly. 19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein, when executed by the computer processor, the sequences of instructions further cause the computer processor to present, through the user interface, any one or a combination of a list of notable transactions, a ranking of a plurality of drivers, and a ranking of a plurality of fuel provider locations. 20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein, when executed by the computer processor, the sequences of instructions further cause the computer processor to:
aggregate, from a plurality of fuel-related data sources via the communications network, a plurality of fuel-related data associated with any one or a combination of a plurality of fuel providers, a plurality of geographical locations, and a plurality of drivers; and present, through the user interface, a comparison of the aggregated fuel-related data. 21. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein, when executed by the computer processor, the sequences of instructions further cause the computer processor to:
match, in a database, the transaction to a fleet and a merchant; and retrieve, from the database, pricing agreement information associated with the fleet and the merchant, wherein the fuel-related score is computed based on the pricing agreement information. | Systems, methods, and computer program products are provided for managing fuel costs. Fuel-related data, including a request for authorization of a fuel transaction, is received from a fuel-related data source via a communications network. A fuel-related score is computed based on the fuel-related data and a predetermined weighting factor. The fuel-related score is presented through a user interface. In one example aspect, a fuel-related notification is generated for the fuel transaction based on the fuel-related score and a predetermined alert rule stored in an alert rule database. The predetermined alert rule is one of a plurality of sets of predetermined alert rules stored in association with a plurality of corresponding fleets, in another example.1. A method for managing fuel costs, the method comprising steps of:
receiving, from a fuel-related data source via a communications network, fuel-related data including a request for authorization of a fuel transaction; computing a fuel-related score based on the fuel-related data and a predetermined weighting factor; and presenting, through a user interface, the fuel-related score. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the computing the fuel-related score includes:
identifying, based on the fuel-related data, a geographical location of the fuel transaction; identifying, based on the geographical location of the fuel transaction, a plurality of nearby alternative fuel provider locations; retrieving, from a database, fuel-related data associated with the plurality of nearby alternative fuel provider locations; and computing the fuel-related score based on the fuel-related data associated with the plurality of nearby alternative fuel provider locations. 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the predetermined weighting factor includes any one or a combination of a price-related weighting factor and a non-price-related weighting factor, and wherein the predetermined weighting factor is one of a plurality of predetermined weighting factors stored in association with a corresponding fleet. 4. The method of claim 1, further comprising a step of generating, based on the fuel-related score and a predetermined alert rule stored in an alert rule database, a fuel-related notification for the fuel transaction, the predetermined alert rule being one of a plurality of predetermined alert rules stored in association with a plurality of fleets, correspondingly. 5. The method of claim 1, further comprising a step of presenting, via the user interface, any one or a combination of a list of notable transactions, a ranking of a plurality of drivers, and a ranking of a plurality of fuel provider locations. 6. The method of claim 1, further comprising steps of:
aggregating, from a plurality of fuel-related data sources via the communications network, a plurality of fuel-related data associated with any one or a combination of a plurality of fuel providers, a plurality of geographical locations, and a plurality of drivers; and presenting, through the user interface, a comparison of the aggregated fuel-related data. 7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
matching, in a database, the transaction to a fleet and a merchant; and retrieving, from the database, pricing agreement information associated with the fleet and the merchant, wherein the computing the fuel-related score includes computing the fuel-related score based on the pricing agreement information. 8. A system for managing fuel costs, the system comprising at least one processor configured to:
receive, from a fuel-related data source via a communications network, fuel-related data including a request for authorization of a fuel transaction; compute a fuel-related score based on the fuel-related data and a predetermined weighting factor; and present, through a user interface, the fuel-related score. 9. The system of claim 8, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to compute the fuel-related score by:
identifying, based on the fuel-related data, a geographical location of the fuel transaction; identifying, based on the geographical location of the fuel transaction, a plurality of nearby alternative fuel provider locations; retrieving, from a database, fuel-related data associated with the plurality of nearby alternative fuel provider locations; and computing the fuel-related score based on the fuel-related data associated with the plurality of nearby alternative fuel provider locations. 10. The system of claim 8, wherein the predetermined weighting factor includes any one or a combination of a price-related weighting factor and a non-price-related weighting factor, and wherein the predetermined weighting factor is one of a plurality of predetermined weighting factors stored in a memory in association with a corresponding fleet. 11. The system of claim 8, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to generate, based on the fuel-related score and a predetermined alert rule stored in an alert rule database, a fuel-related notification for the fuel transaction, the predetermined alert rule being one of a plurality of predetermined alert rules stored in a memory in association with a plurality of fleets, correspondingly. 12. The system of claim 8, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to present, through the user interface, any one or a combination of a list of notable transactions, a ranking of a plurality of drivers, and a ranking of a plurality of fuel provider locations. 13. The system of claim 8, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:
aggregate, from a plurality of fuel-related data sources via the communications network, a plurality of fuel-related data associated with any one or a combination of a plurality of fuel providers, a plurality of geographical locations, and a plurality of drivers; and present, through the user interface, a comparison of the aggregated fuel-related data. 14. The system of claim 8, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:
match, in a database, the transaction to a fleet and a merchant; and retrieve, from the database, pricing agreement information associated with the fleet and the merchant, wherein the computing the fuel-related score includes computing the fuel-related score based on the pricing agreement information. 15. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored thereon sequences of instructions that, when executed by a computer processor, cause the computer processor to:
receive, from a fuel-related data source via a communications network, fuel-related data including a request for authorization of a fuel transaction; compute a fuel-related score based on the fuel-related data and a predetermined weighting factor; and present, through a user interface, the fuel-related score. 16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the computing of the fuel-related score includes:
identifying, based on the fuel-related data, a geographical location of the fuel transaction; identifying, based on the geographical location of the fuel transaction, a plurality of nearby alternative fuel provider locations; retrieving, from a database, fuel-related data associated with the plurality of nearby alternative fuel provider locations; and computing the fuel-related score based on the fuel-related data associated with the plurality of nearby alternative fuel provider locations. 17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the predetermined weighting factor includes any one or a combination of a price-related weighting factor and a non-price-related weighting factor, and wherein the predetermined weighting factor is one of a plurality of predetermined weighting factors stored in association with a corresponding fleet. 18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein, when executed by the computer processor, the sequences of instructions further cause the computer processor to generate, based on the fuel-related score and a predetermined alert rule stored in an alert rule database, a fuel-related notification for the fuel transaction, the predetermined alert rule being one of a plurality of predetermined alert rules stored in association with a plurality of fleets, correspondingly. 19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein, when executed by the computer processor, the sequences of instructions further cause the computer processor to present, through the user interface, any one or a combination of a list of notable transactions, a ranking of a plurality of drivers, and a ranking of a plurality of fuel provider locations. 20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein, when executed by the computer processor, the sequences of instructions further cause the computer processor to:
aggregate, from a plurality of fuel-related data sources via the communications network, a plurality of fuel-related data associated with any one or a combination of a plurality of fuel providers, a plurality of geographical locations, and a plurality of drivers; and present, through the user interface, a comparison of the aggregated fuel-related data. 21. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein, when executed by the computer processor, the sequences of instructions further cause the computer processor to:
match, in a database, the transaction to a fleet and a merchant; and retrieve, from the database, pricing agreement information associated with the fleet and the merchant, wherein the fuel-related score is computed based on the pricing agreement information. | 3,600 |
12,617 | 12,617 | 14,030,639 | 3,693 | Systems and methods for matching orders are provided. One or more trade templates are created. The trade templates define groups of orders for financial instruments that may be combined such that all of the orders are matched. A collection of tradable price levels is also created for each template. New orders and resting orders are analyzed using one or more trade templates and tradable price levels to determine whether a combination of orders satisfies all of the elements of a trade template with a required price level. When all of the elements of a trade template are satisfied and an order with a tradable price level is received, the corresponding orders may be matched contemporaneously. | 1. A method of matching orders for financial instruments, the method comprising:
(a) receiving at a processor an acceptable trade template that is based on more than two component financial instruments; (b) receiving at a processor a collection of tradable price levels for each of the component financial instruments of the acceptable trade template based on a collection of resting orders; (c) receiving a new order for one of the component financial instruments, the new order having a new order price level; (d) comparing at a processor the new order price level to a tradable price level for a corresponding financial instrument in the collection of tradable price levels; and (e) when the new order price level meets the tradable price level, attempting to match the component financial instruments at a processor. 2. The method of claim 1, further including:
when the new order price level does not meet the tradable price level, determining if the new order price level is the best price available; and regenerating the collection of tradable price levels for each of the component financial instruments based on the collection of resting orders, trade templates, and the new order. 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the collection of tradable price levels is stored in a processor memory. 4. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the component financial instruments comprise a spread product. 5. The method of claim 4, wherein the spread product comprises an implied spread product. 6. The method of claim 4, wherein the spread product comprises a butterfly spread product. 7. The method of claim 4, wherein the spread product comprises a crack spread product. 8. The method of claim 1, wherein at least two of the component financial instruments comprise spread products. 9. The method of claim 1, wherein (a) comprises using more than one algorithm to generate the acceptable trade template. 10. The method of claim 1, wherein (e) comprises attempting to match the component financial instruments contemporaneously. 11. A system that matches orders for financial instruments, the system comprising:
a collection of acceptable trade templates each based on more than two component financial instruments; a collection of needed orders that each when combined with one or more existing orders meet the requirements of one of the acceptable trade templates; a match engine programmed with computer-executable instructions to: compare a new order to the needed orders in the collection of needed orders; and when the new order corresponds to one of the needed orders, compare a price level of the new order to a tradable price level. 12. The system of claim 11, wherein the match engine comprises a microprocessor having a memory. 13. The system of claim 12, wherein the collection of needed orders is stored in the microprocessor memory. 14. The system of claim 13, wherein the microprocessor memory includes a collection of tradable price levels. 15. The system of claim 14, wherein the match engine is further programmed with computer-executable instructions to perform the steps comprising:
when the new order price level does not meet a price level in the collection of tradable price levels, determining if the new order price level is the best price available; and regenerating the collection of tradable price levels for each of the component financial instruments of at least one trade template based on the collection of resting orders and the new order. 16. The system of claim 11, further including a plurality of order books connected to the match engine. 17. The system of claim 15, further including a computer device programmed with computer-executable instructions to analyze orders resting in a plurality of order books and suggest new templates that would result in the matching of groups of orders. 18. A tangible computer-readable medium containing computer-executable instructions for causing a match system to perform the steps comprising:
(a) receiving an acceptable trade template that is based on more than two component financial instruments; (b) receiving a collection of tradable price levels for each of the component financial instruments of the acceptable trade template based on a collection of resting orders; (c) receiving a new order for one of the component financial instruments, the new order having a new order price level; (d) comparing the new order price level to a tradable price level for a corresponding financial instrument in the collection of tradable price levels; and (e) when the new order price level meets the tradable price level, attempting to match the component financial instruments. 19. The computer-readable medium of claim 18, wherein the trade template includes at least one spread product. 20. The computer-readable medium of claim 19, wherein the at least one spread product comprises an implied spread product. | Systems and methods for matching orders are provided. One or more trade templates are created. The trade templates define groups of orders for financial instruments that may be combined such that all of the orders are matched. A collection of tradable price levels is also created for each template. New orders and resting orders are analyzed using one or more trade templates and tradable price levels to determine whether a combination of orders satisfies all of the elements of a trade template with a required price level. When all of the elements of a trade template are satisfied and an order with a tradable price level is received, the corresponding orders may be matched contemporaneously.1. A method of matching orders for financial instruments, the method comprising:
(a) receiving at a processor an acceptable trade template that is based on more than two component financial instruments; (b) receiving at a processor a collection of tradable price levels for each of the component financial instruments of the acceptable trade template based on a collection of resting orders; (c) receiving a new order for one of the component financial instruments, the new order having a new order price level; (d) comparing at a processor the new order price level to a tradable price level for a corresponding financial instrument in the collection of tradable price levels; and (e) when the new order price level meets the tradable price level, attempting to match the component financial instruments at a processor. 2. The method of claim 1, further including:
when the new order price level does not meet the tradable price level, determining if the new order price level is the best price available; and regenerating the collection of tradable price levels for each of the component financial instruments based on the collection of resting orders, trade templates, and the new order. 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the collection of tradable price levels is stored in a processor memory. 4. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the component financial instruments comprise a spread product. 5. The method of claim 4, wherein the spread product comprises an implied spread product. 6. The method of claim 4, wherein the spread product comprises a butterfly spread product. 7. The method of claim 4, wherein the spread product comprises a crack spread product. 8. The method of claim 1, wherein at least two of the component financial instruments comprise spread products. 9. The method of claim 1, wherein (a) comprises using more than one algorithm to generate the acceptable trade template. 10. The method of claim 1, wherein (e) comprises attempting to match the component financial instruments contemporaneously. 11. A system that matches orders for financial instruments, the system comprising:
a collection of acceptable trade templates each based on more than two component financial instruments; a collection of needed orders that each when combined with one or more existing orders meet the requirements of one of the acceptable trade templates; a match engine programmed with computer-executable instructions to: compare a new order to the needed orders in the collection of needed orders; and when the new order corresponds to one of the needed orders, compare a price level of the new order to a tradable price level. 12. The system of claim 11, wherein the match engine comprises a microprocessor having a memory. 13. The system of claim 12, wherein the collection of needed orders is stored in the microprocessor memory. 14. The system of claim 13, wherein the microprocessor memory includes a collection of tradable price levels. 15. The system of claim 14, wherein the match engine is further programmed with computer-executable instructions to perform the steps comprising:
when the new order price level does not meet a price level in the collection of tradable price levels, determining if the new order price level is the best price available; and regenerating the collection of tradable price levels for each of the component financial instruments of at least one trade template based on the collection of resting orders and the new order. 16. The system of claim 11, further including a plurality of order books connected to the match engine. 17. The system of claim 15, further including a computer device programmed with computer-executable instructions to analyze orders resting in a plurality of order books and suggest new templates that would result in the matching of groups of orders. 18. A tangible computer-readable medium containing computer-executable instructions for causing a match system to perform the steps comprising:
(a) receiving an acceptable trade template that is based on more than two component financial instruments; (b) receiving a collection of tradable price levels for each of the component financial instruments of the acceptable trade template based on a collection of resting orders; (c) receiving a new order for one of the component financial instruments, the new order having a new order price level; (d) comparing the new order price level to a tradable price level for a corresponding financial instrument in the collection of tradable price levels; and (e) when the new order price level meets the tradable price level, attempting to match the component financial instruments. 19. The computer-readable medium of claim 18, wherein the trade template includes at least one spread product. 20. The computer-readable medium of claim 19, wherein the at least one spread product comprises an implied spread product. | 3,600 |
12,618 | 12,618 | 14,573,634 | 3,682 | Disclosed are a method and system for distribution of targeted advertising between mobile communication devices. An endorsement program is set up based on a profile of an advertiser having at least one advertising media. A qualified subscriber is identified for the advertiser based on a profile of a subscriber. One or more advertisers and endorsement programs for the qualified subscriber are selected. In addition, when a communication transmission is received from a source communication device, at least one advertising media is associated with the communication transmission and the communication transmission is transmitted from a source communication device to a destination communication device. | 1. A method for targeted distribution of promotional information relating to one or more product or service promotions by one or more advertisers, the distribution being first to one or more source communication devices associated respectively with one or more qualified subscribers and thereafter from the one or more source communication devices to one or more destination communication devices associated respectively with one or more recipients having relationships with a qualified subscriber from whom the information was received, wherein an intermediary between the one or more advertisers and the one or more qualified subscribers comprises a server, the method comprising the steps of:
a. obtaining, at the intermediary, from at least one advertiser, a first profile including demographic data desired by the advertiser; b. obtaining, at the intermediary, from at least one source communication device, a second profile including demographic data relating to a subscriber; c. deriving, at the intermediary, a match condition between the first profile and the second profile, thereby qualifying the subscriber for the receipt of the promotional information and determining a matched advertiser; d. upon qualifying the subscriber, communicating from the intermediary to a source communication device associated with the qualified subscriber, first product or service information relating to one or more promotions by the matched advertiser; e. after communicating the first product or service information to the source communication device associated with the qualified subscriber, receiving, at the intermediary, an express selection by the qualified subscriber of at least one selected promotion of the one or more promotions; and f. subsequent to the step of receiving the express selection, transmitting from the intermediary to the source communication device, second information for creating a content communication, related to the at least one selected promotion, that can be sent from the source communication device to the one or more destination communication devices respectively associated with one or more recipients having relationships with the qualified subscriber, the second information including at least an executable link for providing the one or more recipients access to third information relating to at least one of the group of the matched advertiser and the at least one selected promotion. 2. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of sending the content communication from the source communication device to the one or more destination communication devices. 3. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of providing an endorsement program in the form of one of the group of a product selection, a service selection, a delivery selection, a storage selection, a comparison selection and an evaluation selection. 4. A targeted advertising system for providing access to advertising content from an advertiser to a source communication device, associated with a subscriber, and providing the access to the advertising content from the source communication device to a destination communication device, associated with a recipient, comprising:
a. a server, programmed to act as an intermediary and to store and execute instructions that cause the targeted advertising system to perform operations comprising: b. receiving at the server, a first set of information that describes one or more attributes related to the one or more subscribers; c. receiving at the server, a second set of information that describes one or more attributes for targeting the advertising content to the subscriber; d. establishing an agreement between the subscriber and the advertiser to access the advertising content; e. after establishing the agreement, sending, from the server to the subscriber communication device, a third set of information, relating to the set of advertising content, selected on the basis of a match between the first set of information and the second set of information, the third set of information including a component for inclusion in a communication to the recipient communication device; and,
providing the advertising content to the recipient communication device. 5. The targeted advertising system of claim 4 wherein the operations further comprise:
receiving, at the server, an indication that the recipient communication device has interacted with the communication in a defined manner; and,
providing the advertising content to the recipient communication device in response to receiving the indication. 6. The targeted advertising system of claim 4 wherein the operations further comprise:
allocating one of the group of a product and a service to the subscriber in exchange for communicating the component to the recipient communication device. 7. The targeted advertising system of claim 6 wherein the step of allocating is conditioned on the recipient communication device interacting with the component in a defined manner. 8. The targeted advertising system of claim 7 wherein the step of allocating includes delivery of a product related to the set of advertising content. 9. The targeted advertising system of claim 8 wherein a product delivery schedule is managed by the server. 10. The targeted advertising system of claim 4 wherein the first set of information includes a geographic location. 11. The targeted advertising system of claim 4 wherein the component includes a link to the server. 12. The targeted advertising system of claim 4 wherein the component includes a link to the advertiser. 13. The targeted advertising system of claim 4 wherein the communication includes a fourth set of information related to the advertising content and the component is a link to a fifth set of information related to the advertising content. 14. The targeted advertising system of claim 4 wherein the operations further comprise:
receiving, at the server, a selection, related to the advertising content, from the subscriber communication device; and,
in response to the selection, providing the third set of information to the subscriber communication device. 15. A method for improving the functioning of a computer system, the computer system including an intermediary server connected to a promotional content server, a subscriber machine and a destination machine, the method comprising the steps of:
a. obtaining a first data set including a first attribute set; b. obtaining a second data set including a second attribute set; c. calculating an optimized result set from the first data set and the second data set; d. transmitting from the intermediary server to the subscriber machine a first record in the optimized result set; e. after transmitting the at least one record, receiving at the intermediary server an argument identifying the first record; f. after receiving the argument, transmitting from the intermediary server to the subscriber machine a content set that can be sent from the subscriber machine to the destination machine; g. the content set including an encrypted pointer identifying the first record and a storage location to at least one attribute of the first attribute set; and, h. whereby the functioning of the computer system is improved by reducing a time to completion and at least one of the group of a memory usage and a bandwidth usage of a routine resident on the computer system. 16. The method of claim 15 further comprising the step of:
sending the content set from the subscriber machine to the destination machine. 17. The method of claim 15 further comprising the step of:
providing one of the group of a product selection, a server selection, a delivery selection, a storage selection, a comparison selection and an evaluation selection in the first attribute set. 18. The method of claim 15 further comprising the step of:
receiving, at the intermediary server, confirmation that the destination machine has accessed the encrypted pointer. 19. A computer system for providing access to content from a first data center to a source communication device, associated with a subscriber, and providing the access to the content from the source communication device to a destination communication device, associated with a recipient, the first data center, the source communication device and the destination communication device connected by a network, the computer system comprising:
a. a server, programmed to act as an intermediary and to store and execute instructions that cause the computer system to perform operations for optimizing the operation of the computer system comprising: b. receiving at the server, a first data set that describes one or more attributes related to the one or more subscribers; c. receiving at the server, a second data set that describes one or more attributes for directing the content to the subscriber; d. calculating an optimized result set from the first data set and the second data set; e. after calculating an optimized result set, sending, from the server to the subscriber communication device, a first set of information, relating to the content, selected on the basis of the optimized result set, the first set of information including a component for inclusion in a communication to the recipient communication device; f. providing the content to the recipient communication device; and, g. whereby utilization of the network is optimized. 20. The computer system of claim 19 wherein the operations further comprise:
receiving, at the server, an indication that the recipient communication device has interacted with the communication in a defined manner; and,
providing the content to the recipient communication device in response to receiving the indication. 21. The computer system of claim 19 wherein the operations further comprise:
allocating one of the group of a product and a service to the subscriber in exchange for communicating the component to the recipient communication device. 22. The computer system of claim 21 wherein the step of allocating is conditioned on the recipient communication device interacting with the component in a defined manner. 23. The computer system of claim 22 wherein the step of allocating includes delivery of a product related to the set of content. 24. The computer system of claim 23 wherein a product delivery schedule is managed by the server. 25. The computer system of claim 19 wherein the second data set includes a geographic location. 26. The computer system of claim 19 wherein the component includes a link to the server. 27. The computer system of claim 19 wherein the component includes a link to the first data source. 28. The computer system of claim 19 wherein the communication includes a first set of information related to the content and the component is a link to a second set of information related to the content. 29. The computer system of claim 19 wherein the operations further comprise:
receiving, at the server, a selection, related to the content, from the subscriber communication device; and,
in response to the selection, providing the first set of information to the subscriber communication device. 30. The computer system of claim 29 wherein the operations further comprise:
receiving, at the server, from the subscriber communication device, an identification of the recipient communication device that a subscriber has identified for sharing the first set of information; and,
in response to receipt of the first set of information, making the first set of information available to the recipient communication device. | Disclosed are a method and system for distribution of targeted advertising between mobile communication devices. An endorsement program is set up based on a profile of an advertiser having at least one advertising media. A qualified subscriber is identified for the advertiser based on a profile of a subscriber. One or more advertisers and endorsement programs for the qualified subscriber are selected. In addition, when a communication transmission is received from a source communication device, at least one advertising media is associated with the communication transmission and the communication transmission is transmitted from a source communication device to a destination communication device.1. A method for targeted distribution of promotional information relating to one or more product or service promotions by one or more advertisers, the distribution being first to one or more source communication devices associated respectively with one or more qualified subscribers and thereafter from the one or more source communication devices to one or more destination communication devices associated respectively with one or more recipients having relationships with a qualified subscriber from whom the information was received, wherein an intermediary between the one or more advertisers and the one or more qualified subscribers comprises a server, the method comprising the steps of:
a. obtaining, at the intermediary, from at least one advertiser, a first profile including demographic data desired by the advertiser; b. obtaining, at the intermediary, from at least one source communication device, a second profile including demographic data relating to a subscriber; c. deriving, at the intermediary, a match condition between the first profile and the second profile, thereby qualifying the subscriber for the receipt of the promotional information and determining a matched advertiser; d. upon qualifying the subscriber, communicating from the intermediary to a source communication device associated with the qualified subscriber, first product or service information relating to one or more promotions by the matched advertiser; e. after communicating the first product or service information to the source communication device associated with the qualified subscriber, receiving, at the intermediary, an express selection by the qualified subscriber of at least one selected promotion of the one or more promotions; and f. subsequent to the step of receiving the express selection, transmitting from the intermediary to the source communication device, second information for creating a content communication, related to the at least one selected promotion, that can be sent from the source communication device to the one or more destination communication devices respectively associated with one or more recipients having relationships with the qualified subscriber, the second information including at least an executable link for providing the one or more recipients access to third information relating to at least one of the group of the matched advertiser and the at least one selected promotion. 2. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of sending the content communication from the source communication device to the one or more destination communication devices. 3. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of providing an endorsement program in the form of one of the group of a product selection, a service selection, a delivery selection, a storage selection, a comparison selection and an evaluation selection. 4. A targeted advertising system for providing access to advertising content from an advertiser to a source communication device, associated with a subscriber, and providing the access to the advertising content from the source communication device to a destination communication device, associated with a recipient, comprising:
a. a server, programmed to act as an intermediary and to store and execute instructions that cause the targeted advertising system to perform operations comprising: b. receiving at the server, a first set of information that describes one or more attributes related to the one or more subscribers; c. receiving at the server, a second set of information that describes one or more attributes for targeting the advertising content to the subscriber; d. establishing an agreement between the subscriber and the advertiser to access the advertising content; e. after establishing the agreement, sending, from the server to the subscriber communication device, a third set of information, relating to the set of advertising content, selected on the basis of a match between the first set of information and the second set of information, the third set of information including a component for inclusion in a communication to the recipient communication device; and,
providing the advertising content to the recipient communication device. 5. The targeted advertising system of claim 4 wherein the operations further comprise:
receiving, at the server, an indication that the recipient communication device has interacted with the communication in a defined manner; and,
providing the advertising content to the recipient communication device in response to receiving the indication. 6. The targeted advertising system of claim 4 wherein the operations further comprise:
allocating one of the group of a product and a service to the subscriber in exchange for communicating the component to the recipient communication device. 7. The targeted advertising system of claim 6 wherein the step of allocating is conditioned on the recipient communication device interacting with the component in a defined manner. 8. The targeted advertising system of claim 7 wherein the step of allocating includes delivery of a product related to the set of advertising content. 9. The targeted advertising system of claim 8 wherein a product delivery schedule is managed by the server. 10. The targeted advertising system of claim 4 wherein the first set of information includes a geographic location. 11. The targeted advertising system of claim 4 wherein the component includes a link to the server. 12. The targeted advertising system of claim 4 wherein the component includes a link to the advertiser. 13. The targeted advertising system of claim 4 wherein the communication includes a fourth set of information related to the advertising content and the component is a link to a fifth set of information related to the advertising content. 14. The targeted advertising system of claim 4 wherein the operations further comprise:
receiving, at the server, a selection, related to the advertising content, from the subscriber communication device; and,
in response to the selection, providing the third set of information to the subscriber communication device. 15. A method for improving the functioning of a computer system, the computer system including an intermediary server connected to a promotional content server, a subscriber machine and a destination machine, the method comprising the steps of:
a. obtaining a first data set including a first attribute set; b. obtaining a second data set including a second attribute set; c. calculating an optimized result set from the first data set and the second data set; d. transmitting from the intermediary server to the subscriber machine a first record in the optimized result set; e. after transmitting the at least one record, receiving at the intermediary server an argument identifying the first record; f. after receiving the argument, transmitting from the intermediary server to the subscriber machine a content set that can be sent from the subscriber machine to the destination machine; g. the content set including an encrypted pointer identifying the first record and a storage location to at least one attribute of the first attribute set; and, h. whereby the functioning of the computer system is improved by reducing a time to completion and at least one of the group of a memory usage and a bandwidth usage of a routine resident on the computer system. 16. The method of claim 15 further comprising the step of:
sending the content set from the subscriber machine to the destination machine. 17. The method of claim 15 further comprising the step of:
providing one of the group of a product selection, a server selection, a delivery selection, a storage selection, a comparison selection and an evaluation selection in the first attribute set. 18. The method of claim 15 further comprising the step of:
receiving, at the intermediary server, confirmation that the destination machine has accessed the encrypted pointer. 19. A computer system for providing access to content from a first data center to a source communication device, associated with a subscriber, and providing the access to the content from the source communication device to a destination communication device, associated with a recipient, the first data center, the source communication device and the destination communication device connected by a network, the computer system comprising:
a. a server, programmed to act as an intermediary and to store and execute instructions that cause the computer system to perform operations for optimizing the operation of the computer system comprising: b. receiving at the server, a first data set that describes one or more attributes related to the one or more subscribers; c. receiving at the server, a second data set that describes one or more attributes for directing the content to the subscriber; d. calculating an optimized result set from the first data set and the second data set; e. after calculating an optimized result set, sending, from the server to the subscriber communication device, a first set of information, relating to the content, selected on the basis of the optimized result set, the first set of information including a component for inclusion in a communication to the recipient communication device; f. providing the content to the recipient communication device; and, g. whereby utilization of the network is optimized. 20. The computer system of claim 19 wherein the operations further comprise:
receiving, at the server, an indication that the recipient communication device has interacted with the communication in a defined manner; and,
providing the content to the recipient communication device in response to receiving the indication. 21. The computer system of claim 19 wherein the operations further comprise:
allocating one of the group of a product and a service to the subscriber in exchange for communicating the component to the recipient communication device. 22. The computer system of claim 21 wherein the step of allocating is conditioned on the recipient communication device interacting with the component in a defined manner. 23. The computer system of claim 22 wherein the step of allocating includes delivery of a product related to the set of content. 24. The computer system of claim 23 wherein a product delivery schedule is managed by the server. 25. The computer system of claim 19 wherein the second data set includes a geographic location. 26. The computer system of claim 19 wherein the component includes a link to the server. 27. The computer system of claim 19 wherein the component includes a link to the first data source. 28. The computer system of claim 19 wherein the communication includes a first set of information related to the content and the component is a link to a second set of information related to the content. 29. The computer system of claim 19 wherein the operations further comprise:
receiving, at the server, a selection, related to the content, from the subscriber communication device; and,
in response to the selection, providing the first set of information to the subscriber communication device. 30. The computer system of claim 29 wherein the operations further comprise:
receiving, at the server, from the subscriber communication device, an identification of the recipient communication device that a subscriber has identified for sharing the first set of information; and,
in response to receipt of the first set of information, making the first set of information available to the recipient communication device. | 3,600 |
12,619 | 12,619 | 13,555,963 | 3,693 | A system and method for processing funds transfers that may utilize a dual-message transaction with separate authorization and settlement messages for (consumer authentication value) CAV-based transactions. Initial authorization messages may be communicated to authorize and guarantee funds to a payee for goods and/or services before they are rendered. Thereafter, the payee may initiate one or more settlement advice request messages associated with the authorization/pre-authorization, as goods and/or services are rendered without authorization of CAV. | 1. A method of processing electronic funds transfers, the method comprising:
receiving a first authorization request comprising an encrypted consumer authentication value (CAV) and a total amount of funds to be transferred; generating and communicating a second authorization request associated with the received first authorization request, the second authorization request comprising the encrypted CAV and the total amount of funds to be transferred; receiving an authorization approval response that indicates that the total amount of funds to be transferred is authorized; generating a unique data element that is uniquely associated with the authorization approval response and provides an indication that the total amount has been authorized; communicating the unique data element; receiving a first settlement advice request message comprising the unique data element and a request to transfer a first amount of the total amount, the first amount being a portion less than the total amount; determining whether the unique data element included in the first settlement advice request message matches the unique data element included in the approved authorization response; and in response to a match, causing the first amount of the total amount to be transferred without authorization with the CAV. 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
receiving a second settlement advice request message associated with the transaction, wherein the second settlement advice request message includes a second amount of the total amount and the unique data element; determining whether the unique data element included in the second settlement advice request message matches the unique data element included in the approved authorization response; and in response to a match, causing the second amount of the total amount to be transferred without authorization with the CAV. 3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:
determining whether a sum of the first amount and the second amount is greater than the total amount; and in response to a determination that the sum is greater than the total amount, decline the second amount. 4. The method of claim 2, further comprising:
determining whether a sum of the first amount and the second amount is less than the total amount; and in response to a determination that the sum is less than the total amount, causing the second amount of the total amount to be transferred without authorization with the CAV. 5. The method of claim 1, wherein the CAV is a personal identification number (PIN). 6. The method of claim 1, wherein the unique data element comprises a pre-defined secret or private key. 7. A system of processing funds transfers, the system comprising:
an electronic funds transfer server comprising one or more processors configured to:
receive a first authorization request comprising an encrypted consumer authentication value (CAV) and a total amount of funds to be transferred;
generate and communicate a second authorization request associated with the received authorization request, the second authorization request comprising the encrypted CAV and the total amount of funds to be transferred;
receive an authorization approval response that indicates that the total amount of funds to be transferred is authorized;
generate unique data element that is uniquely associated with the pre-authorization approval response and provides an indication that the total amount has been authorized;
communicate the unique data element;
receive a first settlement advice request message comprising the unique data element and a request to transfer a first amount of the total amount;
determine whether the unique data element included in the first settlement advice request message matches the unique data element included in the approved authorization response; and
in response to a match, cause the first amount of the total amount to be transferred without authorization with the CAV. 8. The system of claim 7, the one or more processors configured to:
receive a second settlement advice request message associated with the transaction, wherein the second settlement advice request message includes a second amount of the total amount and the unique data element; determine whether the unique data element included in the second settlement advice request message matches the unique data element included in the approved authorization response; and in response to a match, cause the second amount of the total amount to be transferred without authorization with the CAV. 9. The system of claim 8, the one or more processors configured to:
determine whether a sum of the first amount and the second amount is greater than the total amount; and in response to a determination that the sum is greater than the total amount, decline the second amount. 10. The system of claim 8, the one or more processors configured to:
determine whether a sum of the first amount and the second amount is less than the total amount; and in response to a determination that the sum is less than the total amount, cause the second amount of the total amount to be transferred without authorization with the CAV. 11. The system of claim 7, wherein the CAV is a personal identification number (PIN). 12. The system of claim 7, wherein the unique data element comprises a pre-defined secret or private key. 13. A method of processing electronic funds transfers, the method comprising:
generating and communicating an authorization request comprising an encrypted consumer authentication value (CAV) and a total amount of funds to be transferred; receiving an authorization approval response that indicates that the total amount of funds to be transferred is authorized; generating a unique data element that is uniquely associated with the authorization approval response and provides an indication that the total amount has been authorized; communicating the unique data element; receiving a first settlement advice request message comprising the unique data element and a request to transfer a first amount of the total amount, the first amount being a portion less than the total amount; and causing the first amount of the total amount to be transferred without authorization with the CAV based on the unique data element, the first amount, and the total amount. 14. A method of processing electronic funds transfers associated with a bill payment transaction, the method comprising:
generating and communicating an authorization request comprising an encrypted CAV associated with a consumer; receiving an authorization approval response that indicates that the consumer has been authenticated; generating a unique data element that is uniquely associated with the authorization approval response and provides proof that the consumer has been authenticated; communicating the unique data element; receiving a first payment financial message comprising the unique data element and a request to transfer a first payment amount; determining whether the unique data element included in the first payment financial message matches the unique data element included in the approved authorization response; and in response to a match, causing the payment amount to be transferred without authorization with the CAV. 15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:
receiving a second payment financial message associated with the transaction, wherein the second payment financial message includes a second payment amount and the unique data element; determining whether the unique data element included in the second payment financial message matches the unique data element included in the approved authorization response; and in response to a match, causing the second amount to be transferred without authorization with the CAV. 16. The method of claim 14, wherein the CAV is a personal identification number (PIN). 17. The method of claim 14, wherein the unique data element comprises a pre-defined secret or private key. 18. A system of processing funds transfers associated with a bill payment transaction, the system comprising:
an electronic funds transfer server comprising one or more processors configured to:
generate and communicate an authorization request comprising an encrypted CAV associated with a consumer;
receive an authorization approval response that indicates that the consumer has been authenticated;
generate unique data element that is uniquely associated with the authorization approval response and provides proof that the consumer has been authenticated;
communicate the unique data element;
receive a first payment financial message comprising the unique data element and a request to transfer a first payment amount;
determine whether the unique data element included in the first payment financial message matches the unique data element included in the approved authorization response; and
in response to a match, cause the payment amount to be transferred without authorization with the CAV. 19. The system of claim 18, the one or more processors configured to:
receive a second payment financial message associated with the transaction, wherein the second payment financial message includes a second payment amount and the unique data element; determine whether the unique data element included in the second payment financial message matches the unique data element included in the approved authorization response; and in response to a match, cause the second amount to be transferred without authorization with the CAV. 20. The system of claim 18, wherein the CAV is a personal identification number (PIN). 21. The system of claim 18, wherein the unique data element comprises a pre-defined secret or private key. | A system and method for processing funds transfers that may utilize a dual-message transaction with separate authorization and settlement messages for (consumer authentication value) CAV-based transactions. Initial authorization messages may be communicated to authorize and guarantee funds to a payee for goods and/or services before they are rendered. Thereafter, the payee may initiate one or more settlement advice request messages associated with the authorization/pre-authorization, as goods and/or services are rendered without authorization of CAV.1. A method of processing electronic funds transfers, the method comprising:
receiving a first authorization request comprising an encrypted consumer authentication value (CAV) and a total amount of funds to be transferred; generating and communicating a second authorization request associated with the received first authorization request, the second authorization request comprising the encrypted CAV and the total amount of funds to be transferred; receiving an authorization approval response that indicates that the total amount of funds to be transferred is authorized; generating a unique data element that is uniquely associated with the authorization approval response and provides an indication that the total amount has been authorized; communicating the unique data element; receiving a first settlement advice request message comprising the unique data element and a request to transfer a first amount of the total amount, the first amount being a portion less than the total amount; determining whether the unique data element included in the first settlement advice request message matches the unique data element included in the approved authorization response; and in response to a match, causing the first amount of the total amount to be transferred without authorization with the CAV. 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
receiving a second settlement advice request message associated with the transaction, wherein the second settlement advice request message includes a second amount of the total amount and the unique data element; determining whether the unique data element included in the second settlement advice request message matches the unique data element included in the approved authorization response; and in response to a match, causing the second amount of the total amount to be transferred without authorization with the CAV. 3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:
determining whether a sum of the first amount and the second amount is greater than the total amount; and in response to a determination that the sum is greater than the total amount, decline the second amount. 4. The method of claim 2, further comprising:
determining whether a sum of the first amount and the second amount is less than the total amount; and in response to a determination that the sum is less than the total amount, causing the second amount of the total amount to be transferred without authorization with the CAV. 5. The method of claim 1, wherein the CAV is a personal identification number (PIN). 6. The method of claim 1, wherein the unique data element comprises a pre-defined secret or private key. 7. A system of processing funds transfers, the system comprising:
an electronic funds transfer server comprising one or more processors configured to:
receive a first authorization request comprising an encrypted consumer authentication value (CAV) and a total amount of funds to be transferred;
generate and communicate a second authorization request associated with the received authorization request, the second authorization request comprising the encrypted CAV and the total amount of funds to be transferred;
receive an authorization approval response that indicates that the total amount of funds to be transferred is authorized;
generate unique data element that is uniquely associated with the pre-authorization approval response and provides an indication that the total amount has been authorized;
communicate the unique data element;
receive a first settlement advice request message comprising the unique data element and a request to transfer a first amount of the total amount;
determine whether the unique data element included in the first settlement advice request message matches the unique data element included in the approved authorization response; and
in response to a match, cause the first amount of the total amount to be transferred without authorization with the CAV. 8. The system of claim 7, the one or more processors configured to:
receive a second settlement advice request message associated with the transaction, wherein the second settlement advice request message includes a second amount of the total amount and the unique data element; determine whether the unique data element included in the second settlement advice request message matches the unique data element included in the approved authorization response; and in response to a match, cause the second amount of the total amount to be transferred without authorization with the CAV. 9. The system of claim 8, the one or more processors configured to:
determine whether a sum of the first amount and the second amount is greater than the total amount; and in response to a determination that the sum is greater than the total amount, decline the second amount. 10. The system of claim 8, the one or more processors configured to:
determine whether a sum of the first amount and the second amount is less than the total amount; and in response to a determination that the sum is less than the total amount, cause the second amount of the total amount to be transferred without authorization with the CAV. 11. The system of claim 7, wherein the CAV is a personal identification number (PIN). 12. The system of claim 7, wherein the unique data element comprises a pre-defined secret or private key. 13. A method of processing electronic funds transfers, the method comprising:
generating and communicating an authorization request comprising an encrypted consumer authentication value (CAV) and a total amount of funds to be transferred; receiving an authorization approval response that indicates that the total amount of funds to be transferred is authorized; generating a unique data element that is uniquely associated with the authorization approval response and provides an indication that the total amount has been authorized; communicating the unique data element; receiving a first settlement advice request message comprising the unique data element and a request to transfer a first amount of the total amount, the first amount being a portion less than the total amount; and causing the first amount of the total amount to be transferred without authorization with the CAV based on the unique data element, the first amount, and the total amount. 14. A method of processing electronic funds transfers associated with a bill payment transaction, the method comprising:
generating and communicating an authorization request comprising an encrypted CAV associated with a consumer; receiving an authorization approval response that indicates that the consumer has been authenticated; generating a unique data element that is uniquely associated with the authorization approval response and provides proof that the consumer has been authenticated; communicating the unique data element; receiving a first payment financial message comprising the unique data element and a request to transfer a first payment amount; determining whether the unique data element included in the first payment financial message matches the unique data element included in the approved authorization response; and in response to a match, causing the payment amount to be transferred without authorization with the CAV. 15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:
receiving a second payment financial message associated with the transaction, wherein the second payment financial message includes a second payment amount and the unique data element; determining whether the unique data element included in the second payment financial message matches the unique data element included in the approved authorization response; and in response to a match, causing the second amount to be transferred without authorization with the CAV. 16. The method of claim 14, wherein the CAV is a personal identification number (PIN). 17. The method of claim 14, wherein the unique data element comprises a pre-defined secret or private key. 18. A system of processing funds transfers associated with a bill payment transaction, the system comprising:
an electronic funds transfer server comprising one or more processors configured to:
generate and communicate an authorization request comprising an encrypted CAV associated with a consumer;
receive an authorization approval response that indicates that the consumer has been authenticated;
generate unique data element that is uniquely associated with the authorization approval response and provides proof that the consumer has been authenticated;
communicate the unique data element;
receive a first payment financial message comprising the unique data element and a request to transfer a first payment amount;
determine whether the unique data element included in the first payment financial message matches the unique data element included in the approved authorization response; and
in response to a match, cause the payment amount to be transferred without authorization with the CAV. 19. The system of claim 18, the one or more processors configured to:
receive a second payment financial message associated with the transaction, wherein the second payment financial message includes a second payment amount and the unique data element; determine whether the unique data element included in the second payment financial message matches the unique data element included in the approved authorization response; and in response to a match, cause the second amount to be transferred without authorization with the CAV. 20. The system of claim 18, wherein the CAV is a personal identification number (PIN). 21. The system of claim 18, wherein the unique data element comprises a pre-defined secret or private key. | 3,600 |
12,620 | 12,620 | 14,215,015 | 3,629 | A method of matching applicants, such as high school students seeking college admissions, to institutions, such as colleges, includes the creation of applicant profiles for the various applicants and institutional profiles for the various institutions. The profiles can incorporate psychometric, psychographic, demographic, and/or biographical attributes. The attributes of institutions can be matched to those of applicants, thus providing colleges with improved data useful in admissions decisions, as well as providing students with improved data useful in making college application decisions. Social media functionality can also be included. | 1. A method of matching applicant attributes to institutional attribute criteria, comprising:
(a) establishing a user interface via a server device; (b) receiving at the server device, through the user interface, a plurality of profile creation inputs from an applicant; (c) defining a plurality of applicant attributes for the applicant from the plurality of profile creation inputs, the plurality of applicant attributes including a psychometric attribute other than an analytical intelligence (IQ) attribute; (d) storing the plurality of applicant attributes as an applicant profile in an applicant database; (e) repeating steps (b), (c), and (d), thereby storing a plurality of applicant profiles in the applicant database; (f) receiving at the server device, through the user interface, a search query, wherein the search query comprises an applicant attribute criterion other than an IQ attribute criterion; and (g) outputting from the server device, through the user interface, a subset of the plurality of applicant profiles, wherein the subset of the plurality of applicant profiles includes applicant profiles satisfying the applicant attribute criterion. 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of applicant attributes further comprises an applicant psychographic attribute. 3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the applicant psychographic attribute comprises an interest attribute, an attitude attribute, or a behavior attribute. 4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the psychometric attribute other than an analytical intelligence (IQ) attribute comprises a creative intelligence (CQ) attribute, a practical intelligence (EQ) attribute, or a personality attribute. 5. The method according to claim 1, wherein steps (b) and (c) further comprise:
presenting to the applicant, via the user interface, a plurality of assessment questions; receiving from the applicant, via the user interface, a plurality of responses to the plurality of assessment questions; and defining the plurality of applicant attributes for the applicant from the plurality of responses to the plurality of assessment questions. 6. The method according to claim 5, further comprising:
publishing a response of the plurality of responses to the plurality of assessment questions; and receiving feedback on the published response from a party other than the applicant. 7. The method according to claim 6, further comprising revising an applicant attribute of the plurality of applicant attributes using the feedback. 8. The method according to claim 1, further comprising receiving third party input regarding the applicant from a party other than the applicant, wherein the third party input is relevant to an attribute of the plurality of applicant attributes. 9. The method according to claim 8, further comprising revising the attribute of the plurality of applicant attributes using the third party input. 10. The method according to claim 8, wherein the party other than the applicant comprises an athletic coach for the applicant. 11. The method according to claim 1, further comprising establishing, through the user interface, a graphical representation of the applicant profile. 12. The method according to claim 11, wherein the graphical representation of the applicant profile comprises an avatar reflective of at least one of the plurality of applicant attributes, the applicant's level of participation, and an amount of data contained within the applicant profile. 13. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:
storing a plurality of institutional profiles for a plurality of institutions; and outputting from the server device, through the user interface, a subset of the plurality of institutional profiles, wherein the subset of the plurality of institutional profiles includes institutional profiles having institutional psychometric attribute criteria encompassing the plurality of applicant psychometric attributes for the applicant. 14. The method according to claim 13, further comprising receiving from the applicant through the user interface, an institutional matching query, wherein the subset of the plurality of institutional profiles is output in response to the institutional matching query. 15. The method according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of profile creation inputs comprises a decision matrix weight corresponding to the applicant's relative interest in a particular institution. 16. A method of matching applicants to institutions, comprising:
(a) receiving at a server device a plurality of profile creation inputs for an institution; (b) defining a plurality of institutional attributes for the institution from the plurality of profile creation inputs for the institution; (c) storing the plurality of institutional attributes as an institutional profile in an institutional database; (d) repeating steps (a), (b), and (c), thereby storing a plurality of institutional profiles in the institutional database; (e) receiving at the server device a plurality of profile creation inputs for an applicant; (f) defining a plurality of applicant attributes for the applicant from the plurality of profile creation inputs for the applicant; (g) storing the plurality of applicant attributes as an applicant profile in an applicant database; (h) repeating steps (e), (f), and (g), thereby storing a plurality of applicant profiles in the applicant database; and (i) outputting from the server device a match between an applicant profile in the applicant database and an institutional profile in the institutional database. 17. The method according to claim 16, wherein
the plurality of institutional attributes comprises an institutional psychographic attribute; and the plurality of applicant attributes comprises an applicant psychometric attribute other than an analytical intelligence (IQ) attribute. 18. The method according to claim 16, further comprising receiving a search query at the server device, wherein the search query comprises at least one of an applicant psychometric attribute criterion other than an IQ attribute criterion and an institutional psychographic attribute criterion. 19. The method according to claim 18, wherein the match is output from the server device in response to the search query. 20. A system for matching applicants to institutions, comprising:
an institutional database comprising a plurality of institutional profiles; an applicant database comprising a plurality of applicant profiles; an institutional profiling processor that receives a plurality of profile creation inputs for an institution, defines therefrom a plurality of institutional attributes, and stores the plurality of institutional attributes as an institutional profile in the institutional database; an applicant profiling processor that receives a plurality of profile creation inputs for an applicant, defines therefrom a plurality of applicant attributes, and stores the plurality of applicant attributes as an applicant profile in the applicant database; and a matching processor that outputs a match between an applicant profile in the applicant database and an institutional profile in the institutional database. 21. The system according to claim 20, wherein the matching processor outputs a plurality of matches between a selected applicant profile in the applicant database and a plurality of institutional profiles in the institutional database. 22. The system according to claim 20, wherein the matching processor outputs a plurality of matches between a selected institutional profile in the institutional database and a plurality of applicant profiles in the applicant database. | A method of matching applicants, such as high school students seeking college admissions, to institutions, such as colleges, includes the creation of applicant profiles for the various applicants and institutional profiles for the various institutions. The profiles can incorporate psychometric, psychographic, demographic, and/or biographical attributes. The attributes of institutions can be matched to those of applicants, thus providing colleges with improved data useful in admissions decisions, as well as providing students with improved data useful in making college application decisions. Social media functionality can also be included.1. A method of matching applicant attributes to institutional attribute criteria, comprising:
(a) establishing a user interface via a server device; (b) receiving at the server device, through the user interface, a plurality of profile creation inputs from an applicant; (c) defining a plurality of applicant attributes for the applicant from the plurality of profile creation inputs, the plurality of applicant attributes including a psychometric attribute other than an analytical intelligence (IQ) attribute; (d) storing the plurality of applicant attributes as an applicant profile in an applicant database; (e) repeating steps (b), (c), and (d), thereby storing a plurality of applicant profiles in the applicant database; (f) receiving at the server device, through the user interface, a search query, wherein the search query comprises an applicant attribute criterion other than an IQ attribute criterion; and (g) outputting from the server device, through the user interface, a subset of the plurality of applicant profiles, wherein the subset of the plurality of applicant profiles includes applicant profiles satisfying the applicant attribute criterion. 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of applicant attributes further comprises an applicant psychographic attribute. 3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the applicant psychographic attribute comprises an interest attribute, an attitude attribute, or a behavior attribute. 4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the psychometric attribute other than an analytical intelligence (IQ) attribute comprises a creative intelligence (CQ) attribute, a practical intelligence (EQ) attribute, or a personality attribute. 5. The method according to claim 1, wherein steps (b) and (c) further comprise:
presenting to the applicant, via the user interface, a plurality of assessment questions; receiving from the applicant, via the user interface, a plurality of responses to the plurality of assessment questions; and defining the plurality of applicant attributes for the applicant from the plurality of responses to the plurality of assessment questions. 6. The method according to claim 5, further comprising:
publishing a response of the plurality of responses to the plurality of assessment questions; and receiving feedback on the published response from a party other than the applicant. 7. The method according to claim 6, further comprising revising an applicant attribute of the plurality of applicant attributes using the feedback. 8. The method according to claim 1, further comprising receiving third party input regarding the applicant from a party other than the applicant, wherein the third party input is relevant to an attribute of the plurality of applicant attributes. 9. The method according to claim 8, further comprising revising the attribute of the plurality of applicant attributes using the third party input. 10. The method according to claim 8, wherein the party other than the applicant comprises an athletic coach for the applicant. 11. The method according to claim 1, further comprising establishing, through the user interface, a graphical representation of the applicant profile. 12. The method according to claim 11, wherein the graphical representation of the applicant profile comprises an avatar reflective of at least one of the plurality of applicant attributes, the applicant's level of participation, and an amount of data contained within the applicant profile. 13. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:
storing a plurality of institutional profiles for a plurality of institutions; and outputting from the server device, through the user interface, a subset of the plurality of institutional profiles, wherein the subset of the plurality of institutional profiles includes institutional profiles having institutional psychometric attribute criteria encompassing the plurality of applicant psychometric attributes for the applicant. 14. The method according to claim 13, further comprising receiving from the applicant through the user interface, an institutional matching query, wherein the subset of the plurality of institutional profiles is output in response to the institutional matching query. 15. The method according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of profile creation inputs comprises a decision matrix weight corresponding to the applicant's relative interest in a particular institution. 16. A method of matching applicants to institutions, comprising:
(a) receiving at a server device a plurality of profile creation inputs for an institution; (b) defining a plurality of institutional attributes for the institution from the plurality of profile creation inputs for the institution; (c) storing the plurality of institutional attributes as an institutional profile in an institutional database; (d) repeating steps (a), (b), and (c), thereby storing a plurality of institutional profiles in the institutional database; (e) receiving at the server device a plurality of profile creation inputs for an applicant; (f) defining a plurality of applicant attributes for the applicant from the plurality of profile creation inputs for the applicant; (g) storing the plurality of applicant attributes as an applicant profile in an applicant database; (h) repeating steps (e), (f), and (g), thereby storing a plurality of applicant profiles in the applicant database; and (i) outputting from the server device a match between an applicant profile in the applicant database and an institutional profile in the institutional database. 17. The method according to claim 16, wherein
the plurality of institutional attributes comprises an institutional psychographic attribute; and the plurality of applicant attributes comprises an applicant psychometric attribute other than an analytical intelligence (IQ) attribute. 18. The method according to claim 16, further comprising receiving a search query at the server device, wherein the search query comprises at least one of an applicant psychometric attribute criterion other than an IQ attribute criterion and an institutional psychographic attribute criterion. 19. The method according to claim 18, wherein the match is output from the server device in response to the search query. 20. A system for matching applicants to institutions, comprising:
an institutional database comprising a plurality of institutional profiles; an applicant database comprising a plurality of applicant profiles; an institutional profiling processor that receives a plurality of profile creation inputs for an institution, defines therefrom a plurality of institutional attributes, and stores the plurality of institutional attributes as an institutional profile in the institutional database; an applicant profiling processor that receives a plurality of profile creation inputs for an applicant, defines therefrom a plurality of applicant attributes, and stores the plurality of applicant attributes as an applicant profile in the applicant database; and a matching processor that outputs a match between an applicant profile in the applicant database and an institutional profile in the institutional database. 21. The system according to claim 20, wherein the matching processor outputs a plurality of matches between a selected applicant profile in the applicant database and a plurality of institutional profiles in the institutional database. 22. The system according to claim 20, wherein the matching processor outputs a plurality of matches between a selected institutional profile in the institutional database and a plurality of applicant profiles in the applicant database. | 3,600 |
12,621 | 12,621 | 13,790,252 | 3,626 | A system is provided that identifies a cohort. The system retrieves metadata that includes information about one or more data fields of a data source. The system further creates a query for the data source based on the retrieved metadata. The system further compiles the query and executes the query on the data source. By executing the query on the data source, the system creates a case series. The system further generates a report based on the case series. | 1. A computer-readable medium having instructions stored thereon that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to identify a cohort, the identifying comprising:
retrieving metadata that comprises information about one or more data fields of a data source, wherein the information comprises a data type and structured query language information for each data field of the one or more data fields; creating a query for the data source based on the retrieved metadata; compiling the query based on one or more compiler rules; executing the query on the data source, wherein the executing of the query creates a case series; and generating a report based on the case series, wherein the report comprises a visualization of the case series. 2. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, the identifying further comprising storing the query in a query repository. 3. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, the identifying further comprising storing the case series in a case series repository. 4. The computer-readable medium of claim 3, the identifying further comprising retrieving the case series from the case series repository using a reporting case series application programming interface, wherein the reporting case series application programming interface defines a format of the case series for a reporting software application. 5. The computer-readable medium of claim 4, the identifying further comprising displaying the report within the reporting software application. 6. The computer-readable medium of claim 3, the identifying further comprising retrieving the case series from the case series repository using an interoperable case series application programming interface, wherein the interoperable case series application programming interface defines a format of the case series for a partner software application. 7. The computer-readable medium of claim 6, the identifying further comprising consuming the case series within the partner software application. 8. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the case series comprises one or more adverse event cases, and wherein each adverse event case comprises a data record that represents an adverse event. 9. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the data source comprises an adverse event report database. 10. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the case series comprises one or more reports or patient identifiers that are related to the safety of one or more drugs. 11. A computer-implemented method for identifying a cohort, the computer-implemented method comprising:
retrieving metadata that comprises information about one or more data fields of a data source, wherein the information comprises a data type and structured query language information for each data field of the one or more data fields; creating a query for the data source based on the retrieved metadata; compiling the query based on one or more compiler rules; executing the query on the data source, wherein the executing of the query creates a case series; and generating a report based on the case series, wherein the report comprises a visualization of the case series. 12. The computer-implemented method of claim 11, further comprising storing the query in a query repository. 13. The computer-implemented method of claim 11, further comprising storing the case series in a case series repository. 14. The computer-implemented method of claim 13 further comprising:
retrieving the case series from the case series repository using a reporting case series application programming interface, wherein the reporting case series application programming interface defines a format of the case series for a reporting software application; and
displaying the report within the reporting software application. 15. The computer-implemented method of claim 13, further comprising:
retrieving the case series from the case series repository using an interoperable case series application programming interface, wherein the interoperable case series application programming interface defines a format of the case series for a partner software application; and consuming the case series within the partner software application. 16. A system for identifying a cohort, the system comprising:
a processor; a memory configured to store one or more instructions; a metadata retrieval module configured to retrieve metadata that comprises information about one or more data fields of a data source, wherein the information comprises a data type and structured query language information for each data field of the one or more data fields; a query creation module configured to create a query for the data source based on the retrieved metadata; a query compilation module configured to compile the query based on one or more compiler rules; a query execution module configured to execute the query on the data source, wherein the executing of the query creates a case series; and a report generation module configured to generate a report based on the case series, wherein the report comprises a visualization of the case series. 17. The system of claim 16, further comprising a query storage module configured to store the query in a query repository. 18. The system of claim 16, further comprising a case series storage module configured to store the case series in a case series repository. 19. The system of claim 18, further comprising:
a case series retrieval module configured to retrieve the case series from the case series repository using a reporting case series application programming interface, wherein the reporting case series application programming interface defines a format of the case series for a reporting software application; and a display module configured to display the report within the reporting software application. 20. The system of claim 18, further comprising:
a case series retrieval module configured to retrieve the case series from the case series repository using an interoperable case series application programming interface, wherein the interoperable case series application programming interface defines a format of the case series for a partner software application; and a consumption module configured to consume the case series within the partner software application. | A system is provided that identifies a cohort. The system retrieves metadata that includes information about one or more data fields of a data source. The system further creates a query for the data source based on the retrieved metadata. The system further compiles the query and executes the query on the data source. By executing the query on the data source, the system creates a case series. The system further generates a report based on the case series.1. A computer-readable medium having instructions stored thereon that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to identify a cohort, the identifying comprising:
retrieving metadata that comprises information about one or more data fields of a data source, wherein the information comprises a data type and structured query language information for each data field of the one or more data fields; creating a query for the data source based on the retrieved metadata; compiling the query based on one or more compiler rules; executing the query on the data source, wherein the executing of the query creates a case series; and generating a report based on the case series, wherein the report comprises a visualization of the case series. 2. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, the identifying further comprising storing the query in a query repository. 3. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, the identifying further comprising storing the case series in a case series repository. 4. The computer-readable medium of claim 3, the identifying further comprising retrieving the case series from the case series repository using a reporting case series application programming interface, wherein the reporting case series application programming interface defines a format of the case series for a reporting software application. 5. The computer-readable medium of claim 4, the identifying further comprising displaying the report within the reporting software application. 6. The computer-readable medium of claim 3, the identifying further comprising retrieving the case series from the case series repository using an interoperable case series application programming interface, wherein the interoperable case series application programming interface defines a format of the case series for a partner software application. 7. The computer-readable medium of claim 6, the identifying further comprising consuming the case series within the partner software application. 8. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the case series comprises one or more adverse event cases, and wherein each adverse event case comprises a data record that represents an adverse event. 9. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the data source comprises an adverse event report database. 10. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the case series comprises one or more reports or patient identifiers that are related to the safety of one or more drugs. 11. A computer-implemented method for identifying a cohort, the computer-implemented method comprising:
retrieving metadata that comprises information about one or more data fields of a data source, wherein the information comprises a data type and structured query language information for each data field of the one or more data fields; creating a query for the data source based on the retrieved metadata; compiling the query based on one or more compiler rules; executing the query on the data source, wherein the executing of the query creates a case series; and generating a report based on the case series, wherein the report comprises a visualization of the case series. 12. The computer-implemented method of claim 11, further comprising storing the query in a query repository. 13. The computer-implemented method of claim 11, further comprising storing the case series in a case series repository. 14. The computer-implemented method of claim 13 further comprising:
retrieving the case series from the case series repository using a reporting case series application programming interface, wherein the reporting case series application programming interface defines a format of the case series for a reporting software application; and
displaying the report within the reporting software application. 15. The computer-implemented method of claim 13, further comprising:
retrieving the case series from the case series repository using an interoperable case series application programming interface, wherein the interoperable case series application programming interface defines a format of the case series for a partner software application; and consuming the case series within the partner software application. 16. A system for identifying a cohort, the system comprising:
a processor; a memory configured to store one or more instructions; a metadata retrieval module configured to retrieve metadata that comprises information about one or more data fields of a data source, wherein the information comprises a data type and structured query language information for each data field of the one or more data fields; a query creation module configured to create a query for the data source based on the retrieved metadata; a query compilation module configured to compile the query based on one or more compiler rules; a query execution module configured to execute the query on the data source, wherein the executing of the query creates a case series; and a report generation module configured to generate a report based on the case series, wherein the report comprises a visualization of the case series. 17. The system of claim 16, further comprising a query storage module configured to store the query in a query repository. 18. The system of claim 16, further comprising a case series storage module configured to store the case series in a case series repository. 19. The system of claim 18, further comprising:
a case series retrieval module configured to retrieve the case series from the case series repository using a reporting case series application programming interface, wherein the reporting case series application programming interface defines a format of the case series for a reporting software application; and a display module configured to display the report within the reporting software application. 20. The system of claim 18, further comprising:
a case series retrieval module configured to retrieve the case series from the case series repository using an interoperable case series application programming interface, wherein the interoperable case series application programming interface defines a format of the case series for a partner software application; and a consumption module configured to consume the case series within the partner software application. | 3,600 |
12,622 | 12,622 | 13,185,929 | 3,693 | A trading platform computer system for detecting an abnormal trading condition of a security uses real-time and estimated values of one or more variables associated with the condition of the security to generate one or more analytic metrics that are compared to empirical distributions based on one or more peer groups for the security. An indicator can then be displayed to a trader as an indication of the abnormal condition. | 1. A trading platform comprising:
a trading interface executed on a trader desktop device; and a server computer coupled to one or more electronic communication networks, wherein said server computer is configured to:
receive current market data from a remote data source via a digital communications link including a current value of a first variable related to a condition of a first security,
estimate the value of the first variable based on historical market data for the first security,
calculate a first analytic metric based on a relationship between the current value of the first variable and the estimated value of the first variable,
receive a plurality of values of the first variable related to the condition of each of a plurality of securities in a peer group of the first security,
estimate a plurality of values of the first variable based on historical market data for each of the plurality of securities in the peer group,
calculate an empirical distribution of analytic metrics for the peer group, wherein the analytic metrics are based on relationships between the values of the first variable retrieved for members of the peer group and the values obtained by estimating,
compare the first analytic metric for the first security with the empirical distribution of analytic metrics for the peer group to determine whether the condition of the first security is abnormal, and
provide to said trading interface via said electronic communication network an indicator for display, wherein said indicator is reflective of abnormality in the condition of the first security. 2. The trading platform of claim 1, wherein said trading interface is configured to:
receive via an electronic communication network said indicator from said server, and display said indicator to a user of said trading interface. 3. The trading platform of claim 1, wherein said server is further configured to periodically select a real-time value of a first variable from a stream of real-time values throughout a trading day;
wherein the historical market data is stored in a database, and said server computer is further configured to periodically update the database using the stream of real-time values. 4. The trading platform of claim 1, wherein the server is further configured to calculate a moving average of the value over a predetermined period of time using historical market data. 5. The trading platform of claim 1, wherein the server is configured to calculate an analytic metric by calculating at least one of relative volatility, relative volume, and relative cost. 6. The trading platform of claim 1, further comprising a peer group database storing empirical distributions of analytic metrics;
wherein the server is further configured to retrieve the empirical distribution corresponding to a peer group of the first security from the peer group database; wherein the peer group database stores values of the first variable for a plurality peer groups; and wherein the server is further configured to generate the empirical distribution of analytic metrics using values from the peer group database. 7. The trading platform of claim 1, wherein said server computer is further configured to retrieve a plurality of values of the first variable periodically throughout a trading day at predetermined intervals, and each time select a real-time value of the first variable. 8. The trading platform of claim 6, wherein said plurality of empirical distributions are based on a plurality of different peer groups. 9. The trading platform of claim 1, wherein the server is further configured to define a peer group and gather data related to the peer group to generate the empirical distribution;
wherein the peer group is either defined statically based on at least one of industry sector, exchange, and market capitalization, or dynamically based on real-time data related to the peer group; and wherein the peer group is defined dynamically based on real-time data related to the peer group. 10. The trading platform of claim 1, wherein the server is further configured to determine where the calculated analytic metric falls within the empirical distribution; and
wherein the server is further configured to describe where the calculated analytic metric falls within the empirical distribution in terms of percentile or in terms of standard deviation. 11. The trading platform of claim 10, wherein the server is further configured to describe where the calculated analytic metric falls within the empirical distribution in terms of standard deviation. 12. The trading platform of claim 1, wherein said indicator is reflective of the degree of abnormality of the security condition based on said comparison of the first analytic metric for the first security with the empirical distribution of analytic metrics for the peer group, and includes at least one of a numerical value related to the degree of abnormality, a number of symbols, wherein the number of symbols is related to the degree of abnormality, and a color coded numerical value related to the degree of abnormality;
wherein symbols include at least one of up and down arrows and bars, the up arrows representing a condition in the upper half of the empirical distribution and the down arrows representing a condition in the lower half of the empirical distribution, the bars being on either side of a divider to represent a condition in the upper or lower half of the distribution. 13. The trading platform of claim 1, wherein said server computer is further configured to execute a trade based on said comparison of the first analytic metric for the first security with the empirical distribution of analytic metrics for the peer group. 14. The trading platform of claim 2, wherein said trading interface is further configured to execute a trade based on said comparison of the first analytic metric for the first security with the empirical distribution of analytic metrics for the peer group. | A trading platform computer system for detecting an abnormal trading condition of a security uses real-time and estimated values of one or more variables associated with the condition of the security to generate one or more analytic metrics that are compared to empirical distributions based on one or more peer groups for the security. An indicator can then be displayed to a trader as an indication of the abnormal condition.1. A trading platform comprising:
a trading interface executed on a trader desktop device; and a server computer coupled to one or more electronic communication networks, wherein said server computer is configured to:
receive current market data from a remote data source via a digital communications link including a current value of a first variable related to a condition of a first security,
estimate the value of the first variable based on historical market data for the first security,
calculate a first analytic metric based on a relationship between the current value of the first variable and the estimated value of the first variable,
receive a plurality of values of the first variable related to the condition of each of a plurality of securities in a peer group of the first security,
estimate a plurality of values of the first variable based on historical market data for each of the plurality of securities in the peer group,
calculate an empirical distribution of analytic metrics for the peer group, wherein the analytic metrics are based on relationships between the values of the first variable retrieved for members of the peer group and the values obtained by estimating,
compare the first analytic metric for the first security with the empirical distribution of analytic metrics for the peer group to determine whether the condition of the first security is abnormal, and
provide to said trading interface via said electronic communication network an indicator for display, wherein said indicator is reflective of abnormality in the condition of the first security. 2. The trading platform of claim 1, wherein said trading interface is configured to:
receive via an electronic communication network said indicator from said server, and display said indicator to a user of said trading interface. 3. The trading platform of claim 1, wherein said server is further configured to periodically select a real-time value of a first variable from a stream of real-time values throughout a trading day;
wherein the historical market data is stored in a database, and said server computer is further configured to periodically update the database using the stream of real-time values. 4. The trading platform of claim 1, wherein the server is further configured to calculate a moving average of the value over a predetermined period of time using historical market data. 5. The trading platform of claim 1, wherein the server is configured to calculate an analytic metric by calculating at least one of relative volatility, relative volume, and relative cost. 6. The trading platform of claim 1, further comprising a peer group database storing empirical distributions of analytic metrics;
wherein the server is further configured to retrieve the empirical distribution corresponding to a peer group of the first security from the peer group database; wherein the peer group database stores values of the first variable for a plurality peer groups; and wherein the server is further configured to generate the empirical distribution of analytic metrics using values from the peer group database. 7. The trading platform of claim 1, wherein said server computer is further configured to retrieve a plurality of values of the first variable periodically throughout a trading day at predetermined intervals, and each time select a real-time value of the first variable. 8. The trading platform of claim 6, wherein said plurality of empirical distributions are based on a plurality of different peer groups. 9. The trading platform of claim 1, wherein the server is further configured to define a peer group and gather data related to the peer group to generate the empirical distribution;
wherein the peer group is either defined statically based on at least one of industry sector, exchange, and market capitalization, or dynamically based on real-time data related to the peer group; and wherein the peer group is defined dynamically based on real-time data related to the peer group. 10. The trading platform of claim 1, wherein the server is further configured to determine where the calculated analytic metric falls within the empirical distribution; and
wherein the server is further configured to describe where the calculated analytic metric falls within the empirical distribution in terms of percentile or in terms of standard deviation. 11. The trading platform of claim 10, wherein the server is further configured to describe where the calculated analytic metric falls within the empirical distribution in terms of standard deviation. 12. The trading platform of claim 1, wherein said indicator is reflective of the degree of abnormality of the security condition based on said comparison of the first analytic metric for the first security with the empirical distribution of analytic metrics for the peer group, and includes at least one of a numerical value related to the degree of abnormality, a number of symbols, wherein the number of symbols is related to the degree of abnormality, and a color coded numerical value related to the degree of abnormality;
wherein symbols include at least one of up and down arrows and bars, the up arrows representing a condition in the upper half of the empirical distribution and the down arrows representing a condition in the lower half of the empirical distribution, the bars being on either side of a divider to represent a condition in the upper or lower half of the distribution. 13. The trading platform of claim 1, wherein said server computer is further configured to execute a trade based on said comparison of the first analytic metric for the first security with the empirical distribution of analytic metrics for the peer group. 14. The trading platform of claim 2, wherein said trading interface is further configured to execute a trade based on said comparison of the first analytic metric for the first security with the empirical distribution of analytic metrics for the peer group. | 3,600 |
12,623 | 12,623 | 13,355,347 | 3,621 | In one embodiment, a plurality of bids on a location are obtained, wherein each of the plurality of bids pertains to one of a plurality of applications. A pre-defined number of the plurality of applications are selected based, at least in part, upon the plurality of bids, such that a set of one or more of the plurality of applications is identified, wherein each of the plurality of bids pertains to an exclusive right for the set of one or more applications or one or more advertisements pertaining to the set of one or more applications to be provided to users present at the location. The set of one or more of the plurality of applications are associated with the location. | 1. A method, comprising:
identifying by a network device a location, the location being associated with a set of one or more applications; ascertaining by the network device a set of one or more users that are present at the location; and providing by the network device the set of one or more applications or one or more advertisements to the set of one or more users, each of the advertisements pertaining to a corresponding one of the set of one or more applications. 2. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:
auctioning the location such that the set of one or more applications are associated with the location prior to performing the identifying, ascertaining, and providing steps. 3. The method as recited in claim 2, wherein auctioning comprises:
auctioning an exclusive right pertaining to the set of one or more applications, the exclusive right being for the set of one or more applications or for advertisements pertaining to the set of one or more applications to be provided to users present at the location. 4. The method as recited in claim 2, wherein auctioning the location comprises:
obtaining a plurality of bids for the location, each of the plurality of bids pertaining to one of a plurality of applications; and selecting a pre-defined number of the plurality of applications based, at least in part, upon the plurality of bids. 5. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein providing the set of one or more applications or one or more advertisements to the set of one or more users comprises:
providing the set of one or more applications or one or more advertisements to one of the set of one or more users when the one of the set of one or more users enters or arrives at the location. 6. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein providing the set of one or more applications or one or more advertisements to the set of one or more users comprises:
providing the set of one or more applications or one or more advertisements to one of the set of one or more users within a pre-determined period of time from when the one of the set of one or more users enters or arrives at the location. 7. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the location comprises a geographical area, wherein providing the set of one or more applications or one or more advertisements to the set of one or more users comprises:
providing the set of one or more applications or one or more advertisements to one of the set of one or more users when the one of the set of one or more users enters the geographical area or within a pre-determined period of time from when the one of the set of users enters the geographical area. 8. A method, comprising:
identifying by a network device a location at which a user is present; ascertaining by the network device a set of one or more applications associated with the location; and providing by the network device the set of one or more applications or one or more advertisements to the user, each of the advertisements pertaining to a corresponding one of the set of one or more applications. 9. The method as recited in claim 8, wherein identifying by a network device a location at which a user is present comprises:
monitoring activities of the user to identify the location at which the user is present. 10. The method as recited in claim 8, wherein identifying by a network device a location at which a user is present comprises:
monitoring the location to identify users that are present at the location. 11. The method as recited in claim 8, further comprising:
auctioning the location such that the set of one or more applications are associated with the location prior to performing the identifying, ascertaining, and providing steps. 12. The method as recited in claim 11, wherein auctioning comprises:
auctioning an exclusive right pertaining to the set of one or more applications, the exclusive right being for the set of one or more applications or for advertisements pertaining to the set of one or more applications to be provided to users present at the location. 13. The method as recited in claim 11, wherein auctioning the location comprises:
obtaining a plurality of bids for the location, each of the plurality of bids pertaining to one of a plurality of applications; and selecting a pre-defined number of the plurality of applications based, at least in part, upon the plurality of bids. 14. A method, comprising:
obtaining a plurality of bids for a location, each of the plurality of bids pertaining to one of a plurality of applications; selecting a pre-defined number of the plurality of applications based, at least in part, upon the plurality of bids, such that a set of one or more of the plurality of applications is identified, wherein each of the plurality of bids pertains to an exclusive right for the set of one or more applications or one or more advertisements pertaining to the set of one or more applications to be provided to users present at the location; and associating the set of one or more of the plurality of applications with the location. 15. The method as recited in claim 14, further comprising:
ascertaining a set of one or more users that are present at the location; and automatically providing the set of one or more applications or one or more advertisements pertaining to the set of one or more applications to the set of one or more users. 16. The method as recited in claim 14, further comprising:
determining that a user is present at the location; identifying the set of one or more applications associated with the location; and providing the set of one or more applications or one or more advertisements pertaining to the set of one or more applications to the user. 17. The method as recited in claim 14, further comprising:
obtaining a second plurality of bids for a second location, each of the second plurality of bids pertaining to one of a second plurality of applications; and selecting a pre-defined number of the second plurality of applications based, at least in part, upon the second plurality of bids, such that a second set of one or more of the second plurality of applications is generated, wherein each of the second plurality of bids pertains to an exclusive right for the second set of one or more applications or one or more advertisements pertaining to the second set of one or more applications to be provided to users present at the second location; and associating the second set of one or more of the second plurality of applications with the second location 18. A non-transitory computer-readable medium, comprising:
instructions for identifying a location, the location being associated with a set of one or more applications; instructions for ascertaining a set of one or more users that are present at the location; and instructions for providing by the network device the set of one or more applications or one or more advertisements pertaining to the set of one or more applications to the set of one or more users, each of the advertisements pertaining to a corresponding one of the set of one or more applications. 19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium as recited in claim 18, wherein providing the set of one or more applications or one or more advertisements pertaining to the set of one or more applications to the set of one or more users is performed in response to ascertaining the set of one or more users that are present at the location. 20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium as recited in claim 18, wherein identifying a location comprises:
determining the location associated with the set of one or more applications. 21. An apparatus, comprising:
a processor; and a memory, at least one of the processor or the memory being adapted for: obtaining a plurality of bids for a location, each of the plurality of bids pertaining to one of a plurality of applications; selecting a pre-defined number of the plurality of applications based, at least in part, upon the plurality of bids, such that a set of one or more of the plurality of applications is identified, wherein each of the plurality of bids pertains to an exclusive right for the set of one or more applications or one or more advertisements pertaining to the set of one or more applications to be provided to users present at the location; and associating the set of one or more of the plurality of applications with the location. 22. The apparatus as recited in claim 21, at least one of the processor or the memory being further adapted for performing further steps, comprising:
ascertaining a set of one or more users that are present at the location; and automatically providing the set of one or more applications or the one or more advertisements pertaining to the set of one or more applications to the set of one or more users. 23. The apparatus as recited in claim 21, at least one of the processor or the memory being further adapted for performing further steps, comprising:
determining that a user is present at the location; identifying the set of one or more applications associated with the location; and providing the set of one or more applications or one or more advertisements to the set of one or more users, each of the advertisements pertaining to a corresponding one of the set of one or more applications. 24. The apparatus as recited in claim 21, at least one of the processor or the memory being further adapted for performing further steps, comprising:
charging an amount for the associating, wherein the amount is based, at least in part, upon the pre-defined number of the plurality of applications. | In one embodiment, a plurality of bids on a location are obtained, wherein each of the plurality of bids pertains to one of a plurality of applications. A pre-defined number of the plurality of applications are selected based, at least in part, upon the plurality of bids, such that a set of one or more of the plurality of applications is identified, wherein each of the plurality of bids pertains to an exclusive right for the set of one or more applications or one or more advertisements pertaining to the set of one or more applications to be provided to users present at the location. The set of one or more of the plurality of applications are associated with the location.1. A method, comprising:
identifying by a network device a location, the location being associated with a set of one or more applications; ascertaining by the network device a set of one or more users that are present at the location; and providing by the network device the set of one or more applications or one or more advertisements to the set of one or more users, each of the advertisements pertaining to a corresponding one of the set of one or more applications. 2. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:
auctioning the location such that the set of one or more applications are associated with the location prior to performing the identifying, ascertaining, and providing steps. 3. The method as recited in claim 2, wherein auctioning comprises:
auctioning an exclusive right pertaining to the set of one or more applications, the exclusive right being for the set of one or more applications or for advertisements pertaining to the set of one or more applications to be provided to users present at the location. 4. The method as recited in claim 2, wherein auctioning the location comprises:
obtaining a plurality of bids for the location, each of the plurality of bids pertaining to one of a plurality of applications; and selecting a pre-defined number of the plurality of applications based, at least in part, upon the plurality of bids. 5. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein providing the set of one or more applications or one or more advertisements to the set of one or more users comprises:
providing the set of one or more applications or one or more advertisements to one of the set of one or more users when the one of the set of one or more users enters or arrives at the location. 6. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein providing the set of one or more applications or one or more advertisements to the set of one or more users comprises:
providing the set of one or more applications or one or more advertisements to one of the set of one or more users within a pre-determined period of time from when the one of the set of one or more users enters or arrives at the location. 7. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the location comprises a geographical area, wherein providing the set of one or more applications or one or more advertisements to the set of one or more users comprises:
providing the set of one or more applications or one or more advertisements to one of the set of one or more users when the one of the set of one or more users enters the geographical area or within a pre-determined period of time from when the one of the set of users enters the geographical area. 8. A method, comprising:
identifying by a network device a location at which a user is present; ascertaining by the network device a set of one or more applications associated with the location; and providing by the network device the set of one or more applications or one or more advertisements to the user, each of the advertisements pertaining to a corresponding one of the set of one or more applications. 9. The method as recited in claim 8, wherein identifying by a network device a location at which a user is present comprises:
monitoring activities of the user to identify the location at which the user is present. 10. The method as recited in claim 8, wherein identifying by a network device a location at which a user is present comprises:
monitoring the location to identify users that are present at the location. 11. The method as recited in claim 8, further comprising:
auctioning the location such that the set of one or more applications are associated with the location prior to performing the identifying, ascertaining, and providing steps. 12. The method as recited in claim 11, wherein auctioning comprises:
auctioning an exclusive right pertaining to the set of one or more applications, the exclusive right being for the set of one or more applications or for advertisements pertaining to the set of one or more applications to be provided to users present at the location. 13. The method as recited in claim 11, wherein auctioning the location comprises:
obtaining a plurality of bids for the location, each of the plurality of bids pertaining to one of a plurality of applications; and selecting a pre-defined number of the plurality of applications based, at least in part, upon the plurality of bids. 14. A method, comprising:
obtaining a plurality of bids for a location, each of the plurality of bids pertaining to one of a plurality of applications; selecting a pre-defined number of the plurality of applications based, at least in part, upon the plurality of bids, such that a set of one or more of the plurality of applications is identified, wherein each of the plurality of bids pertains to an exclusive right for the set of one or more applications or one or more advertisements pertaining to the set of one or more applications to be provided to users present at the location; and associating the set of one or more of the plurality of applications with the location. 15. The method as recited in claim 14, further comprising:
ascertaining a set of one or more users that are present at the location; and automatically providing the set of one or more applications or one or more advertisements pertaining to the set of one or more applications to the set of one or more users. 16. The method as recited in claim 14, further comprising:
determining that a user is present at the location; identifying the set of one or more applications associated with the location; and providing the set of one or more applications or one or more advertisements pertaining to the set of one or more applications to the user. 17. The method as recited in claim 14, further comprising:
obtaining a second plurality of bids for a second location, each of the second plurality of bids pertaining to one of a second plurality of applications; and selecting a pre-defined number of the second plurality of applications based, at least in part, upon the second plurality of bids, such that a second set of one or more of the second plurality of applications is generated, wherein each of the second plurality of bids pertains to an exclusive right for the second set of one or more applications or one or more advertisements pertaining to the second set of one or more applications to be provided to users present at the second location; and associating the second set of one or more of the second plurality of applications with the second location 18. A non-transitory computer-readable medium, comprising:
instructions for identifying a location, the location being associated with a set of one or more applications; instructions for ascertaining a set of one or more users that are present at the location; and instructions for providing by the network device the set of one or more applications or one or more advertisements pertaining to the set of one or more applications to the set of one or more users, each of the advertisements pertaining to a corresponding one of the set of one or more applications. 19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium as recited in claim 18, wherein providing the set of one or more applications or one or more advertisements pertaining to the set of one or more applications to the set of one or more users is performed in response to ascertaining the set of one or more users that are present at the location. 20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium as recited in claim 18, wherein identifying a location comprises:
determining the location associated with the set of one or more applications. 21. An apparatus, comprising:
a processor; and a memory, at least one of the processor or the memory being adapted for: obtaining a plurality of bids for a location, each of the plurality of bids pertaining to one of a plurality of applications; selecting a pre-defined number of the plurality of applications based, at least in part, upon the plurality of bids, such that a set of one or more of the plurality of applications is identified, wherein each of the plurality of bids pertains to an exclusive right for the set of one or more applications or one or more advertisements pertaining to the set of one or more applications to be provided to users present at the location; and associating the set of one or more of the plurality of applications with the location. 22. The apparatus as recited in claim 21, at least one of the processor or the memory being further adapted for performing further steps, comprising:
ascertaining a set of one or more users that are present at the location; and automatically providing the set of one or more applications or the one or more advertisements pertaining to the set of one or more applications to the set of one or more users. 23. The apparatus as recited in claim 21, at least one of the processor or the memory being further adapted for performing further steps, comprising:
determining that a user is present at the location; identifying the set of one or more applications associated with the location; and providing the set of one or more applications or one or more advertisements to the set of one or more users, each of the advertisements pertaining to a corresponding one of the set of one or more applications. 24. The apparatus as recited in claim 21, at least one of the processor or the memory being further adapted for performing further steps, comprising:
charging an amount for the associating, wherein the amount is based, at least in part, upon the pre-defined number of the plurality of applications. | 3,600 |
12,624 | 12,624 | 11,687,464 | 3,622 | A mobile system and method are provided for closing real estate transactions remotely. A mobile closing unit ( 24 ), which is included in a housing ( 20 ) having a satellite or wireless antenna ( 48 ), includes a printer ( 28 ) connected to a router ( 40 ) having a wireless card ( 84 ) for connecting to a wide area network ( 100 ) and power switch ( 76 ). An office network ( 36 ) stores transaction documents relating to a real estate transaction and a subsequent transaction. While in route to or at the remote closing location, the mobile closing unit ( 24 ) connects to the office network ( 36 ) over the wide area network ( 100 ), and prints the documents. The real estate transaction is conducted at a remote closing location, and the executed transaction documents are sent over the wide area network ( 100 ) to the office network ( 36 ). The housing ( 20 ) is moved to a subsequent location and the mobile closing unit ( 24 ) connects, while in route to or at the subsequent location, to the office network ( 36 ) over the wide area network ( 100 ), and prints the documents. The subsequent transaction is conducted at the subsequent location, and the executed transaction documents are sent over the wide area network ( 100 ) to the office network ( 36 ). | 1. A method for processing real estate transactions, comprising the steps of;
preparing transaction documents for a first transaction and a second transaction at an office location having an office network; storing electronically on the office network transaction documents for said first transaction and said second transaction, providing power to a mobile closing unit included in a housing, said mobile closing unit including a printer connected to a router having a wireless card for connecting to said office network through a wide area network, and a power switch for controlling power to said mobile closing unit, receiving from said office network over said wide area network and at a location remote from the office location said electronically stored transaction documents relating to said first transaction, printing on said printer and at a location remote from the office location said transaction documents relating to said first transaction, executing the transaction documents related to the first transaction at a first location, scanning said executed transaction documents relating to the first transaction at a location remote from said office location and sending said transaction documents over said wide area network to said office network, moving said housing from said first location to a second location and said mobile closing unit receiving at a location remote from said office location transaction documents relating to said second transaction, printing on said printer and at a location remote from said office location said transaction documents relating to said second transaction, executing said transaction documents relating to said transaction at said second location, and scanning said executed transaction documents relating to said second transaction at a location remote from said office location and sending said executed transaction documents relating to said second transaction over said wide area network to said office network. 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving at said first location funds from a party to said first transaction, after said step of printing said transaction documents relating to said first transaction. 3. The method of claim 2 further comprising depositing funds received from a party at said first location into an account at a financial institution by scanning and sending said funds over said wide area network. 4. The method of claim 2, further including depositing from said first location said funds into an escrow account by scanning said funds at said first location and transmitting said funds from said first location to said first escrow account via said wide area network. 5. The method of claim 1 wherein, said mobile closing unit further includes a computer having a direct connection to said router. 6. The method of claim 5, further including the step of using said computer at said first location to make edits to said transaction documents relating to said first transaction. 7. The method of claim 6 wherein said step of using said computer to make edits to said transaction documents relating to said first transaction further includes the steps of accessing the electronically stored documents on the office network over said wide area network, and editing the electronically stored documents to create edited transaction documents. 8. The method of claim 7 wherein said step of using said computer to make edits to said transaction documents relating to said first transaction further includes the step of printing said edited transactions documents. 9. The method of claim 8 wherein said step of printing edited transaction documents further includes the step of receiving from the office network over said wide area network said edited transaction documents. 10. The method of claim 9 further including the step of printing the received edited transaction documents at a location remote from the office location. 11. The method of claim 1 further including the steps of contacting at the office location a person authorized to edit transaction documents and editing the transaction documents by the authorized person, said authorized person sending to said printer located in the mobile closing unit said edited transaction documents. 12. The method of claim 11 further including the step of printing at a location remote from the office location the edited transaction documents. 13. The method of claim 12 wherein said edited transaction documents are said documents that are executed at the first location, said method further including the step of printing new checks for at least one party involved in the real estate transaction in view of the edits to the transaction documents. 14. The method of claim 13 further including the step of receiving lender approval of the edited transaction documents before said step of printing new checks. 15. The method of claim 12 further including the step of destroying a check that was printed with said transaction documents relating to the first transaction. 16. The method of claim 12 wherein said mobile closing unit further includes a dedicated check printer and said new checks are printed on said dedicated check printer. 17. The method of claim 1 further including the step of editing said electronically stored transaction documents on said office network relating to one of said first and second transactions and transmitting said edited transaction documents to said printer. 18. The method of claim 17 further including the step of receiving approval of the edited transaction documents from at least one lender. 19. The method of claim 18 further including the step of receiving a funding number from said lender said funding number approving disbursement of funds for at least one of said first and second transactions. 20. The method of claim 18 further including the step of editing said electronically stored transaction documents on said office network relating to one of said first and second transactions and providing to said printer said edited transaction documents, without moving said mobile closing unit from one of said first and second locations. 21. A method for processing real estate transactions, comprising the steps of;
preparing transaction documents for a plurality of transactions at an office location; storing electronically on an office network said transaction documents for said plurality of transactions; receiving at a location remote from said office location, while en route to a transaction, or at said first location, said first location being remote from said office location, transaction documents relating to a first transaction of said plurality transactions, said transaction documents relating to said fist transaction being received from said office network over a wide area network; printing said received transaction documents relating to said first transaction; executing said transaction documents relating to said first transaction at said first location; scanning said executed transaction documents relating to said first transaction and sending copies of said scanned documents over said wide area network to said office network, moving a mobile closing unit capable of printing and scanning documents from said first location to a second location remote from the office location; executing transaction documents related to a second transaction at said second at said second location remote from said office location, and scanning said executed transaction documents relating to said second transaction at a location remote from said office location and sending said documents over said wide area network to said office network. 22. The method of claim 21 further including the step of receiving said transaction documents relating to said plurality of transactions and wherein said transaction documents relating to said first transaction are received as part of said plurality of transaction documents. 23. The method of claim 21 wherein said mobile closing unit includes a master power switch and when said master power switch is turned on all of said transaction documents relating to said plurality of transactions are received and printed by the mobile closing unit at a location remote from said office location. 24. The method of claim 23 wherein said mobile closing unit is in transit to a location remote from said office location when said transaction documents are printed. 25. The method of claim 23 wherein said mobile closing unit is stationary at a location remote from said office location when said transaction documents are printed. 26. The method of claim 23 wherein said plurality of transaction documents do not include transaction documents for the second transaction and wherein said transaction documents for the second transaction are provided to the mobile closing unit subsequent to receiving said transaction documents relating to said plurality of transactions. 27. The method of claim 26 wherein said transaction documents relating to said second transaction are printed at a location remote from said office location and after printing transaction documents relating to a third transaction. 28. The method of claim 21 wherein at least one of said transaction documents relating to said plurality of transactions is edited after said mobile closing unit is in transit to a transaction location where a transaction relating to said edited transaction document will be executed and wherein said at least one edited transaction document prints on said printer before said mobile unit arrives at said transaction location. 29. The method of claim 21 further including the step of editing on said office network said electronically stored transaction documents relating to one of said plurality of transactions and sending said edited transaction documents to a printer within the mobile closing unit. 30. The method of claim 29 further including the step of obtaining lender approval of the edited transaction documents wherein said step of obtaining lender approval includes the step of forwarding the edited transaction documents to the lender for approval, and receiving approved transaction documents or verification that the transaction documents have been approved from the lender. 31. A mobile system for processing real estate transactions, comprising:
an office network at an office location including electronically stored transaction documents relating to a plurality of real estate transaction, including at least a first real estate transaction and a second real estate transaction, a housing including a mobile closing unit that includes a printer, a router having a wireless card for connecting to said office network through a wide area network and a connection to said printer, and a power switch for controlling power to said mobile closing unit, wherein said mobile closing unit automatically connects, while remote from said office location, to said office network via said wide area network to download and print said transaction documents relating to at least one of said first and second transactions and wherein said mobile closing unit is in communication with said office network during transit to one of said first and second locations as well as at least one of said first and second locations. 32. The mobile system of claim 31 wherein said mobile closing unit automatically connects from a first location to said office network via said wide area network to download and print at said first location said transaction documents relating to said first transaction, and as said housing moves from said first location to a second location and automatically connects to said office network to download and print at said second location on said printer said transaction documents relating to said second transaction. 33. The mobile system of claim 32, wherein said mobile closing unit further includes a computer having a direct connection to said printer and wherein said computer is used to edit a document stored on said office network, and said edited document is downloaded to said printer at said mobile closing unit for printing. 34. The mobile system of claim 32, wherein said mobile closing unit further includes a magnetic check scanner connected to said router. 35. A method for processing real estate transactions, comprising the steps of,
storing electronically on an office network at an office location transaction documents for a transaction, providing power to a remote mobile closing unit included in a housing, said mobile closing unit including a printer connected to a router having a wireless card for connecting to said office network through a wide area network, receiving from said office network over said wide area network said electronically stored transaction documents relating to said transaction while said mobile closing unit is in transit to a transaction site remote from said office location, and printing said transaction documents relating to said transaction on said printer while in transit to said transaction site. 36. The method of claim 35 wherein said step of receiving from said office network is automatically performed once said power switch is turned on, allowing documents to be received remotely from the office location, even when the mobile closing unit is in transit to a transaction location. 37. The method of claim 35 wherein said step of printing said transaction documents is automatically performed once said power switch is turned on, allowing document to be received remotely from the office location even when the mobile closing unit is in transit. 38. A method for processing real estate transactions, comprising the steps of;
automatically receiving and printing transaction documents relating to a real estate transaction on a printer connected to a router having a wireless card for connecting through a wide area network to a remote network that stores said transaction documents, wherein said receiving and printing occur while said printer and said router are in transit from a first location to a second location or at said second location, and executing said transaction at said second location. 39. A method for processing real estate transactions, comprising the steps of;
storing on an office network at an office location transaction documents for a first transaction and a second transaction, providing power to a remote mobile closing unit included in a housing, said mobile closing unit including a printer connected to a router having a wireless card for connecting to said office network through a wide area network, and a power switch for controlling power to said mobile closing unit, automatically receiving and printing from said office network over said wide area network said transaction documents relating to said first transaction while said mobile closing unit is remote from said office location, in transit to a first location, or at said first location executing at said first location said first transaction, moving said housing from said first location to a second location automatically receiving and printing transaction documents relating to said second transaction without visiting said office location, and executing at said second location said second transaction. 40. A method for processing real estate transactions, comprising the steps of:
storing electronically on an office network title closing documents, lender closing documents, shipping labels, and checks for a first transaction and a second transaction, providing power to a mobile closing unit at a first location, said mobile closing unit contained in a housing having an antenna and including a computer having a connection to a magnetic check scanner, a printer, and a router having a wireless card for connecting to said office network through a wide area network, said router including a first connection to said printer and a second connection to said computer, and a power switch for controlling power to said mobile closing unit, receiving at said first location from said office network over said wide area network said title closing documents, lender closing documents, checks and labels relating to said first transaction, printing on said printer said title closing documents, lender closing documents, said shipping labels, and said checks relating to said first transaction, executing at said first location said title closing documents and said lender closing documents relating to said first transaction, receiving at said first location funds from a party to said first transaction, scanning at said first location said executed title closing documents and said executed lender closing documents relating to said first transaction and sending said executed documents over said wide area network to said office network, storing said executed documents on said office network, depositing from said first location said funds into an escrow account by scanning said funds at said first location and transmitting said funds from said first location to said first escrow account via said wide area network, copying at said first location said executed title closing documents and said executed lender closing documents relating to said first transaction, distributing a copy of said executed title closing documents and said executed lender closing documents to a plurality of parties involved in said first transaction, reviewing said executed title closing documents and said executed lender closing documents relating to said first transaction, authenticating said funds, moving said housing from said first location to a second location, said mobile closing unit receiving at said second location title closing documents, lender closing documents, and labels relating to said second transaction, printing on said printer said title closing documents, said lender closing documents, said labels, and said checks relating to said second transaction, executing at said second location said title closing documents and said lender closing documents relating to said second transaction, scanning at said second location said executed title closing documents and said executed lender closing documents relating to said second transaction and sending said executed documents over said wide area network to said office network, copying at said second location said executed title closing documents and said executed lender closing documents relating to said second transaction, distributing a copy of said executed title closing documents and said executed lender closing documents to a plurality of parties involved in said second transaction, reviewing said executed title closing documents and said executed lender closing documents relating to said second transaction. | A mobile system and method are provided for closing real estate transactions remotely. A mobile closing unit ( 24 ), which is included in a housing ( 20 ) having a satellite or wireless antenna ( 48 ), includes a printer ( 28 ) connected to a router ( 40 ) having a wireless card ( 84 ) for connecting to a wide area network ( 100 ) and power switch ( 76 ). An office network ( 36 ) stores transaction documents relating to a real estate transaction and a subsequent transaction. While in route to or at the remote closing location, the mobile closing unit ( 24 ) connects to the office network ( 36 ) over the wide area network ( 100 ), and prints the documents. The real estate transaction is conducted at a remote closing location, and the executed transaction documents are sent over the wide area network ( 100 ) to the office network ( 36 ). The housing ( 20 ) is moved to a subsequent location and the mobile closing unit ( 24 ) connects, while in route to or at the subsequent location, to the office network ( 36 ) over the wide area network ( 100 ), and prints the documents. The subsequent transaction is conducted at the subsequent location, and the executed transaction documents are sent over the wide area network ( 100 ) to the office network ( 36 ).1. A method for processing real estate transactions, comprising the steps of;
preparing transaction documents for a first transaction and a second transaction at an office location having an office network; storing electronically on the office network transaction documents for said first transaction and said second transaction, providing power to a mobile closing unit included in a housing, said mobile closing unit including a printer connected to a router having a wireless card for connecting to said office network through a wide area network, and a power switch for controlling power to said mobile closing unit, receiving from said office network over said wide area network and at a location remote from the office location said electronically stored transaction documents relating to said first transaction, printing on said printer and at a location remote from the office location said transaction documents relating to said first transaction, executing the transaction documents related to the first transaction at a first location, scanning said executed transaction documents relating to the first transaction at a location remote from said office location and sending said transaction documents over said wide area network to said office network, moving said housing from said first location to a second location and said mobile closing unit receiving at a location remote from said office location transaction documents relating to said second transaction, printing on said printer and at a location remote from said office location said transaction documents relating to said second transaction, executing said transaction documents relating to said transaction at said second location, and scanning said executed transaction documents relating to said second transaction at a location remote from said office location and sending said executed transaction documents relating to said second transaction over said wide area network to said office network. 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving at said first location funds from a party to said first transaction, after said step of printing said transaction documents relating to said first transaction. 3. The method of claim 2 further comprising depositing funds received from a party at said first location into an account at a financial institution by scanning and sending said funds over said wide area network. 4. The method of claim 2, further including depositing from said first location said funds into an escrow account by scanning said funds at said first location and transmitting said funds from said first location to said first escrow account via said wide area network. 5. The method of claim 1 wherein, said mobile closing unit further includes a computer having a direct connection to said router. 6. The method of claim 5, further including the step of using said computer at said first location to make edits to said transaction documents relating to said first transaction. 7. The method of claim 6 wherein said step of using said computer to make edits to said transaction documents relating to said first transaction further includes the steps of accessing the electronically stored documents on the office network over said wide area network, and editing the electronically stored documents to create edited transaction documents. 8. The method of claim 7 wherein said step of using said computer to make edits to said transaction documents relating to said first transaction further includes the step of printing said edited transactions documents. 9. The method of claim 8 wherein said step of printing edited transaction documents further includes the step of receiving from the office network over said wide area network said edited transaction documents. 10. The method of claim 9 further including the step of printing the received edited transaction documents at a location remote from the office location. 11. The method of claim 1 further including the steps of contacting at the office location a person authorized to edit transaction documents and editing the transaction documents by the authorized person, said authorized person sending to said printer located in the mobile closing unit said edited transaction documents. 12. The method of claim 11 further including the step of printing at a location remote from the office location the edited transaction documents. 13. The method of claim 12 wherein said edited transaction documents are said documents that are executed at the first location, said method further including the step of printing new checks for at least one party involved in the real estate transaction in view of the edits to the transaction documents. 14. The method of claim 13 further including the step of receiving lender approval of the edited transaction documents before said step of printing new checks. 15. The method of claim 12 further including the step of destroying a check that was printed with said transaction documents relating to the first transaction. 16. The method of claim 12 wherein said mobile closing unit further includes a dedicated check printer and said new checks are printed on said dedicated check printer. 17. The method of claim 1 further including the step of editing said electronically stored transaction documents on said office network relating to one of said first and second transactions and transmitting said edited transaction documents to said printer. 18. The method of claim 17 further including the step of receiving approval of the edited transaction documents from at least one lender. 19. The method of claim 18 further including the step of receiving a funding number from said lender said funding number approving disbursement of funds for at least one of said first and second transactions. 20. The method of claim 18 further including the step of editing said electronically stored transaction documents on said office network relating to one of said first and second transactions and providing to said printer said edited transaction documents, without moving said mobile closing unit from one of said first and second locations. 21. A method for processing real estate transactions, comprising the steps of;
preparing transaction documents for a plurality of transactions at an office location; storing electronically on an office network said transaction documents for said plurality of transactions; receiving at a location remote from said office location, while en route to a transaction, or at said first location, said first location being remote from said office location, transaction documents relating to a first transaction of said plurality transactions, said transaction documents relating to said fist transaction being received from said office network over a wide area network; printing said received transaction documents relating to said first transaction; executing said transaction documents relating to said first transaction at said first location; scanning said executed transaction documents relating to said first transaction and sending copies of said scanned documents over said wide area network to said office network, moving a mobile closing unit capable of printing and scanning documents from said first location to a second location remote from the office location; executing transaction documents related to a second transaction at said second at said second location remote from said office location, and scanning said executed transaction documents relating to said second transaction at a location remote from said office location and sending said documents over said wide area network to said office network. 22. The method of claim 21 further including the step of receiving said transaction documents relating to said plurality of transactions and wherein said transaction documents relating to said first transaction are received as part of said plurality of transaction documents. 23. The method of claim 21 wherein said mobile closing unit includes a master power switch and when said master power switch is turned on all of said transaction documents relating to said plurality of transactions are received and printed by the mobile closing unit at a location remote from said office location. 24. The method of claim 23 wherein said mobile closing unit is in transit to a location remote from said office location when said transaction documents are printed. 25. The method of claim 23 wherein said mobile closing unit is stationary at a location remote from said office location when said transaction documents are printed. 26. The method of claim 23 wherein said plurality of transaction documents do not include transaction documents for the second transaction and wherein said transaction documents for the second transaction are provided to the mobile closing unit subsequent to receiving said transaction documents relating to said plurality of transactions. 27. The method of claim 26 wherein said transaction documents relating to said second transaction are printed at a location remote from said office location and after printing transaction documents relating to a third transaction. 28. The method of claim 21 wherein at least one of said transaction documents relating to said plurality of transactions is edited after said mobile closing unit is in transit to a transaction location where a transaction relating to said edited transaction document will be executed and wherein said at least one edited transaction document prints on said printer before said mobile unit arrives at said transaction location. 29. The method of claim 21 further including the step of editing on said office network said electronically stored transaction documents relating to one of said plurality of transactions and sending said edited transaction documents to a printer within the mobile closing unit. 30. The method of claim 29 further including the step of obtaining lender approval of the edited transaction documents wherein said step of obtaining lender approval includes the step of forwarding the edited transaction documents to the lender for approval, and receiving approved transaction documents or verification that the transaction documents have been approved from the lender. 31. A mobile system for processing real estate transactions, comprising:
an office network at an office location including electronically stored transaction documents relating to a plurality of real estate transaction, including at least a first real estate transaction and a second real estate transaction, a housing including a mobile closing unit that includes a printer, a router having a wireless card for connecting to said office network through a wide area network and a connection to said printer, and a power switch for controlling power to said mobile closing unit, wherein said mobile closing unit automatically connects, while remote from said office location, to said office network via said wide area network to download and print said transaction documents relating to at least one of said first and second transactions and wherein said mobile closing unit is in communication with said office network during transit to one of said first and second locations as well as at least one of said first and second locations. 32. The mobile system of claim 31 wherein said mobile closing unit automatically connects from a first location to said office network via said wide area network to download and print at said first location said transaction documents relating to said first transaction, and as said housing moves from said first location to a second location and automatically connects to said office network to download and print at said second location on said printer said transaction documents relating to said second transaction. 33. The mobile system of claim 32, wherein said mobile closing unit further includes a computer having a direct connection to said printer and wherein said computer is used to edit a document stored on said office network, and said edited document is downloaded to said printer at said mobile closing unit for printing. 34. The mobile system of claim 32, wherein said mobile closing unit further includes a magnetic check scanner connected to said router. 35. A method for processing real estate transactions, comprising the steps of,
storing electronically on an office network at an office location transaction documents for a transaction, providing power to a remote mobile closing unit included in a housing, said mobile closing unit including a printer connected to a router having a wireless card for connecting to said office network through a wide area network, receiving from said office network over said wide area network said electronically stored transaction documents relating to said transaction while said mobile closing unit is in transit to a transaction site remote from said office location, and printing said transaction documents relating to said transaction on said printer while in transit to said transaction site. 36. The method of claim 35 wherein said step of receiving from said office network is automatically performed once said power switch is turned on, allowing documents to be received remotely from the office location, even when the mobile closing unit is in transit to a transaction location. 37. The method of claim 35 wherein said step of printing said transaction documents is automatically performed once said power switch is turned on, allowing document to be received remotely from the office location even when the mobile closing unit is in transit. 38. A method for processing real estate transactions, comprising the steps of;
automatically receiving and printing transaction documents relating to a real estate transaction on a printer connected to a router having a wireless card for connecting through a wide area network to a remote network that stores said transaction documents, wherein said receiving and printing occur while said printer and said router are in transit from a first location to a second location or at said second location, and executing said transaction at said second location. 39. A method for processing real estate transactions, comprising the steps of;
storing on an office network at an office location transaction documents for a first transaction and a second transaction, providing power to a remote mobile closing unit included in a housing, said mobile closing unit including a printer connected to a router having a wireless card for connecting to said office network through a wide area network, and a power switch for controlling power to said mobile closing unit, automatically receiving and printing from said office network over said wide area network said transaction documents relating to said first transaction while said mobile closing unit is remote from said office location, in transit to a first location, or at said first location executing at said first location said first transaction, moving said housing from said first location to a second location automatically receiving and printing transaction documents relating to said second transaction without visiting said office location, and executing at said second location said second transaction. 40. A method for processing real estate transactions, comprising the steps of:
storing electronically on an office network title closing documents, lender closing documents, shipping labels, and checks for a first transaction and a second transaction, providing power to a mobile closing unit at a first location, said mobile closing unit contained in a housing having an antenna and including a computer having a connection to a magnetic check scanner, a printer, and a router having a wireless card for connecting to said office network through a wide area network, said router including a first connection to said printer and a second connection to said computer, and a power switch for controlling power to said mobile closing unit, receiving at said first location from said office network over said wide area network said title closing documents, lender closing documents, checks and labels relating to said first transaction, printing on said printer said title closing documents, lender closing documents, said shipping labels, and said checks relating to said first transaction, executing at said first location said title closing documents and said lender closing documents relating to said first transaction, receiving at said first location funds from a party to said first transaction, scanning at said first location said executed title closing documents and said executed lender closing documents relating to said first transaction and sending said executed documents over said wide area network to said office network, storing said executed documents on said office network, depositing from said first location said funds into an escrow account by scanning said funds at said first location and transmitting said funds from said first location to said first escrow account via said wide area network, copying at said first location said executed title closing documents and said executed lender closing documents relating to said first transaction, distributing a copy of said executed title closing documents and said executed lender closing documents to a plurality of parties involved in said first transaction, reviewing said executed title closing documents and said executed lender closing documents relating to said first transaction, authenticating said funds, moving said housing from said first location to a second location, said mobile closing unit receiving at said second location title closing documents, lender closing documents, and labels relating to said second transaction, printing on said printer said title closing documents, said lender closing documents, said labels, and said checks relating to said second transaction, executing at said second location said title closing documents and said lender closing documents relating to said second transaction, scanning at said second location said executed title closing documents and said executed lender closing documents relating to said second transaction and sending said executed documents over said wide area network to said office network, copying at said second location said executed title closing documents and said executed lender closing documents relating to said second transaction, distributing a copy of said executed title closing documents and said executed lender closing documents to a plurality of parties involved in said second transaction, reviewing said executed title closing documents and said executed lender closing documents relating to said second transaction. | 3,600 |
12,625 | 12,625 | 15,005,142 | 3,656 | A rolling-element bearing cage includes a plurality of cage segments, each cage segment including at least two adjacent receiving pockets, each receiving pocket being delimited by a front cage bridge having a front running surface for contacting a rolling element and a rear cage bridge having a rear running surface for contacting the rolling element. The front running surface and the rear running surface of at least one of the at least two adjacent receiving pockets are asymmetric relative to a center plane that divides the receiving pocket. | 1. A rolling-element bearing cage comprising a plurality of cage segments, each cage segment including at least two adjacent receiving pockets, each receiving pocket being delimited by a front cage bridge having a front running surface for contacting a rolling element and a rear cage bridge having a rear running surface for contacting the rolling element, wherein the front running surface and the rear running surface of at least one of the at least two adjacent receiving pockets are asymmetric relative to a center plane that divides the at least one of the at least two adjacent receiving pockets. 2. The rolling-element bearing cage according to claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of cage segments includes a first circumferential ring segment and a second circumferential ring segment and wherein the front cage bridge and the rear cage bridge connect the first circumferential ring segment to the second circumferential ring segment, and wherein the center plane intersects the first circumferential ring segment and the second circumferential ring segment. 3. The rolling-element bearing cage according to claim 2, wherein the front running surface and the rear running surface of each of the at least two adjacent receiving pockets are asymmetric with respect to the center plane. 4. The rolling-element bearing cage according to claim 3, wherein the at least two adjacent receiving pockets comprise three, four, or five adjacent receiving pockets. 5. The rolling-element bearing cage according to claim 2, wherein the rear running surfaces are straight perpendicular to an axis of rotation of the rolling-element bearing cage. 6. The rolling-element bearing cage according to claim 2, wherein an extension of each of the front running surfaces does not extend through the axis of rotation of the rolling-element bearing cage. 7. The rolling-element bearing cage according to claim 6, wherein an extension of each of the rear running surfaces extends through the axis of rotation of the rolling-element bearing cage. 8. The rolling-element bearing cage according to claim 2, wherein the front running surfaces are configured such that rolling elements in each of the receiving pockets contact the front running surfaces along a front contact line, and the wherein the rear running surfaces are configured such that the rolling elements contact the rear running surfaces along a rear contact line and wherein the front contact line, viewed from the axis of rotation of the rolling-element bearing cage, falls at a different height than the rear contact line. 9. The rolling-element bearing cage according to claim 2, wherein the at least two adjacent receiving pockets are configured for receiving cylindrical rollers. 10. The rolling-element bearing cage according to claim 2, wherein the at least two adjacent receiving pockets are configured for receiving tapered rollers. 11. The rolling-element bearing cage according to claim 2, wherein the at least two adjacent receiving pockets are configured for receiving balls. 12. The rolling-element bearing cage according to claim 2, wherein the bearing cage segments are comprised of plastic. 13. The rolling-element bearing cage according to claim 2, wherein at least two of the plurality of cage segments are separated by a circumferential gap. 14. The rolling-element bearing cage according to claim 2, wherein the plurality of cage segments are not connected to one another. 15. The rolling-element bearing cage according to claim 1, wherein the axis of rotation of the bearing ring lies in the center plane 16. The rolling-element bearing cage according to claim 2, wherein the front running surface forms a first angle with the center plane and the rear running surface forms a second angle with the center plane different than the first angle. | A rolling-element bearing cage includes a plurality of cage segments, each cage segment including at least two adjacent receiving pockets, each receiving pocket being delimited by a front cage bridge having a front running surface for contacting a rolling element and a rear cage bridge having a rear running surface for contacting the rolling element. The front running surface and the rear running surface of at least one of the at least two adjacent receiving pockets are asymmetric relative to a center plane that divides the receiving pocket.1. A rolling-element bearing cage comprising a plurality of cage segments, each cage segment including at least two adjacent receiving pockets, each receiving pocket being delimited by a front cage bridge having a front running surface for contacting a rolling element and a rear cage bridge having a rear running surface for contacting the rolling element, wherein the front running surface and the rear running surface of at least one of the at least two adjacent receiving pockets are asymmetric relative to a center plane that divides the at least one of the at least two adjacent receiving pockets. 2. The rolling-element bearing cage according to claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of cage segments includes a first circumferential ring segment and a second circumferential ring segment and wherein the front cage bridge and the rear cage bridge connect the first circumferential ring segment to the second circumferential ring segment, and wherein the center plane intersects the first circumferential ring segment and the second circumferential ring segment. 3. The rolling-element bearing cage according to claim 2, wherein the front running surface and the rear running surface of each of the at least two adjacent receiving pockets are asymmetric with respect to the center plane. 4. The rolling-element bearing cage according to claim 3, wherein the at least two adjacent receiving pockets comprise three, four, or five adjacent receiving pockets. 5. The rolling-element bearing cage according to claim 2, wherein the rear running surfaces are straight perpendicular to an axis of rotation of the rolling-element bearing cage. 6. The rolling-element bearing cage according to claim 2, wherein an extension of each of the front running surfaces does not extend through the axis of rotation of the rolling-element bearing cage. 7. The rolling-element bearing cage according to claim 6, wherein an extension of each of the rear running surfaces extends through the axis of rotation of the rolling-element bearing cage. 8. The rolling-element bearing cage according to claim 2, wherein the front running surfaces are configured such that rolling elements in each of the receiving pockets contact the front running surfaces along a front contact line, and the wherein the rear running surfaces are configured such that the rolling elements contact the rear running surfaces along a rear contact line and wherein the front contact line, viewed from the axis of rotation of the rolling-element bearing cage, falls at a different height than the rear contact line. 9. The rolling-element bearing cage according to claim 2, wherein the at least two adjacent receiving pockets are configured for receiving cylindrical rollers. 10. The rolling-element bearing cage according to claim 2, wherein the at least two adjacent receiving pockets are configured for receiving tapered rollers. 11. The rolling-element bearing cage according to claim 2, wherein the at least two adjacent receiving pockets are configured for receiving balls. 12. The rolling-element bearing cage according to claim 2, wherein the bearing cage segments are comprised of plastic. 13. The rolling-element bearing cage according to claim 2, wherein at least two of the plurality of cage segments are separated by a circumferential gap. 14. The rolling-element bearing cage according to claim 2, wherein the plurality of cage segments are not connected to one another. 15. The rolling-element bearing cage according to claim 1, wherein the axis of rotation of the bearing ring lies in the center plane 16. The rolling-element bearing cage according to claim 2, wherein the front running surface forms a first angle with the center plane and the rear running surface forms a second angle with the center plane different than the first angle. | 3,600 |
12,626 | 12,626 | 15,066,607 | 3,646 | A method and a system for performing real-time, continuous, measurements of the boron concentration in the water entering a nuclear reactor coolant system. The invention utilizes knowledge of the impact that boron contained in liquid water has on the attenuation of acoustic or ultrasonic waves. This information, coupled with radiation damage resistant and high temperature operability capable transmitter and receiver equipment, provides the means to place the measurement system sensors and signal processing electronics on the reactor coolant system charging flow piping or the hot leg or cold leg of the reactor coolant loop. This will allow the reactor operator to directly monitor both the reactor coolant system boron concentration value and detect changes in the reactor coolant system boron concentration relative to a reference value as they occur. | 1. A boron concentration monitor for measuring, in real time, the boron concentration of coolant within a piping servicing a primary loop of a nuclear reactor comprising:
an acoustic transmitter acoustically coupled to or through the piping operable to transmit an acoustic signal substantially through an interior of the piping; an acoustic receiver supported at a location around a circumference of the piping that is spaced from the acoustic transmitter, for receiving the acoustic signal; a communication mechanism in electrical communication with the acoustic transmitter and the acoustic receiver and configured to convey the transmitted acoustic signal and the received acoustic signal to a remote location; and an analyzer is structured to be in communication with the remote location and is configured to receive the received acoustic signal and the transmitted acoustic signal from the communication mechanism and compare the received acoustic signal and the transmitted acoustic signal and from the comparison determine the boron concentration within the piping. 2. The boron concentration monitor of claim 1 wherein the analyzer compares the signal comparison to a standard to determine the boron concentration in the piping. 3. The boron concentration monitor of claim 2 wherein the acoustic transmitter and acoustic receiver are at a known linear distance from each other and the standard is established from an experimental determination of the attenuation of an acoustic signal in a borated water solution over the known distance at a plurality of known boron concentrations. 4. The boron concentration monitor of claim 1 wherein the communication mechanism comprises:
a wireless transmitter coupled to the acoustic transmitter and the acoustic receiver and configured to wirelessly transmit both the transmitted acoustic signal and the received acoustic signal to the remote location; and
a wireless receiver configured to receive the wirelessly transmitted acoustic signal and received acoustic signal and communicate the transmitted acoustic signal and the received acoustic signal to the analyzer at the remote location. 5. The boron concentration monitor of claim 4 wherein the acoustic transmitter, the acoustic receiver and the wireless transmitter are powered from a thermoelectric generator having a hot junction in thermal communication with the piping and a cold junction in thermal communication with a surrounding environment. 6. The boron concentration monitor of claim 5 wherein the hot junction is in thermal communication with the piping through a heat pipe. 7. The boron concentration monitor of claim 4 wherein the wireless transmitter comprises two separate wireless transmitters respectively connected to the acoustic transmitter and the acoustic receiver. 8. The boron concentration monitor of claim 1 wherein the acoustic transmitter and the acoustic receiver are supported at substantially diametrically opposite positions around the circumference of the piping. 9. The boron concentration monitor of claim 1 wherein the acoustic transmitter and the acoustic receiver employ one or more vacuum micro-electronic devices. 10. The boron concentration monitor of claim 9 wherein the solid state vacuum device is a vacuum micro-electronic device. 11. The boron concentration monitor of claim 4 wherein the wireless transmitter employs one or more vacuum micro-electronic devices. 12. The boron concentration monitor of claim 11 wherein the solid state vacuum device is a vacuum micro-electronic device. 13. The boron concentration monitor of claim 1 wherein the acoustic receiver is an ultrasonic energy measurement sensor. 14. The boron concentration monitor of claim 1 wherein the piping is a charging line in fluid communication with the primary loop. 15. The boron concentration monitor of claim 1 wherein the piping is a hot leg or a cold leg of the primary loop of the nuclear reactor. 16. The boron concentration monitor of claim 1 including a temperature sensor for determining a temperature of water flowing in the piping at the location of the acoustic transmitter and acoustic receiver and transmitting a signal representative of the temperature through the communication mechanism to the analyzer which determines the boron concentration as a function of temperature. 17. The boron concentration monitor of claim 14 including a pressure sensor for determining a pressure of the water flowing in the piping at the location of the acoustic transmitter and acoustic receiver and transmitting a signal representative of the pressure through the communication mechanism to the analyzer which determines the boron concentration as a function of temperature and pressure. 18. A method of monitoring a boron concentration of a borated water solution in real-time, comprising the steps of:
transmitting an acoustic signal through the borated water solution; receiving the transmitted acoustic signal after the transmitted acoustic signal has passed through at least a portion of the borated water solution, at a known distance between a transmitter structured to transmit the acoustic signal and a receiver configured to receive the transmitted acoustic signal; comparing the received acoustic signal to the transmitted acoustic signal to determine an attenuation of the transmitted acoustic signal through the borated water solution; and determining the boron concentration from the attenuation of the transmitted signal. 19. The method of claim 18 wherein the determining step compares the attenuation with a standard obtained by chemically analyzing a plurality of different concentrations of boron in borated water solutions and measuring the attenuation over the known distance in each of the plurality of different concentrations of boron. 20. The method of claim 18 wherein the determining step comprises:
obtaining the pressure and temperature of the coolant at a time of transmission of the acoustic signal; and
using the attenuation, the temperature and the pressure to mathematically determine the boron concentration in real-time. | A method and a system for performing real-time, continuous, measurements of the boron concentration in the water entering a nuclear reactor coolant system. The invention utilizes knowledge of the impact that boron contained in liquid water has on the attenuation of acoustic or ultrasonic waves. This information, coupled with radiation damage resistant and high temperature operability capable transmitter and receiver equipment, provides the means to place the measurement system sensors and signal processing electronics on the reactor coolant system charging flow piping or the hot leg or cold leg of the reactor coolant loop. This will allow the reactor operator to directly monitor both the reactor coolant system boron concentration value and detect changes in the reactor coolant system boron concentration relative to a reference value as they occur.1. A boron concentration monitor for measuring, in real time, the boron concentration of coolant within a piping servicing a primary loop of a nuclear reactor comprising:
an acoustic transmitter acoustically coupled to or through the piping operable to transmit an acoustic signal substantially through an interior of the piping; an acoustic receiver supported at a location around a circumference of the piping that is spaced from the acoustic transmitter, for receiving the acoustic signal; a communication mechanism in electrical communication with the acoustic transmitter and the acoustic receiver and configured to convey the transmitted acoustic signal and the received acoustic signal to a remote location; and an analyzer is structured to be in communication with the remote location and is configured to receive the received acoustic signal and the transmitted acoustic signal from the communication mechanism and compare the received acoustic signal and the transmitted acoustic signal and from the comparison determine the boron concentration within the piping. 2. The boron concentration monitor of claim 1 wherein the analyzer compares the signal comparison to a standard to determine the boron concentration in the piping. 3. The boron concentration monitor of claim 2 wherein the acoustic transmitter and acoustic receiver are at a known linear distance from each other and the standard is established from an experimental determination of the attenuation of an acoustic signal in a borated water solution over the known distance at a plurality of known boron concentrations. 4. The boron concentration monitor of claim 1 wherein the communication mechanism comprises:
a wireless transmitter coupled to the acoustic transmitter and the acoustic receiver and configured to wirelessly transmit both the transmitted acoustic signal and the received acoustic signal to the remote location; and
a wireless receiver configured to receive the wirelessly transmitted acoustic signal and received acoustic signal and communicate the transmitted acoustic signal and the received acoustic signal to the analyzer at the remote location. 5. The boron concentration monitor of claim 4 wherein the acoustic transmitter, the acoustic receiver and the wireless transmitter are powered from a thermoelectric generator having a hot junction in thermal communication with the piping and a cold junction in thermal communication with a surrounding environment. 6. The boron concentration monitor of claim 5 wherein the hot junction is in thermal communication with the piping through a heat pipe. 7. The boron concentration monitor of claim 4 wherein the wireless transmitter comprises two separate wireless transmitters respectively connected to the acoustic transmitter and the acoustic receiver. 8. The boron concentration monitor of claim 1 wherein the acoustic transmitter and the acoustic receiver are supported at substantially diametrically opposite positions around the circumference of the piping. 9. The boron concentration monitor of claim 1 wherein the acoustic transmitter and the acoustic receiver employ one or more vacuum micro-electronic devices. 10. The boron concentration monitor of claim 9 wherein the solid state vacuum device is a vacuum micro-electronic device. 11. The boron concentration monitor of claim 4 wherein the wireless transmitter employs one or more vacuum micro-electronic devices. 12. The boron concentration monitor of claim 11 wherein the solid state vacuum device is a vacuum micro-electronic device. 13. The boron concentration monitor of claim 1 wherein the acoustic receiver is an ultrasonic energy measurement sensor. 14. The boron concentration monitor of claim 1 wherein the piping is a charging line in fluid communication with the primary loop. 15. The boron concentration monitor of claim 1 wherein the piping is a hot leg or a cold leg of the primary loop of the nuclear reactor. 16. The boron concentration monitor of claim 1 including a temperature sensor for determining a temperature of water flowing in the piping at the location of the acoustic transmitter and acoustic receiver and transmitting a signal representative of the temperature through the communication mechanism to the analyzer which determines the boron concentration as a function of temperature. 17. The boron concentration monitor of claim 14 including a pressure sensor for determining a pressure of the water flowing in the piping at the location of the acoustic transmitter and acoustic receiver and transmitting a signal representative of the pressure through the communication mechanism to the analyzer which determines the boron concentration as a function of temperature and pressure. 18. A method of monitoring a boron concentration of a borated water solution in real-time, comprising the steps of:
transmitting an acoustic signal through the borated water solution; receiving the transmitted acoustic signal after the transmitted acoustic signal has passed through at least a portion of the borated water solution, at a known distance between a transmitter structured to transmit the acoustic signal and a receiver configured to receive the transmitted acoustic signal; comparing the received acoustic signal to the transmitted acoustic signal to determine an attenuation of the transmitted acoustic signal through the borated water solution; and determining the boron concentration from the attenuation of the transmitted signal. 19. The method of claim 18 wherein the determining step compares the attenuation with a standard obtained by chemically analyzing a plurality of different concentrations of boron in borated water solutions and measuring the attenuation over the known distance in each of the plurality of different concentrations of boron. 20. The method of claim 18 wherein the determining step comprises:
obtaining the pressure and temperature of the coolant at a time of transmission of the acoustic signal; and
using the attenuation, the temperature and the pressure to mathematically determine the boron concentration in real-time. | 3,600 |
12,627 | 12,627 | 14,645,770 | 3,625 | Systems and methods disclosed herein for providing information about an obligation of an electronic contract. One embodiment involves receiving, at an electronic contract obligation server, an annotation associated with the electronic contract, the annotation specifying the obligation to be performed by a performing participant of the electronic contract according to a time constraint for the benefit of a benefited participant of the electronic contract, the electronic contract obligation server independent of the performing participant and the benefited participant. The embodiment further involves identifying, by the electronic contract obligation service, the information about the obligation based on the annotation associated with the electronic contract. The embodiment further involves providing, by the electronic contract obligation service, the information about the obligation to the performing participant or the benefited participant. | 1. In a computer network environment, a method for providing information about an obligation of an electronic contract, the method comprising:
receiving, at an electronic contract obligation server, an annotation associated with the electronic contract, the annotation specifying the obligation to be performed by a performing participant of the electronic contract according to a time constraint for the benefit of a benefited participant of the electronic contract, the electronic contract obligation server independent of the performing participant and the benefited participant; identifying, by the electronic contract obligation service, the information about the obligation based on the annotation associated with the electronic contract; and providing, by the electronic contract obligation service, the information about the obligation to the performing participant or the benefited participant. 2. The method of claim 1 wherein providing the information comprises sending an electronic notification to a contact associated with the performing participant or the benefited participant. 3. The method of claim 1 wherein providing the information comprises providing a subsection of the contract specifying the obligation associated with the annotation. 4. The method of claim 1 wherein providing the information comprises sending periodically-recurring reminder messages, wherein the annotation specifies a reminder schedule for sending the periodically-recurring reminder messages. 5. The method of claim 1 wherein providing the information comprises sending an electronic communication to an automated system of the performing participant or the benefited participant. 6. The method of claim 1 wherein providing the information comprises making the contract obligation available through a user interface, wherein a contact associated with the performing participant or the benefited participant accesses the user interface electronically to access the information. 7. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
tracking performance of the obligation by the performing participant; and
providing information about the performance of the obligation to the performing participant or the benefited participant. 8. The method of claim 1, wherein the annotation is stored as part of the electronic contract in a single electronic document. 9. The method of claim 1 further comprising storing the electronic contract at the electronic contract obligation server and providing the electronic contract to the performing participant or the benefited participant. 10. The method of claim 1 further comprising updating the annotation based on a change resulting from a modification to the electronic agreement or a subsequent agreement. 11. In a computer network environment, a method of annotating an electronic contract to provide information about an obligation of the electronic contract, the method comprising a processor performing operations comprising:
identifying the obligation associated with a subsection of the electronic contract, the obligation to be performed by a performing participant of the electronic contract according to a time constraint for the benefit of a benefited participant of the electronic contract; creating an annotation specifying the obligation and the time constraint; and associating the annotation with the electronic contract, wherein the annotation is used to identify information about the obligation that is provided to the performing participant or the benefited participant. 12. The method of claim 11 further comprising receiving input identifying a subsection of the electronic contract as a source of the obligation, wherein the annotation identifies the subsection of the electronic contract as the source of the obligation. 13. The method of claim 11 further comprising automatically identifying a subsection of the electronic contract as a source of the obligation using a natural language processing algorithm, wherein the annotation identifies the subsection of the electronic contract as the source of the obligation. 14. The method of claim 11 further comprising:
automatically identifying a subsection of the electronic contract as a source of the obligation using a natural language processing algorithm, wherein the annotation identifies the subsection of the electronic contract as the source of the obligation; and
receiving user input confirming that the subsection of the electronic contract is the source of the obligation. 15. The method of claim 11 further comprising:
receiving input identifying an obligation parameter of the obligation, specifying how the obligation is to be performed; and
including the obligation parameter in the annotation. 16. The method of claim 11 further comprising:
receiving input identifying a notification parameter specifying how one or more electronic contract participants is to receive notifications regarding the obligation; and
including the notification parameter in the annotation. 17. The method of claim 11 further comprising storing the annotation as part of the electronic contract in a single electronic document. 18. The method of claim 11 further comprising:
providing an electronic signature interface for the performing party or benefited party to both execute the electronic contract and identify or confirm the annotation. 19. The method of claim 11 wherein the annotation specifies that both the performing party and benefited party will receive notifications regarding the obligation. 20. A system comprising:
a processing device; and a memory device communicatively coupled to the processing device, wherein the processing device is configured to execute instructions included in the memory device to perform operations comprising:
receiving, at an electronic contract obligation server, an annotation associated with the electronic contract, the annotation specifying the obligation to be performed by a performing participant of the electronic contract according to a time constraint for the benefit of a benefited participant of the electronic contract, the electronic contract obligation server independent of the performing participant and the benefited participant;
identifying, by the electronic contract obligation service, the information about the obligation based on the annotation associated with the electronic contract; and
providing, by the electronic contract obligation service, the information about the obligation to the performing participant or the benefited participant. | Systems and methods disclosed herein for providing information about an obligation of an electronic contract. One embodiment involves receiving, at an electronic contract obligation server, an annotation associated with the electronic contract, the annotation specifying the obligation to be performed by a performing participant of the electronic contract according to a time constraint for the benefit of a benefited participant of the electronic contract, the electronic contract obligation server independent of the performing participant and the benefited participant. The embodiment further involves identifying, by the electronic contract obligation service, the information about the obligation based on the annotation associated with the electronic contract. The embodiment further involves providing, by the electronic contract obligation service, the information about the obligation to the performing participant or the benefited participant.1. In a computer network environment, a method for providing information about an obligation of an electronic contract, the method comprising:
receiving, at an electronic contract obligation server, an annotation associated with the electronic contract, the annotation specifying the obligation to be performed by a performing participant of the electronic contract according to a time constraint for the benefit of a benefited participant of the electronic contract, the electronic contract obligation server independent of the performing participant and the benefited participant; identifying, by the electronic contract obligation service, the information about the obligation based on the annotation associated with the electronic contract; and providing, by the electronic contract obligation service, the information about the obligation to the performing participant or the benefited participant. 2. The method of claim 1 wherein providing the information comprises sending an electronic notification to a contact associated with the performing participant or the benefited participant. 3. The method of claim 1 wherein providing the information comprises providing a subsection of the contract specifying the obligation associated with the annotation. 4. The method of claim 1 wherein providing the information comprises sending periodically-recurring reminder messages, wherein the annotation specifies a reminder schedule for sending the periodically-recurring reminder messages. 5. The method of claim 1 wherein providing the information comprises sending an electronic communication to an automated system of the performing participant or the benefited participant. 6. The method of claim 1 wherein providing the information comprises making the contract obligation available through a user interface, wherein a contact associated with the performing participant or the benefited participant accesses the user interface electronically to access the information. 7. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
tracking performance of the obligation by the performing participant; and
providing information about the performance of the obligation to the performing participant or the benefited participant. 8. The method of claim 1, wherein the annotation is stored as part of the electronic contract in a single electronic document. 9. The method of claim 1 further comprising storing the electronic contract at the electronic contract obligation server and providing the electronic contract to the performing participant or the benefited participant. 10. The method of claim 1 further comprising updating the annotation based on a change resulting from a modification to the electronic agreement or a subsequent agreement. 11. In a computer network environment, a method of annotating an electronic contract to provide information about an obligation of the electronic contract, the method comprising a processor performing operations comprising:
identifying the obligation associated with a subsection of the electronic contract, the obligation to be performed by a performing participant of the electronic contract according to a time constraint for the benefit of a benefited participant of the electronic contract; creating an annotation specifying the obligation and the time constraint; and associating the annotation with the electronic contract, wherein the annotation is used to identify information about the obligation that is provided to the performing participant or the benefited participant. 12. The method of claim 11 further comprising receiving input identifying a subsection of the electronic contract as a source of the obligation, wherein the annotation identifies the subsection of the electronic contract as the source of the obligation. 13. The method of claim 11 further comprising automatically identifying a subsection of the electronic contract as a source of the obligation using a natural language processing algorithm, wherein the annotation identifies the subsection of the electronic contract as the source of the obligation. 14. The method of claim 11 further comprising:
automatically identifying a subsection of the electronic contract as a source of the obligation using a natural language processing algorithm, wherein the annotation identifies the subsection of the electronic contract as the source of the obligation; and
receiving user input confirming that the subsection of the electronic contract is the source of the obligation. 15. The method of claim 11 further comprising:
receiving input identifying an obligation parameter of the obligation, specifying how the obligation is to be performed; and
including the obligation parameter in the annotation. 16. The method of claim 11 further comprising:
receiving input identifying a notification parameter specifying how one or more electronic contract participants is to receive notifications regarding the obligation; and
including the notification parameter in the annotation. 17. The method of claim 11 further comprising storing the annotation as part of the electronic contract in a single electronic document. 18. The method of claim 11 further comprising:
providing an electronic signature interface for the performing party or benefited party to both execute the electronic contract and identify or confirm the annotation. 19. The method of claim 11 wherein the annotation specifies that both the performing party and benefited party will receive notifications regarding the obligation. 20. A system comprising:
a processing device; and a memory device communicatively coupled to the processing device, wherein the processing device is configured to execute instructions included in the memory device to perform operations comprising:
receiving, at an electronic contract obligation server, an annotation associated with the electronic contract, the annotation specifying the obligation to be performed by a performing participant of the electronic contract according to a time constraint for the benefit of a benefited participant of the electronic contract, the electronic contract obligation server independent of the performing participant and the benefited participant;
identifying, by the electronic contract obligation service, the information about the obligation based on the annotation associated with the electronic contract; and
providing, by the electronic contract obligation service, the information about the obligation to the performing participant or the benefited participant. | 3,600 |
12,628 | 12,628 | 14,488,437 | 3,625 | A system for recommending a service for use by a particular user comprises a processor and a computer-readable storage medium, wherein the computer-readable storage medium contains instructions for execution by the processor. The instructions cause the processor to perform the steps of selecting from a plurality of users similar users that are similar to the particular user, collecting services used by similar users, determining for collected services the level of satisfaction of similar users using the respective collected service, and recommending a service for use by the particular user from the collected services based on the determined levels of satisfaction of similar users. | 1. A system for recommending a service for use by a particular user, the system comprising a processor and a computer-readable storage medium, wherein the computer-readable storage medium contains instructions for execution by the processor, wherein the instructions cause the processor to perform the steps of:
selecting from a plurality of users similar users that are similar to the particular user, collecting services used by similar users, determining for collected services the level of satisfaction of similar users using the respective collected service, and recommending a service for use by the particular user from the collected services based on the determined levels of satisfaction of similar users. 2. The system as claimed in claim 1,
wherein the instructions further cause the processor to
determine the level of similarity for a plurality of users and
select similar users based on the determined level of similarity. 3. The system as claimed in claim 1,
wherein the instructions further cause the processor to determine for collected services the level of satisfaction of similar users based on direct feedback from said similar users and/or actual usage of services by said similar users. 4. The system as claimed in claim 3,
further comprising an interface for obtaining direct feedback and/or information about actual usage of services by users. 5. The system as claimed in claim 3,
further comprising measurement means for measuring actual usage of services by users including usage frequency and/or usage duration. 6. The system as claimed in claim 1,
wherein the instructions further cause the processor to
determine the level of similarity for a plurality of users based on the profile of the users,
select similar users based on the determined level of similarity,
determine the suitability of collected services describing their intended use with respect to a user's profile, and
recommend a service for use by the particular user from the collected services based on the determined levels of satisfaction and the suitability of the collected services for the particular user. 7. The system as claimed in claim 1,
wherein the instructions further cause the processor to recommend a service for use by the particular user from the collected services based on the determined levels of satisfaction and based on the number of times a service was recommended to similar users and/or the number of similar users to which a service was recommended. 8. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the system is provided for recommending a healthcare service to a particular user,
wherein the instructions further cause the processor to recommend a healthcare service for use by the particular user from the collected healthcare services based on the determined levels of satisfaction and based on the number of times a service was recommended to similar users and/or the number of similar users to which a service was recommended by a care provider. 9. The system as claimed in claim 8,
wherein the instructions further cause the processor to take into account a reputation level of said care providers in the recommendation of a healthcare service. 10. The system as claimed in claim 1,
wherein the instructions further cause the processor to determine for the respective collected services a combined satisfaction level from the determined level of satisfaction of similar users and to recommend a service for use by the particular user from the collected services based on the combined satisfaction level. 11. A method for recommending a service to a particular user, the method comprising the steps of:
selecting from a plurality of users similar users that are similar to the particular user, collecting services used by similar users, determining for collected services the level of satisfaction of similar users using the respective collected service, and recommending a service for use by the particular user from the collected services based on the determined levels of satisfaction. 12. A system for recommending a service to a particular user, the system comprising:
a selector configured to select from a plurality of users similar users that are similar to the particular user, a collector configured to collect services used by similar users, a level of satisfaction determination unit configured to determine for collected services the level of satisfaction of similar users using the respective collected service, and a recommender configured to recommend a service for use by the particular user from the collected services based on the determined levels of satisfaction. 13. A system for recommending a service to a particular user, the system comprising a processor and a computer-readable storage medium, wherein the computer-readable storage medium contains instructions for execution by the processor, wherein the instructions cause the processor to perform the steps of:
selecting from a plurality of users similar users that are similar to the particular user, collecting services used by similar users, determining the suitability of services describing their intended use with respect to a user's profile, and recommending a service for use by the particular user from the collected services based on the suitability of the collected services for the particular user and based on the number of times a service was recommended to similar users and/or the number of similar users to which a service was recommended by a recommendation giver taking into account a reputation level of said recommendation givers. 14. The system as claimed in claim 6,
wherein the instructions further cause the processor to determine the suitability of a service for a user based on the profile of the user and the intended use of the service. 15. The system as claimed in claim 14,
wherein the instructions further cause the processor to use one or more exclusion criteria for determining the suitability of a service for a user, an exclusion criterion indicating which users can or shall not use a particular service. 16. The system as claimed in claim 15,
wherein the instructions further cause the processor to use one or more exclusion criteria that take into account availability, affordability and/or accessibility of a service for a user. 17. The system as claimed in claim 9,
wherein the instructions further cause the processor to determine the reputation level of said recommendation givers. 18. A method for recommending a service to a particular user, the method comprising the steps of:
selecting from a plurality of users similar users that are similar to the particular user, collecting services used by similar users, determining the suitability of services describing their intended use with respect to a user's profile, and recommending a service for use by the particular user from the collected services based on the suitability of the collected services for the particular user and based on the number of times a service was recommended to similar users and/or the number of similar users to which a service was recommended by a recommendation giver taking into account a reputation level of said recommendation givers. 19. A system for recommending a service to a particular user comprising:
a selector configured to select from a plurality of users similar users that are similar to the particular user, a collector configured to collect services used by similar users, a suitability determination unit configured to determine the suitability of services describing their intended use with respect to a user's profile, and a recommender configured to recommend a service for use by the particular user from the collected services based on the suitability of the collected services for the particular user and based on the number of times a service was recommended to similar users and/or the number of similar users to which a service was recommended by a recommendation giver taking into account a reputation level of said recommendation givers. 20. A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium that stores therein a computer program product, which, when executed by a processor, causes the method as claimed in claim 11 to be performed. | A system for recommending a service for use by a particular user comprises a processor and a computer-readable storage medium, wherein the computer-readable storage medium contains instructions for execution by the processor. The instructions cause the processor to perform the steps of selecting from a plurality of users similar users that are similar to the particular user, collecting services used by similar users, determining for collected services the level of satisfaction of similar users using the respective collected service, and recommending a service for use by the particular user from the collected services based on the determined levels of satisfaction of similar users.1. A system for recommending a service for use by a particular user, the system comprising a processor and a computer-readable storage medium, wherein the computer-readable storage medium contains instructions for execution by the processor, wherein the instructions cause the processor to perform the steps of:
selecting from a plurality of users similar users that are similar to the particular user, collecting services used by similar users, determining for collected services the level of satisfaction of similar users using the respective collected service, and recommending a service for use by the particular user from the collected services based on the determined levels of satisfaction of similar users. 2. The system as claimed in claim 1,
wherein the instructions further cause the processor to
determine the level of similarity for a plurality of users and
select similar users based on the determined level of similarity. 3. The system as claimed in claim 1,
wherein the instructions further cause the processor to determine for collected services the level of satisfaction of similar users based on direct feedback from said similar users and/or actual usage of services by said similar users. 4. The system as claimed in claim 3,
further comprising an interface for obtaining direct feedback and/or information about actual usage of services by users. 5. The system as claimed in claim 3,
further comprising measurement means for measuring actual usage of services by users including usage frequency and/or usage duration. 6. The system as claimed in claim 1,
wherein the instructions further cause the processor to
determine the level of similarity for a plurality of users based on the profile of the users,
select similar users based on the determined level of similarity,
determine the suitability of collected services describing their intended use with respect to a user's profile, and
recommend a service for use by the particular user from the collected services based on the determined levels of satisfaction and the suitability of the collected services for the particular user. 7. The system as claimed in claim 1,
wherein the instructions further cause the processor to recommend a service for use by the particular user from the collected services based on the determined levels of satisfaction and based on the number of times a service was recommended to similar users and/or the number of similar users to which a service was recommended. 8. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the system is provided for recommending a healthcare service to a particular user,
wherein the instructions further cause the processor to recommend a healthcare service for use by the particular user from the collected healthcare services based on the determined levels of satisfaction and based on the number of times a service was recommended to similar users and/or the number of similar users to which a service was recommended by a care provider. 9. The system as claimed in claim 8,
wherein the instructions further cause the processor to take into account a reputation level of said care providers in the recommendation of a healthcare service. 10. The system as claimed in claim 1,
wherein the instructions further cause the processor to determine for the respective collected services a combined satisfaction level from the determined level of satisfaction of similar users and to recommend a service for use by the particular user from the collected services based on the combined satisfaction level. 11. A method for recommending a service to a particular user, the method comprising the steps of:
selecting from a plurality of users similar users that are similar to the particular user, collecting services used by similar users, determining for collected services the level of satisfaction of similar users using the respective collected service, and recommending a service for use by the particular user from the collected services based on the determined levels of satisfaction. 12. A system for recommending a service to a particular user, the system comprising:
a selector configured to select from a plurality of users similar users that are similar to the particular user, a collector configured to collect services used by similar users, a level of satisfaction determination unit configured to determine for collected services the level of satisfaction of similar users using the respective collected service, and a recommender configured to recommend a service for use by the particular user from the collected services based on the determined levels of satisfaction. 13. A system for recommending a service to a particular user, the system comprising a processor and a computer-readable storage medium, wherein the computer-readable storage medium contains instructions for execution by the processor, wherein the instructions cause the processor to perform the steps of:
selecting from a plurality of users similar users that are similar to the particular user, collecting services used by similar users, determining the suitability of services describing their intended use with respect to a user's profile, and recommending a service for use by the particular user from the collected services based on the suitability of the collected services for the particular user and based on the number of times a service was recommended to similar users and/or the number of similar users to which a service was recommended by a recommendation giver taking into account a reputation level of said recommendation givers. 14. The system as claimed in claim 6,
wherein the instructions further cause the processor to determine the suitability of a service for a user based on the profile of the user and the intended use of the service. 15. The system as claimed in claim 14,
wherein the instructions further cause the processor to use one or more exclusion criteria for determining the suitability of a service for a user, an exclusion criterion indicating which users can or shall not use a particular service. 16. The system as claimed in claim 15,
wherein the instructions further cause the processor to use one or more exclusion criteria that take into account availability, affordability and/or accessibility of a service for a user. 17. The system as claimed in claim 9,
wherein the instructions further cause the processor to determine the reputation level of said recommendation givers. 18. A method for recommending a service to a particular user, the method comprising the steps of:
selecting from a plurality of users similar users that are similar to the particular user, collecting services used by similar users, determining the suitability of services describing their intended use with respect to a user's profile, and recommending a service for use by the particular user from the collected services based on the suitability of the collected services for the particular user and based on the number of times a service was recommended to similar users and/or the number of similar users to which a service was recommended by a recommendation giver taking into account a reputation level of said recommendation givers. 19. A system for recommending a service to a particular user comprising:
a selector configured to select from a plurality of users similar users that are similar to the particular user, a collector configured to collect services used by similar users, a suitability determination unit configured to determine the suitability of services describing their intended use with respect to a user's profile, and a recommender configured to recommend a service for use by the particular user from the collected services based on the suitability of the collected services for the particular user and based on the number of times a service was recommended to similar users and/or the number of similar users to which a service was recommended by a recommendation giver taking into account a reputation level of said recommendation givers. 20. A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium that stores therein a computer program product, which, when executed by a processor, causes the method as claimed in claim 11 to be performed. | 3,600 |
12,629 | 12,629 | 14,920,569 | 3,621 | Systems, methods, and apparatus for automatically generating offers for expressions of interest are disclosed. In one aspect, a computer system comprising a network interface, computer memory, a computer processor, and a computer readable storage medium that stores program instructions configured for execution by the computer processor receives an expression of interest from a user device operated by a user. The computer system further analyzes the expression of interest to extract one or more expression characteristics. The computer system further retrieves, from memory, consumer data associated with the user, external data associated with the expression of interest, and internal data associated with one or more past offers previously generated by the computer system. The computer further generates a suggested offered based on the one or more expression characteristics and the retrieved consumer data, external data, and internal data. The computer further transmits the suggested offer to the user device. | 1. A user-driven method for obtaining responses to expressions of interest, the method comprising:
by a computer system comprising computer hardware:
receiving expressions of interest from users, the expressions of interest comprising expression characteristics, each expression of interest being associated with more than one good or service;
organizing the expressions of interest based on the expression characteristics to produce aggregated expressions of interest;
determining relationships between the aggregated expressions of interest;
modifying an ontology based on the relationships such that the ontology is adapted to identify an intent of a user and one or more related intents that are related to the intent of the user based on an expression of interest of the user;
receiving the expression of interest from the user;
determining the intent of the user and at least one related intent of the user using the expression of interest of the user and the ontology;
identifying one or more entities associated with the intent of the user and one or more entities associated with the at least one related intent of the user, wherein the identified entities are capable of providing goods or services associated with the expression of interest of the user; and
programmatically presenting the intent of the user and the at least one related intent of the user to the identified one or more entities capable of providing goods or services associated with the expression of interest of the user. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the expressions of interest comprise at least one or more of the following: a desired transaction, an articulated demand, a proposal to provide information, goods, or services, a request for advice, or a search query. 3. A consumer-driven method for initiating transactions, the method comprising:
by a computer system comprising computer hardware:
receiving expressions of interest from consumers for one or more of a good, a service, a desire to engage in an activity, or a demand, the expressions of interest comprising a plurality of demand attributes, each expression of interest being associated with more than one good or service;
programmatically organizing the expressions of interest based on the demand attributes to produce aggregated expressions of interest determining relationships between the aggregated expressions of interest;
modifying an ontology based on the relationships such that the ontology is adapted to identify an intent of a user and one or more related intents that are related to the intent of the user based on an expression of interest of the user;
receiving the expression of interest from the user;
determining the intent of the user and at least one related intent of the user using the expression of interest of the user and the ontology;
identifying one or more suppliers associated with the intent of the user and the at least one related intent of the user, wherein the identified suppliers are capable of providing goods or services associated with the expression of interest of the user; and
enabling the identified suppliers to contact the user regarding the expression of interest of the user by at least performing the following:
outputting the expression of interest of the user for presentation to said identified suppliers; and
providing functionality for the identified suppliers to contact the user regarding the expression of interest of the user. 4. The method of claim 3, wherein said outputting comprises storing the expressions of interest in a memory location or supplying the expressions of interest to a minimum specified number of suppliers. 5. The method of claim 3, wherein the expressions of interest comprise requests for information or an incentive with respect to the good or service transaction. 6. The method of claim 5, wherein the requested incentive comprises at least one or more of the following: a positive incentive, a negative incentive, a discount, an option, a service item, preferential treatment, or points in a rewards program. 7. The method of claim 3, wherein the demand attributes comprise one or more of the following:
a time period in which the good or service is desired; a description of the good or service; a list of one or more preferred suppliers; a location of each of the consumers; a desired discount on the good or service; a desired price on the good or service; or a desired quantity of the good or service. 8. The method of claim 3, wherein said organizing comprises providing an application programming interface (API) or a software development kit (SDK) that enables suppliers to access the expressions of interest or providing a user interface for searching the expressions of interest. 9. The method of claim 3, further comprising:
receiving a response from the one or more suppliers; presenting the response to the consumers; and receiving acceptances from the consumers to consummate the good or service transaction. 10. The method of claim 3, wherein said providing functionality for the matched supplier's to respond comprises providing functionality for matched suppliers to provide one or more of the following: an incentive type, a location, a good or service, an attribute of a good or service, or a proposed price. 11. The method of claim 3, wherein said identifying one or more suppliers further comprises identifying related demand attributes and programmatically matching the related demand attributes with said one or more suppliers. 12. The method of claim 11, wherein the related demand attributes are one or more of semantically related, syntactically related, or lexicographically related to said demand attributes. 13. The method of claim 11, wherein said identifying one or more suppliers further comprises ranking said related demand attributes. 14. The method of claim 13, wherein said ranking is based upon a type of relationship between said demand attribute and said related demand attributes, and wherein said type of relationship comprises one or more of a statistical relationship, a semantic relationship, a syntactic relationship, a linguistic relationship, or a user-identified relationship. 15. The method of claim 3, further comprising receiving responses of one or more of the suppliers and sending the responses to the consumer. 16. The method of claim 15, further comprising ranking the responses, and wherein sending the responses comprises sending at least a portion of the ranked responses. 17. The method of claim 3, further comprising generating a suggested expression of interest based on the received expressions of interest. 18. The method of claim 17, wherein generating the suggested expression of interest comprises generating the suggested expression of interest based on knowledge and usage data associated with the received expressions of interest. 19. A computer-readable medium comprising specific executable instructions that when executed by a computing device comprising computer hardware cause the computing device to:
receive expressions of interest from consumers for one or more of a good, a service, a desire to engage in an activity, and a demand, the expressions of interest comprising a plurality of demand attributes, each expression of interest being associated with more than one good or service; programmatically organize the expressions of interest based on the demand attributes to produce aggregated expressions of interest determine relationships between the aggregated expressions of interest; modify an ontology based on the relationships such that the ontology is adapted to identify an intent of a user and one or more related intents that are related to the intent of the user based on an expression of interest of the user; receive the expression of interest from the user; determine the intent of the user and at least one related intent of the user using the expression of interest of the user and the ontology; identify one or more suppliers associated with the intent of the user and the at least one related intent of the user, wherein the identified suppliers are capable of providing goods or services associated with the expression of interest of the user; and enable the identified suppliers to contact the user regarding the expression of interest of the user by executing instructions that further cause said computing device to interest by at least performing the following:
output the expression of interest of the user for presentation to said identified suppliers, and
provide functionality for the identified suppliers to contact the user regarding the expression of interest of the user. 20. The computer readable medium of claim 19, wherein the instructions to provide functionality for the identified suppliers to respond comprises instructions to provide functionality for identified suppliers to provide one or more of the following: an incentive type, a location, a good or service, an attribute of a good or service, or a proposed price. | Systems, methods, and apparatus for automatically generating offers for expressions of interest are disclosed. In one aspect, a computer system comprising a network interface, computer memory, a computer processor, and a computer readable storage medium that stores program instructions configured for execution by the computer processor receives an expression of interest from a user device operated by a user. The computer system further analyzes the expression of interest to extract one or more expression characteristics. The computer system further retrieves, from memory, consumer data associated with the user, external data associated with the expression of interest, and internal data associated with one or more past offers previously generated by the computer system. The computer further generates a suggested offered based on the one or more expression characteristics and the retrieved consumer data, external data, and internal data. The computer further transmits the suggested offer to the user device.1. A user-driven method for obtaining responses to expressions of interest, the method comprising:
by a computer system comprising computer hardware:
receiving expressions of interest from users, the expressions of interest comprising expression characteristics, each expression of interest being associated with more than one good or service;
organizing the expressions of interest based on the expression characteristics to produce aggregated expressions of interest;
determining relationships between the aggregated expressions of interest;
modifying an ontology based on the relationships such that the ontology is adapted to identify an intent of a user and one or more related intents that are related to the intent of the user based on an expression of interest of the user;
receiving the expression of interest from the user;
determining the intent of the user and at least one related intent of the user using the expression of interest of the user and the ontology;
identifying one or more entities associated with the intent of the user and one or more entities associated with the at least one related intent of the user, wherein the identified entities are capable of providing goods or services associated with the expression of interest of the user; and
programmatically presenting the intent of the user and the at least one related intent of the user to the identified one or more entities capable of providing goods or services associated with the expression of interest of the user. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the expressions of interest comprise at least one or more of the following: a desired transaction, an articulated demand, a proposal to provide information, goods, or services, a request for advice, or a search query. 3. A consumer-driven method for initiating transactions, the method comprising:
by a computer system comprising computer hardware:
receiving expressions of interest from consumers for one or more of a good, a service, a desire to engage in an activity, or a demand, the expressions of interest comprising a plurality of demand attributes, each expression of interest being associated with more than one good or service;
programmatically organizing the expressions of interest based on the demand attributes to produce aggregated expressions of interest determining relationships between the aggregated expressions of interest;
modifying an ontology based on the relationships such that the ontology is adapted to identify an intent of a user and one or more related intents that are related to the intent of the user based on an expression of interest of the user;
receiving the expression of interest from the user;
determining the intent of the user and at least one related intent of the user using the expression of interest of the user and the ontology;
identifying one or more suppliers associated with the intent of the user and the at least one related intent of the user, wherein the identified suppliers are capable of providing goods or services associated with the expression of interest of the user; and
enabling the identified suppliers to contact the user regarding the expression of interest of the user by at least performing the following:
outputting the expression of interest of the user for presentation to said identified suppliers; and
providing functionality for the identified suppliers to contact the user regarding the expression of interest of the user. 4. The method of claim 3, wherein said outputting comprises storing the expressions of interest in a memory location or supplying the expressions of interest to a minimum specified number of suppliers. 5. The method of claim 3, wherein the expressions of interest comprise requests for information or an incentive with respect to the good or service transaction. 6. The method of claim 5, wherein the requested incentive comprises at least one or more of the following: a positive incentive, a negative incentive, a discount, an option, a service item, preferential treatment, or points in a rewards program. 7. The method of claim 3, wherein the demand attributes comprise one or more of the following:
a time period in which the good or service is desired; a description of the good or service; a list of one or more preferred suppliers; a location of each of the consumers; a desired discount on the good or service; a desired price on the good or service; or a desired quantity of the good or service. 8. The method of claim 3, wherein said organizing comprises providing an application programming interface (API) or a software development kit (SDK) that enables suppliers to access the expressions of interest or providing a user interface for searching the expressions of interest. 9. The method of claim 3, further comprising:
receiving a response from the one or more suppliers; presenting the response to the consumers; and receiving acceptances from the consumers to consummate the good or service transaction. 10. The method of claim 3, wherein said providing functionality for the matched supplier's to respond comprises providing functionality for matched suppliers to provide one or more of the following: an incentive type, a location, a good or service, an attribute of a good or service, or a proposed price. 11. The method of claim 3, wherein said identifying one or more suppliers further comprises identifying related demand attributes and programmatically matching the related demand attributes with said one or more suppliers. 12. The method of claim 11, wherein the related demand attributes are one or more of semantically related, syntactically related, or lexicographically related to said demand attributes. 13. The method of claim 11, wherein said identifying one or more suppliers further comprises ranking said related demand attributes. 14. The method of claim 13, wherein said ranking is based upon a type of relationship between said demand attribute and said related demand attributes, and wherein said type of relationship comprises one or more of a statistical relationship, a semantic relationship, a syntactic relationship, a linguistic relationship, or a user-identified relationship. 15. The method of claim 3, further comprising receiving responses of one or more of the suppliers and sending the responses to the consumer. 16. The method of claim 15, further comprising ranking the responses, and wherein sending the responses comprises sending at least a portion of the ranked responses. 17. The method of claim 3, further comprising generating a suggested expression of interest based on the received expressions of interest. 18. The method of claim 17, wherein generating the suggested expression of interest comprises generating the suggested expression of interest based on knowledge and usage data associated with the received expressions of interest. 19. A computer-readable medium comprising specific executable instructions that when executed by a computing device comprising computer hardware cause the computing device to:
receive expressions of interest from consumers for one or more of a good, a service, a desire to engage in an activity, and a demand, the expressions of interest comprising a plurality of demand attributes, each expression of interest being associated with more than one good or service; programmatically organize the expressions of interest based on the demand attributes to produce aggregated expressions of interest determine relationships between the aggregated expressions of interest; modify an ontology based on the relationships such that the ontology is adapted to identify an intent of a user and one or more related intents that are related to the intent of the user based on an expression of interest of the user; receive the expression of interest from the user; determine the intent of the user and at least one related intent of the user using the expression of interest of the user and the ontology; identify one or more suppliers associated with the intent of the user and the at least one related intent of the user, wherein the identified suppliers are capable of providing goods or services associated with the expression of interest of the user; and enable the identified suppliers to contact the user regarding the expression of interest of the user by executing instructions that further cause said computing device to interest by at least performing the following:
output the expression of interest of the user for presentation to said identified suppliers, and
provide functionality for the identified suppliers to contact the user regarding the expression of interest of the user. 20. The computer readable medium of claim 19, wherein the instructions to provide functionality for the identified suppliers to respond comprises instructions to provide functionality for identified suppliers to provide one or more of the following: an incentive type, a location, a good or service, an attribute of a good or service, or a proposed price. | 3,600 |
12,630 | 12,630 | 13,156,597 | 3,681 | A network device in a customer premises network collects profile data for a client device of multiple client devices in the customer premises network and sends the client profile data to a remote provider network. The network device receives, from the remote provider network, a group of advertisement files for targeted advertising to the client device and stores, in a memory, the group of advertisement files. The network device detects an advertisement insertion cue in linear program content being streamed to the client device, selects an advertisement file from the stored group of advertisement files, and inserts the selected advertisement file into the linear program content being streamed to the client device. | 1. A method performed by a local network device in a customer premises network, comprising:
sending, by the local network device in the customer premises network and to a remote provider network, client profile data associated with a client device in the customer premises network; receiving, by the local network device and from the remote provider network, a group of advertisement files for targeted advertising based on the client profile data; storing, by the local network device, the group of advertisement files; receiving, by the local network device and from the client device, a selection of linear program content; detecting, by the local network device, an advertisement insertion cue in the linear program content; selecting, by the local network device and based on the advertisement insertion cue, an advertisement file from the stored group of advertisement files; inserting, by the local network device, the selected advertisement file into the linear program content at a time-slot corresponding to the advertisement insertion cue; and sending, by the local network device, the liner program content with the selected advertisement file to the client device. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein selecting the advertisement file from the stored group of advertisement files includes:
performing a round-robin selection process from the stored group of advertisement files, or selecting an advertisement based on one or more of a time of day or a type of content in the linear program content. 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the profile data includes channels viewed on the client device, programs viewed on the client device, viewing times for the client device, or user feedback to advertisements presented on the client device. 4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
receiving, by the local server and from the remote provider network, a mapped listing for the group of advertisement files; and requesting, by the local server and from the remote provider network, the group of advertisement files based on the mapped listing for the group of advertisement files. 5. The method of claim 1, wherein sending client profile data associated with the client device in the customer premises network, further includes sending client profile data associated with multiple client devices in the customer premises network, and
wherein receiving the group of advertisement files for targeted advertising based on the client profile data further includes receiving listings for different groups of advertisement files associated with different of the multiple client devices. 6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
collecting, from one of the client device or the local server, updated profile data for the client device; sending, to the remote provider network, the updated profile data; receiving, from the remote provider network, an updated group of advertisement files for targeted advertising based on the updated client profile data; storing, in a local memory, the updated group of advertisement files; detecting another advertisement insertion cue in the linear program content; selecting, based on the other advertisement insertion cue, another advertisement file from the stored updated group of advertisement files; inserting the selected other advertisement file into the linear program content at a time-slot corresponding to the other advertisement insertion cue; and sending, by the local server, the liner program content with the other selected advertisement file to the client device. 7. The method of claim 1, wherein storing the updated group of advertisement files further comprises:
overwriting, with the updated group of advertisement files, the group of advertisement files, or marking as not current particular stored advertising files that are not included in the updated group of advertisement files. 8. The method of claim 1, further comprising
associating a group of advertisement files with a particular profile, and generating a mapped listing for the group of advertisement files. 9. A network device, comprising:
a memory to store a plurality of instructions; and a processor configured to execute instructions in the memory to:
collect profile data for a client device of multiple client devices in a customer premises network,
send, to a remote provider network, the client profile data,
receive, from the remote provider network and based on the client profile data, a group of advertisement files for targeted advertising to the client device,
store, in the memory, the group of advertisement files,
detect an advertisement insertion cue in linear program content being streamed to the client device,
select, based on the advertisement insertion cue, an advertisement file from the stored group of advertisement files, and
insert the selected advertisement file into the linear program content being streamed to the client device. 10. The network device of claim 9, wherein the processor is further configured to:
receive, from the client device, a selection of linear program content; send the liner program content with the selected advertisement file to the client device. 11. The network device of claim 9, wherein, when selecting an advertisement file from the stored group of advertisement files, the processor is further configured to:
select the advertisement, from the stored group of advertisements, based on one or more of a time of day or a type of content in the linear program content. 12. The network device of claim 9, wherein, when selecting an advertisement file from the stored group of advertisement files, the processor is further configured to:
select the advertisement, from the stored group of advertisements, based on a round-robin selection process. 13. The network device of claim 9, wherein the profile data includes channels viewed on the client device, programs viewed on the client device, viewing times for the client device, or user feedback to advertisements presented on the client device. 14. The network device of claim 9, wherein the processor is further configured to:
receive, from the remote provider network, a mapped listing for the group of advertisement files; and request, from the remote provider network, the group of advertisement files based on the mapped listing for the group of advertisement files. 15. The network device of claim 9, wherein the processor is further configured to:
detect a different advertisement insertion cue the linear program content being streamed to the client device, select, based on the different advertisement insertion cue, another advertisement file from the stored group of advertisement files, and insert the selected advertisement file into the linear program content being streamed to the client device. 16. The network device of claim 9, wherein the processor is further configured to:
send the liner program content with the selected advertisement file to the client device, collect updated profile data for the client device, send, to the remote provider network, the updated profile data, receive, from the remote provider network, an updated group of advertisement files based on the updated client profile data, and store, in the local memory, the updated group of advertisement files. 17. A network, comprising:
a profile server configured to associate a profile with a group of advertising files; an advertising server configured to provide advertising files to customer devices; a local server for a group of client devices in a customer premises network, wherein the local server is configured to:
determine a profile for each client device of the group of client devices,
send, to the profile server, the collected profile for each client device,
receive, from the profile server and based on one of the collected profiles, a mapped listing of advertisement files for each client device of the group of client devices,
request, from the advertising server and based on the mapped listing of advertisement files, the advertisement files,
receiving, from the advertising server, the advertisement files;
detect an advertisement insertion cue in linear program content being streamed to one of the client devices of the group of client devices,
select, based on the advertisement insertion cue and the mapped listing of the advertisement files for the one of the client devices of the group of client devices, an advertisement file from the stored group of advertisement files, and
insert the selected advertisement file into the linear program content being streamed to the one of the client devices of the group of client devices. 18. The network of claim 17, wherein the profile server is further configured to:
generate, based on the collected profile for each client device, different mapped listings of advertisement files for each client device of the group of client devices. 19. The network of claim 18, wherein the different mapped listings of advertisement files include uniform resource locators (URLs) to access particular advertising files from the advertising server. 20. The network of claim 17, wherein the one of the client devices of the group of client devices includes a:
a set-top box a television, a laptop computer, a tablet computer, a personal computer, a game console, a personal communications system (PCS) terminal, a personal digital assistant (PDA), or a smartphone. | A network device in a customer premises network collects profile data for a client device of multiple client devices in the customer premises network and sends the client profile data to a remote provider network. The network device receives, from the remote provider network, a group of advertisement files for targeted advertising to the client device and stores, in a memory, the group of advertisement files. The network device detects an advertisement insertion cue in linear program content being streamed to the client device, selects an advertisement file from the stored group of advertisement files, and inserts the selected advertisement file into the linear program content being streamed to the client device.1. A method performed by a local network device in a customer premises network, comprising:
sending, by the local network device in the customer premises network and to a remote provider network, client profile data associated with a client device in the customer premises network; receiving, by the local network device and from the remote provider network, a group of advertisement files for targeted advertising based on the client profile data; storing, by the local network device, the group of advertisement files; receiving, by the local network device and from the client device, a selection of linear program content; detecting, by the local network device, an advertisement insertion cue in the linear program content; selecting, by the local network device and based on the advertisement insertion cue, an advertisement file from the stored group of advertisement files; inserting, by the local network device, the selected advertisement file into the linear program content at a time-slot corresponding to the advertisement insertion cue; and sending, by the local network device, the liner program content with the selected advertisement file to the client device. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein selecting the advertisement file from the stored group of advertisement files includes:
performing a round-robin selection process from the stored group of advertisement files, or selecting an advertisement based on one or more of a time of day or a type of content in the linear program content. 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the profile data includes channels viewed on the client device, programs viewed on the client device, viewing times for the client device, or user feedback to advertisements presented on the client device. 4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
receiving, by the local server and from the remote provider network, a mapped listing for the group of advertisement files; and requesting, by the local server and from the remote provider network, the group of advertisement files based on the mapped listing for the group of advertisement files. 5. The method of claim 1, wherein sending client profile data associated with the client device in the customer premises network, further includes sending client profile data associated with multiple client devices in the customer premises network, and
wherein receiving the group of advertisement files for targeted advertising based on the client profile data further includes receiving listings for different groups of advertisement files associated with different of the multiple client devices. 6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
collecting, from one of the client device or the local server, updated profile data for the client device; sending, to the remote provider network, the updated profile data; receiving, from the remote provider network, an updated group of advertisement files for targeted advertising based on the updated client profile data; storing, in a local memory, the updated group of advertisement files; detecting another advertisement insertion cue in the linear program content; selecting, based on the other advertisement insertion cue, another advertisement file from the stored updated group of advertisement files; inserting the selected other advertisement file into the linear program content at a time-slot corresponding to the other advertisement insertion cue; and sending, by the local server, the liner program content with the other selected advertisement file to the client device. 7. The method of claim 1, wherein storing the updated group of advertisement files further comprises:
overwriting, with the updated group of advertisement files, the group of advertisement files, or marking as not current particular stored advertising files that are not included in the updated group of advertisement files. 8. The method of claim 1, further comprising
associating a group of advertisement files with a particular profile, and generating a mapped listing for the group of advertisement files. 9. A network device, comprising:
a memory to store a plurality of instructions; and a processor configured to execute instructions in the memory to:
collect profile data for a client device of multiple client devices in a customer premises network,
send, to a remote provider network, the client profile data,
receive, from the remote provider network and based on the client profile data, a group of advertisement files for targeted advertising to the client device,
store, in the memory, the group of advertisement files,
detect an advertisement insertion cue in linear program content being streamed to the client device,
select, based on the advertisement insertion cue, an advertisement file from the stored group of advertisement files, and
insert the selected advertisement file into the linear program content being streamed to the client device. 10. The network device of claim 9, wherein the processor is further configured to:
receive, from the client device, a selection of linear program content; send the liner program content with the selected advertisement file to the client device. 11. The network device of claim 9, wherein, when selecting an advertisement file from the stored group of advertisement files, the processor is further configured to:
select the advertisement, from the stored group of advertisements, based on one or more of a time of day or a type of content in the linear program content. 12. The network device of claim 9, wherein, when selecting an advertisement file from the stored group of advertisement files, the processor is further configured to:
select the advertisement, from the stored group of advertisements, based on a round-robin selection process. 13. The network device of claim 9, wherein the profile data includes channels viewed on the client device, programs viewed on the client device, viewing times for the client device, or user feedback to advertisements presented on the client device. 14. The network device of claim 9, wherein the processor is further configured to:
receive, from the remote provider network, a mapped listing for the group of advertisement files; and request, from the remote provider network, the group of advertisement files based on the mapped listing for the group of advertisement files. 15. The network device of claim 9, wherein the processor is further configured to:
detect a different advertisement insertion cue the linear program content being streamed to the client device, select, based on the different advertisement insertion cue, another advertisement file from the stored group of advertisement files, and insert the selected advertisement file into the linear program content being streamed to the client device. 16. The network device of claim 9, wherein the processor is further configured to:
send the liner program content with the selected advertisement file to the client device, collect updated profile data for the client device, send, to the remote provider network, the updated profile data, receive, from the remote provider network, an updated group of advertisement files based on the updated client profile data, and store, in the local memory, the updated group of advertisement files. 17. A network, comprising:
a profile server configured to associate a profile with a group of advertising files; an advertising server configured to provide advertising files to customer devices; a local server for a group of client devices in a customer premises network, wherein the local server is configured to:
determine a profile for each client device of the group of client devices,
send, to the profile server, the collected profile for each client device,
receive, from the profile server and based on one of the collected profiles, a mapped listing of advertisement files for each client device of the group of client devices,
request, from the advertising server and based on the mapped listing of advertisement files, the advertisement files,
receiving, from the advertising server, the advertisement files;
detect an advertisement insertion cue in linear program content being streamed to one of the client devices of the group of client devices,
select, based on the advertisement insertion cue and the mapped listing of the advertisement files for the one of the client devices of the group of client devices, an advertisement file from the stored group of advertisement files, and
insert the selected advertisement file into the linear program content being streamed to the one of the client devices of the group of client devices. 18. The network of claim 17, wherein the profile server is further configured to:
generate, based on the collected profile for each client device, different mapped listings of advertisement files for each client device of the group of client devices. 19. The network of claim 18, wherein the different mapped listings of advertisement files include uniform resource locators (URLs) to access particular advertising files from the advertising server. 20. The network of claim 17, wherein the one of the client devices of the group of client devices includes a:
a set-top box a television, a laptop computer, a tablet computer, a personal computer, a game console, a personal communications system (PCS) terminal, a personal digital assistant (PDA), or a smartphone. | 3,600 |
12,631 | 12,631 | 14,259,198 | 3,665 | Embodiments are directed to obtaining data pertaining to at least: a rate of descent of an aircraft and a measured distance of the aircraft from at least one of an obstacle and the ground, processing, by a processing device, the data to obtain a flight envelope, generating a tactile cue corresponding to the flight envelope, and applying the tactile cue to an inceptor. | 1. A method comprising:
obtaining data pertaining to at least: a rate of descent of an aircraft and a measured distance of the aircraft from at least one of an obstacle and the ground; processing, by a processing device, the data to obtain a flight envelope; generating a tactile cue corresponding to the flight envelope; and applying the tactile cue to an inceptor. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the inceptor is associated with one or more flight controls. 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the tactile cue comprises at least one of a soft stop, a stick shaker, and a detent. 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the data further pertains to a measured weight of the aircraft. 5. The method of claim 1, wherein the data further pertains to at least one pilot command. 6. The method of claim 1, wherein the tactile cue is selected to encourage a pilot to operate the aircraft at an optimal point within the flight envelope. 7. The method of claim 6, wherein the optimal point within the flight envelope is selected to provide a soft landing of the aircraft. 8. An apparatus comprising:
at least one processor; and memory having instructions stored thereon that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to:
obtain data pertaining to at least: a rate of descent of an aircraft and a measured distance of the aircraft from at least one of an obstacle and the ground;
process the data to obtain a flight envelope;
generate a tactile cue corresponding to the flight envelope; and
apply the tactile cue to an inceptor. 9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the inceptor is associated with at least one of: a collective, a cyclic, and an anti-torque pedal. 10. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the tactile cue comprises at least one of a soft stop, a stick shaker, and a detent. 11. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the data further pertains to a measured weight of the aircraft. 12. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the data further pertains to at least one pilot command. 13. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the tactile cue is selected to encourage a pilot to operate the aircraft at an optimal point within the flight envelope. 14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the optimal point within the flight envelope is selected to provide a soft landing of the aircraft. 15. An aircraft comprising:
a first sensor configured to measure a distance of the aircraft from at least one of an object and the ground; a second sensor configured to measure a rate of descent of the aircraft; and a control system configured to:
process the measured distance and the measured rate of descent to obtain a flight envelope;
generate a tactile cue corresponding to the flight envelope; and
apply the tactile cue to an inceptor. 16. The aircraft of claim 15, further comprising:
a third sensor configured to measure a weight of the aircraft, wherein the control system is configured to process the measured weight in obtaining the flight envelope. 17. The aircraft of claim 15, wherein the inceptor is associated with at least one of: a collective, a cyclic, and an anti-torque pedal. 18. The aircraft of claim 15, wherein the tactile cue is selected to provide a soft landing of the aircraft. 19. A method comprising:
obtaining data pertaining to at least: a rate of descent of an aircraft and a measured distance of the aircraft from at least one of an obstacle and the ground; determining, by a processing device, that the data indicates that the rate of descent exceeds a first threshold based on the measured distance being less than a second threshold; and automating a landing of the aircraft based on the determination. | Embodiments are directed to obtaining data pertaining to at least: a rate of descent of an aircraft and a measured distance of the aircraft from at least one of an obstacle and the ground, processing, by a processing device, the data to obtain a flight envelope, generating a tactile cue corresponding to the flight envelope, and applying the tactile cue to an inceptor.1. A method comprising:
obtaining data pertaining to at least: a rate of descent of an aircraft and a measured distance of the aircraft from at least one of an obstacle and the ground; processing, by a processing device, the data to obtain a flight envelope; generating a tactile cue corresponding to the flight envelope; and applying the tactile cue to an inceptor. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the inceptor is associated with one or more flight controls. 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the tactile cue comprises at least one of a soft stop, a stick shaker, and a detent. 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the data further pertains to a measured weight of the aircraft. 5. The method of claim 1, wherein the data further pertains to at least one pilot command. 6. The method of claim 1, wherein the tactile cue is selected to encourage a pilot to operate the aircraft at an optimal point within the flight envelope. 7. The method of claim 6, wherein the optimal point within the flight envelope is selected to provide a soft landing of the aircraft. 8. An apparatus comprising:
at least one processor; and memory having instructions stored thereon that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to:
obtain data pertaining to at least: a rate of descent of an aircraft and a measured distance of the aircraft from at least one of an obstacle and the ground;
process the data to obtain a flight envelope;
generate a tactile cue corresponding to the flight envelope; and
apply the tactile cue to an inceptor. 9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the inceptor is associated with at least one of: a collective, a cyclic, and an anti-torque pedal. 10. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the tactile cue comprises at least one of a soft stop, a stick shaker, and a detent. 11. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the data further pertains to a measured weight of the aircraft. 12. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the data further pertains to at least one pilot command. 13. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the tactile cue is selected to encourage a pilot to operate the aircraft at an optimal point within the flight envelope. 14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the optimal point within the flight envelope is selected to provide a soft landing of the aircraft. 15. An aircraft comprising:
a first sensor configured to measure a distance of the aircraft from at least one of an object and the ground; a second sensor configured to measure a rate of descent of the aircraft; and a control system configured to:
process the measured distance and the measured rate of descent to obtain a flight envelope;
generate a tactile cue corresponding to the flight envelope; and
apply the tactile cue to an inceptor. 16. The aircraft of claim 15, further comprising:
a third sensor configured to measure a weight of the aircraft, wherein the control system is configured to process the measured weight in obtaining the flight envelope. 17. The aircraft of claim 15, wherein the inceptor is associated with at least one of: a collective, a cyclic, and an anti-torque pedal. 18. The aircraft of claim 15, wherein the tactile cue is selected to provide a soft landing of the aircraft. 19. A method comprising:
obtaining data pertaining to at least: a rate of descent of an aircraft and a measured distance of the aircraft from at least one of an obstacle and the ground; determining, by a processing device, that the data indicates that the rate of descent exceeds a first threshold based on the measured distance being less than a second threshold; and automating a landing of the aircraft based on the determination. | 3,600 |
12,632 | 12,632 | 14,056,246 | 3,683 | Techniques are disclosed for filtering and analyzing social network content so that consumer sentiment can be gauged more accurately and efficiently. In certain embodiments social network content can be filtered so that individual content items can be identified as comprising neutral, sentiment bearing, spam or foreign language content. Such filtering can be performed by marking certain features that are indicative of a particular type of content, and then using machine learning systems to classify individual content items based on the marked features. A portion of the filtered content, such as only the items containing sentiment bearing content, can then be subjected to sentiment analysis. The results of this sentiment analysis can be presented to a social network campaign manager via a sentiment browser interface, optionally with the underlying filtered content. This allows the campaign manager to easily view the results of the sentiment analysis with the filtered social network content. | 1. A computer-implemented content filtration method for analyzing and filtering content generated via an online social network, the method comprising:
receiving a plurality of social network content items from a social network server, wherein each of the plurality of content items can be characterized as one of a plurality of content types, the plurality of content types including sentiment bearing social network content and spam content; evaluating a particular one of the plurality of content items for applicability of a plurality of features; generating a feature vector corresponding to the particular content item, the feature vector providing a representation of a subset of the plurality of features which are evaluated as being applicable to the particular content item; selectively masking a feature included in the subset, wherein the masked feature is selected based on a correlation between the masked feature and a selected content type that is to be excluded through the content filtration method; and characterizing the particular content item as one of the plurality of content types based on unmasked features in the feature vector. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein:
receiving the plurality of social network content items from the social network server comprises selectively extracting the plurality of social network content items from a social network data repository hosted by the social network server; and the selective extraction is performed based on a user defined search criterion. 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of features includes presence of a sentiment word and presence of a spam pattern. 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the correlation between the masked feature and the selected content type that is to be excluded is based on a naïve Bayes probability distribution. 5. The method of claim 1, wherein the selected content type is selected from the group consisting of spam content and sentiment bearing content. 6. The method of claim 1, wherein:
the correlation between the masked feature and the selected content type that is to be excluded is based on a naïve Bayes probability distribution; and the particular content item is further characterized based on a prediction generated by a support vector machine learning model. 7. The method of claim 1, wherein:
the masked feature is a spelling ratio SR defined by
SR
=
number
of
correctly
spelled
words
in
the
particular
content
item
total
number
of
words
in
the
particular
content
item
;
and the selected content type is foreign language content. 8. The method of claim 1, wherein:
the masked feature is a spelling ratio SR that is less than 0.6 and that is defined by
SR
=
number
of
correctly
spelled
words
in
the
particular
content
item
total
number
of
words
in
the
particular
content
item
;
and the selected content type is foreign language content. 9. The method of claim 1, wherein the masked feature is correlated with spam content and the particular content item is characterized as sentiment bearing content. 10. A computer-implemented method for evaluating sentiment in content generated via an online social network, the method comprising:
receiving, from a social network server, a corpus of social network content that comprises a plurality of social network content items; filtering the received corpus of social network content to extract a plurality of sentiment bearing content items; and submitting the extracted sentiment bearing content items to both a sentiment engine and a sentiment browser, wherein the sentiment browser is configured to receive results of a sentiment analysis that is performed on the sentiment bearing content items by the sentiment engine. 11. The method of claim 10, wherein the received corpus of social network content is defined by a common characteristic selected from the group consisting of a keyword, a posting time and a posting geographical region. 12. The method of claim 10, wherein filtering the received corpus of social network content to extract the plurality of sentiment bearing content items further comprises applying multiple machine learning systems to the social network content items. 13. The method of claim 10, wherein the plurality of social network content items comprises a plurality of Twitter tweets. 14. The method of claim 10, wherein:
the received corpus of social network content is further filtered to extract a plurality of neutral content items; and the neutral content items are submitted to the sentiment engine with the sentiment bearing content items, but are not submitted to the sentiment browser. 15. The method of claim 10, further comprising:
filtering the received corpus of social network content to extract a foreign language content item; and submitting the foreign language content item to a foreign language sentiment engine, wherein the sentiment browser is further configured to receive results of a foreign language sentiment analysis that is performed on the foreign language content item. 16. The method of claim 10, further comprising displaying the results of the sentiment analysis and at least a portion of the extracted sentiment bearing content items in a user interface generated by the sentiment browser. 17. A social network content filtration system comprising:
a content parsing module configured to receive a plurality of social network content items from a social network server, wherein each of the plurality of content items can be correlated with one or more of a plurality of content types, the plurality of content types including sentiment bearing content and spam content; a feature marking module configured to generate a feature vector corresponding to a particular content item, the feature vector defining a plurality of features which are evaluated as being applicable to the particular content item, wherein the feature marking module is configured to mark features which indicate a distinction between sentiment bearing content and spam content; a probability estimation module configured to (a) selectively mask one of the plurality of features based on a correlation between the masked feature and spam content, and (b) characterize the particular content item as being correlated with sentiment bearing content based on unmasked features in the feature vector; and a sentiment browser configured to receive content items correlated with sentiment bearing content based on characterizations made by the probability estimation module. 18. The system of claim 17, wherein the probability estimation module is further configured to selectively mask multiple features based on a correlation between each of the masked multiple features and spam content. 19. The system of claim 17, wherein the feature marking module further comprises a foreign language feature marking sub-module configured to mark features indicative of foreign language content. 20. The system of claim 17, wherein:
selectively masking one of the plurality of features is further based on a naïve Bayes probability distribution; and the particular content item is further characterized based on a prediction generated by a support vector machine learning model. 21. A computer program product encoded with instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, causes a social network content filtration process to be carried out, the process comprising:
receiving, from a social network server, a plurality of social network content items; filtering the received social network content items to extract a subset of sentiment bearing content items; submitting the plurality of social network content items to a sentiment engine; receiving, from the sentiment engine, sentiment data corresponding to the plurality of social network content items; and providing the subset of sentiment bearing content items and the sentiment data to a sentiment browser that is configured to display the sentiment data and at least a portion of the subset of sentiment bearing content items in a user interface. 22. The computer program product of claim 21, the process further comprising filtering the received social network content items to remove spam content before submitting the plurality of social network content items to the sentiment engine. | Techniques are disclosed for filtering and analyzing social network content so that consumer sentiment can be gauged more accurately and efficiently. In certain embodiments social network content can be filtered so that individual content items can be identified as comprising neutral, sentiment bearing, spam or foreign language content. Such filtering can be performed by marking certain features that are indicative of a particular type of content, and then using machine learning systems to classify individual content items based on the marked features. A portion of the filtered content, such as only the items containing sentiment bearing content, can then be subjected to sentiment analysis. The results of this sentiment analysis can be presented to a social network campaign manager via a sentiment browser interface, optionally with the underlying filtered content. This allows the campaign manager to easily view the results of the sentiment analysis with the filtered social network content.1. A computer-implemented content filtration method for analyzing and filtering content generated via an online social network, the method comprising:
receiving a plurality of social network content items from a social network server, wherein each of the plurality of content items can be characterized as one of a plurality of content types, the plurality of content types including sentiment bearing social network content and spam content; evaluating a particular one of the plurality of content items for applicability of a plurality of features; generating a feature vector corresponding to the particular content item, the feature vector providing a representation of a subset of the plurality of features which are evaluated as being applicable to the particular content item; selectively masking a feature included in the subset, wherein the masked feature is selected based on a correlation between the masked feature and a selected content type that is to be excluded through the content filtration method; and characterizing the particular content item as one of the plurality of content types based on unmasked features in the feature vector. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein:
receiving the plurality of social network content items from the social network server comprises selectively extracting the plurality of social network content items from a social network data repository hosted by the social network server; and the selective extraction is performed based on a user defined search criterion. 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of features includes presence of a sentiment word and presence of a spam pattern. 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the correlation between the masked feature and the selected content type that is to be excluded is based on a naïve Bayes probability distribution. 5. The method of claim 1, wherein the selected content type is selected from the group consisting of spam content and sentiment bearing content. 6. The method of claim 1, wherein:
the correlation between the masked feature and the selected content type that is to be excluded is based on a naïve Bayes probability distribution; and the particular content item is further characterized based on a prediction generated by a support vector machine learning model. 7. The method of claim 1, wherein:
the masked feature is a spelling ratio SR defined by
SR
=
number
of
correctly
spelled
words
in
the
particular
content
item
total
number
of
words
in
the
particular
content
item
;
and the selected content type is foreign language content. 8. The method of claim 1, wherein:
the masked feature is a spelling ratio SR that is less than 0.6 and that is defined by
SR
=
number
of
correctly
spelled
words
in
the
particular
content
item
total
number
of
words
in
the
particular
content
item
;
and the selected content type is foreign language content. 9. The method of claim 1, wherein the masked feature is correlated with spam content and the particular content item is characterized as sentiment bearing content. 10. A computer-implemented method for evaluating sentiment in content generated via an online social network, the method comprising:
receiving, from a social network server, a corpus of social network content that comprises a plurality of social network content items; filtering the received corpus of social network content to extract a plurality of sentiment bearing content items; and submitting the extracted sentiment bearing content items to both a sentiment engine and a sentiment browser, wherein the sentiment browser is configured to receive results of a sentiment analysis that is performed on the sentiment bearing content items by the sentiment engine. 11. The method of claim 10, wherein the received corpus of social network content is defined by a common characteristic selected from the group consisting of a keyword, a posting time and a posting geographical region. 12. The method of claim 10, wherein filtering the received corpus of social network content to extract the plurality of sentiment bearing content items further comprises applying multiple machine learning systems to the social network content items. 13. The method of claim 10, wherein the plurality of social network content items comprises a plurality of Twitter tweets. 14. The method of claim 10, wherein:
the received corpus of social network content is further filtered to extract a plurality of neutral content items; and the neutral content items are submitted to the sentiment engine with the sentiment bearing content items, but are not submitted to the sentiment browser. 15. The method of claim 10, further comprising:
filtering the received corpus of social network content to extract a foreign language content item; and submitting the foreign language content item to a foreign language sentiment engine, wherein the sentiment browser is further configured to receive results of a foreign language sentiment analysis that is performed on the foreign language content item. 16. The method of claim 10, further comprising displaying the results of the sentiment analysis and at least a portion of the extracted sentiment bearing content items in a user interface generated by the sentiment browser. 17. A social network content filtration system comprising:
a content parsing module configured to receive a plurality of social network content items from a social network server, wherein each of the plurality of content items can be correlated with one or more of a plurality of content types, the plurality of content types including sentiment bearing content and spam content; a feature marking module configured to generate a feature vector corresponding to a particular content item, the feature vector defining a plurality of features which are evaluated as being applicable to the particular content item, wherein the feature marking module is configured to mark features which indicate a distinction between sentiment bearing content and spam content; a probability estimation module configured to (a) selectively mask one of the plurality of features based on a correlation between the masked feature and spam content, and (b) characterize the particular content item as being correlated with sentiment bearing content based on unmasked features in the feature vector; and a sentiment browser configured to receive content items correlated with sentiment bearing content based on characterizations made by the probability estimation module. 18. The system of claim 17, wherein the probability estimation module is further configured to selectively mask multiple features based on a correlation between each of the masked multiple features and spam content. 19. The system of claim 17, wherein the feature marking module further comprises a foreign language feature marking sub-module configured to mark features indicative of foreign language content. 20. The system of claim 17, wherein:
selectively masking one of the plurality of features is further based on a naïve Bayes probability distribution; and the particular content item is further characterized based on a prediction generated by a support vector machine learning model. 21. A computer program product encoded with instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, causes a social network content filtration process to be carried out, the process comprising:
receiving, from a social network server, a plurality of social network content items; filtering the received social network content items to extract a subset of sentiment bearing content items; submitting the plurality of social network content items to a sentiment engine; receiving, from the sentiment engine, sentiment data corresponding to the plurality of social network content items; and providing the subset of sentiment bearing content items and the sentiment data to a sentiment browser that is configured to display the sentiment data and at least a portion of the subset of sentiment bearing content items in a user interface. 22. The computer program product of claim 21, the process further comprising filtering the received social network content items to remove spam content before submitting the plurality of social network content items to the sentiment engine. | 3,600 |
12,633 | 12,633 | 14,206,502 | 3,628 | A system and method for automated reservation management are provided. For example, automated reservation management may comprise predicting the need for a next service event for a user and a date and time during which the user and a vendor are available for the next service event, providing information related to a potential reservation for the next service event to the user, including the reservation on the calendars of the user and the vendor responsive to acceptance of the reservation from the user, and/or associating payment information with the reservation. | 1. A system for facilitating booking of service events based on amounts of time between previous service events, the system comprising:
one or more physical processors programmed to execute one or more computer program instructions which, when executed, cause the one or more physical processors to:
determine amounts of time between previous service events of a first service event type that were scheduled for a user, wherein the amounts of time comprise (i) a first amount of time between a first previous service event of the first service event type that was scheduled for the user and a second previous service event of the first service event type that was scheduled for the user and (ii) a second amount of time between the second previous service event and a third previous service event of the first service event type that was scheduled for the user;
determine a time interval between service events of the first service event type based on (i) the first amount of time and (ii) the second amount of time;
predict a need for a first service event of the first service event type for the user based on (i) the time interval and (ii) at least one of a date of a previous service event of the first service event type that was scheduled for the user or a time of the previous service event;
determine scheduling information for the first service event based on a first calendar associated with the user and a second calendar associated with a vendor that provides service events of the first service event type, wherein the scheduling information comprises at least one of a first date for the first service event or a first time for the first service event;
determine a reservation for the first service event based on the need prediction and the scheduling information;
provide, to the user, a request to accept the reservation; and
provide, based on the user accepting the reservation, a confirmation of the reservation to the user and the vendor. 2. The system of claim 1, wherein providing the confirmation comprises adding information about the reservation to the first calendar and the second calendar. 3. The system of claim 1, wherein determining the time interval comprises determining an average amount of time between previous service events of the first service event type that were scheduled for the user based on the first amount of time and the second amount of time, and
wherein predicting the need comprises predicting the need for the first service event for the user based on (i) the average amount of time and (ii) at least one of the date of the previous service event or the time of the previous service event. 4. The system of claim 1, wherein the first calendar indicates a set of vendors that provided one or more previous service events for the user, and wherein the one or more physical processors are further cause to:
select the vendor to provide the service event for the user based on the set of vendors and feedback of the user regarding the one or more previous service events. 5. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more physical processors are further caused to:
predict a second need for a first group service event of a second service event type for a group of users; determine second scheduling information for the first group service event, wherein the scheduling information comprises at least one of a date for the first group service event or a time for the first group service event; determine a second reservation for the first group service event based on the second need prediction and the second scheduling information; provide, to respective users of the user group, a request to accept the second reservation; provide, based on a first user of the user group accepting the second reservation, a notification to other users of the user group regarding the first user accepting the second reservation; provide, based on a second user of the user group accepting the second reservation, a notification to other users of the user group regarding the second user accepting the second reservation; determine, after the first and second users have accepted the second reservation, whether a number of users of the user group that has accepted the second reservation satisfies a predetermined threshold number of users; and provide a confirmation of the second reservation to respective users of the user group and the vendor based a determination that the number of users that has accept the second reservation satisfies the predetermined threshold number of users. 6. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more physical processors are further caused to:
associate payment information with the reservation; and execute payment for the first service event based on the payment information. 7. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more physical processors are further caused to:
select the vendor as a candidate for providing the first service event to the user; and determine whether a first personnel of the vendor is a personnel preferred by the user for providing a service event to the user, wherein determining the scheduling information comprises:
determining, based on the first calendar, a plurality of available dates or times of the user for the first service event; and
responsive to the first personnel being responsive to the first personnel being a personnel preferred by the user for providing a service event to the user: (1) determining, based on the second calendar, a plurality of available date or times of the first personnel for providing the first service event to the user; and (2) determining the scheduling information for the first service event based on the plurality of available dates or times of the user and the plurality of available dates or times of the first personnel. 8. The system of claim 7, wherein selecting the vendor comprises selecting, based on the first personnel being a personnel preferred by the user for providing a service event to the user, the vendor as a candidate for providing the first service event to the user. 9. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more physical processors are further caused to:
receive, from the user, feedback related to the first service event; associate the feedback with the vendor; add the vendor to a list of preferred vendors based on the feedback; and determine a vendor for a next service event of the first service event type from the list of preferred vendors. 10. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more physical processors are further caused to:
receive, from the user, feedback related to the first service event; associate the feedback with the vendor; and remove the vendor from a list of preferred vendors based on the feedback. 11. A method for facilitating booking of service events based on amounts of time between previous service events, the method being implemented in a computer system comprising one or more physical processors executing one or more computer program instructions which, when executed, perform the method, the method comprising:
determining, by the one or more physical processors, amounts of time between previous service events of a first service event type that were scheduled for a user, wherein the amounts of time comprise (i) a first amount of time between a first previous service event of the first service event type that was scheduled for the user and a second previous service event of the first service event type that was scheduled for the user and (ii) a second amount of time between the second previous service event and a third previous service event of the first service event type that was scheduled for the user; determining, by the one or more physical processors, a time interval between service events of the first service event type based on (i) the first amount of time and (ii) the second amount of time; predicting, by the one or more physical processors, a need for a first service event of the first service event type for the user based on (i) the time interval and (ii) at least one of a date of a previous service event of the first service event type that was scheduled for the user or a time of the previous service event; determining, by the one or more physical processors, scheduling information for the first service event based on a first calendar associated with the user and a second calendar associated with a vendor that provides service events of the first service event type, wherein the scheduling information comprises at least one of a first date for the first service event or a first time for the first service event; determining, by the one or more physical processors, a reservation for the first service event based on the need prediction and the scheduling information; providing, by the one or more physical processors, to the user, a request to accept the reservation; and providing, by the one or more physical processors, based on the user accepting the reservation, a confirmation of the reservation to the user and the vendor. 12. The method of claim 11, wherein providing the confirmation comprises adding information about the reservation to the first calendar and the second calendar. 13. The method of claim 11, wherein determining the time interval comprises determining an average amount of time between previous service events of the first service event type that were scheduled for the user based on the first amount of time and the second amount of time, and
wherein predicting the need comprises predicting the need for the first service event for the user based on (i) the average amount of time and (ii) at least one of the date of the previous service event or the time of the previous service event. 14. The method of claim 11, wherein the first calendar indicates a set of vendors that provided one or more previous service events for the user, the method further comprising:
selecting, by the one or more physical processors, the vendor to provide the service event for the user based on the set of vendors and feedback of the user regarding the one or more previous service events. 15. The method of claim 11, further comprising:
predicting, by the one or more physical processors, a second need for a first group service event of a second service event type for a group of users; determining, by the one or more physical processors, second scheduling information for the first group service event, wherein the scheduling information comprises at least one of a date for the first group service event or a time for the first group service event; determining, by the one or more physical processors, a second reservation for the first group service event based on the second need prediction and the second scheduling information; providing, by the one or more physical processors, to respective users of the user group, a request to accept the second reservation; providing, by the one or more physical processors, based on a first user of the user group accepting the second reservation, a notification to other users of the user group regarding the first user accepting the second reservation; providing, by the one or more physical processors, based on a second user of the user group accepting the second reservation, a notification to other users of the user group regarding the second user accepting the second reservation; determining, by the one or more physical processors, after the first and second users have accepted the second reservation, whether a number of users of the user group that has accepted the second reservation satisfies a predetermined threshold number of users; and providing, by the one or more physical processors, a confirmation of the second reservation to respective users of the user group and the vendor based a determination that the number of users that has accept the second reservation satisfies the predetermined threshold number of users. 16. The method of claim 11, further comprising:
associating, by the one or more physical processors, payment information with the reservation; and executing, by the one or more physical processors, payment for the first service event based on the payment information. 17. The method of claim 11, further comprising:
selecting, by the one or more physical processors, the vendor as a candidate for providing the first service event to the user; and determining, by the one or more physical processors, whether a first personnel of the vendor is a personnel preferred by the user for providing a service event to the user, wherein determining the scheduling information comprises:
determining, based on the first calendar, a plurality of available dates or times of the user for the first service event; and
responsive to the first personnel being responsive to the first personnel being a personnel preferred by the user for providing a service event to the user: (1) determining, based on the second calendar, a plurality of available date or times of the first personnel for providing the first service event to the user; and (2) determining the scheduling information for the first service event based on the plurality of available dates or times of the user and the plurality of available dates or times of the first personnel. 18. The method of claim 17, wherein selecting the vendor comprises selecting, based on the first personnel being a personnel preferred by the user for providing a service event to the user, the vendor as a candidate for providing the first service event to the user. 19. The method of claim 11, further comprising:
receiving, at the one or more physical processors, from the user, feedback related to the first service event; associating, by the one or more physical processors, the feedback with the vendor; adding, by the one or more physical processors, the vendor to a list of preferred vendors based on the feedback; and determining, by the one or more physical processors, a vendor for a next service event of the first service event type from the list of preferred vendors. 20. The method of claim 11, further comprising:
receiving, at the one or more physical processors, from the user, feedback related to the first service event; associating, by the one or more physical processors, the feedback with the vendor; and removing, by the one or more physical processors, the vendor from a list of preferred vendors based on the feedback. 21-30. (canceled) | A system and method for automated reservation management are provided. For example, automated reservation management may comprise predicting the need for a next service event for a user and a date and time during which the user and a vendor are available for the next service event, providing information related to a potential reservation for the next service event to the user, including the reservation on the calendars of the user and the vendor responsive to acceptance of the reservation from the user, and/or associating payment information with the reservation.1. A system for facilitating booking of service events based on amounts of time between previous service events, the system comprising:
one or more physical processors programmed to execute one or more computer program instructions which, when executed, cause the one or more physical processors to:
determine amounts of time between previous service events of a first service event type that were scheduled for a user, wherein the amounts of time comprise (i) a first amount of time between a first previous service event of the first service event type that was scheduled for the user and a second previous service event of the first service event type that was scheduled for the user and (ii) a second amount of time between the second previous service event and a third previous service event of the first service event type that was scheduled for the user;
determine a time interval between service events of the first service event type based on (i) the first amount of time and (ii) the second amount of time;
predict a need for a first service event of the first service event type for the user based on (i) the time interval and (ii) at least one of a date of a previous service event of the first service event type that was scheduled for the user or a time of the previous service event;
determine scheduling information for the first service event based on a first calendar associated with the user and a second calendar associated with a vendor that provides service events of the first service event type, wherein the scheduling information comprises at least one of a first date for the first service event or a first time for the first service event;
determine a reservation for the first service event based on the need prediction and the scheduling information;
provide, to the user, a request to accept the reservation; and
provide, based on the user accepting the reservation, a confirmation of the reservation to the user and the vendor. 2. The system of claim 1, wherein providing the confirmation comprises adding information about the reservation to the first calendar and the second calendar. 3. The system of claim 1, wherein determining the time interval comprises determining an average amount of time between previous service events of the first service event type that were scheduled for the user based on the first amount of time and the second amount of time, and
wherein predicting the need comprises predicting the need for the first service event for the user based on (i) the average amount of time and (ii) at least one of the date of the previous service event or the time of the previous service event. 4. The system of claim 1, wherein the first calendar indicates a set of vendors that provided one or more previous service events for the user, and wherein the one or more physical processors are further cause to:
select the vendor to provide the service event for the user based on the set of vendors and feedback of the user regarding the one or more previous service events. 5. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more physical processors are further caused to:
predict a second need for a first group service event of a second service event type for a group of users; determine second scheduling information for the first group service event, wherein the scheduling information comprises at least one of a date for the first group service event or a time for the first group service event; determine a second reservation for the first group service event based on the second need prediction and the second scheduling information; provide, to respective users of the user group, a request to accept the second reservation; provide, based on a first user of the user group accepting the second reservation, a notification to other users of the user group regarding the first user accepting the second reservation; provide, based on a second user of the user group accepting the second reservation, a notification to other users of the user group regarding the second user accepting the second reservation; determine, after the first and second users have accepted the second reservation, whether a number of users of the user group that has accepted the second reservation satisfies a predetermined threshold number of users; and provide a confirmation of the second reservation to respective users of the user group and the vendor based a determination that the number of users that has accept the second reservation satisfies the predetermined threshold number of users. 6. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more physical processors are further caused to:
associate payment information with the reservation; and execute payment for the first service event based on the payment information. 7. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more physical processors are further caused to:
select the vendor as a candidate for providing the first service event to the user; and determine whether a first personnel of the vendor is a personnel preferred by the user for providing a service event to the user, wherein determining the scheduling information comprises:
determining, based on the first calendar, a plurality of available dates or times of the user for the first service event; and
responsive to the first personnel being responsive to the first personnel being a personnel preferred by the user for providing a service event to the user: (1) determining, based on the second calendar, a plurality of available date or times of the first personnel for providing the first service event to the user; and (2) determining the scheduling information for the first service event based on the plurality of available dates or times of the user and the plurality of available dates or times of the first personnel. 8. The system of claim 7, wherein selecting the vendor comprises selecting, based on the first personnel being a personnel preferred by the user for providing a service event to the user, the vendor as a candidate for providing the first service event to the user. 9. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more physical processors are further caused to:
receive, from the user, feedback related to the first service event; associate the feedback with the vendor; add the vendor to a list of preferred vendors based on the feedback; and determine a vendor for a next service event of the first service event type from the list of preferred vendors. 10. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more physical processors are further caused to:
receive, from the user, feedback related to the first service event; associate the feedback with the vendor; and remove the vendor from a list of preferred vendors based on the feedback. 11. A method for facilitating booking of service events based on amounts of time between previous service events, the method being implemented in a computer system comprising one or more physical processors executing one or more computer program instructions which, when executed, perform the method, the method comprising:
determining, by the one or more physical processors, amounts of time between previous service events of a first service event type that were scheduled for a user, wherein the amounts of time comprise (i) a first amount of time between a first previous service event of the first service event type that was scheduled for the user and a second previous service event of the first service event type that was scheduled for the user and (ii) a second amount of time between the second previous service event and a third previous service event of the first service event type that was scheduled for the user; determining, by the one or more physical processors, a time interval between service events of the first service event type based on (i) the first amount of time and (ii) the second amount of time; predicting, by the one or more physical processors, a need for a first service event of the first service event type for the user based on (i) the time interval and (ii) at least one of a date of a previous service event of the first service event type that was scheduled for the user or a time of the previous service event; determining, by the one or more physical processors, scheduling information for the first service event based on a first calendar associated with the user and a second calendar associated with a vendor that provides service events of the first service event type, wherein the scheduling information comprises at least one of a first date for the first service event or a first time for the first service event; determining, by the one or more physical processors, a reservation for the first service event based on the need prediction and the scheduling information; providing, by the one or more physical processors, to the user, a request to accept the reservation; and providing, by the one or more physical processors, based on the user accepting the reservation, a confirmation of the reservation to the user and the vendor. 12. The method of claim 11, wherein providing the confirmation comprises adding information about the reservation to the first calendar and the second calendar. 13. The method of claim 11, wherein determining the time interval comprises determining an average amount of time between previous service events of the first service event type that were scheduled for the user based on the first amount of time and the second amount of time, and
wherein predicting the need comprises predicting the need for the first service event for the user based on (i) the average amount of time and (ii) at least one of the date of the previous service event or the time of the previous service event. 14. The method of claim 11, wherein the first calendar indicates a set of vendors that provided one or more previous service events for the user, the method further comprising:
selecting, by the one or more physical processors, the vendor to provide the service event for the user based on the set of vendors and feedback of the user regarding the one or more previous service events. 15. The method of claim 11, further comprising:
predicting, by the one or more physical processors, a second need for a first group service event of a second service event type for a group of users; determining, by the one or more physical processors, second scheduling information for the first group service event, wherein the scheduling information comprises at least one of a date for the first group service event or a time for the first group service event; determining, by the one or more physical processors, a second reservation for the first group service event based on the second need prediction and the second scheduling information; providing, by the one or more physical processors, to respective users of the user group, a request to accept the second reservation; providing, by the one or more physical processors, based on a first user of the user group accepting the second reservation, a notification to other users of the user group regarding the first user accepting the second reservation; providing, by the one or more physical processors, based on a second user of the user group accepting the second reservation, a notification to other users of the user group regarding the second user accepting the second reservation; determining, by the one or more physical processors, after the first and second users have accepted the second reservation, whether a number of users of the user group that has accepted the second reservation satisfies a predetermined threshold number of users; and providing, by the one or more physical processors, a confirmation of the second reservation to respective users of the user group and the vendor based a determination that the number of users that has accept the second reservation satisfies the predetermined threshold number of users. 16. The method of claim 11, further comprising:
associating, by the one or more physical processors, payment information with the reservation; and executing, by the one or more physical processors, payment for the first service event based on the payment information. 17. The method of claim 11, further comprising:
selecting, by the one or more physical processors, the vendor as a candidate for providing the first service event to the user; and determining, by the one or more physical processors, whether a first personnel of the vendor is a personnel preferred by the user for providing a service event to the user, wherein determining the scheduling information comprises:
determining, based on the first calendar, a plurality of available dates or times of the user for the first service event; and
responsive to the first personnel being responsive to the first personnel being a personnel preferred by the user for providing a service event to the user: (1) determining, based on the second calendar, a plurality of available date or times of the first personnel for providing the first service event to the user; and (2) determining the scheduling information for the first service event based on the plurality of available dates or times of the user and the plurality of available dates or times of the first personnel. 18. The method of claim 17, wherein selecting the vendor comprises selecting, based on the first personnel being a personnel preferred by the user for providing a service event to the user, the vendor as a candidate for providing the first service event to the user. 19. The method of claim 11, further comprising:
receiving, at the one or more physical processors, from the user, feedback related to the first service event; associating, by the one or more physical processors, the feedback with the vendor; adding, by the one or more physical processors, the vendor to a list of preferred vendors based on the feedback; and determining, by the one or more physical processors, a vendor for a next service event of the first service event type from the list of preferred vendors. 20. The method of claim 11, further comprising:
receiving, at the one or more physical processors, from the user, feedback related to the first service event; associating, by the one or more physical processors, the feedback with the vendor; and removing, by the one or more physical processors, the vendor from a list of preferred vendors based on the feedback. 21-30. (canceled) | 3,600 |
12,634 | 12,634 | 14,183,041 | 3,693 | A system for online securitization of illiquid assets is disclosed. The system includes a physical storage media storing instructions for administering online securitization of illiquid assets and a processor. The processor is configured to execute the instructions for performing a method of receiving, over a network and from an owner of an illiquid asset, information relating to the illiquid asset. The processor is further configured for analyzing the information relating to the illiquid asset; securitizing the illiquid asset; generating an offer for purchasing an interest in the illiquid asset. The processor is further configured for transmitting the offer to an investor over the network; receiving payment from the investor, the payment being provided in consideration for the interest in the illiquid asset; and executing a transaction to transfer the interest in the illiquid asset to the investor. | 1.-26. (canceled) 27. A computer-implemented method for evaluating demand for divided interests in real property, the method comprising:
receiving, over a network and from an owner or agent of the real property, information relating to the real property; using a processor to process at least a portion of the information relating to the real property to generate electronic promotional material including (i) a visual representation of the real property; (ii) the location of the real property; and (iii) a proposed development plan for improving the real property; using a processor to process at least a portion of the information relating to the real property to generate a request for expressions of interest in purchasing a partial share in or unit of an entity that holds an interest in the real property; and transmitting the request for expressions of interest to an investor or potential investor over the network. 28. The computer-implemented method of claim 27, further comprising:
receiving, from each of a plurality of investors or potential investors, an expression of interest in purchasing a partial share in or unit of an entity that holds an interest in the real property; and estimating, based on the received expressions, one or more of: an amount of money that can be raised from the investors or potential investors; a price of purchasing the partial share in or unit of the entity that holds an interest in the real property, the price being a function of the financial value of the real property; and a characteristic of the investor demand. 29. The computer-implemented method of claim 27, wherein generating electronic promotional material further comprises generating electronic promotional material including a proposed or projected rate of return to be paid. 30. The computer-implemented method of claim 27, further comprising:
receiving, from each of a plurality of investors or potential investors in the real property, an expression of interest in investing through quantitative and qualitative demand indicators, before or while the owner or agent undergoes online securitization or makes a public offer of a security. 31. The computer-implemented method of claim 27, further comprising:
using a processor to process at least a portion of the information relating to the real property to generate an offer for purchasing a partial share in or unit of an entity that holds an interest in the real property, the offer including (i) a disclosure of risks of investing in the real property; (ii) a disclosure of a financial condition of the real property; (iii) a price of purchasing the partial share in or unit of the entity that holds an interest in the real property, the price being a function of the financial value; receiving, over the network, payment from the investor or potential investor, the payment being provided in consideration for the partial share in or unit of the entity holding the interest in the real property; and executing a transaction to transfer to the investor or potential investor the partial share in or unit of the entity holding the interest in the real property. 32. The computer-implemented method of claim 27, further comprising:
performing underwriting analysis, or rating or checking the real property for risk factors or certain financial information. 33. The computer-implemented method of claim 27, wherein the information includes one or more of a property address, owner name, total debt, total equity, zoning information, tenant and lease information, biographies, market information, and cash flow information. 34. The computer-implemented method of claim 31, further comprising submitting S-11 or S-1 public disclosure documents, Reg-A documents, or internal compliance documents, to a regulatory agency, over the network, prior to or with execution of the transaction. 35. The computer-implemented method of claim 31, further comprising processing over the network S-11 or S-1 public disclosure documents, Reg-A documents, or regulatory compliance documents, prior to or with execution of the transaction. 36. The computer-implemented method of claim 27, wherein the entity is a corporation, a limited liability corporation, or a real estate investment trust. 37. The computer-implemented method of claim 27, wherein the development plan for improving the real property includes a proposed development budget for management of the real property. 38. The computer-implemented method of claim 31, further comprising receiving electronic signatures from the investor and the owner or agent before execution of the transaction. 39. The computer-implemented method of claim 27, further comprising, enabling owners and investors or potential investors to create online profiles that can be viewed by other owners and investors or potential investors, the online profiles including one or more of: ownership information, demographic information, and personal interest information. 40. A system for evaluating demand for divided interests in real property, the system comprising:
a physical storage media storing instructions for online transactions of divided interests in real property; and a processor configured for: receiving, over a network and from an owner or agent of the real property, information relating to the real property; processing at least a portion of the information relating to the real property to generate electronic promotional material including (i) a visual representation of the real property; (ii) the location of the real property; and (iii) a proposed development plan for improving the real property; processing at least a portion of the information relating to the real property to generate a request for expressions of interest in purchasing a partial share in or unit of an entity that holds an interest in the real property; and transmitting the request for expressions of interest to an investor or potential investor over the network. 41. The system of claim 40, wherein the processor is further configured for:
receiving, from each of a plurality of investors or potential investors, an expression of interest in purchasing a partial share in or unit of an entity that holds an interest in the real property; and estimating, based on the received expressions, one or more of: an amount of money that can be raised from the investors or potential investors; a price of purchasing the partial share in or unit of the entity that holds an interest in the real property, the price being a function of the financial value of the real property; and a characteristic of the investor demand. 42. The system of claim 40, wherein generating electronic promotional material further comprises generating electronic promotional material including a proposed or projected rate of return to be paid. 43. The system of claim 40, wherein the processor is further configured for:
receiving, from each of a plurality of investors or potential investors in the real property, an expression of interest in investing through quantitative and qualitative demand indicators, before or while the owner or agent undergoes online securitization or makes a public offer of a security. 44. The system of claim 40, wherein the processor is further configured for:
processing at least a portion of the information relating to the real property to generate an offer for purchasing a partial share in or unit of an entity that holds an interest in the real property, the offer including (i) a disclosure of risks of investing in the real property; (ii) a disclosure of a financial condition of the real property; (iii) a price of purchasing the partial share in or unit of the entity that holds an interest in the real property, the price being a function of the financial value; receiving, over the network, payment from the investor or potential investor, the payment being provided in consideration for the partial share in or unit of the entity holding the interest in the real property; and executing a transaction to transfer to the investor or potential investor the partial share in or unit of the entity holding the interest in the real property. 45. The system of claim 40, wherein the processor is further configured for:
performing underwriting analysis, or rating or checking the real property for risk factors or certain financial information. 46. A non-transitory, computer-readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform a method of evaluating demand for divided interests in real property, the method comprising:
receiving, over a network and from an owner or agent of the real property, information relating to the real property; using a processor to process at least a portion of the information relating to the real property to generate electronic promotional material including (i) a visual representation of the real property; (ii) the location of the real property; and (iii) a proposed development plan for improving the real property; using a processor to process at least a portion of the information relating to the real property to generate a request for expressions of interest in purchasing a partial share in or unit of an entity that holds an interest in the real property; and transmitting the request for expressions of interest to an investor or potential investor over the network. | A system for online securitization of illiquid assets is disclosed. The system includes a physical storage media storing instructions for administering online securitization of illiquid assets and a processor. The processor is configured to execute the instructions for performing a method of receiving, over a network and from an owner of an illiquid asset, information relating to the illiquid asset. The processor is further configured for analyzing the information relating to the illiquid asset; securitizing the illiquid asset; generating an offer for purchasing an interest in the illiquid asset. The processor is further configured for transmitting the offer to an investor over the network; receiving payment from the investor, the payment being provided in consideration for the interest in the illiquid asset; and executing a transaction to transfer the interest in the illiquid asset to the investor.1.-26. (canceled) 27. A computer-implemented method for evaluating demand for divided interests in real property, the method comprising:
receiving, over a network and from an owner or agent of the real property, information relating to the real property; using a processor to process at least a portion of the information relating to the real property to generate electronic promotional material including (i) a visual representation of the real property; (ii) the location of the real property; and (iii) a proposed development plan for improving the real property; using a processor to process at least a portion of the information relating to the real property to generate a request for expressions of interest in purchasing a partial share in or unit of an entity that holds an interest in the real property; and transmitting the request for expressions of interest to an investor or potential investor over the network. 28. The computer-implemented method of claim 27, further comprising:
receiving, from each of a plurality of investors or potential investors, an expression of interest in purchasing a partial share in or unit of an entity that holds an interest in the real property; and estimating, based on the received expressions, one or more of: an amount of money that can be raised from the investors or potential investors; a price of purchasing the partial share in or unit of the entity that holds an interest in the real property, the price being a function of the financial value of the real property; and a characteristic of the investor demand. 29. The computer-implemented method of claim 27, wherein generating electronic promotional material further comprises generating electronic promotional material including a proposed or projected rate of return to be paid. 30. The computer-implemented method of claim 27, further comprising:
receiving, from each of a plurality of investors or potential investors in the real property, an expression of interest in investing through quantitative and qualitative demand indicators, before or while the owner or agent undergoes online securitization or makes a public offer of a security. 31. The computer-implemented method of claim 27, further comprising:
using a processor to process at least a portion of the information relating to the real property to generate an offer for purchasing a partial share in or unit of an entity that holds an interest in the real property, the offer including (i) a disclosure of risks of investing in the real property; (ii) a disclosure of a financial condition of the real property; (iii) a price of purchasing the partial share in or unit of the entity that holds an interest in the real property, the price being a function of the financial value; receiving, over the network, payment from the investor or potential investor, the payment being provided in consideration for the partial share in or unit of the entity holding the interest in the real property; and executing a transaction to transfer to the investor or potential investor the partial share in or unit of the entity holding the interest in the real property. 32. The computer-implemented method of claim 27, further comprising:
performing underwriting analysis, or rating or checking the real property for risk factors or certain financial information. 33. The computer-implemented method of claim 27, wherein the information includes one or more of a property address, owner name, total debt, total equity, zoning information, tenant and lease information, biographies, market information, and cash flow information. 34. The computer-implemented method of claim 31, further comprising submitting S-11 or S-1 public disclosure documents, Reg-A documents, or internal compliance documents, to a regulatory agency, over the network, prior to or with execution of the transaction. 35. The computer-implemented method of claim 31, further comprising processing over the network S-11 or S-1 public disclosure documents, Reg-A documents, or regulatory compliance documents, prior to or with execution of the transaction. 36. The computer-implemented method of claim 27, wherein the entity is a corporation, a limited liability corporation, or a real estate investment trust. 37. The computer-implemented method of claim 27, wherein the development plan for improving the real property includes a proposed development budget for management of the real property. 38. The computer-implemented method of claim 31, further comprising receiving electronic signatures from the investor and the owner or agent before execution of the transaction. 39. The computer-implemented method of claim 27, further comprising, enabling owners and investors or potential investors to create online profiles that can be viewed by other owners and investors or potential investors, the online profiles including one or more of: ownership information, demographic information, and personal interest information. 40. A system for evaluating demand for divided interests in real property, the system comprising:
a physical storage media storing instructions for online transactions of divided interests in real property; and a processor configured for: receiving, over a network and from an owner or agent of the real property, information relating to the real property; processing at least a portion of the information relating to the real property to generate electronic promotional material including (i) a visual representation of the real property; (ii) the location of the real property; and (iii) a proposed development plan for improving the real property; processing at least a portion of the information relating to the real property to generate a request for expressions of interest in purchasing a partial share in or unit of an entity that holds an interest in the real property; and transmitting the request for expressions of interest to an investor or potential investor over the network. 41. The system of claim 40, wherein the processor is further configured for:
receiving, from each of a plurality of investors or potential investors, an expression of interest in purchasing a partial share in or unit of an entity that holds an interest in the real property; and estimating, based on the received expressions, one or more of: an amount of money that can be raised from the investors or potential investors; a price of purchasing the partial share in or unit of the entity that holds an interest in the real property, the price being a function of the financial value of the real property; and a characteristic of the investor demand. 42. The system of claim 40, wherein generating electronic promotional material further comprises generating electronic promotional material including a proposed or projected rate of return to be paid. 43. The system of claim 40, wherein the processor is further configured for:
receiving, from each of a plurality of investors or potential investors in the real property, an expression of interest in investing through quantitative and qualitative demand indicators, before or while the owner or agent undergoes online securitization or makes a public offer of a security. 44. The system of claim 40, wherein the processor is further configured for:
processing at least a portion of the information relating to the real property to generate an offer for purchasing a partial share in or unit of an entity that holds an interest in the real property, the offer including (i) a disclosure of risks of investing in the real property; (ii) a disclosure of a financial condition of the real property; (iii) a price of purchasing the partial share in or unit of the entity that holds an interest in the real property, the price being a function of the financial value; receiving, over the network, payment from the investor or potential investor, the payment being provided in consideration for the partial share in or unit of the entity holding the interest in the real property; and executing a transaction to transfer to the investor or potential investor the partial share in or unit of the entity holding the interest in the real property. 45. The system of claim 40, wherein the processor is further configured for:
performing underwriting analysis, or rating or checking the real property for risk factors or certain financial information. 46. A non-transitory, computer-readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform a method of evaluating demand for divided interests in real property, the method comprising:
receiving, over a network and from an owner or agent of the real property, information relating to the real property; using a processor to process at least a portion of the information relating to the real property to generate electronic promotional material including (i) a visual representation of the real property; (ii) the location of the real property; and (iii) a proposed development plan for improving the real property; using a processor to process at least a portion of the information relating to the real property to generate a request for expressions of interest in purchasing a partial share in or unit of an entity that holds an interest in the real property; and transmitting the request for expressions of interest to an investor or potential investor over the network. | 3,600 |
12,635 | 12,635 | 13,402,118 | 3,693 | A system for online securitization of illiquid assets is disclosed. The system includes a physical storage media storing instructions for administering online securitization of illiquid assets and a processor. The processor is configured to execute the instructions for performing a method of receiving, over a network and from an owner of an illiquid asset, information relating to the illiquid asset. The processor is further configured for analyzing the information relating to the illiquid asset; securitizing the illiquid asset; generating an offer for purchasing an interest in the illiquid asset. The processor is further configured for transmitting the offer to an investor over the network; receiving payment from the investor, the payment being provided in consideration for the interest in the illiquid asset; and executing a transaction to transfer the interest in the illiquid asset to the investor. | 1. A computer-implemented method for online securitization of illiquid assets, the method comprising:
receiving, over a network and from an owner or agent of an illiquid asset, information relating to the illiquid asset; using a processor to:
analyze the information relating to the illiquid asset;
securitize the illiquid asset; and
generate an offer for purchasing an interest in the illiquid asset;
transmitting the offer to an investor over the network; receiving payment from the investor, the payment being provided in consideration for the interest in the illiquid asset; and executing a transaction to transfer the interest in the illiquid asset to the investor. 2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein analyzing includes performing underwriting analysis, or rating, checking, or providing the illiquid asset for risk factors or certain financial information. 3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein information includes one or more of a property address, owner name, total debt, total equity, zoning information, tenant and lease information, biographies, market information, and cash flow information. 4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising submitting S-11 or S-1 public disclosure documents, Reg-A documents, or internal compliance documents, including in each instance associated sales material, to a regulatory agency, over the network, prior to or with execution of the transaction. 5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising processing over the network S-11 or S-1 public disclosure documents, Reg-A documents, or regulatory compliance documents, including in each instance associated sales material, prior to or with execution of the transaction such that the offering and sale of securities to the public maintains compliance with regulatory requirements for public offerings. 6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the illiquid asset is real property, a leasehold interest, or debt instrument. 7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the illiquid asset is a local small business that is one or more of a restaurant, retail store, consumer brand, or shared infrastructure project. 8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising receiving electronic signatures from the investor and the owner or agent thereof before execution of the transaction. 9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising, enabling owners and investors to create online profiles that can be viewed by other owners and investors, the online profiles including one or more of: illiquid asset ownership, securitized interests in illiquid assets, demographic information, and personal interest information. 10. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the potential investors in the real estate or small business express their interest in investing through quantitative and qualitative demand indictors, before or while the owner undergoes online securitization or makes a public offer of a security for public offerings. 11. A system for online securitization of illiquid assets, the system comprising:
a physical storage media storing instructions for administering online securitization of illiquid assets; and a processor configured for:
receiving, over a network and from an owner or agent of an illiquid asset, information relating to the illiquid asset;
analyzing the information relating to the illiquid asset;
securitizing the illiquid asset;
generating an offer for purchasing an interest in the illiquid asset;
transmitting the offer to an investor over the network;
receiving payment from the investor, the payment being provided in consideration for the interest in the illiquid asset; and
executing a transaction to transfer the interest in the illiquid asset to the investor. 12. The system of claim 11, wherein analyzing includes performing underwriting analysis, rating, checking, or providing the illiquid asset for risk factors or certain financial information 13. The system of claim 11, wherein information includes one or more of a property address, owner name, total debt, total equity, zoning information, tenant and lease information, economic forecast returns, biographies, market information, and cash flow information. 14. The system of claim 11, wherein the processor is further configured for submitting S-11 or S-1 public disclosure documents, Reg-A documents, or internal compliance documents to a regulatory agency, over the network, prior to or with execution of the transaction. 15. The system of claim 11, further comprising processing S-11 or S-1 public disclosure documents, Reg-A documents, or regulatory compliance documents, including in each instance associated sales material, over the network, prior to or with execution of the transaction such that the offering and sale of securities to the public maintains compliance with regulatory requirements for public offerings. 16. The system of claim 11, wherein the illiquid asset is real property, a leasehold interest, or debt instrument. 17. The system of claim 11, wherein the illiquid asset is a local small business that is one or more of a restaurant, retail store, consumer brand, or shared infrastructure project. 18. The system of claim 11, wherein the processor is further configured for receiving electronic signatures from the investor and the owner before execution of the transaction. 19. The system of claim 11, wherein the processor is further configured for enabling owners and investors to create online profiles that can be viewed by other owners and investors, the online profiles including one or more of: illiquid asset ownership, securitized interests in illiquid assets, demographic information, and personal interest information. 20. The system of claim 11, wherein the potential investors in the real estate or small business express their interest in investing through quantitative and qualitative demand indictors, before or while the owner undergoes online securitization or makes a public offer of a security. 21. A non-transitory, computer-readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform a method for online securitization of illiquid assets, the method comprising:
receiving, over a network and from an owner or agent of an illiquid asset, information relating to the illiquid asset; using a processor to:
analyze the information relating to the illiquid asset;
securitize the illiquid asset; and
generate an offer for purchasing an interest in the illiquid asset;
transmitting the offer to an investor over the network; receiving payment from the investor, the payment being provided in consideration for the interest in the illiquid asset; and executing a transaction to transfer the interest in the illiquid asset to the investor. 22. The non-transitory, computer-readable medium of claim 21, wherein the method further comprises analyzing includes performing underwriting analysis, or rating, checking, or providing the illiquid asset for risk factors or for certain financial information. 23. The non-transitory, computer-readable medium of claim 21, wherein information includes one or more of a property address, owner name, total debt, total equity, zoning information, tenant and lease information, economic forecast returns, biographies, market information, and cash flow information. 24. The non-transitory, computer-readable medium of claim 21, further the method further comprises submitting S-11 or S-1 public disclosure documents, Reg-A documents, or internal compliance documents to a regulatory agency, over the network, prior to or with execution of the transaction. 25. The non-transitory, computer-readable medium of claim 21, further comprising processing S-11 or S-1 public disclosure documents, Reg-A documents, or regulatory compliance documents, including in each instance associated sales material, over the network, prior to or with execution of the transaction such that the offering and sale of securities to the public maintains compliance with regulatory requirements for public offerings. 26. The non-transitory, computer-readable medium of claim 21, wherein the potential investors in the real estate or small business express their interest in investing through quantitative and qualitative demand indictors, before or while the owner undergoes online securitization or makes a public offer of a security. | A system for online securitization of illiquid assets is disclosed. The system includes a physical storage media storing instructions for administering online securitization of illiquid assets and a processor. The processor is configured to execute the instructions for performing a method of receiving, over a network and from an owner of an illiquid asset, information relating to the illiquid asset. The processor is further configured for analyzing the information relating to the illiquid asset; securitizing the illiquid asset; generating an offer for purchasing an interest in the illiquid asset. The processor is further configured for transmitting the offer to an investor over the network; receiving payment from the investor, the payment being provided in consideration for the interest in the illiquid asset; and executing a transaction to transfer the interest in the illiquid asset to the investor.1. A computer-implemented method for online securitization of illiquid assets, the method comprising:
receiving, over a network and from an owner or agent of an illiquid asset, information relating to the illiquid asset; using a processor to:
analyze the information relating to the illiquid asset;
securitize the illiquid asset; and
generate an offer for purchasing an interest in the illiquid asset;
transmitting the offer to an investor over the network; receiving payment from the investor, the payment being provided in consideration for the interest in the illiquid asset; and executing a transaction to transfer the interest in the illiquid asset to the investor. 2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein analyzing includes performing underwriting analysis, or rating, checking, or providing the illiquid asset for risk factors or certain financial information. 3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein information includes one or more of a property address, owner name, total debt, total equity, zoning information, tenant and lease information, biographies, market information, and cash flow information. 4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising submitting S-11 or S-1 public disclosure documents, Reg-A documents, or internal compliance documents, including in each instance associated sales material, to a regulatory agency, over the network, prior to or with execution of the transaction. 5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising processing over the network S-11 or S-1 public disclosure documents, Reg-A documents, or regulatory compliance documents, including in each instance associated sales material, prior to or with execution of the transaction such that the offering and sale of securities to the public maintains compliance with regulatory requirements for public offerings. 6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the illiquid asset is real property, a leasehold interest, or debt instrument. 7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the illiquid asset is a local small business that is one or more of a restaurant, retail store, consumer brand, or shared infrastructure project. 8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising receiving electronic signatures from the investor and the owner or agent thereof before execution of the transaction. 9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising, enabling owners and investors to create online profiles that can be viewed by other owners and investors, the online profiles including one or more of: illiquid asset ownership, securitized interests in illiquid assets, demographic information, and personal interest information. 10. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the potential investors in the real estate or small business express their interest in investing through quantitative and qualitative demand indictors, before or while the owner undergoes online securitization or makes a public offer of a security for public offerings. 11. A system for online securitization of illiquid assets, the system comprising:
a physical storage media storing instructions for administering online securitization of illiquid assets; and a processor configured for:
receiving, over a network and from an owner or agent of an illiquid asset, information relating to the illiquid asset;
analyzing the information relating to the illiquid asset;
securitizing the illiquid asset;
generating an offer for purchasing an interest in the illiquid asset;
transmitting the offer to an investor over the network;
receiving payment from the investor, the payment being provided in consideration for the interest in the illiquid asset; and
executing a transaction to transfer the interest in the illiquid asset to the investor. 12. The system of claim 11, wherein analyzing includes performing underwriting analysis, rating, checking, or providing the illiquid asset for risk factors or certain financial information 13. The system of claim 11, wherein information includes one or more of a property address, owner name, total debt, total equity, zoning information, tenant and lease information, economic forecast returns, biographies, market information, and cash flow information. 14. The system of claim 11, wherein the processor is further configured for submitting S-11 or S-1 public disclosure documents, Reg-A documents, or internal compliance documents to a regulatory agency, over the network, prior to or with execution of the transaction. 15. The system of claim 11, further comprising processing S-11 or S-1 public disclosure documents, Reg-A documents, or regulatory compliance documents, including in each instance associated sales material, over the network, prior to or with execution of the transaction such that the offering and sale of securities to the public maintains compliance with regulatory requirements for public offerings. 16. The system of claim 11, wherein the illiquid asset is real property, a leasehold interest, or debt instrument. 17. The system of claim 11, wherein the illiquid asset is a local small business that is one or more of a restaurant, retail store, consumer brand, or shared infrastructure project. 18. The system of claim 11, wherein the processor is further configured for receiving electronic signatures from the investor and the owner before execution of the transaction. 19. The system of claim 11, wherein the processor is further configured for enabling owners and investors to create online profiles that can be viewed by other owners and investors, the online profiles including one or more of: illiquid asset ownership, securitized interests in illiquid assets, demographic information, and personal interest information. 20. The system of claim 11, wherein the potential investors in the real estate or small business express their interest in investing through quantitative and qualitative demand indictors, before or while the owner undergoes online securitization or makes a public offer of a security. 21. A non-transitory, computer-readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform a method for online securitization of illiquid assets, the method comprising:
receiving, over a network and from an owner or agent of an illiquid asset, information relating to the illiquid asset; using a processor to:
analyze the information relating to the illiquid asset;
securitize the illiquid asset; and
generate an offer for purchasing an interest in the illiquid asset;
transmitting the offer to an investor over the network; receiving payment from the investor, the payment being provided in consideration for the interest in the illiquid asset; and executing a transaction to transfer the interest in the illiquid asset to the investor. 22. The non-transitory, computer-readable medium of claim 21, wherein the method further comprises analyzing includes performing underwriting analysis, or rating, checking, or providing the illiquid asset for risk factors or for certain financial information. 23. The non-transitory, computer-readable medium of claim 21, wherein information includes one or more of a property address, owner name, total debt, total equity, zoning information, tenant and lease information, economic forecast returns, biographies, market information, and cash flow information. 24. The non-transitory, computer-readable medium of claim 21, further the method further comprises submitting S-11 or S-1 public disclosure documents, Reg-A documents, or internal compliance documents to a regulatory agency, over the network, prior to or with execution of the transaction. 25. The non-transitory, computer-readable medium of claim 21, further comprising processing S-11 or S-1 public disclosure documents, Reg-A documents, or regulatory compliance documents, including in each instance associated sales material, over the network, prior to or with execution of the transaction such that the offering and sale of securities to the public maintains compliance with regulatory requirements for public offerings. 26. The non-transitory, computer-readable medium of claim 21, wherein the potential investors in the real estate or small business express their interest in investing through quantitative and qualitative demand indictors, before or while the owner undergoes online securitization or makes a public offer of a security. | 3,600 |
12,636 | 12,636 | 14,260,825 | 3,651 | A package of at least one glove pair, comprising a right glove and a left glove, wherein at least one glove has an indicia comprising at least one of a logo, a manufacturer's name, or usage information of the glove displayed thereon, wherein the right glove and the left glove are folded in a multi-fold configuration. At least partially transparent first packaging encases the right glove and the left glove, and maintains the multi-fold configuration, wherein the indicia of at least one of the right glove or the left glove is visible through the first packaging while folded. | 1. A package of at least one glove pair, comprising:
a right glove and a left glove, wherein at least one glove has an indicia comprising at least one of a logo, a manufacturer's name, or usage information of the glove displayed thereon, wherein the right glove and the left glove are folded in a multi-fold configuration; and at least partially transparent first packaging encasing the right glove and the left glove, and maintaining the multi-fold configuration, wherein the indicia of at least one of the right glove or the left glove is visible through the first packaging while folded. 2. The package of claim 1, wherein the multi-fold configuration is at least one of a roll fold, a Z-fold, a tri-fold, or a quad-fold. 3. The package of claim 2, wherein the right glove and the left glove are configured so that the indicia of each of the right glove and the left glove is at least partially visible from when folded in a Z-fold configuration. 4. The package of claim 1, wherein at least one of the folded fingers or the folded cuffs do not extend fully to a cuff side edge or a finger side edge, respectively, creating at least one overhang portion between the folded fingers and the cuff side edge, or between the folded cuffs and the finger side edge. 5. The package of claim 4, further comprising a plurality of packaged glove pairs packaged in at least partially transparent second packaging. 6. The package of claim 5, wherein the plurality of packaged glove pairs comprise a first packaged glove pair and a second packaged glove pair, and at least a portion of the first packaged glove pair is positioned to overlap with the overhang portion of the second packaged glove pair. 7. The package of claim 6, wherein the plurality of packaged glove pairs are placed in a vending machine, such that the indicia of at least one of the right glove or the left glove of at least one packaged glove pair is visible to a user of the vending machine. 8. The package of claim 7, wherein the indicia is completely visible. 9. The package of claim 2, wherein the right glove and the left glove are folded together. 10. The package of claim 9, wherein before being folded, palm of the right glove faces the palm of the left glove. 11. The package of claim 2, wherein the quad-fold is a quarter fold. 12. The package of claim 11, further comprising a plurality of packaged glove pairs housed in at least partially transparent second packaging. 13. The package of claim 12, wherein the indicia of at least one of the right glove or the left glove of at least one packaged glove pair is at least partially visible through the second packaging. 14. A method for vending a packaged glove pair, comprising:
displaying at least one packaged glove pair in a vending machine, the at least one packaged glove pair comprising
a right glove and a left glove, wherein at least one glove has an indicia comprising at least one of a logo, a manufacturer's name, or usage information of the glove displayed thereon, wherein the right glove and the left glove are folded in a multi-fold configuration; and
at least partially transparent first packaging encasing the right glove and the left glove, and maintaining the multi-fold configuration, wherein the indicia of at least one of the right glove or the left glove is visible through the first packaging while folded;
receiving a selection for the displayed packaged glove pair based on the indicia visible from the packaged glove pair; and dispensing the selected packaged glove pair. 15. The method of claim 14, wherein the indicia is completely visible from outside the vending machine. | A package of at least one glove pair, comprising a right glove and a left glove, wherein at least one glove has an indicia comprising at least one of a logo, a manufacturer's name, or usage information of the glove displayed thereon, wherein the right glove and the left glove are folded in a multi-fold configuration. At least partially transparent first packaging encases the right glove and the left glove, and maintains the multi-fold configuration, wherein the indicia of at least one of the right glove or the left glove is visible through the first packaging while folded.1. A package of at least one glove pair, comprising:
a right glove and a left glove, wherein at least one glove has an indicia comprising at least one of a logo, a manufacturer's name, or usage information of the glove displayed thereon, wherein the right glove and the left glove are folded in a multi-fold configuration; and at least partially transparent first packaging encasing the right glove and the left glove, and maintaining the multi-fold configuration, wherein the indicia of at least one of the right glove or the left glove is visible through the first packaging while folded. 2. The package of claim 1, wherein the multi-fold configuration is at least one of a roll fold, a Z-fold, a tri-fold, or a quad-fold. 3. The package of claim 2, wherein the right glove and the left glove are configured so that the indicia of each of the right glove and the left glove is at least partially visible from when folded in a Z-fold configuration. 4. The package of claim 1, wherein at least one of the folded fingers or the folded cuffs do not extend fully to a cuff side edge or a finger side edge, respectively, creating at least one overhang portion between the folded fingers and the cuff side edge, or between the folded cuffs and the finger side edge. 5. The package of claim 4, further comprising a plurality of packaged glove pairs packaged in at least partially transparent second packaging. 6. The package of claim 5, wherein the plurality of packaged glove pairs comprise a first packaged glove pair and a second packaged glove pair, and at least a portion of the first packaged glove pair is positioned to overlap with the overhang portion of the second packaged glove pair. 7. The package of claim 6, wherein the plurality of packaged glove pairs are placed in a vending machine, such that the indicia of at least one of the right glove or the left glove of at least one packaged glove pair is visible to a user of the vending machine. 8. The package of claim 7, wherein the indicia is completely visible. 9. The package of claim 2, wherein the right glove and the left glove are folded together. 10. The package of claim 9, wherein before being folded, palm of the right glove faces the palm of the left glove. 11. The package of claim 2, wherein the quad-fold is a quarter fold. 12. The package of claim 11, further comprising a plurality of packaged glove pairs housed in at least partially transparent second packaging. 13. The package of claim 12, wherein the indicia of at least one of the right glove or the left glove of at least one packaged glove pair is at least partially visible through the second packaging. 14. A method for vending a packaged glove pair, comprising:
displaying at least one packaged glove pair in a vending machine, the at least one packaged glove pair comprising
a right glove and a left glove, wherein at least one glove has an indicia comprising at least one of a logo, a manufacturer's name, or usage information of the glove displayed thereon, wherein the right glove and the left glove are folded in a multi-fold configuration; and
at least partially transparent first packaging encasing the right glove and the left glove, and maintaining the multi-fold configuration, wherein the indicia of at least one of the right glove or the left glove is visible through the first packaging while folded;
receiving a selection for the displayed packaged glove pair based on the indicia visible from the packaged glove pair; and dispensing the selected packaged glove pair. 15. The method of claim 14, wherein the indicia is completely visible from outside the vending machine. | 3,600 |
12,637 | 12,637 | 14,206,569 | 3,628 | A system and method for automated reservation management are provided. For example, automated reservation management may comprise predicting the need for a next service event for a user and a date and time during which the user and a vendor are available for the next service event, providing information related to a potential reservation for the next service event to the user, including the reservation on the calendars of the user and the vendor responsive to acceptance of the reservation from the user, and/or associating payment information with the reservation. | 1. A system for facilitating booking of service events based on a previous vendor location, the system comprising:
one or more physical processors programmed to execute one or more computer program instructions which, when executed, cause the one or more physical processors to:
receive a user request for a service event of a first service event type for a user;
determine a location of a previous vendor that provided a previous service event for the user;
select, based on the location of the previous vendor, a vendor to provide a first service event of the first service event type for the user such that the selected vendor is at a location within a predetermined proximity threshold from the location of the previous vendor;
determine scheduling information for the first service event based on a first calendar associated with the user and a second calendar associated with the selected vendor, wherein the scheduling information comprises at least one of a date for the first service event or a time for the first service event;
determine a reservation for the first service event with the selected vendor based on the scheduling information;
provide, to the user, a request to accept the reservation;
responsive to the user accepting the reservation:
add information about the reservation to the first calendar;
associate first payment information with the reservation for execution of payment upon completion of the first service event; and
add information about the reservation to the second calendar;
receive, from the vendor, an indication that the first service event is completed; and
execute payment for the first service event based on the completeness indication and the first payment information. 2. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more physical processors are further caused to:
receive payment information of the user for a plurality of service event types, wherein the payment information of the user comprises the first payment information designated for payment of a service event of the first service event type and second payment information designated for payment of a service event of a second event type, and wherein the first payment information is associated with the reservation based on a determination that the first service event is of the first service event type; determine second scheduling information for a second service event of the second service event type, wherein the second scheduling information comprises at least one of a second date for the second service event or a second time for the second service event; determine a second reservation for the second service event with a second vendor based on the second scheduling information; provide, to the user, a request to accept the second reservation; responsive to the user accepting the second reservation:
add information about the second reservation to the first calendar;
associate, based on a determination that the second service event is of the second service event type, the second payment information with the second reservation for execution of payment upon completion of the second service event; and
add information about the second reservation to a third calendar associated with the second vendor;
receive, from the second vendor, an indication that the second service event is completed; and execute payment for the second service event based on the completeness indication from the second vendor and the second payment information. 3. The system of claim 2, wherein the one or more physical processors are further caused to:
designate, prior to the user request, the first payment information for payment of a service event of the first service event type. 4. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more physical processors are further caused to:
determine, based on the first service event type and the location of the previous vendor, a set of vendors that are each at a location within the predetermined proximity threshold from the location of the previous vendor; and obtain feedback related to the set of vendors provided by a set of users, wherein selecting the vendor comprises selecting, from the set of vendors, based on the obtained feedback, the vendor to provide the first service event for the user. 5. The system of claim 4, wherein the one or more physical processors are further caused to:
determine a location associated with the user, wherein determining the set of vendors comprises determining the set of vendors further based on the location associated with the user. 6. The system of claim 4, wherein the set of vendors is determined such that each vendor of the set of vendors (i) is at a location within the predetermined proximity threshold from the location of the previous vendor and (ii) provides services events of the first service event type. 7. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more physical processors are further caused to:
determine amounts of time between previous service events of the first service event type that were scheduled for the user, wherein the amounts of time comprises (i) a first amount of time between a first previous service event of the first service event type that was scheduled for the user and a second previous service event of the first service event type that was scheduled for the user and (ii) a second amount of time between the second previous service event and a third previous service event of the first service event type that was scheduled for the user, wherein the first amount time is different from the second amount of time; determine a time interval between service events of the first service event type based on (i) the first amount of time and (ii) the second amount of time, wherein determining the scheduling information comprises determining the scheduling information based on (i) the time interval and (ii) a scheduled date or time of a previous service event scheduled for the user. 8. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more physical processors are further caused to:
enable the user to add or modify a tip for the first service event, wherein executing the payment for the first service event comprises executing, based on the completeness indication and the first payment information, a payment that reflects the tip and a cost of the first service event. 9. The system of claim 8, wherein enabling the user to add or modify the tip comprises enabling the user to add or modify the tip before the receipt of the completeness indication. 10. The system of claim 9, wherein the one or more physical processors are further caused to:
determine whether a current time is a time after at least one of a predetermined time period after the scheduled occurrence or a predetermined time period after the confirmation of the reservation, wherein enabling the user to add or modify the tip comprises enabling the user to add or modify the tip responsive to the current time being a time after at least one of the predetermined time period after the scheduled occurrence or the predetermined time period after the confirmation of the reservation. 11. The system of claim 9, wherein the one or more physical processors are further caused to:
determine whether a current time is at most a predetermined time period from a scheduled occurrence of the first service event, wherein enabling the user to add or modify the tip comprises enabling the user to add or modify the tip responsive to the current time being at most the predetermined time period from the scheduled occurrence. 12. The system of claim 8, wherein enabling the user to add or modify the tip comprises enabling the user to add or modify the tip after the receipt of the completeness indication. 13. The system of claim 12, further comprising:
determine whether a current time is within a predetermined time period after the receipt of the completeness indication, wherein enabling the user to add or modify the tip comprises enabling the user to add or modify the tip responsive to the current time being within the predetermined time period. 14. (canceled) 15. The system of claim 1, wherein associating the first payment information with the reservation comprises:
determining whether the vendor is associated with predetermined payment information of the user that is designated for the vendor; and associating the first payment information with the reservation responsive to the vendor not being associated with predetermined payment information of the user that is designated for the vendor. 16. A method for facilitating booking of service events based on a previous vendor location, the method being implemented in a computer system comprising one or more physical processors executing one or more computer program instructions which, when executed, perform the method, the method comprising:
receiving, at the one or more physical processors, a user request for a service event of a first service event type for a user; determining, by the one or more physical processors, a location of a previous vendor that provided a previous service event for the user; selecting, by the one or more physical processors, based on the location of the previous vendor, a vendor to provide a first service event of the first service event type for the user such that the selected vendor is at a location within a predetermined proximity threshold from the location of the previous vendor; determining, by the one or more physical processors, scheduling information for the first service event based on a first calendar associated with the user and a second calendar associated with the selected vendor, wherein the scheduling information comprises at least one of a date for the first service event or a time for the first service event; determining, by the one or more physical processors, a reservation for the first service event with the selected vendor based on the scheduling information; providing, by the one or more physical processors, to the user, a request to accept the reservation; responsive to the user accepting the reservation:
adding, by the one or more physical processors, information about the reservation to the first calendar;
associating, by the one or more physical processors, first payment information with the reservation for execution of payment upon completion of the first service event; and
adding, by the one or more physical processors, information about the reservation to the second calendar;
receiving, by the one or more physical processors, from the vendor, an indication that the first service event is completed; and executing, by the one or more physical processors, payment for the first service event based on the completeness indication and the first payment information. 17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:
receiving, by the one or more physical processors, payment information of the user for a plurality of service event types, wherein the payment information of the user comprises the first payment information designated for payment of a service event of the first service event type and second payment information designated for payment of a service event of a second event type, and wherein the first payment information is associated with the reservation based on a determination that the first service event is of the first service event type; determining, by the one or more physical processors, second scheduling information for a second service event of the second service event type, wherein the second scheduling information comprises at least one of a second date for the second service event or a second time for the second service event; determining, by the one or more physical processors, a second reservation for the second service event with a second vendor based on the second scheduling information; providing, by the one or more physical processors, to the user, a request to accept the second reservation; responsive to the user accepting the second reservation:
adding, by the one or more physical processors, information about the second reservation to the first calendar;
associating, by the one or more physical processors, based on a determination that the second service event is of the second service event type, the second payment information with the second reservation for execution of payment upon completion of the second service event; and
adding, by the one or more physical processors, information about the second reservation to the third calendar;
receiving, by the one or more physical processors, from the second vendor, an indication that the second service event is completed; and executing, by the one or more physical processors, payment for the second service event based on the completeness indication from the second vendor and the second payment information. 18. The method of claim 17, wherein the first payment information is designated, prior to the user request, for payment of a service event of the first service event type. 19. The method of claim 16, further comprising:
determining, by the one or more physical processors, based on the first service event type and the location of the previous vendor, a set of vendors that are each at a location within the predetermined proximity threshold from the location of the previous vendor; and obtaining, by the one or more physical processors, feedback related to the set, of vendors provided by a set of users, wherein selecting the vendor comprises selecting, from the set of vendors, based on the obtained feedback, the vendor to provide the first service event for the user. 20. The method of claim 19, further comprising:
determining, by the one or more physical processors, a location associated with the user, wherein determining the set of vendors comprises determining the set of vendors further based on the location associated with the user. 21. The method of claim 19, wherein the set of vendors is determined such that each vendor of the set of vendors (i) is at a location within the predetermined proximity threshold from the location of the previous vendor and (ii) provides services events of the first service event type. 22. The method of claim 16, further comprising:
determining, by the one or more physical processors, amounts of time between previous service events of the first service event type that were scheduled for the user, wherein the amounts of time comprises (i) a first amount of time between a first previous service event of the first service event type that was scheduled for the user and a second previous service event of the first service event type that was scheduled for the user and (ii) a second amount of time between the second previous service event and a third previous service event of the first service event type that was scheduled for the user, wherein the first amount time is different from the second amount of time; determining, by the one or more physical processors, a time interval between service events of the first service event type based on (i) the first amount of time and (ii) the second amount of time, wherein determining the scheduling information comprises determining the scheduling information based on (i) the time interval and (ii) a scheduled date or time of a previous service event scheduled for the user. 23. The method of claim 16, further comprising:
enabling, by the one or more physical processors, the user to add or modify a tip for the first service event, wherein executing the payment for the first service event comprises executing, based on the completeness indication and the first payment information, a payment that reflects the tip and a cost of the first service event. 24. The method of claim 23, wherein enabling the user to add or modify the tip comprises enabling the user to add or modify the tip before the receipt of the completeness indication. 25. The method of claim 24, further comprising:
determining, by the one or more physical processors, whether a current time is a time after at least one of a predetermined time period after the scheduled occurrence or a predetermined time period after the confirmation of the reservation, wherein enabling the user to add or modify the tip comprises enabling the user to add or modify the tip responsive to the current time being a time after at least one of the predetermined time period after the scheduled occurrence or the predetermined time period after the confirmation of the reservation. 26. The method of claim 24, further comprising:
determining, by the one or more physical processors, whether a current time is at most a predetermined time period from a scheduled occurrence of the first service event, wherein enabling the user to add or modify the tip comprises enabling the user to add or modify the tip responsive to the current time being at most the predetermined time period from the scheduled occurrence. 27. The method of claim 23, wherein enabling the user to add or modify the tip comprises enabling the user to add or modify the tip after the receipt of the completeness indication. 28. The method of claim 27, further comprising:
determining, by the one or more physical processors, whether a current time is within a predetermined time period after the receipt of the completeness indication, wherein enabling the user to add or modify the tip comprises enabling the user to add or modify the tip responsive to the current time being within the predetermined time period. 29. (canceled) 30. The method of claim 16, wherein associating the first payment information with the reservation comprises:
determining whether the vendor is associated with predetermined payment information of the user that is designated for the vendor; and associating the first payment information with the reservation responsive to the vendor not being associated with predetermined payment information of the user that is designated for the vendor. | A system and method for automated reservation management are provided. For example, automated reservation management may comprise predicting the need for a next service event for a user and a date and time during which the user and a vendor are available for the next service event, providing information related to a potential reservation for the next service event to the user, including the reservation on the calendars of the user and the vendor responsive to acceptance of the reservation from the user, and/or associating payment information with the reservation.1. A system for facilitating booking of service events based on a previous vendor location, the system comprising:
one or more physical processors programmed to execute one or more computer program instructions which, when executed, cause the one or more physical processors to:
receive a user request for a service event of a first service event type for a user;
determine a location of a previous vendor that provided a previous service event for the user;
select, based on the location of the previous vendor, a vendor to provide a first service event of the first service event type for the user such that the selected vendor is at a location within a predetermined proximity threshold from the location of the previous vendor;
determine scheduling information for the first service event based on a first calendar associated with the user and a second calendar associated with the selected vendor, wherein the scheduling information comprises at least one of a date for the first service event or a time for the first service event;
determine a reservation for the first service event with the selected vendor based on the scheduling information;
provide, to the user, a request to accept the reservation;
responsive to the user accepting the reservation:
add information about the reservation to the first calendar;
associate first payment information with the reservation for execution of payment upon completion of the first service event; and
add information about the reservation to the second calendar;
receive, from the vendor, an indication that the first service event is completed; and
execute payment for the first service event based on the completeness indication and the first payment information. 2. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more physical processors are further caused to:
receive payment information of the user for a plurality of service event types, wherein the payment information of the user comprises the first payment information designated for payment of a service event of the first service event type and second payment information designated for payment of a service event of a second event type, and wherein the first payment information is associated with the reservation based on a determination that the first service event is of the first service event type; determine second scheduling information for a second service event of the second service event type, wherein the second scheduling information comprises at least one of a second date for the second service event or a second time for the second service event; determine a second reservation for the second service event with a second vendor based on the second scheduling information; provide, to the user, a request to accept the second reservation; responsive to the user accepting the second reservation:
add information about the second reservation to the first calendar;
associate, based on a determination that the second service event is of the second service event type, the second payment information with the second reservation for execution of payment upon completion of the second service event; and
add information about the second reservation to a third calendar associated with the second vendor;
receive, from the second vendor, an indication that the second service event is completed; and execute payment for the second service event based on the completeness indication from the second vendor and the second payment information. 3. The system of claim 2, wherein the one or more physical processors are further caused to:
designate, prior to the user request, the first payment information for payment of a service event of the first service event type. 4. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more physical processors are further caused to:
determine, based on the first service event type and the location of the previous vendor, a set of vendors that are each at a location within the predetermined proximity threshold from the location of the previous vendor; and obtain feedback related to the set of vendors provided by a set of users, wherein selecting the vendor comprises selecting, from the set of vendors, based on the obtained feedback, the vendor to provide the first service event for the user. 5. The system of claim 4, wherein the one or more physical processors are further caused to:
determine a location associated with the user, wherein determining the set of vendors comprises determining the set of vendors further based on the location associated with the user. 6. The system of claim 4, wherein the set of vendors is determined such that each vendor of the set of vendors (i) is at a location within the predetermined proximity threshold from the location of the previous vendor and (ii) provides services events of the first service event type. 7. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more physical processors are further caused to:
determine amounts of time between previous service events of the first service event type that were scheduled for the user, wherein the amounts of time comprises (i) a first amount of time between a first previous service event of the first service event type that was scheduled for the user and a second previous service event of the first service event type that was scheduled for the user and (ii) a second amount of time between the second previous service event and a third previous service event of the first service event type that was scheduled for the user, wherein the first amount time is different from the second amount of time; determine a time interval between service events of the first service event type based on (i) the first amount of time and (ii) the second amount of time, wherein determining the scheduling information comprises determining the scheduling information based on (i) the time interval and (ii) a scheduled date or time of a previous service event scheduled for the user. 8. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more physical processors are further caused to:
enable the user to add or modify a tip for the first service event, wherein executing the payment for the first service event comprises executing, based on the completeness indication and the first payment information, a payment that reflects the tip and a cost of the first service event. 9. The system of claim 8, wherein enabling the user to add or modify the tip comprises enabling the user to add or modify the tip before the receipt of the completeness indication. 10. The system of claim 9, wherein the one or more physical processors are further caused to:
determine whether a current time is a time after at least one of a predetermined time period after the scheduled occurrence or a predetermined time period after the confirmation of the reservation, wherein enabling the user to add or modify the tip comprises enabling the user to add or modify the tip responsive to the current time being a time after at least one of the predetermined time period after the scheduled occurrence or the predetermined time period after the confirmation of the reservation. 11. The system of claim 9, wherein the one or more physical processors are further caused to:
determine whether a current time is at most a predetermined time period from a scheduled occurrence of the first service event, wherein enabling the user to add or modify the tip comprises enabling the user to add or modify the tip responsive to the current time being at most the predetermined time period from the scheduled occurrence. 12. The system of claim 8, wherein enabling the user to add or modify the tip comprises enabling the user to add or modify the tip after the receipt of the completeness indication. 13. The system of claim 12, further comprising:
determine whether a current time is within a predetermined time period after the receipt of the completeness indication, wherein enabling the user to add or modify the tip comprises enabling the user to add or modify the tip responsive to the current time being within the predetermined time period. 14. (canceled) 15. The system of claim 1, wherein associating the first payment information with the reservation comprises:
determining whether the vendor is associated with predetermined payment information of the user that is designated for the vendor; and associating the first payment information with the reservation responsive to the vendor not being associated with predetermined payment information of the user that is designated for the vendor. 16. A method for facilitating booking of service events based on a previous vendor location, the method being implemented in a computer system comprising one or more physical processors executing one or more computer program instructions which, when executed, perform the method, the method comprising:
receiving, at the one or more physical processors, a user request for a service event of a first service event type for a user; determining, by the one or more physical processors, a location of a previous vendor that provided a previous service event for the user; selecting, by the one or more physical processors, based on the location of the previous vendor, a vendor to provide a first service event of the first service event type for the user such that the selected vendor is at a location within a predetermined proximity threshold from the location of the previous vendor; determining, by the one or more physical processors, scheduling information for the first service event based on a first calendar associated with the user and a second calendar associated with the selected vendor, wherein the scheduling information comprises at least one of a date for the first service event or a time for the first service event; determining, by the one or more physical processors, a reservation for the first service event with the selected vendor based on the scheduling information; providing, by the one or more physical processors, to the user, a request to accept the reservation; responsive to the user accepting the reservation:
adding, by the one or more physical processors, information about the reservation to the first calendar;
associating, by the one or more physical processors, first payment information with the reservation for execution of payment upon completion of the first service event; and
adding, by the one or more physical processors, information about the reservation to the second calendar;
receiving, by the one or more physical processors, from the vendor, an indication that the first service event is completed; and executing, by the one or more physical processors, payment for the first service event based on the completeness indication and the first payment information. 17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:
receiving, by the one or more physical processors, payment information of the user for a plurality of service event types, wherein the payment information of the user comprises the first payment information designated for payment of a service event of the first service event type and second payment information designated for payment of a service event of a second event type, and wherein the first payment information is associated with the reservation based on a determination that the first service event is of the first service event type; determining, by the one or more physical processors, second scheduling information for a second service event of the second service event type, wherein the second scheduling information comprises at least one of a second date for the second service event or a second time for the second service event; determining, by the one or more physical processors, a second reservation for the second service event with a second vendor based on the second scheduling information; providing, by the one or more physical processors, to the user, a request to accept the second reservation; responsive to the user accepting the second reservation:
adding, by the one or more physical processors, information about the second reservation to the first calendar;
associating, by the one or more physical processors, based on a determination that the second service event is of the second service event type, the second payment information with the second reservation for execution of payment upon completion of the second service event; and
adding, by the one or more physical processors, information about the second reservation to the third calendar;
receiving, by the one or more physical processors, from the second vendor, an indication that the second service event is completed; and executing, by the one or more physical processors, payment for the second service event based on the completeness indication from the second vendor and the second payment information. 18. The method of claim 17, wherein the first payment information is designated, prior to the user request, for payment of a service event of the first service event type. 19. The method of claim 16, further comprising:
determining, by the one or more physical processors, based on the first service event type and the location of the previous vendor, a set of vendors that are each at a location within the predetermined proximity threshold from the location of the previous vendor; and obtaining, by the one or more physical processors, feedback related to the set, of vendors provided by a set of users, wherein selecting the vendor comprises selecting, from the set of vendors, based on the obtained feedback, the vendor to provide the first service event for the user. 20. The method of claim 19, further comprising:
determining, by the one or more physical processors, a location associated with the user, wherein determining the set of vendors comprises determining the set of vendors further based on the location associated with the user. 21. The method of claim 19, wherein the set of vendors is determined such that each vendor of the set of vendors (i) is at a location within the predetermined proximity threshold from the location of the previous vendor and (ii) provides services events of the first service event type. 22. The method of claim 16, further comprising:
determining, by the one or more physical processors, amounts of time between previous service events of the first service event type that were scheduled for the user, wherein the amounts of time comprises (i) a first amount of time between a first previous service event of the first service event type that was scheduled for the user and a second previous service event of the first service event type that was scheduled for the user and (ii) a second amount of time between the second previous service event and a third previous service event of the first service event type that was scheduled for the user, wherein the first amount time is different from the second amount of time; determining, by the one or more physical processors, a time interval between service events of the first service event type based on (i) the first amount of time and (ii) the second amount of time, wherein determining the scheduling information comprises determining the scheduling information based on (i) the time interval and (ii) a scheduled date or time of a previous service event scheduled for the user. 23. The method of claim 16, further comprising:
enabling, by the one or more physical processors, the user to add or modify a tip for the first service event, wherein executing the payment for the first service event comprises executing, based on the completeness indication and the first payment information, a payment that reflects the tip and a cost of the first service event. 24. The method of claim 23, wherein enabling the user to add or modify the tip comprises enabling the user to add or modify the tip before the receipt of the completeness indication. 25. The method of claim 24, further comprising:
determining, by the one or more physical processors, whether a current time is a time after at least one of a predetermined time period after the scheduled occurrence or a predetermined time period after the confirmation of the reservation, wherein enabling the user to add or modify the tip comprises enabling the user to add or modify the tip responsive to the current time being a time after at least one of the predetermined time period after the scheduled occurrence or the predetermined time period after the confirmation of the reservation. 26. The method of claim 24, further comprising:
determining, by the one or more physical processors, whether a current time is at most a predetermined time period from a scheduled occurrence of the first service event, wherein enabling the user to add or modify the tip comprises enabling the user to add or modify the tip responsive to the current time being at most the predetermined time period from the scheduled occurrence. 27. The method of claim 23, wherein enabling the user to add or modify the tip comprises enabling the user to add or modify the tip after the receipt of the completeness indication. 28. The method of claim 27, further comprising:
determining, by the one or more physical processors, whether a current time is within a predetermined time period after the receipt of the completeness indication, wherein enabling the user to add or modify the tip comprises enabling the user to add or modify the tip responsive to the current time being within the predetermined time period. 29. (canceled) 30. The method of claim 16, wherein associating the first payment information with the reservation comprises:
determining whether the vendor is associated with predetermined payment information of the user that is designated for the vendor; and associating the first payment information with the reservation responsive to the vendor not being associated with predetermined payment information of the user that is designated for the vendor. | 3,600 |
12,638 | 12,638 | 13,185,441 | 3,694 | Key features of these methods, apparatus, and designs include (but are not limited to) innovations and implementations of futures securities; the notion of Type I, Type II, and Type III futures contracts custom tailored to specific clienteles; the notion of tickets and coupons as tradable futures contracts; the notion of bifurcation; the notion of redeemable bundles; and notion of realization of the futures market on the Internet; the apparatus of an Internet-based trading interface and engine; the notion of cookie-cutter futures electronic Internet-based futures markets for each security; the feature of maximal reliance on the Internet; and the business concept of “profitability without the need for high trading volume.” | 1. A method of conducting business comprising the steps of:
establishing a computer-network based contract trading system electronically accessible by traders, said trading system including a plurality of trading accounts, each trader on the trading system being associated with at least one of the trading accounts; and establishing, on said trading system, a plurality of separate contracts within contract bundles, each contract bundle paying off an aggregate fixed monetary sum at maturity, the aggregate fixed monetary sum at maturity known when the contract bundles are established, and wherein each contract bundle comprises at least two separate contracts. | Key features of these methods, apparatus, and designs include (but are not limited to) innovations and implementations of futures securities; the notion of Type I, Type II, and Type III futures contracts custom tailored to specific clienteles; the notion of tickets and coupons as tradable futures contracts; the notion of bifurcation; the notion of redeemable bundles; and notion of realization of the futures market on the Internet; the apparatus of an Internet-based trading interface and engine; the notion of cookie-cutter futures electronic Internet-based futures markets for each security; the feature of maximal reliance on the Internet; and the business concept of “profitability without the need for high trading volume.”1. A method of conducting business comprising the steps of:
establishing a computer-network based contract trading system electronically accessible by traders, said trading system including a plurality of trading accounts, each trader on the trading system being associated with at least one of the trading accounts; and establishing, on said trading system, a plurality of separate contracts within contract bundles, each contract bundle paying off an aggregate fixed monetary sum at maturity, the aggregate fixed monetary sum at maturity known when the contract bundles are established, and wherein each contract bundle comprises at least two separate contracts. | 3,600 |
12,639 | 12,639 | 11,364,440 | 3,683 | A method and system for computer-assisted analyses of best practice safety assessment generates quantitative indicators of safety performance by using a questionnaire with questions in various sections directed to different areas of safety performance evaluation. Scores are given to the questions based on answers entered by an evaluator. The scores for the questions in each section are weighted and summed to provide a section score, and the section scores are weighted and summed to generate an overall score for the assessment. The scores for the individual sections and the overall score can be compared with scores of other clients and the average scores of the industry, and expected losses can be predicted based on the scores. | 1. A method of generating quantitative indicators for a performance assessment of a safety program, comprising:
presenting through an electronic user interface a questionnaire having a plurality of sections each having a plurality of questions, each section being directed to one area of safety performance assessment; receiving, through the electronic user interface, answers for respective questions in the questionnaire; assigning scores to the questions in the questionnaire based on received answers for the respective questions; applying weights to the scores of the questions; for each section, summing weighted scores for questions in said each section to provide a section score; applying weights to the section scores; and summing the weighted section scores to provide an overall score. 2. A method as in claim 1, wherein the step of receiving includes presenting through the user interface a set of possible answers for a question for selection by a user, and wherein each one of said plurality of possible answers has a pre-defined score associated therewith. 3. A method as in claim 2, wherein the step of receiving includes presenting a common set of multiple possible answers for each of a plurality of questions in the questionnaire. 4. A method as in claim 1, wherein the steps of applying weights to questions and applying weights to sections include retrieving pre-defined weight data for respective questions and sections from a database. 5. A method as in claim 4, wherein the step of summing weighted scores for questions includes normalizing the section score to have a maximum value of 100%. 6. A method as in claim 5, wherein the step of summing the weighted section scores includes normalizing the overall score to have a maximum value of 100%. 7. A method as claim 5, further including the step of presenting the section scores in a chart. 8. A method as in claim 7, wherein the chart includes section scores derived from other performance assessments. 9. A method as in claim 4, further including the step of performing a statistical analysis to identify a correlation between the overall score and a loss factor. 10. A method as in claim 1, wherein the step of presenting the questionnaire includes transmitting the questionnaire via a network to a user computer. 11. A method as in claim 1, wherein the step of presenting the questionnaire includes presenting data entry fields for receiving data other than the answers for the respective questions. 12. A system for generating quantitative indicators for an assessment of performance of a safety program, comprising:
an application server residing on a network; and a database storing pre-defined weights for respective questions and sections of the questionnaire; the application server being programmed to present a questionnaire via an electronic user interface, receive through an electronic user interface answers for respective questions in the questionnaire, assign scores to the questions in the questionnaire based on received answers for the respective questions, apply weights to the scores of the questions, sum weighted scores for questions in each section to provide a section score for said each section, apply weights to the section scores, and sum the weighted section scores to provide an overall score. 13. A system as in claim 12, wherein the application server is programmed to present through the user interface a set of possible answers for a question for selection by a user, and wherein each of said plurality of possible answers has a pre-defined score associated therewith. 14. A system as in claim 13, wherein application server is programmed to present a common set of possible answers for each of a plurality of questions in the questionnaire. 15. A system as in claim 12, wherein the application server is programmed to normalize the section score to have a maximum value of 100%. 16. A system as in claim 15, wherein the application server is programmed to normalize the overall score to have a maximum value of 100%. 17. A system as in claim 16, wherein the application server is programmed to present the section scores in a chart. 18. A system as in claim 16, wherein the application server is programmed to perform a statistical analysis to identify a correlation between the overall score and a loss factor. 19. A system as in claim 12, wherein the database stores answers to the questionnaire for a plurality of performance assessments. 20. A system as in claim 12, wherein the application server is programmed to transmit the questionnaire via the network to a user computer. | A method and system for computer-assisted analyses of best practice safety assessment generates quantitative indicators of safety performance by using a questionnaire with questions in various sections directed to different areas of safety performance evaluation. Scores are given to the questions based on answers entered by an evaluator. The scores for the questions in each section are weighted and summed to provide a section score, and the section scores are weighted and summed to generate an overall score for the assessment. The scores for the individual sections and the overall score can be compared with scores of other clients and the average scores of the industry, and expected losses can be predicted based on the scores.1. A method of generating quantitative indicators for a performance assessment of a safety program, comprising:
presenting through an electronic user interface a questionnaire having a plurality of sections each having a plurality of questions, each section being directed to one area of safety performance assessment; receiving, through the electronic user interface, answers for respective questions in the questionnaire; assigning scores to the questions in the questionnaire based on received answers for the respective questions; applying weights to the scores of the questions; for each section, summing weighted scores for questions in said each section to provide a section score; applying weights to the section scores; and summing the weighted section scores to provide an overall score. 2. A method as in claim 1, wherein the step of receiving includes presenting through the user interface a set of possible answers for a question for selection by a user, and wherein each one of said plurality of possible answers has a pre-defined score associated therewith. 3. A method as in claim 2, wherein the step of receiving includes presenting a common set of multiple possible answers for each of a plurality of questions in the questionnaire. 4. A method as in claim 1, wherein the steps of applying weights to questions and applying weights to sections include retrieving pre-defined weight data for respective questions and sections from a database. 5. A method as in claim 4, wherein the step of summing weighted scores for questions includes normalizing the section score to have a maximum value of 100%. 6. A method as in claim 5, wherein the step of summing the weighted section scores includes normalizing the overall score to have a maximum value of 100%. 7. A method as claim 5, further including the step of presenting the section scores in a chart. 8. A method as in claim 7, wherein the chart includes section scores derived from other performance assessments. 9. A method as in claim 4, further including the step of performing a statistical analysis to identify a correlation between the overall score and a loss factor. 10. A method as in claim 1, wherein the step of presenting the questionnaire includes transmitting the questionnaire via a network to a user computer. 11. A method as in claim 1, wherein the step of presenting the questionnaire includes presenting data entry fields for receiving data other than the answers for the respective questions. 12. A system for generating quantitative indicators for an assessment of performance of a safety program, comprising:
an application server residing on a network; and a database storing pre-defined weights for respective questions and sections of the questionnaire; the application server being programmed to present a questionnaire via an electronic user interface, receive through an electronic user interface answers for respective questions in the questionnaire, assign scores to the questions in the questionnaire based on received answers for the respective questions, apply weights to the scores of the questions, sum weighted scores for questions in each section to provide a section score for said each section, apply weights to the section scores, and sum the weighted section scores to provide an overall score. 13. A system as in claim 12, wherein the application server is programmed to present through the user interface a set of possible answers for a question for selection by a user, and wherein each of said plurality of possible answers has a pre-defined score associated therewith. 14. A system as in claim 13, wherein application server is programmed to present a common set of possible answers for each of a plurality of questions in the questionnaire. 15. A system as in claim 12, wherein the application server is programmed to normalize the section score to have a maximum value of 100%. 16. A system as in claim 15, wherein the application server is programmed to normalize the overall score to have a maximum value of 100%. 17. A system as in claim 16, wherein the application server is programmed to present the section scores in a chart. 18. A system as in claim 16, wherein the application server is programmed to perform a statistical analysis to identify a correlation between the overall score and a loss factor. 19. A system as in claim 12, wherein the database stores answers to the questionnaire for a plurality of performance assessments. 20. A system as in claim 12, wherein the application server is programmed to transmit the questionnaire via the network to a user computer. | 3,600 |
12,640 | 12,640 | 15,678,600 | 3,612 | An apparatus for aiding a user in raising and lowering of a tailgate includes a handle and a connector for connecting the handle to the tailgate to allow for movement of the handle rearwardly relative to the tailgate as the tailgate is initially lowered by the user and forwardly to a position above the tailgate as the lowering of the tailgate is continued. A tailgate lift assembly includes a housing extending along a predetermined length, a spring anchored at one end at a first end of the housing, a connector having a first end affixed to the opposite end of said spring and extending through said housing, and a first fixed guide around which the connector extends. A bumper for covering a corner of a tailgate is also provided. | 1. An apparatus, comprising:
a tailgate for being raising and lowered, the tailgate including a first corner; and a first bumper for covering the first corner. 2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the tailgate includes a second corner, and further including a second bumper for covering the second corner. 3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first corner comprises an upstanding flange and the first bumper is adapted for receiving the flange. 4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first bumper comprises an L-shaped recess. 5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first corner comprises a flat corner, and the first bumper is adapted for receiving the flat corner. 6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first bumper is brightly colored. 7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first bumper includes a recess for receiving the corner, the recess including an oversized groove for receiving a surface projection of the tailgate. 8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first bumper includes an angled extension for engaging a portion of the tailgate spaced from the corner. 9. A vehicle including the apparatus of claim 1. | An apparatus for aiding a user in raising and lowering of a tailgate includes a handle and a connector for connecting the handle to the tailgate to allow for movement of the handle rearwardly relative to the tailgate as the tailgate is initially lowered by the user and forwardly to a position above the tailgate as the lowering of the tailgate is continued. A tailgate lift assembly includes a housing extending along a predetermined length, a spring anchored at one end at a first end of the housing, a connector having a first end affixed to the opposite end of said spring and extending through said housing, and a first fixed guide around which the connector extends. A bumper for covering a corner of a tailgate is also provided.1. An apparatus, comprising:
a tailgate for being raising and lowered, the tailgate including a first corner; and a first bumper for covering the first corner. 2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the tailgate includes a second corner, and further including a second bumper for covering the second corner. 3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first corner comprises an upstanding flange and the first bumper is adapted for receiving the flange. 4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first bumper comprises an L-shaped recess. 5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first corner comprises a flat corner, and the first bumper is adapted for receiving the flat corner. 6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first bumper is brightly colored. 7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first bumper includes a recess for receiving the corner, the recess including an oversized groove for receiving a surface projection of the tailgate. 8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first bumper includes an angled extension for engaging a portion of the tailgate spaced from the corner. 9. A vehicle including the apparatus of claim 1. | 3,600 |
12,641 | 12,641 | 14,011,181 | 3,681 | Techniques for predicting success rates for online search terms based on offline advertising are described herein. The techniques enable marketers to determine appropriate values for online search terms based on their predicted success rates. By so doing, marketers may decide whether to pay online search engines for preferences of their website in response to a search using these online search terms. | 1. A method comprising:
receiving an offline advertising schedule for a product, brand, or entity; predicting, based on the offline advertising schedule, success rates for online advertisements or online search terms associated with a same, similar, or related product, brand, or entity; and providing the predicted success rates for the online advertisements or online search terms, respectively. 2. A method as described in claim 1, wherein the offline advertising schedule is for a first product having a first brand and made by a first entity and the predicting success rates for online advertisements or online search terms predicts success rates for a second product having a second brand and made by a second entity, the predicted success rates based on a similarity of the first product to the second product, the first brand to the second brand, or the first entity to the second entity. 3. A method as described in claim 1, wherein the predicted success rates for the online advertisements or online search terms is for the online search terms and includes a search volume, click-through rate, or conversion rate. 4. A method as described in claim 1, wherein receiving the offline advertising schedule retrieves the offline advertising schedule from a third-party market-research company. 5. A method as described in claim 1, further comprising normalizing the offline advertising schedule using offline advertising ratings data, and wherein predicting success rates is based on the normalized, offline advertising schedule. 6. A method as described in claim 1, wherein predicting success rates is based on a timing, repetition, or number of persons expected to be exposed to advertisements of the offline advertising schedule. 7. A method as described in claim 1, wherein predicting success rates is further based on historic success rates for historic offline advertising schedules. 8. A method as described in claim 1, where predicting success rates predicts different success rates for different days of a multi-day time period. 9. A method as described in claim 8, further comprising determining financial values for the online search terms, the determining financial values determining different financial values for the online search terms for each of the different days. 10. A method as described in claim 1, wherein the predicted success rates for the online advertisements or online search terms is for the online advertisements and includes a click-through rate or a conversion rate. 11. A method as described in claim 1, wherein predicting success rates is performed after commencing advertisements in the offline advertising schedule but prior to completing the advertisements in the offline advertising schedule. 12. A method as described in claim 1, further comprising determining the online search terms associated with the product, brand, or entity of the offline advertising schedule. 13. A method as described in claim 1, wherein the offline advertising schedule indicates advertisements being concentrated in a particular geographic location, cultural group, or politically-bounded region and wherein predicting success rates predicts success rates for the geographic location, the cultural group, or the politically-bounded region. 14. One or more computer-readable storage media comprising instructions that are stored thereon that, responsive to execution by a computing device, causes the computing device to perform operations comprising:
receiving time-based predicted success rates for online search terms, the time-based predicted success rates based on an offline advertising schedule for a product, brand, or entity associated with the online search terms; determining time-based financial values for the online search terms, the time-based financial values determined based on the time-based predicted success rates; and providing the time-based financial values for the online search terms along with costs associated with acquiring preferences by search engines through which a search using the online search terms can be performed. 15. One or more computer-readable storage media as described in claim 14, wherein the time-based predicted success rates are based at least on a predicted conversion rate. 16. One or more computer-readable storage media as described in claim 14, wherein the time-based predicted success rates are based at least on a predicted click-through rate. 17. One or more computer-readable storage media as described in claim 14, further comprising enabling selection, though a user interface, of the preferences by the search engines, and, responsive to selection of the preferences, contracting with the search engines to perform the preferences. 18. One or more computer-readable storage media as described in claim 14, wherein the time-based financial values include a maximum success-rate-to-cost ratio over a period of time. 19. One or more computer-readable storage media as described in claim 14, wherein determining the time-based financial values for the online search terms is for a similar product, brand, or entity to the product, brand, or entity of the offline advertising schedule. 20. A system comprising:
one or more computer processors; one or more computer-readable storage media comprising instructions stored thereon that, responsive to execution by the one or more computer processors, causes the computer processors to perform operations comprising:
receiving an offline advertising schedule for a product, brand, or entity;
predicting, based on the offline advertising schedule, success rates for online search terms associated with a same, similar, or related product, brand, or entity;
determining time-based financial values for the online search terms, the values determined based on the predicted success rates; and
providing the time-based financial values for the online search terms along with costs associated with the online search terms, the costs associated with preferences by search engines through which a search using the online search terms can be performed. | Techniques for predicting success rates for online search terms based on offline advertising are described herein. The techniques enable marketers to determine appropriate values for online search terms based on their predicted success rates. By so doing, marketers may decide whether to pay online search engines for preferences of their website in response to a search using these online search terms.1. A method comprising:
receiving an offline advertising schedule for a product, brand, or entity; predicting, based on the offline advertising schedule, success rates for online advertisements or online search terms associated with a same, similar, or related product, brand, or entity; and providing the predicted success rates for the online advertisements or online search terms, respectively. 2. A method as described in claim 1, wherein the offline advertising schedule is for a first product having a first brand and made by a first entity and the predicting success rates for online advertisements or online search terms predicts success rates for a second product having a second brand and made by a second entity, the predicted success rates based on a similarity of the first product to the second product, the first brand to the second brand, or the first entity to the second entity. 3. A method as described in claim 1, wherein the predicted success rates for the online advertisements or online search terms is for the online search terms and includes a search volume, click-through rate, or conversion rate. 4. A method as described in claim 1, wherein receiving the offline advertising schedule retrieves the offline advertising schedule from a third-party market-research company. 5. A method as described in claim 1, further comprising normalizing the offline advertising schedule using offline advertising ratings data, and wherein predicting success rates is based on the normalized, offline advertising schedule. 6. A method as described in claim 1, wherein predicting success rates is based on a timing, repetition, or number of persons expected to be exposed to advertisements of the offline advertising schedule. 7. A method as described in claim 1, wherein predicting success rates is further based on historic success rates for historic offline advertising schedules. 8. A method as described in claim 1, where predicting success rates predicts different success rates for different days of a multi-day time period. 9. A method as described in claim 8, further comprising determining financial values for the online search terms, the determining financial values determining different financial values for the online search terms for each of the different days. 10. A method as described in claim 1, wherein the predicted success rates for the online advertisements or online search terms is for the online advertisements and includes a click-through rate or a conversion rate. 11. A method as described in claim 1, wherein predicting success rates is performed after commencing advertisements in the offline advertising schedule but prior to completing the advertisements in the offline advertising schedule. 12. A method as described in claim 1, further comprising determining the online search terms associated with the product, brand, or entity of the offline advertising schedule. 13. A method as described in claim 1, wherein the offline advertising schedule indicates advertisements being concentrated in a particular geographic location, cultural group, or politically-bounded region and wherein predicting success rates predicts success rates for the geographic location, the cultural group, or the politically-bounded region. 14. One or more computer-readable storage media comprising instructions that are stored thereon that, responsive to execution by a computing device, causes the computing device to perform operations comprising:
receiving time-based predicted success rates for online search terms, the time-based predicted success rates based on an offline advertising schedule for a product, brand, or entity associated with the online search terms; determining time-based financial values for the online search terms, the time-based financial values determined based on the time-based predicted success rates; and providing the time-based financial values for the online search terms along with costs associated with acquiring preferences by search engines through which a search using the online search terms can be performed. 15. One or more computer-readable storage media as described in claim 14, wherein the time-based predicted success rates are based at least on a predicted conversion rate. 16. One or more computer-readable storage media as described in claim 14, wherein the time-based predicted success rates are based at least on a predicted click-through rate. 17. One or more computer-readable storage media as described in claim 14, further comprising enabling selection, though a user interface, of the preferences by the search engines, and, responsive to selection of the preferences, contracting with the search engines to perform the preferences. 18. One or more computer-readable storage media as described in claim 14, wherein the time-based financial values include a maximum success-rate-to-cost ratio over a period of time. 19. One or more computer-readable storage media as described in claim 14, wherein determining the time-based financial values for the online search terms is for a similar product, brand, or entity to the product, brand, or entity of the offline advertising schedule. 20. A system comprising:
one or more computer processors; one or more computer-readable storage media comprising instructions stored thereon that, responsive to execution by the one or more computer processors, causes the computer processors to perform operations comprising:
receiving an offline advertising schedule for a product, brand, or entity;
predicting, based on the offline advertising schedule, success rates for online search terms associated with a same, similar, or related product, brand, or entity;
determining time-based financial values for the online search terms, the values determined based on the predicted success rates; and
providing the time-based financial values for the online search terms along with costs associated with the online search terms, the costs associated with preferences by search engines through which a search using the online search terms can be performed. | 3,600 |
12,642 | 12,642 | 11,846,501 | 3,685 | Different adapters and applications may publish information on the messaging bus and retrieve information from the bus simultaneously in a manner that does not cause interference or problems in the publication or retrieval. Meter data is cleaned, validated and estimated by separate applications using the above-described application and retrieval processes via the message bus for flexible and efficient processing. | 1. A meter data management computer system for managing meter data, said system in communication with a meter data collection system that collects meter data from a plurality of meters recording utility usage, and with an application software system, said meter data management computer system comprising:
a plurality of interfaces, said interfaces including a first interface to the meter data collection system and a second interface to the application software system; a database storing the meter data or information derived from the meter data; a first application to insert the meter data or information derived from the meter data into the database; and a message bus for transferring the meter data or information derived from the meter data and messages related to the meter data between the meter data collection system, the first application, the database, the plurality of interfaces and the application software system. 2. The computer system of claim 1, wherein one of said interfaces publishes one of the messages on the message bus and said first application or another one of said interfaces retrieves the one message from the message bus. 3. The computer system of claim 2, each of at least some of said messages published by said first interface including a corresponding identifier indicating a characteristic of such message, and said first application or another one of said interfaces retrieves from the message bus at least one message of interest based on the characteristic indicated by the identifier. 4. The computer system of claim 3, said characteristic of said at least one message including one or more of the following: account, rate cycle, route premise, service delivery point, a change in one or more of said meters, rate, route, cycle, premise status, service agreement, customer. 5. The computer system of claim 3, said first application or said another one of said interfaces retrieving from the message bus only messages of interest as indicated by the identifier in the messages. 6. The computer system of claim 5, said first application or said another one of said interfaces retrieving from the message bus only messages with a predetermined identifier or flags. 7. The computer system of claim 3, wherein publication and retrieval of said messages by each of the interfaces and first application does not affect the publication and retrieval of said messages by any other one of the interfaces or the first application. 8. The computer system of claim 1, further including an additional management database storing relationship data between service delivery points and said meters. 9. The computer system of claim 8, said additional management database storing relationship data between service delivery points and one or more of the following: meter sockets, power disconnect switches, data communication devices, electrical distribution transformers, electrical distribution feeders, or relationship data concerning customers, rates, routes, cycles, premises, and service agreements. 10. The computer system of claim 8, said first interface comprising a software application module that manages the synchronization of data stored in the meter data collection system or the application software system with data stored in the management database. 11. The computer system of claim 1, said first interface comprising a software application module that modifies the meter data from the meter data collection system and publishes the modified meter data on the message bus, wherein said first application retrieves the modified meter data from the message bus and stores the modified meter data in the database. 12. The computer system of claim 1, said interfaces comprising at least one software application that manages the updating of data stored in the application software system with data stored in the meter data collection system. 13. The computer system of claim 1, wherein messages retrieved by the meter data collection system include a message related to a change of one or more of said meters, meter configuration or meter location. 14. The computer system of claim 1, wherein messages retrieved by the application software system include a message related to billing, or customer. 15. A method for managing meter data performed by means of a meter data management computer system in communication with a meter data collection system that collects meter data from a plurality of meters recording utility usage, and an application software system, said meter data management computer system comprising:
a plurality of interfaces, said interfaces including an interface to the meter data collection system and an interface to the application software system; and a message bus for transferring information related to the meter data between the meter data collection system, the plurality of interfaces and the application software system; said method comprising: at least a first interface of said plurality of interfaces publishing on the message bus a message related to the meter data; and at least a second interface of said plurality of interfaces different from the at least first interface retrieving said message from the message bus, to pass information between the meter data collection system, the meter data management computer system and the application software system. 16. The method of claim 15, each of at least some of said messages published by said interfaces including an indicator indicating a characteristic of said message, said at least second interface retrieving from the message bus at least one message of interest based on a characteristic indicated by the indicator of the at least one message. 17. The method of claim 16, said at least second interface retrieving from the message bus only messages of interest as indicated by the indicator or indicators in the messages. 18. The method of claim 16, said at least second retrieving from the message bus only messages with a predetermined indicator or indicators. 19. The method of claim 15, wherein publishing and retrieving of said messages by each of the interfaces do not affect the publishing and retrieving of said messages by any other one of the interfaces. 20. The method of claim 15, wherein said meter data management computer system further comprises a database, an application, the interface to the meter data collection system publishes on the message bus meter data, or information derived from the meter data, from the meter data collection system, and said application retrieves the meter data or said information from the message bus and stores the meter data or said information in the database. 21. The method of claim 15, said meter data management computer system further comprising a management database storing relationship data between service delivery points and said meters, and a software application module; said software application module synchronizing data stored in the meter data collection system or said application software system with data stored in the management database. 22. The method of claim 15, said meter data management computer system further comprises a database storing meter data or information derived from the meter data, said interface to the application software system comprising a software application, said software application updating data stored in the application software system with data stored in the database. 23. The method of claim 15, one of said interfaces comprising a software application, said software application updating data stored in the application software system with data stored in the meter data collection system. 24. The method of claim 15, wherein the interface to the application software system publishes on the message bus a message related to a change of one or more of said meters, meter configuration or meter location, and said interface to the meter data collection system retrieves such message and updates data in the meter data collection system with the change. 25. The method of claim 15, wherein the interface to the application software system publishes on the message bus a message for disconnecting an individual meter at a service delivery point, and the interface to the meter data collection system retrieves such message and disconnects utility service at said service delivery point. | Different adapters and applications may publish information on the messaging bus and retrieve information from the bus simultaneously in a manner that does not cause interference or problems in the publication or retrieval. Meter data is cleaned, validated and estimated by separate applications using the above-described application and retrieval processes via the message bus for flexible and efficient processing.1. A meter data management computer system for managing meter data, said system in communication with a meter data collection system that collects meter data from a plurality of meters recording utility usage, and with an application software system, said meter data management computer system comprising:
a plurality of interfaces, said interfaces including a first interface to the meter data collection system and a second interface to the application software system; a database storing the meter data or information derived from the meter data; a first application to insert the meter data or information derived from the meter data into the database; and a message bus for transferring the meter data or information derived from the meter data and messages related to the meter data between the meter data collection system, the first application, the database, the plurality of interfaces and the application software system. 2. The computer system of claim 1, wherein one of said interfaces publishes one of the messages on the message bus and said first application or another one of said interfaces retrieves the one message from the message bus. 3. The computer system of claim 2, each of at least some of said messages published by said first interface including a corresponding identifier indicating a characteristic of such message, and said first application or another one of said interfaces retrieves from the message bus at least one message of interest based on the characteristic indicated by the identifier. 4. The computer system of claim 3, said characteristic of said at least one message including one or more of the following: account, rate cycle, route premise, service delivery point, a change in one or more of said meters, rate, route, cycle, premise status, service agreement, customer. 5. The computer system of claim 3, said first application or said another one of said interfaces retrieving from the message bus only messages of interest as indicated by the identifier in the messages. 6. The computer system of claim 5, said first application or said another one of said interfaces retrieving from the message bus only messages with a predetermined identifier or flags. 7. The computer system of claim 3, wherein publication and retrieval of said messages by each of the interfaces and first application does not affect the publication and retrieval of said messages by any other one of the interfaces or the first application. 8. The computer system of claim 1, further including an additional management database storing relationship data between service delivery points and said meters. 9. The computer system of claim 8, said additional management database storing relationship data between service delivery points and one or more of the following: meter sockets, power disconnect switches, data communication devices, electrical distribution transformers, electrical distribution feeders, or relationship data concerning customers, rates, routes, cycles, premises, and service agreements. 10. The computer system of claim 8, said first interface comprising a software application module that manages the synchronization of data stored in the meter data collection system or the application software system with data stored in the management database. 11. The computer system of claim 1, said first interface comprising a software application module that modifies the meter data from the meter data collection system and publishes the modified meter data on the message bus, wherein said first application retrieves the modified meter data from the message bus and stores the modified meter data in the database. 12. The computer system of claim 1, said interfaces comprising at least one software application that manages the updating of data stored in the application software system with data stored in the meter data collection system. 13. The computer system of claim 1, wherein messages retrieved by the meter data collection system include a message related to a change of one or more of said meters, meter configuration or meter location. 14. The computer system of claim 1, wherein messages retrieved by the application software system include a message related to billing, or customer. 15. A method for managing meter data performed by means of a meter data management computer system in communication with a meter data collection system that collects meter data from a plurality of meters recording utility usage, and an application software system, said meter data management computer system comprising:
a plurality of interfaces, said interfaces including an interface to the meter data collection system and an interface to the application software system; and a message bus for transferring information related to the meter data between the meter data collection system, the plurality of interfaces and the application software system; said method comprising: at least a first interface of said plurality of interfaces publishing on the message bus a message related to the meter data; and at least a second interface of said plurality of interfaces different from the at least first interface retrieving said message from the message bus, to pass information between the meter data collection system, the meter data management computer system and the application software system. 16. The method of claim 15, each of at least some of said messages published by said interfaces including an indicator indicating a characteristic of said message, said at least second interface retrieving from the message bus at least one message of interest based on a characteristic indicated by the indicator of the at least one message. 17. The method of claim 16, said at least second interface retrieving from the message bus only messages of interest as indicated by the indicator or indicators in the messages. 18. The method of claim 16, said at least second retrieving from the message bus only messages with a predetermined indicator or indicators. 19. The method of claim 15, wherein publishing and retrieving of said messages by each of the interfaces do not affect the publishing and retrieving of said messages by any other one of the interfaces. 20. The method of claim 15, wherein said meter data management computer system further comprises a database, an application, the interface to the meter data collection system publishes on the message bus meter data, or information derived from the meter data, from the meter data collection system, and said application retrieves the meter data or said information from the message bus and stores the meter data or said information in the database. 21. The method of claim 15, said meter data management computer system further comprising a management database storing relationship data between service delivery points and said meters, and a software application module; said software application module synchronizing data stored in the meter data collection system or said application software system with data stored in the management database. 22. The method of claim 15, said meter data management computer system further comprises a database storing meter data or information derived from the meter data, said interface to the application software system comprising a software application, said software application updating data stored in the application software system with data stored in the database. 23. The method of claim 15, one of said interfaces comprising a software application, said software application updating data stored in the application software system with data stored in the meter data collection system. 24. The method of claim 15, wherein the interface to the application software system publishes on the message bus a message related to a change of one or more of said meters, meter configuration or meter location, and said interface to the meter data collection system retrieves such message and updates data in the meter data collection system with the change. 25. The method of claim 15, wherein the interface to the application software system publishes on the message bus a message for disconnecting an individual meter at a service delivery point, and the interface to the meter data collection system retrieves such message and disconnects utility service at said service delivery point. | 3,600 |
12,643 | 12,643 | 14,573,364 | 3,623 | A mechanism is provided for making a decision in a service oriented architecture. A request is received for a decision service, the request comprising a plurality of user-defined parameters. A key is generated based on the relevant parameters in the plurality of user-defined parameters. The relevant parameters are parameters to be used by a rule set in making the decision. The rule set is used to make the decision. The key and the decision is stored in a cache. The decision is then returned to a source of the request. | 1. A method, in a data processing system, of making a decision in a service oriented architecture, the method comprising:
receiving, by a processor in the data processing system, a request for a decision service, wherein the request comprises a plurality of user-defined parameters; generating, by the processor, a key based on relevant parameters in the plurality of user-defined parameters, wherein the relevant parameters are parameters to be used by a rule set in making the decision; using, by the processor, the rule set to make the decision; storing, by the processor, the key and the decision in a cache; and returning, by the processor, the decision to a source of the request. 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
evaluating, by the processor, the rule set for making the decision to determine the relevant parameters. 3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
receiving, by the processor, a further request for the decision service, wherein the further request comprises a further plurality of user-defined parameters; retrieving, by the processor, relevant further parameters from the further plurality of user-defined parameters to be used by the rule set in the decision making process; generating, by the processor, a further key based on the relevant further parameters in the further plurality of user-defined parameters; and searching, by the processor, the cache to find a match between the further key and the keys identified in the cache. 4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:
retrieving, by the processor, the decision from the cache identified by the key upon detecting a match between the key and the further key; and returning, by the processor, the retrieved decision to the source of the further request. 5. The method of claim 3, further comprising:
using, by the processor, the rule set to make a further decision if none of the keys in the cache match the further key; storing, by the processor, the further key and the further decision in a the cache; and returning, by the processor, the further decision to the source of the further request. 6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
replacing, by the processor, parameters of the plurality of user-defined parameters that are irrelevant to the decision making process with wildcards in the decision; and storing, by the processor, the decision including the wildcards in the cache. 7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
flushing, by the processor, the cache upon a change to the rule set. 8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:
evaluating, by the processor, the changed rule set to determine the relevant parameters in the plurality of user-defined parameters to be used by the changed rule set in the decision making process. 9. A computer program product comprising a computer-readable storage medium having a computer readable program stored therein, wherein the computer readable program, when executed on a computing device, causes the computing device to:
receive a request for a decision service, wherein the request comprises a plurality of user-defined parameters; generate a key based on relevant parameters in the plurality of user-defined parameters, wherein the relevant parameters are parameters to be used by a rule set in making a decision; use the rule set to make the decision; store the key and the decision in a cache; and return the decision to a source of the request. 10. A data processing system comprising:
at least one processor; and a memory coupled to the at least one processor, wherein the memory comprises instructions which, when excepted by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to; receive a request for a decision service, wherein the request comprises a plurality of user-defined parameters: generate a key based on relevant parameters in the plurality of user-defined parameters, wherein the relevant parameters are parameters to be used by a rule set in making a decision; use the rule set to make the decision; store the key and the decision in a cache; and return the decision to a source of the request. 11-15. (canceled) 16. The data processing system of claim 10, wherein the instructions further cause the at least one processor to:
evaluate the rule set for making the decision to determine the relevant parameters. 17. The data processing system of claim 10, wherein the instructions further cause the at least one processor to:
receive a further request for the decision service, wherein the further request comprises a further plurality of user-defined parameters; retrieve relevant further parameters from the further plurality of user-defined parameters to be used by the rule set in the decision making process; generate a further key based on the relevant further parameters in the further plurality of user-defined parameters; and search the cache to find a match between the further key and the keys identified in the cache. 18. The data processing system of claim 10, wherein the instructions further cause the at least one processor to:
replace parameters of the plurality of user-defined parameters that are irrelevant to the decision making process with wildcards in the decision; and store the decision including the wildcards in the cache. 19. The data processing system of claim 10, wherein the instructions further cause the at least one processor to:
flush the cache upon a change to the rule set. 20. The data processing system of claim 19, wherein the instructions further cause the at least one processor to:
evaluate the changed rule set to determine the relevant parameters in the plurality of user-defined parameters to be used by the changed rule set in the decision making process. 21. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the computer readable program further causes the computing device to:
evaluate the rule set for making the decision to determine the relevant parameters. 22. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the computer readable program further causes the computing device to:
receive a further request for the decision service, wherein the further request comprises a further plurality of user-defined parameters; retrieve relevant further parameters from the further plurality of user-defined parameters to be used by the rule set in the decision making process; generate a further key based on the relevant further parameters in the further plurality of user-defined parameters; and search the cache to find a match between the further key and the keys identified in the cache. 23. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the computer readable program further causes the computing device to:
replace parameters of the plurality of user-defined parameters that are irrelevant to the decision making process with wildcards in the decision; and store the decision including the wildcards in the cache. 24. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the computer readable program further causes the computing device to:
flush the cache upon a change to the rule set. 25. The computer program product of claim 24, wherein the computer readable program further causes the computing device to:
evaluate the changed rule set to determine the relevant parameters in the plurality of user-defined parameters to be used by the changed rule set in the decision making process. | A mechanism is provided for making a decision in a service oriented architecture. A request is received for a decision service, the request comprising a plurality of user-defined parameters. A key is generated based on the relevant parameters in the plurality of user-defined parameters. The relevant parameters are parameters to be used by a rule set in making the decision. The rule set is used to make the decision. The key and the decision is stored in a cache. The decision is then returned to a source of the request.1. A method, in a data processing system, of making a decision in a service oriented architecture, the method comprising:
receiving, by a processor in the data processing system, a request for a decision service, wherein the request comprises a plurality of user-defined parameters; generating, by the processor, a key based on relevant parameters in the plurality of user-defined parameters, wherein the relevant parameters are parameters to be used by a rule set in making the decision; using, by the processor, the rule set to make the decision; storing, by the processor, the key and the decision in a cache; and returning, by the processor, the decision to a source of the request. 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
evaluating, by the processor, the rule set for making the decision to determine the relevant parameters. 3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
receiving, by the processor, a further request for the decision service, wherein the further request comprises a further plurality of user-defined parameters; retrieving, by the processor, relevant further parameters from the further plurality of user-defined parameters to be used by the rule set in the decision making process; generating, by the processor, a further key based on the relevant further parameters in the further plurality of user-defined parameters; and searching, by the processor, the cache to find a match between the further key and the keys identified in the cache. 4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:
retrieving, by the processor, the decision from the cache identified by the key upon detecting a match between the key and the further key; and returning, by the processor, the retrieved decision to the source of the further request. 5. The method of claim 3, further comprising:
using, by the processor, the rule set to make a further decision if none of the keys in the cache match the further key; storing, by the processor, the further key and the further decision in a the cache; and returning, by the processor, the further decision to the source of the further request. 6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
replacing, by the processor, parameters of the plurality of user-defined parameters that are irrelevant to the decision making process with wildcards in the decision; and storing, by the processor, the decision including the wildcards in the cache. 7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
flushing, by the processor, the cache upon a change to the rule set. 8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:
evaluating, by the processor, the changed rule set to determine the relevant parameters in the plurality of user-defined parameters to be used by the changed rule set in the decision making process. 9. A computer program product comprising a computer-readable storage medium having a computer readable program stored therein, wherein the computer readable program, when executed on a computing device, causes the computing device to:
receive a request for a decision service, wherein the request comprises a plurality of user-defined parameters; generate a key based on relevant parameters in the plurality of user-defined parameters, wherein the relevant parameters are parameters to be used by a rule set in making a decision; use the rule set to make the decision; store the key and the decision in a cache; and return the decision to a source of the request. 10. A data processing system comprising:
at least one processor; and a memory coupled to the at least one processor, wherein the memory comprises instructions which, when excepted by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to; receive a request for a decision service, wherein the request comprises a plurality of user-defined parameters: generate a key based on relevant parameters in the plurality of user-defined parameters, wherein the relevant parameters are parameters to be used by a rule set in making a decision; use the rule set to make the decision; store the key and the decision in a cache; and return the decision to a source of the request. 11-15. (canceled) 16. The data processing system of claim 10, wherein the instructions further cause the at least one processor to:
evaluate the rule set for making the decision to determine the relevant parameters. 17. The data processing system of claim 10, wherein the instructions further cause the at least one processor to:
receive a further request for the decision service, wherein the further request comprises a further plurality of user-defined parameters; retrieve relevant further parameters from the further plurality of user-defined parameters to be used by the rule set in the decision making process; generate a further key based on the relevant further parameters in the further plurality of user-defined parameters; and search the cache to find a match between the further key and the keys identified in the cache. 18. The data processing system of claim 10, wherein the instructions further cause the at least one processor to:
replace parameters of the plurality of user-defined parameters that are irrelevant to the decision making process with wildcards in the decision; and store the decision including the wildcards in the cache. 19. The data processing system of claim 10, wherein the instructions further cause the at least one processor to:
flush the cache upon a change to the rule set. 20. The data processing system of claim 19, wherein the instructions further cause the at least one processor to:
evaluate the changed rule set to determine the relevant parameters in the plurality of user-defined parameters to be used by the changed rule set in the decision making process. 21. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the computer readable program further causes the computing device to:
evaluate the rule set for making the decision to determine the relevant parameters. 22. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the computer readable program further causes the computing device to:
receive a further request for the decision service, wherein the further request comprises a further plurality of user-defined parameters; retrieve relevant further parameters from the further plurality of user-defined parameters to be used by the rule set in the decision making process; generate a further key based on the relevant further parameters in the further plurality of user-defined parameters; and search the cache to find a match between the further key and the keys identified in the cache. 23. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the computer readable program further causes the computing device to:
replace parameters of the plurality of user-defined parameters that are irrelevant to the decision making process with wildcards in the decision; and store the decision including the wildcards in the cache. 24. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the computer readable program further causes the computing device to:
flush the cache upon a change to the rule set. 25. The computer program product of claim 24, wherein the computer readable program further causes the computing device to:
evaluate the changed rule set to determine the relevant parameters in the plurality of user-defined parameters to be used by the changed rule set in the decision making process. | 3,600 |
12,644 | 12,644 | 14,247,572 | 3,666 | Systems and methods for communicating wirelessly with automatic pool cleaners are addressed. Hydraulic cleaners, in particular, may be provided with on-board electricity-generating capabilities, processors, sensors, and transceivers for purposes of communication. Control of the cleaners may be accomplished using “smart” devices capable of downloading software via, for example, the Internet. | 1. A method of communicating with an automatic cleaner operating within a swimming pool, comprising:
a. loading control software into a device configured to transmit and receive signals wirelessly; b. causing the device to transmit wireless signals to a receiver on-board the operating automatic cleaner; and c. allowing the device to receive wireless signals from a transmitter on-board the operating automatic cleaner. 2. A method according to claim 1 in which loading control software into the device comprises downloading control software from a remote source via the Internet. 3. A method according to claim 2 in which the automatic cleaner lacks any electrical cord extending outside the swimming pool. 4. A method according to claim 3 in which the automatic cleaner is a hydraulic cleaner comprising an on-board electricity generation mechanism. 5. A method according to claim 4 further comprising connecting a hose to the automatic cleaner so as to place it in fluid communication with a pump associated with the swimming pool. 6. A method according to claim 5 in which the device is hand-held. 7. A method according to claim 6 in which wireless signals transmitted by the device to the automatic cleaner change a characteristic of movement of the automatic cleaner within the swimming pool. 8. A method according to claim 7 in which wireless signals transmitted by the automatic cleaner to the device provide information about operation of the automatic cleaner or at least one characteristic of the water within the swimming pool. 9. A method according to claim 8 further comprising causing the device to transmit wireless signals to a location remote from the swimming pool. 10. A method according to claim 1 further comprising pairing the device and the automatic cleaner. 11. A method according to claim 1 in which wireless signals transmitted by the device to the automatic cleaner change a pre-programmed setting of the automatic cleaner. | Systems and methods for communicating wirelessly with automatic pool cleaners are addressed. Hydraulic cleaners, in particular, may be provided with on-board electricity-generating capabilities, processors, sensors, and transceivers for purposes of communication. Control of the cleaners may be accomplished using “smart” devices capable of downloading software via, for example, the Internet.1. A method of communicating with an automatic cleaner operating within a swimming pool, comprising:
a. loading control software into a device configured to transmit and receive signals wirelessly; b. causing the device to transmit wireless signals to a receiver on-board the operating automatic cleaner; and c. allowing the device to receive wireless signals from a transmitter on-board the operating automatic cleaner. 2. A method according to claim 1 in which loading control software into the device comprises downloading control software from a remote source via the Internet. 3. A method according to claim 2 in which the automatic cleaner lacks any electrical cord extending outside the swimming pool. 4. A method according to claim 3 in which the automatic cleaner is a hydraulic cleaner comprising an on-board electricity generation mechanism. 5. A method according to claim 4 further comprising connecting a hose to the automatic cleaner so as to place it in fluid communication with a pump associated with the swimming pool. 6. A method according to claim 5 in which the device is hand-held. 7. A method according to claim 6 in which wireless signals transmitted by the device to the automatic cleaner change a characteristic of movement of the automatic cleaner within the swimming pool. 8. A method according to claim 7 in which wireless signals transmitted by the automatic cleaner to the device provide information about operation of the automatic cleaner or at least one characteristic of the water within the swimming pool. 9. A method according to claim 8 further comprising causing the device to transmit wireless signals to a location remote from the swimming pool. 10. A method according to claim 1 further comprising pairing the device and the automatic cleaner. 11. A method according to claim 1 in which wireless signals transmitted by the device to the automatic cleaner change a pre-programmed setting of the automatic cleaner. | 3,600 |
12,645 | 12,645 | 13,926,785 | 3,697 | Embodiments of the invention are directed to computer that can utilize a first computer and a second computer. The first computer may determine a first fraud score based on transaction data. If the first fraud score is indeterminate, the transaction may be assigned to a transaction review queue. If the subsequent review takes too long to complete, then a second computer may be used to compute a second fraud score to determine an outcome for the transaction. | 1. A system comprising:
a processor; and a computer readable medium, the computer readable medium comprising code, executable by the processor, for implementing a method comprising a) receiving, by a first computer, transaction data for a transaction, b) determining, by the first computer, a first transaction score for the transaction, c) determining, by the first computer, that the first transaction score is indeterminate, d) storing the transaction data in a review queue, e) providing, by the first computer, the transaction data to a second computer after a predetermined time has elapsed and the transaction data has not been reviewed, f) determining a second transaction score; and g) determining an outcome for the transaction using the second transaction score. 2. The system of claim 1 where the outcome is accepting the transaction or rejecting the transaction. 3. The system of claim 1 wherein the at least one data source comprises a social networking host site. 4. The system of claim 1 wherein the second computer is configured to (i) query a plurality of external data sources for supplemental data, and (ii) determine the second transaction score based on the transaction data, the supplemental data, and the first transaction score. 5. The system of claim 1 wherein the second computer is configured to (i) query a plurality of external data sources for plurality of supplemental data, (ii) prioritize accessing the external data sources according to one or more conditions, and (iii) determine the second transaction score based on the transaction data and the supplemental data. 6. The system of claim 5 wherein the second computer is configured to prioritize accessing the external data sources according to cost. 7. The system of claim 5 wherein the second computer is configured to prioritize accessing the external data sources according to the quality of the supplemental data from the data sources. 8. The system of claim 5 further comprising:
a data aggregator, wherein the data aggregator is configured to aggregate the supplemental data from the plurality of external data sources, and normalize the supplemental data from the plurality of external data sources. 9. The system of claim 1 wherein the method further comprises:
querying, by the second computer, at least one external data source for supplemental data; and
determining the second transaction score based on the transaction data and the supplemental data. 10. The system of claim 1 wherein the first transaction score is a first fraud score and the second transaction score is a second fraud score. 11. A method comprising:
a) receiving, by a first computer, transaction data for a transaction; b) determining, by the first computer, a first transaction score for the transaction; c) determining, by the first computer, that the first transaction score is indeterminate; d) storing the transaction data in a review queue; e) providing, by the first computer, the transaction data to a second computer after a predetermined time has elapsed and the transaction data has not been reviewed; f) determining a second transaction score; and g) determining an outcome for the transaction using the second transaction score. 12. The method of claim 11 wherein the outcome comprises accepting the transaction or rejecting the transaction. 13. The method of claim 11 wherein the at least one data source comprises a social networking host site. 14. The method of claim 11 wherein the second computer is configured to (i) query a plurality of external data sources for supplemental data, and (ii) determine the second transaction score based on the transaction data and the supplemental data. 15. The method of claim 11 wherein the second computer is configured to (i) query a plurality of external data sources for supplemental data, (ii) prioritize access to the external data sources in the plurality of external data sources according to one or more conditions, and (iii) determine the second transaction score based on the transaction data and the supplemental data. 16. The method of claim 15 further comprising:
accessing, by the second computer, the external data sources. 17. The method of claim 15 further comprising:
accessing, by the second computer, the external data sources according to the cost of accessing each of the external data sources. 18. The method of claim 15 further comprising:
aggregating the supplemental data from the plurality of external data sources, and normalizing the supplemental data. 19. The method of claim 11 further comprising:
querying, by the second computer, at least one external data source for supplemental data; and
determining the second transaction score based on the transaction data and the supplemental data. 20. The method of claim 11 wherein the first transaction score is a first fraud score and the second transaction score is a second fraud score. | Embodiments of the invention are directed to computer that can utilize a first computer and a second computer. The first computer may determine a first fraud score based on transaction data. If the first fraud score is indeterminate, the transaction may be assigned to a transaction review queue. If the subsequent review takes too long to complete, then a second computer may be used to compute a second fraud score to determine an outcome for the transaction.1. A system comprising:
a processor; and a computer readable medium, the computer readable medium comprising code, executable by the processor, for implementing a method comprising a) receiving, by a first computer, transaction data for a transaction, b) determining, by the first computer, a first transaction score for the transaction, c) determining, by the first computer, that the first transaction score is indeterminate, d) storing the transaction data in a review queue, e) providing, by the first computer, the transaction data to a second computer after a predetermined time has elapsed and the transaction data has not been reviewed, f) determining a second transaction score; and g) determining an outcome for the transaction using the second transaction score. 2. The system of claim 1 where the outcome is accepting the transaction or rejecting the transaction. 3. The system of claim 1 wherein the at least one data source comprises a social networking host site. 4. The system of claim 1 wherein the second computer is configured to (i) query a plurality of external data sources for supplemental data, and (ii) determine the second transaction score based on the transaction data, the supplemental data, and the first transaction score. 5. The system of claim 1 wherein the second computer is configured to (i) query a plurality of external data sources for plurality of supplemental data, (ii) prioritize accessing the external data sources according to one or more conditions, and (iii) determine the second transaction score based on the transaction data and the supplemental data. 6. The system of claim 5 wherein the second computer is configured to prioritize accessing the external data sources according to cost. 7. The system of claim 5 wherein the second computer is configured to prioritize accessing the external data sources according to the quality of the supplemental data from the data sources. 8. The system of claim 5 further comprising:
a data aggregator, wherein the data aggregator is configured to aggregate the supplemental data from the plurality of external data sources, and normalize the supplemental data from the plurality of external data sources. 9. The system of claim 1 wherein the method further comprises:
querying, by the second computer, at least one external data source for supplemental data; and
determining the second transaction score based on the transaction data and the supplemental data. 10. The system of claim 1 wherein the first transaction score is a first fraud score and the second transaction score is a second fraud score. 11. A method comprising:
a) receiving, by a first computer, transaction data for a transaction; b) determining, by the first computer, a first transaction score for the transaction; c) determining, by the first computer, that the first transaction score is indeterminate; d) storing the transaction data in a review queue; e) providing, by the first computer, the transaction data to a second computer after a predetermined time has elapsed and the transaction data has not been reviewed; f) determining a second transaction score; and g) determining an outcome for the transaction using the second transaction score. 12. The method of claim 11 wherein the outcome comprises accepting the transaction or rejecting the transaction. 13. The method of claim 11 wherein the at least one data source comprises a social networking host site. 14. The method of claim 11 wherein the second computer is configured to (i) query a plurality of external data sources for supplemental data, and (ii) determine the second transaction score based on the transaction data and the supplemental data. 15. The method of claim 11 wherein the second computer is configured to (i) query a plurality of external data sources for supplemental data, (ii) prioritize access to the external data sources in the plurality of external data sources according to one or more conditions, and (iii) determine the second transaction score based on the transaction data and the supplemental data. 16. The method of claim 15 further comprising:
accessing, by the second computer, the external data sources. 17. The method of claim 15 further comprising:
accessing, by the second computer, the external data sources according to the cost of accessing each of the external data sources. 18. The method of claim 15 further comprising:
aggregating the supplemental data from the plurality of external data sources, and normalizing the supplemental data. 19. The method of claim 11 further comprising:
querying, by the second computer, at least one external data source for supplemental data; and
determining the second transaction score based on the transaction data and the supplemental data. 20. The method of claim 11 wherein the first transaction score is a first fraud score and the second transaction score is a second fraud score. | 3,600 |
12,646 | 12,646 | 15,662,474 | 3,632 | A locking cable hanger assembly for the solar, mining, and electrical industry includes a new wire locking mechanism, new multiple cable carrier saddles on one hanger, data carrier wire capability, and optional high dielectric, UV coated material. | 1. A cable hanger which comprises:
a high tensile strength wire with two opposing ends and cable carrying formations located intermediate of said ends; one of said wire ends having a spiral gripper formation for engaging a messenger wire; and the opposite of said one wire ends formed with a locking hook for engagement with the same messenger wire. 2. The cable hanger of claim 1 wherein adjacent cable carrying formations are separated by cable carrier dividers. 3. The cable hanger of claim 2 wherein said cable carrying formations are horizontally adjacent cable carrying formations. 4. The cable hanger of claim 1 wherein said locking hook includes a data carrier wire formation. 5. The cable hanger of claim 4 wherein said data carrier wire formation is a data carrier loop. 6. The cable hanger of claim 1 wherein said end of said wire at said spiral gripper extends upwardly. 7. A cable hanger which comprises:
a high tensile strength wire with two opposing ends and configured intermediate of said ends to form at least one substantially U-shaped configuration; cable carrying formations located on said U-shaped configuration; opposite shoulders extending toward each other from said spaced apart opposite sides; one of said shoulders having a spiral gripper formation for engaging a messenger wire formed on its distal end; the opposite of said one shoulder formed with a locking hook for engagement with the same messenger wire; said spiral gripper wound so as to surround and have at least two interference abutment surfaces with the messenger wire when installed thereon; said spiral gripper cooperating with said locking hook when both are engaged with the messenger wire so as to securely hold said hanger on said messenger wire; and a data carrier wire formation formed on the distal end of said locking hook. 8. The cable hanger of claim 7 wherein adjacent cable carrying formations are separated by cable carrier dividers. 9. The cable hanger of claim 8 wherein said cable carrying formations are horizontally adjacent cable carrying formations. 10. The cable hanger of claim 7 wherein said data carrier wire formation is a data carrier loop. 11. The cable hanger of claim 7 wherein said end of said wire at said spiral gripper extends upwardly. 12. A cable hanger which comprises:
a high tensile strength wire with two opposing ends and cable carrying formations located intermediate of said ends; opposite shoulders extending toward each other from spaced apart opposite sides of said cable carrying formations; and the opposite of said one shoulder formed with a locking hook for engagement with the same messenger wire. 13. The cable hanger of claim 12 wherein said cable carrying formations includes a plurality of cable carrying formations separated by cable carrier dividers. 14. The cable hanger of claim 12 wherein adjacent cable carrying formations are separated by cable carrier dividers. 15. The cable hanger of claim 14 wherein said cable carrying formations are horizontally adjacent cable carrying formations. 16. The cable hanger of claim 14 wherein said cable carrying formations are vertically adjacent cable carrying formations. 17. The cable hanger of claim 12 wherein said locking hook includes a data carrier wire formation. 18. The cable hanger of claim 17 wherein said data carrier wire formation is a data carrier loop. 19. The cable hanger of claim 12 wherein one of said shoulders has a gripper formation for engaging a messenger wire formed on its distal end. 20. The cable hanger of claim 19 wherein said end of said wire at said spiral gripper extends upwardly. | A locking cable hanger assembly for the solar, mining, and electrical industry includes a new wire locking mechanism, new multiple cable carrier saddles on one hanger, data carrier wire capability, and optional high dielectric, UV coated material.1. A cable hanger which comprises:
a high tensile strength wire with two opposing ends and cable carrying formations located intermediate of said ends; one of said wire ends having a spiral gripper formation for engaging a messenger wire; and the opposite of said one wire ends formed with a locking hook for engagement with the same messenger wire. 2. The cable hanger of claim 1 wherein adjacent cable carrying formations are separated by cable carrier dividers. 3. The cable hanger of claim 2 wherein said cable carrying formations are horizontally adjacent cable carrying formations. 4. The cable hanger of claim 1 wherein said locking hook includes a data carrier wire formation. 5. The cable hanger of claim 4 wherein said data carrier wire formation is a data carrier loop. 6. The cable hanger of claim 1 wherein said end of said wire at said spiral gripper extends upwardly. 7. A cable hanger which comprises:
a high tensile strength wire with two opposing ends and configured intermediate of said ends to form at least one substantially U-shaped configuration; cable carrying formations located on said U-shaped configuration; opposite shoulders extending toward each other from said spaced apart opposite sides; one of said shoulders having a spiral gripper formation for engaging a messenger wire formed on its distal end; the opposite of said one shoulder formed with a locking hook for engagement with the same messenger wire; said spiral gripper wound so as to surround and have at least two interference abutment surfaces with the messenger wire when installed thereon; said spiral gripper cooperating with said locking hook when both are engaged with the messenger wire so as to securely hold said hanger on said messenger wire; and a data carrier wire formation formed on the distal end of said locking hook. 8. The cable hanger of claim 7 wherein adjacent cable carrying formations are separated by cable carrier dividers. 9. The cable hanger of claim 8 wherein said cable carrying formations are horizontally adjacent cable carrying formations. 10. The cable hanger of claim 7 wherein said data carrier wire formation is a data carrier loop. 11. The cable hanger of claim 7 wherein said end of said wire at said spiral gripper extends upwardly. 12. A cable hanger which comprises:
a high tensile strength wire with two opposing ends and cable carrying formations located intermediate of said ends; opposite shoulders extending toward each other from spaced apart opposite sides of said cable carrying formations; and the opposite of said one shoulder formed with a locking hook for engagement with the same messenger wire. 13. The cable hanger of claim 12 wherein said cable carrying formations includes a plurality of cable carrying formations separated by cable carrier dividers. 14. The cable hanger of claim 12 wherein adjacent cable carrying formations are separated by cable carrier dividers. 15. The cable hanger of claim 14 wherein said cable carrying formations are horizontally adjacent cable carrying formations. 16. The cable hanger of claim 14 wherein said cable carrying formations are vertically adjacent cable carrying formations. 17. The cable hanger of claim 12 wherein said locking hook includes a data carrier wire formation. 18. The cable hanger of claim 17 wherein said data carrier wire formation is a data carrier loop. 19. The cable hanger of claim 12 wherein one of said shoulders has a gripper formation for engaging a messenger wire formed on its distal end. 20. The cable hanger of claim 19 wherein said end of said wire at said spiral gripper extends upwardly. | 3,600 |
12,647 | 12,647 | 13,278,072 | 3,697 | A structured reference credit decision device includes a database configured to store information related to applicants, potential customers, referencers, potential referencers, lenders, and other third parties, a fetch data component coupled with the database, the fetch data component configured to receive input application information, fetch relevant information from the database, based on the application information, related to a subject applicant of the input application information and at least one referencer, and generate a plurality of linked data packages based on the fetched information, and an evaluation device coupled with the fetch data component, the evaluation engine configure to apply credit outcome models to the plurality of linked data packages and generate a recommendation relative to the subject applicant or application. | 1. A method of generating a prediction of an outcome comprising:
In a processing system,
Collecting data related to a prospect requesting an action and storing the data in a database;
using the processing system to identify relationships related to the prospect;
using a network graph engine to generate a network graph where the nodes of the graph represent the relationships and the edges of the graph represent the strength of those relationships;
using a prediction engine to apply a predictive modeling step to the graph to determine a predicted outcome related to the requested action, the predictive modeling step comprising generating a plurality of matrices, including at least one predictor linked data matrix and at least one singular vector matrix. 2. The method of claim 1 wherein the action is a loan. 3. The method of claim 2 wherein the relationships are references. 4. The method of claim 3 wherein the references are forward references. 5. The method of claim 4 wherein the references are backward references. 6. The method of claim 3 wherein the network graph is generated by recursion. 7. The method of claim 6 wherein a set of predictor variables are defined for the network graph. 8. The method of claim 7 wherein only the predictor variables are used in the predictive modeling step. 9. The method of claim 8 wherein a predictive model is trained on linked data of the network graph. 10. The method of claim 9 wherein the predicted outcome is provided to an evaluation engine to determine if the requested action will be approved. | A structured reference credit decision device includes a database configured to store information related to applicants, potential customers, referencers, potential referencers, lenders, and other third parties, a fetch data component coupled with the database, the fetch data component configured to receive input application information, fetch relevant information from the database, based on the application information, related to a subject applicant of the input application information and at least one referencer, and generate a plurality of linked data packages based on the fetched information, and an evaluation device coupled with the fetch data component, the evaluation engine configure to apply credit outcome models to the plurality of linked data packages and generate a recommendation relative to the subject applicant or application.1. A method of generating a prediction of an outcome comprising:
In a processing system,
Collecting data related to a prospect requesting an action and storing the data in a database;
using the processing system to identify relationships related to the prospect;
using a network graph engine to generate a network graph where the nodes of the graph represent the relationships and the edges of the graph represent the strength of those relationships;
using a prediction engine to apply a predictive modeling step to the graph to determine a predicted outcome related to the requested action, the predictive modeling step comprising generating a plurality of matrices, including at least one predictor linked data matrix and at least one singular vector matrix. 2. The method of claim 1 wherein the action is a loan. 3. The method of claim 2 wherein the relationships are references. 4. The method of claim 3 wherein the references are forward references. 5. The method of claim 4 wherein the references are backward references. 6. The method of claim 3 wherein the network graph is generated by recursion. 7. The method of claim 6 wherein a set of predictor variables are defined for the network graph. 8. The method of claim 7 wherein only the predictor variables are used in the predictive modeling step. 9. The method of claim 8 wherein a predictive model is trained on linked data of the network graph. 10. The method of claim 9 wherein the predicted outcome is provided to an evaluation engine to determine if the requested action will be approved. | 3,600 |
12,648 | 12,648 | 14,191,802 | 3,624 | Embodiments of the invention relate to generating an online marketing campaign that comprises a list of keywords to be purchased from a search engine. Keywords for a business' marketing campaign may be selected from a pre-defined template of keywords for the business service category into which the business falls. In addition, the business may add keywords not found in the template into its marketing campaign. The performance of the non-template keywords added by the business may be evaluated and, if they are determined to have been performed well, may be added into the template so that they may be used in the marketing campaigns of other businesses in the business service category. | 1-30. (canceled) 31. A method for generating keywords to be used in an online marketing campaign, the method comprising acts of:
reviewing at least one taxonomy that specifies at least one business service category and a list of keywords that represent a proposed best practices list of keywords for the at least one business service category for use in a search engine and/or online directory, wherein the at least one taxonomy is adaptive based on performance of online marketing campaigns, wherein the performance of online marketing campaigns for at least 100 businesses is evaluated in determining whether to adapt the taxonomy; adopting, using at least one processor, a first online marketing campaign for a first business that is based, at least in part, on the taxonomy but that employs at least one new keyword for the at least one business service category that is not included in the proposed best practices list, wherein adopting the first online marketing campaign comprises placing a bid with a search engine on the at least one new keyword and/or purchasing a listing related to the at least one new keyword from an online directory; after adopting the first online marketing campaign, evaluating the performance of the at least one new keyword in the first online marketing campaign; and when it is determined that the at least one new keyword satisfies at least one performance criterion, adding the at least one new keyword to the best practices list of keywords for the at least one business service category. 32. The method of claim 31, wherein the best practices list of keywords comprises positive keywords, negative keywords and geographical modifier keywords. 33. The method of claim 31, wherein the at least one taxonomy is globally managed for a plurality of online marketing campaigns for a plurality of businesses. 34. The method of claim 33, wherein the plurality of businesses comprises at least one thousand businesses. 35. The method of claim 32, wherein the adopting comprises taking a cross-product of the positive keywords and the geographical modifier keywords. 36. The method of claim 32, wherein the adopting comprises placing a bid with a search engine for each concatenation of a positive keyword and geographical modifier keyword. 37. The method of claim 31, wherein the adopting comprises:
placing a bid with a search engine on at least one recommended keyword in the proposed best practices list by setting the bid based at least in part on performance of the at least one recommended keyword in at least one marketing campaign. 38. A method, comprising:
reviewing a taxonomy that specifies at least one business service category and a list of keywords that represents a proposed best practices list of keywords for the at least one business service category for use in a search engine; adopting, using at least one processor, an online marketing campaign that is based, at least in part, on the taxonomy but that employs a new keyword for the at least one business service category that is not included in the proposed best practices list; after adopting the online marketing campaign, evaluating performance of the new keyword in the online marketing campaign; and when it is determined, based on results of the evaluating, that the new keyword satisfies at least one performance criterion, adding the new keyword to the best practices list of keywords for the at least one business service category. 39. The method of claim 38, wherein the adopting comprises placing a bid with a search engine on the new keyword. 40. The method of claim 38, wherein the adopting comprises:
placing a bid with a search engine on at least one recommended keyword in the proposed best practices list of keywords by setting the bid based at least in part on performance of the at least one recommended keyword in at least one marketing campaign. 41. The method of claim 38, wherein the online marketing campaign employs a recommended keyword in the proposed best practices list of keywords, the method further comprising:
evaluating performance of the recommended keyword in the online marketing campaign; determining, based on results of the evaluating the performance of the recommended keyword, whether the recommended keyword satisfies the at least one performance criterion; and when it is determined that the recommended keyword does not satisfy the at least one performance criterion, removing the recommended keyword from the best practices list of keywords for the at least one business service category. 42. The method of claim 38, wherein the best practices list of keywords comprises a plurality of positive keywords, a plurality of negative keywords, and a plurality of geographical modifier keywords. 43. The method of claim 42, wherein the adopting comprises placing a bid with a search engine for at least one concatenation of a positive keyword in the plurality of positive keywords and a geographical modifier keyword in the plurality of geographical modifier keywords. 44. The method of claim 42, wherein the adopting comprises placing a bid with a search engine for each concatenation of a positive keyword and geographical modifier keyword in a cross-product of the plurality of positive keywords and the plurality of geographical modifier keywords. 45. A method of adaptively updating a taxonomy that specifies at least one business service category and a list of keywords that represent a proposed best practices list of keywords for the at least one business service category for use in a search engine, the method comprising:
generating, using at least one processor, a plurality of online marketing campaigns for a plurality of businesses using the proposed best practices list of keywords, wherein each of the plurality of online marketing campaigns includes at least one keyword from the proposed best practices list, and wherein at least one of the plurality of online marketing campaigns includes a new keyword that is not in the proposed best practices list of keywords; after generating the plurality of online marketing campaigns for the plurality of businesses, evaluating performance of the new keyword in the at least one of the plurality of online marketing campaigns that includes the new keyword; determining, based on results of the evaluating, whether the new keyword satisfies at least one performance criterion; and when it is determined that the new keyword satisfies the at least one performance criterion, updating the taxonomy to add the new keyword to the best practices list of keywords for the at least one business service category. 46. The method of claim 45, wherein at least a subset of the plurality of online marketing campaigns includes a recommended keyword in the proposed best practices list of keywords, the method further comprising:
evaluating performance of the recommended keyword in the subset of the plurality of online marketing campaigns; determining, based on results of evaluating the performance of the recommended keyword, whether the recommended keyword satisfies the at least one performance criterion; and when it is determined that the recommended keyword does not satisfy the at least one performance criterion, updating the taxonomy to remove the recommended keyword from the best practices list of keywords for the at least one business service category. 47. The method of claim 45, wherein the plurality of businesses comprises at least one hundred businesses. 48. The method of claim 45, wherein the plurality of businesses comprises at least one thousand businesses. 49. The method of claim 45, wherein the at least one of the plurality of online marketing campaigns comprises at least one hundred online marketing campaigns. 50. The method of claim 45, wherein the at least one of the plurality of online marketing campaigns comprises at least one thousand online marketing campaigns. 51. A system, comprising:
at least one processor; and at least one computer readable storage medium encoded with instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform:
reviewing a taxonomy that specifies at least one business service category and a list of keywords that represents a proposed best practices list of keywords for the at least one business service category for use in a search engine;
adopting an online marketing campaign that is based, at least in part, on the taxonomy but that employs a new keyword for the at least one business service category that is not included in the proposed best practices list;
after adopting the online marketing campaign, evaluating performance of the new keyword in the online marketing campaign; and
when it is determined, based on results on the evaluating, that the new keyword satisfies at least one performance criterion, adding the new keyword to the best practices list of keywords for the at least one business service category. 52. The system of claim 51, wherein the adopting comprises placing a bid with a search engine on the new keyword. 53. The system of claim 51, wherein the adopting comprises:
placing a bid with a search engine on at least one keyword in the proposed best practices list of keywords by setting the bid based at least in part on performance of the at least one keyword in at least one marketing campaign. 54. The system of claim 51, wherein the online marketing campaign employs a recommended keyword in the proposed best practices list of keywords, the method further comprising:
evaluating performance of the recommended keyword in the online marketing campaign; determining, based on results of evaluating the performance of the recommended keyword, whether the recommended keyword satisfies the at least one performance criterion; and when it is determined that the recommended keyword does not satisfy the at least one performance criterion, removing the recommended keyword from the best practices list of keywords for the at least one business service category. 55. The system of claim 51, wherein the best practices list of keywords comprises a plurality of positive keywords, a plurality of negative keywords, and a plurality of geographical modifier keywords. 56. The system of claim 55, wherein the adopting comprises placing a bid with a search engine for at least one concatenation of a positive keyword in the plurality of positive keywords and a geographical modifier keyword in the plurality of geographical modifier keywords. 57. The system of claim 55, wherein the adopting comprises placing a bid with a search engine for each concatenation of a positive keyword and geographical modifier keyword in a cross-product of the plurality of positive keywords and the plurality of geographical modifier keywords. | Embodiments of the invention relate to generating an online marketing campaign that comprises a list of keywords to be purchased from a search engine. Keywords for a business' marketing campaign may be selected from a pre-defined template of keywords for the business service category into which the business falls. In addition, the business may add keywords not found in the template into its marketing campaign. The performance of the non-template keywords added by the business may be evaluated and, if they are determined to have been performed well, may be added into the template so that they may be used in the marketing campaigns of other businesses in the business service category.1-30. (canceled) 31. A method for generating keywords to be used in an online marketing campaign, the method comprising acts of:
reviewing at least one taxonomy that specifies at least one business service category and a list of keywords that represent a proposed best practices list of keywords for the at least one business service category for use in a search engine and/or online directory, wherein the at least one taxonomy is adaptive based on performance of online marketing campaigns, wherein the performance of online marketing campaigns for at least 100 businesses is evaluated in determining whether to adapt the taxonomy; adopting, using at least one processor, a first online marketing campaign for a first business that is based, at least in part, on the taxonomy but that employs at least one new keyword for the at least one business service category that is not included in the proposed best practices list, wherein adopting the first online marketing campaign comprises placing a bid with a search engine on the at least one new keyword and/or purchasing a listing related to the at least one new keyword from an online directory; after adopting the first online marketing campaign, evaluating the performance of the at least one new keyword in the first online marketing campaign; and when it is determined that the at least one new keyword satisfies at least one performance criterion, adding the at least one new keyword to the best practices list of keywords for the at least one business service category. 32. The method of claim 31, wherein the best practices list of keywords comprises positive keywords, negative keywords and geographical modifier keywords. 33. The method of claim 31, wherein the at least one taxonomy is globally managed for a plurality of online marketing campaigns for a plurality of businesses. 34. The method of claim 33, wherein the plurality of businesses comprises at least one thousand businesses. 35. The method of claim 32, wherein the adopting comprises taking a cross-product of the positive keywords and the geographical modifier keywords. 36. The method of claim 32, wherein the adopting comprises placing a bid with a search engine for each concatenation of a positive keyword and geographical modifier keyword. 37. The method of claim 31, wherein the adopting comprises:
placing a bid with a search engine on at least one recommended keyword in the proposed best practices list by setting the bid based at least in part on performance of the at least one recommended keyword in at least one marketing campaign. 38. A method, comprising:
reviewing a taxonomy that specifies at least one business service category and a list of keywords that represents a proposed best practices list of keywords for the at least one business service category for use in a search engine; adopting, using at least one processor, an online marketing campaign that is based, at least in part, on the taxonomy but that employs a new keyword for the at least one business service category that is not included in the proposed best practices list; after adopting the online marketing campaign, evaluating performance of the new keyword in the online marketing campaign; and when it is determined, based on results of the evaluating, that the new keyword satisfies at least one performance criterion, adding the new keyword to the best practices list of keywords for the at least one business service category. 39. The method of claim 38, wherein the adopting comprises placing a bid with a search engine on the new keyword. 40. The method of claim 38, wherein the adopting comprises:
placing a bid with a search engine on at least one recommended keyword in the proposed best practices list of keywords by setting the bid based at least in part on performance of the at least one recommended keyword in at least one marketing campaign. 41. The method of claim 38, wherein the online marketing campaign employs a recommended keyword in the proposed best practices list of keywords, the method further comprising:
evaluating performance of the recommended keyword in the online marketing campaign; determining, based on results of the evaluating the performance of the recommended keyword, whether the recommended keyword satisfies the at least one performance criterion; and when it is determined that the recommended keyword does not satisfy the at least one performance criterion, removing the recommended keyword from the best practices list of keywords for the at least one business service category. 42. The method of claim 38, wherein the best practices list of keywords comprises a plurality of positive keywords, a plurality of negative keywords, and a plurality of geographical modifier keywords. 43. The method of claim 42, wherein the adopting comprises placing a bid with a search engine for at least one concatenation of a positive keyword in the plurality of positive keywords and a geographical modifier keyword in the plurality of geographical modifier keywords. 44. The method of claim 42, wherein the adopting comprises placing a bid with a search engine for each concatenation of a positive keyword and geographical modifier keyword in a cross-product of the plurality of positive keywords and the plurality of geographical modifier keywords. 45. A method of adaptively updating a taxonomy that specifies at least one business service category and a list of keywords that represent a proposed best practices list of keywords for the at least one business service category for use in a search engine, the method comprising:
generating, using at least one processor, a plurality of online marketing campaigns for a plurality of businesses using the proposed best practices list of keywords, wherein each of the plurality of online marketing campaigns includes at least one keyword from the proposed best practices list, and wherein at least one of the plurality of online marketing campaigns includes a new keyword that is not in the proposed best practices list of keywords; after generating the plurality of online marketing campaigns for the plurality of businesses, evaluating performance of the new keyword in the at least one of the plurality of online marketing campaigns that includes the new keyword; determining, based on results of the evaluating, whether the new keyword satisfies at least one performance criterion; and when it is determined that the new keyword satisfies the at least one performance criterion, updating the taxonomy to add the new keyword to the best practices list of keywords for the at least one business service category. 46. The method of claim 45, wherein at least a subset of the plurality of online marketing campaigns includes a recommended keyword in the proposed best practices list of keywords, the method further comprising:
evaluating performance of the recommended keyword in the subset of the plurality of online marketing campaigns; determining, based on results of evaluating the performance of the recommended keyword, whether the recommended keyword satisfies the at least one performance criterion; and when it is determined that the recommended keyword does not satisfy the at least one performance criterion, updating the taxonomy to remove the recommended keyword from the best practices list of keywords for the at least one business service category. 47. The method of claim 45, wherein the plurality of businesses comprises at least one hundred businesses. 48. The method of claim 45, wherein the plurality of businesses comprises at least one thousand businesses. 49. The method of claim 45, wherein the at least one of the plurality of online marketing campaigns comprises at least one hundred online marketing campaigns. 50. The method of claim 45, wherein the at least one of the plurality of online marketing campaigns comprises at least one thousand online marketing campaigns. 51. A system, comprising:
at least one processor; and at least one computer readable storage medium encoded with instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform:
reviewing a taxonomy that specifies at least one business service category and a list of keywords that represents a proposed best practices list of keywords for the at least one business service category for use in a search engine;
adopting an online marketing campaign that is based, at least in part, on the taxonomy but that employs a new keyword for the at least one business service category that is not included in the proposed best practices list;
after adopting the online marketing campaign, evaluating performance of the new keyword in the online marketing campaign; and
when it is determined, based on results on the evaluating, that the new keyword satisfies at least one performance criterion, adding the new keyword to the best practices list of keywords for the at least one business service category. 52. The system of claim 51, wherein the adopting comprises placing a bid with a search engine on the new keyword. 53. The system of claim 51, wherein the adopting comprises:
placing a bid with a search engine on at least one keyword in the proposed best practices list of keywords by setting the bid based at least in part on performance of the at least one keyword in at least one marketing campaign. 54. The system of claim 51, wherein the online marketing campaign employs a recommended keyword in the proposed best practices list of keywords, the method further comprising:
evaluating performance of the recommended keyword in the online marketing campaign; determining, based on results of evaluating the performance of the recommended keyword, whether the recommended keyword satisfies the at least one performance criterion; and when it is determined that the recommended keyword does not satisfy the at least one performance criterion, removing the recommended keyword from the best practices list of keywords for the at least one business service category. 55. The system of claim 51, wherein the best practices list of keywords comprises a plurality of positive keywords, a plurality of negative keywords, and a plurality of geographical modifier keywords. 56. The system of claim 55, wherein the adopting comprises placing a bid with a search engine for at least one concatenation of a positive keyword in the plurality of positive keywords and a geographical modifier keyword in the plurality of geographical modifier keywords. 57. The system of claim 55, wherein the adopting comprises placing a bid with a search engine for each concatenation of a positive keyword and geographical modifier keyword in a cross-product of the plurality of positive keywords and the plurality of geographical modifier keywords. | 3,600 |
12,649 | 12,649 | 14,913,944 | 3,676 | A check valve is provided having a magnetic plug and a magnetic seat. The magnetic seat and magnetic plug operationally engage so as to have a magnetic resistivity such that there is a first position in which the magnetic plug does not sealingly engage the magnetic seat and a second position where the magnetic plug is sealingly engaged with the magnetic seat. | 1. A check valve comprising:
a magnetic plug; a magnetic seat, wherein said magnetic plug and magnetic seat operationally engage so as to have a magnetic resistivity such that said magnetic plug has a first position in which it is not sealingly engaged with said magnetic seat and second position where said magnetic plug is sealingly engaged with said magnetic seat. 2. The check valve of claim 1, wherein said magnetic resistivity between said magnetic plug and said magnetic seat retain said magnetic plug in said first position until a predetermined pressure is applied to said magnetic plug, thus, overcoming said magnetic resistivity such that said magnetic plug moves to said second position. 3. The check valve of claim 1 wherein said magnetic plug is ball plug. 4. The check valve of claim 3 wherein said ball plug has a surface and a plurality of magnetic inserts arranged in a symmetrical pattern about said surface of said ball plug. 5. The check valve of claim 4 wherein said symmetrical pattern has icosahedral symmetry. 6. The check valve of claim 1 wherein said check valve comprises part of a downhole tool having:
a mandrel having a central bore defining said magnetic seat wherein said magnetic seat has magnetic inserts positioned about its surface;
a cage attached to said mandrel and which limits longitudinal movement of said magnetic plug;
an anchor assembly disposed about said mandrel which engages said wellbore to anchor said downhole tool in place when said downhole tool is moved from an unset position to a set position; and
a sealing element disposed about said mandrel which sealingly engages said wellbore when said downhole tool is in said set position. 7. The check valve of claim 6, wherein said cage and said magnetic resistivity retain said magnetic plug in said first position until a predetermined pressure is applied to said magnetic plug, thus, overcoming said magnetic resistivity such that said magnetic plug moves to said second position. 8. The check valve of claim 7 wherein said magnetic plug has a surface and a plurality of magnetic inserts arranged in a symmetrical pattern about said surface of said magnetic insert. 9. The check valve of claim 8 wherein said symmetrical pattern has icosahedral symmetry. 10. A method of using a downhole tool of the type that has a mandrel with an interior surface and an exterior surface, an anchoring assembly disposed about said mandrel and a sealing element disposed about said mandrel, said method comprising:
(a) providing a magnetic plug to said downhole tool under a first pressure wherein said magnetic plug is operationally associated with a magnetic seat defined on said inner surface of said mandrel so as to have a magnetic resistivity such that said magnetic plug is not sealingly engaged with said magnetic seat at said first pressure; (b) introducing said downhole tool into a wellbore to locate said downhole tool at a desired position; (c) moving said downhole tool from an unset position to a set position in which said anchoring assembly anchors to said wellbore so as to prevent movement of said downhole tool and said sealing element seals against said wellbore; and (d) applying a predetermined pressure to said magnetic plug wherein said predetermined pressure is greater than said first pressure such that said magnetic resistivity is overcome so that said magnetic plug is moved into a second position where it sealingly engages said magnetic seat. 11. The method of claim 10 further comprising providing a second pressure to said plug greater than said first pressure and less than said predetermined pressure wherein said magnetic resistivity prevents sealing engagement of said magnetic plug with said magnetic seat at said second pressure. 12. The method of claim 10 wherein said magnetic plug has a surface and a plurality of magnetic inserts positioned about its surface. 13. The downhole tool of claim 13 wherein said magnetic plug has said magnetic inserts arranged in a symmetrical pattern about said surface of said magnetic insert. 14. The downhole tool of claim 13 wherein said symmetrical pattern has icosahedral symmetry. | A check valve is provided having a magnetic plug and a magnetic seat. The magnetic seat and magnetic plug operationally engage so as to have a magnetic resistivity such that there is a first position in which the magnetic plug does not sealingly engage the magnetic seat and a second position where the magnetic plug is sealingly engaged with the magnetic seat.1. A check valve comprising:
a magnetic plug; a magnetic seat, wherein said magnetic plug and magnetic seat operationally engage so as to have a magnetic resistivity such that said magnetic plug has a first position in which it is not sealingly engaged with said magnetic seat and second position where said magnetic plug is sealingly engaged with said magnetic seat. 2. The check valve of claim 1, wherein said magnetic resistivity between said magnetic plug and said magnetic seat retain said magnetic plug in said first position until a predetermined pressure is applied to said magnetic plug, thus, overcoming said magnetic resistivity such that said magnetic plug moves to said second position. 3. The check valve of claim 1 wherein said magnetic plug is ball plug. 4. The check valve of claim 3 wherein said ball plug has a surface and a plurality of magnetic inserts arranged in a symmetrical pattern about said surface of said ball plug. 5. The check valve of claim 4 wherein said symmetrical pattern has icosahedral symmetry. 6. The check valve of claim 1 wherein said check valve comprises part of a downhole tool having:
a mandrel having a central bore defining said magnetic seat wherein said magnetic seat has magnetic inserts positioned about its surface;
a cage attached to said mandrel and which limits longitudinal movement of said magnetic plug;
an anchor assembly disposed about said mandrel which engages said wellbore to anchor said downhole tool in place when said downhole tool is moved from an unset position to a set position; and
a sealing element disposed about said mandrel which sealingly engages said wellbore when said downhole tool is in said set position. 7. The check valve of claim 6, wherein said cage and said magnetic resistivity retain said magnetic plug in said first position until a predetermined pressure is applied to said magnetic plug, thus, overcoming said magnetic resistivity such that said magnetic plug moves to said second position. 8. The check valve of claim 7 wherein said magnetic plug has a surface and a plurality of magnetic inserts arranged in a symmetrical pattern about said surface of said magnetic insert. 9. The check valve of claim 8 wherein said symmetrical pattern has icosahedral symmetry. 10. A method of using a downhole tool of the type that has a mandrel with an interior surface and an exterior surface, an anchoring assembly disposed about said mandrel and a sealing element disposed about said mandrel, said method comprising:
(a) providing a magnetic plug to said downhole tool under a first pressure wherein said magnetic plug is operationally associated with a magnetic seat defined on said inner surface of said mandrel so as to have a magnetic resistivity such that said magnetic plug is not sealingly engaged with said magnetic seat at said first pressure; (b) introducing said downhole tool into a wellbore to locate said downhole tool at a desired position; (c) moving said downhole tool from an unset position to a set position in which said anchoring assembly anchors to said wellbore so as to prevent movement of said downhole tool and said sealing element seals against said wellbore; and (d) applying a predetermined pressure to said magnetic plug wherein said predetermined pressure is greater than said first pressure such that said magnetic resistivity is overcome so that said magnetic plug is moved into a second position where it sealingly engages said magnetic seat. 11. The method of claim 10 further comprising providing a second pressure to said plug greater than said first pressure and less than said predetermined pressure wherein said magnetic resistivity prevents sealing engagement of said magnetic plug with said magnetic seat at said second pressure. 12. The method of claim 10 wherein said magnetic plug has a surface and a plurality of magnetic inserts positioned about its surface. 13. The downhole tool of claim 13 wherein said magnetic plug has said magnetic inserts arranged in a symmetrical pattern about said surface of said magnetic insert. 14. The downhole tool of claim 13 wherein said symmetrical pattern has icosahedral symmetry. | 3,600 |
12,650 | 12,650 | 14,851,675 | 3,626 | Disclosed is a system of education, monitoring and advising on glucose testing, diet, exercise and drug administration using a device which is carried by the patient and which is capable of: blood glucose testing, displaying messages advising the patient to initiate blood glucose testing, and of recording the results of the test; of displaying advice or further queries based on analysis of the results, and displaying messages relating to advice, education and/or further queries based on the analysis. The messages are optimized based on their effectiveness in bringing about a favorable response in the patient's blood glucose level, estimated HbA1c level, or based on other clinical endpoints. | 1. A process of increasing diabetic patient compliance with a recommended diet and exercise regime, comprising:
providing a recommended diet and exercise regimen for the patient to follow for a particular forthcoming period; providing an interactive wireless link between a server and a device carried by the patient:
(i) wherein the device is actuated by the patient to test a patient blood sample for patient blood glucose level and the device determines patient exertion level by measuring patient movement or acceleration and the device actively sends the determinations of said blood glucose level and exertion level to the server, and where the device or the server actively queries the patient about prior food consumption and time of food consumption,
(ii) wherein the server analyzes the blood glucose level test results, exertion level and query responses, determines an estimated HbA1c level for the patient, and based on the results of said analysis and of said determination, sends the patient advisory messages about future food consumption and timing of food consumption, about timing of further testing, and also sends the patient advisory messages about commencing, continuing or ceasing exertion, and also sends the patient advisory messages about the benefits or detriments of particular diet and exercise choices;
weighting the advisory messages based on their average effectiveness in moving patients to diet and exercise in a manner which moves their estimated HbA1c level into a desired range or maintains their estimated HbA1c levels in a desired range, wherein averaged effectiveness is the effectiveness of particular messages in causing patients to take actions which make their estimated HbA1c levels move into a desired range or which cause users to take actions which maintain their estimated HbA1c levels in a desired range over the number of times said particular messages are displayed on the patient's device; selecting messages frequency of display on the patient's device in accordance with the respective weight of the selected messages; and repeating the weighting of messages based on their average effectiveness and the selection of messages for display in accordance with the respective weight of the selected messages. 2. The process of claim 1 wherein messages below a certain weight are not sent. 3. The process of claim 1 wherein the repeating step is repeated several times based on the average effectiveness of messages sent. 4. The process of claim 1 wherein the particular messages include message groups, where a message group includes messages regarding food intake, timing of food intake, ceasing or commencing exercise and messages relating to the benefits or detriments of particular diet and exercise choices. 5. The process of claim 4 wherein the particular messages include only message groups about the benefits and detriments of particular diet and exercise choices. 6. The process of claim 1 wherein the desired range of BG level is 90 to 125 mg/dL. 7. The process of claim 1 wherein the desired range of BG level is 90 to 180 mg/dL. 8. The process of claim 1 wherein the desired range of HbA1c level is 5 to 6%. 9. The process of claim 1 wherein during the selection process, messages are ranked in order of their weight by the server. 10. The process of claim 1 wherein if the BG level is outside a specified range, the server also selects particular messages for display to the user without regard to their weight. 11. A process of selecting particular messages for display to diabetic patients which are most effective in moving diabetic patients to diet and exercise in a manner which moves their blood glucose level towards a desired range or maintains their blood glucose levels in a desired range, comprising:
providing a recommended diet and exercise regimen for the patient to follow for a particular forthcoming period; providing an interactive wireless link between a server and a device carried by the patient,
(iii) wherein the device is actuated by the patient to test a patient blood sample for patient blood glucose level and the device actively determines patient exertion level by measuring patient movement or acceleration and the device sends the determinations of said blood glucose level and exertion level to the server, and where the device or the server actively queries the patient about prior food consumption and time of food consumption,
(iv) wherein the server analyzes the blood glucose level test results, exertion level and query responses, and sends the patient advisory messages about future food consumption and timing of food consumption, and also sends the patient advisory messages about commencing, continuing or ceasing exertion, and also sends the patient advisory messages about the benefits or detriments of particular diet and exercise choices;
weighting the advisory messages based on their average effectiveness in moving patients to diet and exercise in a manner which moves their estimated HbA1c level into a desired range or maintains their estimated HbA1c levels in a desired range, wherein: averaged effectiveness is the effectiveness of particular messages in causing patients to take actions which make their estimated HbA1c levels move into a desired range or which cause users to take actions which maintain their estimated HbA1c levels in a desired range over the number of times said particular messages are displayed on the patient's device; selecting the probability of display of particular messages on the patient's device in accordance with the respective weight of the selected messages such that only messages with greater than a designated average effectiveness are displayed or such that messages having greater weight are displayed more often; and repeating the last two steps of weighting the advisory messages based on their average effectiveness and of selecting particular messages for display. 11. The process of claim 10 wherein the particular messages selected are combinations of advisory messages about future food consumption and timing of food consumption, about timing of further testing, about commencing, continuing or ceasing exertion, and about the benefits or detriments of particular diet and exercise choices. 12. The process of claim 10 wherein the particular messages selected are advisory messages about the benefits or detriments of particular diet and exercise choices. 13. The process of claim 10 wherein the particular messages selected are sent in a particular sequence and over a particular period. 14. The process of claim 10 wherein the particular messages selected advise taking the same actions or advise about the same benefits or detriments as messages not selected. 15. The process of claim 10 wherein the server also sends the patient advisory messages about the timing of further blood glucose level testing. 16. The process of claim 15 wherein average effectiveness of said advisory messages about timing or the frequency of the patient's blood glucose testing is determined. 17. The process of claim 16 wherein particular advisory messages about timing which have the greatest average effectiveness in moving patients to test their blood glucose are sent by the server more frequently than others. 18. The process of claim 16 wherein the advisory messages about timing are weighted based on their average effectiveness in moving patients to test their blood glucose and those messages with the greatest weight are sent more frequently than others. 19. The process of claim 1 wherein if the BG level is outside a specified range, the server also selects particular messages for display to the user without regard to their weight. | Disclosed is a system of education, monitoring and advising on glucose testing, diet, exercise and drug administration using a device which is carried by the patient and which is capable of: blood glucose testing, displaying messages advising the patient to initiate blood glucose testing, and of recording the results of the test; of displaying advice or further queries based on analysis of the results, and displaying messages relating to advice, education and/or further queries based on the analysis. The messages are optimized based on their effectiveness in bringing about a favorable response in the patient's blood glucose level, estimated HbA1c level, or based on other clinical endpoints.1. A process of increasing diabetic patient compliance with a recommended diet and exercise regime, comprising:
providing a recommended diet and exercise regimen for the patient to follow for a particular forthcoming period; providing an interactive wireless link between a server and a device carried by the patient:
(i) wherein the device is actuated by the patient to test a patient blood sample for patient blood glucose level and the device determines patient exertion level by measuring patient movement or acceleration and the device actively sends the determinations of said blood glucose level and exertion level to the server, and where the device or the server actively queries the patient about prior food consumption and time of food consumption,
(ii) wherein the server analyzes the blood glucose level test results, exertion level and query responses, determines an estimated HbA1c level for the patient, and based on the results of said analysis and of said determination, sends the patient advisory messages about future food consumption and timing of food consumption, about timing of further testing, and also sends the patient advisory messages about commencing, continuing or ceasing exertion, and also sends the patient advisory messages about the benefits or detriments of particular diet and exercise choices;
weighting the advisory messages based on their average effectiveness in moving patients to diet and exercise in a manner which moves their estimated HbA1c level into a desired range or maintains their estimated HbA1c levels in a desired range, wherein averaged effectiveness is the effectiveness of particular messages in causing patients to take actions which make their estimated HbA1c levels move into a desired range or which cause users to take actions which maintain their estimated HbA1c levels in a desired range over the number of times said particular messages are displayed on the patient's device; selecting messages frequency of display on the patient's device in accordance with the respective weight of the selected messages; and repeating the weighting of messages based on their average effectiveness and the selection of messages for display in accordance with the respective weight of the selected messages. 2. The process of claim 1 wherein messages below a certain weight are not sent. 3. The process of claim 1 wherein the repeating step is repeated several times based on the average effectiveness of messages sent. 4. The process of claim 1 wherein the particular messages include message groups, where a message group includes messages regarding food intake, timing of food intake, ceasing or commencing exercise and messages relating to the benefits or detriments of particular diet and exercise choices. 5. The process of claim 4 wherein the particular messages include only message groups about the benefits and detriments of particular diet and exercise choices. 6. The process of claim 1 wherein the desired range of BG level is 90 to 125 mg/dL. 7. The process of claim 1 wherein the desired range of BG level is 90 to 180 mg/dL. 8. The process of claim 1 wherein the desired range of HbA1c level is 5 to 6%. 9. The process of claim 1 wherein during the selection process, messages are ranked in order of their weight by the server. 10. The process of claim 1 wherein if the BG level is outside a specified range, the server also selects particular messages for display to the user without regard to their weight. 11. A process of selecting particular messages for display to diabetic patients which are most effective in moving diabetic patients to diet and exercise in a manner which moves their blood glucose level towards a desired range or maintains their blood glucose levels in a desired range, comprising:
providing a recommended diet and exercise regimen for the patient to follow for a particular forthcoming period; providing an interactive wireless link between a server and a device carried by the patient,
(iii) wherein the device is actuated by the patient to test a patient blood sample for patient blood glucose level and the device actively determines patient exertion level by measuring patient movement or acceleration and the device sends the determinations of said blood glucose level and exertion level to the server, and where the device or the server actively queries the patient about prior food consumption and time of food consumption,
(iv) wherein the server analyzes the blood glucose level test results, exertion level and query responses, and sends the patient advisory messages about future food consumption and timing of food consumption, and also sends the patient advisory messages about commencing, continuing or ceasing exertion, and also sends the patient advisory messages about the benefits or detriments of particular diet and exercise choices;
weighting the advisory messages based on their average effectiveness in moving patients to diet and exercise in a manner which moves their estimated HbA1c level into a desired range or maintains their estimated HbA1c levels in a desired range, wherein: averaged effectiveness is the effectiveness of particular messages in causing patients to take actions which make their estimated HbA1c levels move into a desired range or which cause users to take actions which maintain their estimated HbA1c levels in a desired range over the number of times said particular messages are displayed on the patient's device; selecting the probability of display of particular messages on the patient's device in accordance with the respective weight of the selected messages such that only messages with greater than a designated average effectiveness are displayed or such that messages having greater weight are displayed more often; and repeating the last two steps of weighting the advisory messages based on their average effectiveness and of selecting particular messages for display. 11. The process of claim 10 wherein the particular messages selected are combinations of advisory messages about future food consumption and timing of food consumption, about timing of further testing, about commencing, continuing or ceasing exertion, and about the benefits or detriments of particular diet and exercise choices. 12. The process of claim 10 wherein the particular messages selected are advisory messages about the benefits or detriments of particular diet and exercise choices. 13. The process of claim 10 wherein the particular messages selected are sent in a particular sequence and over a particular period. 14. The process of claim 10 wherein the particular messages selected advise taking the same actions or advise about the same benefits or detriments as messages not selected. 15. The process of claim 10 wherein the server also sends the patient advisory messages about the timing of further blood glucose level testing. 16. The process of claim 15 wherein average effectiveness of said advisory messages about timing or the frequency of the patient's blood glucose testing is determined. 17. The process of claim 16 wherein particular advisory messages about timing which have the greatest average effectiveness in moving patients to test their blood glucose are sent by the server more frequently than others. 18. The process of claim 16 wherein the advisory messages about timing are weighted based on their average effectiveness in moving patients to test their blood glucose and those messages with the greatest weight are sent more frequently than others. 19. The process of claim 1 wherein if the BG level is outside a specified range, the server also selects particular messages for display to the user without regard to their weight. | 3,600 |
12,651 | 12,651 | 14,056,762 | 3,683 | Systems, methods and media are proposed for user intent tracking streams. One example embodiment relates to a system that comprises an identification module to identify a plurality of aspects of contextual or personal information relating to a user, and an analysis module to analyze the plurality of aspects of contextual or personal information to identify user intent or a likelihood relating to a pre-determined action. The system further comprises a correlation module to correlate the user intent or likelihood with at least a sub-set of the analyzed aspects of contextual or personal information to identify an intent tracking stream for the user, the intent tracking stream based on the correlated sub-set, and a tracking module to track the intent tracking stream as a user identifier or a predictor of the pre-determined action. | 1. An intent tracking system comprising:
an identification module to identify a plurality of aspects of contextual or personal information relating to a user; an analysis module to analyze the plurality of aspects of contextual or personal information to identify a user intent or a likelihood relating to a pre-determined action or event; a correlation module to correlate the user intent or likelihood with at least a sub-set of the analyzed aspects of contextual or personal information to identify an intent tracking stream for the user, the intent tracking stream based on the correlated sub-set; and a tracking module to track the intent tracking stream as a user identifier or a predictor of the pre-determined action or event, and wherein each of the modules executes on one or more computer processors. 2. The system of claim 1, wherein the tracking module is further to track the intent tracking stream in a marketplace environment and take an action based on the identified intent tracking stream. 3. The system of claim 2, further comprising a targeting module to present real-time targeted information, relevant to a pre-determined action, to a user based on the identified intent tracking stream. 4. The system of claim 1, further comprising an aggregation module to identify the intent tracking stream based on aspects of contextual or personal information identified across a multiplicity of devices, sessions, interfaces or communication channels. 5. The system of claim 4, wherein the aggregation module is further to aggregate a plurality of aspects of contextual or personal information across a multiplicity of users to identify an intent tracking stream as a collective user identifier or a predictor of the pre-determined action, or event. 6. A method comprising:
identifying a plurality of aspects of contextual or personal information relating to a user; analyzing the plurality of aspects of contextual or personal information to identify a user intent or a likelihood relating to a pre-determined action or event; correlating the user intent or likelihood with at least a sub-set of the analyzed aspects of contextual or personal information to identify an intent tracking stream for the user, the intent tracking stream based on the correlated sub-set; and tracking the intent tracking stream as a user identifier or a predictor of the pre-determined action or event. 7. The method of claim 6, further comprising tracking the intent tracking stream in a marketplace environment and taking an action based on the identified intent tracking stream. 8. The method of claim 7, wherein the action taken includes presenting real-time targeted information, relevant to a pre-determined action, to a user. 9. The method of claim 6, wherein the intent tracking stream is based on aspects of contextual or personal information identified across a multiplicity of devices, sessions, interfaces or communication channels. 10. The method of claim 6, further comprising aggregating the plurality of aspects of contextual or personal information across a multiplicity of users to identify an intent tracking stream as a collective user identifier or a predictor of the pre-determined action or event. 11. A machine readable medium, including instructions, which when performed by a machine, causes the machine to perform the operations of:
identifying a plurality of aspects of contextual or personal information relating to a user; analyzing the plurality of aspects of contextual or personal information to identify a user intent or a likelihood relating to a pre-determined action or event; correlating the user intent or likelihood with at least a sub-set of the analyzed aspects of contextual or personal information to identify an intent tracking stream for the user, the intent tracking stream based on the correlated sub-set; and tracking the intent tracking stream as a user identifier or a predictor of the pre-determined action or event. 12. The machine readable medium of claim 11, wherein the operations further comprise tracking the intent tracking stream in a marketplace environment and taking an action based on the identified intent tracking stream. 13. The machine readable medium of claim 12, wherein the action taken includes presenting or restricting real-time targeted information, relevant to a pre-determined action, to a user. 14. The machine readable medium of claim 11, wherein the intent tracking stream is based on aspects of contextual or personal information identified across a multiplicity of devices, sessions, interfaces or communication channels. 15. The medium of claim 11, wherein the operations further comprise aggregating the plurality of aspects of contextual or personal information across a multiplicity of users to identify an intent tracking stream as a collective user identifier or a predictor of the pre-determined action or event. | Systems, methods and media are proposed for user intent tracking streams. One example embodiment relates to a system that comprises an identification module to identify a plurality of aspects of contextual or personal information relating to a user, and an analysis module to analyze the plurality of aspects of contextual or personal information to identify user intent or a likelihood relating to a pre-determined action. The system further comprises a correlation module to correlate the user intent or likelihood with at least a sub-set of the analyzed aspects of contextual or personal information to identify an intent tracking stream for the user, the intent tracking stream based on the correlated sub-set, and a tracking module to track the intent tracking stream as a user identifier or a predictor of the pre-determined action.1. An intent tracking system comprising:
an identification module to identify a plurality of aspects of contextual or personal information relating to a user; an analysis module to analyze the plurality of aspects of contextual or personal information to identify a user intent or a likelihood relating to a pre-determined action or event; a correlation module to correlate the user intent or likelihood with at least a sub-set of the analyzed aspects of contextual or personal information to identify an intent tracking stream for the user, the intent tracking stream based on the correlated sub-set; and a tracking module to track the intent tracking stream as a user identifier or a predictor of the pre-determined action or event, and wherein each of the modules executes on one or more computer processors. 2. The system of claim 1, wherein the tracking module is further to track the intent tracking stream in a marketplace environment and take an action based on the identified intent tracking stream. 3. The system of claim 2, further comprising a targeting module to present real-time targeted information, relevant to a pre-determined action, to a user based on the identified intent tracking stream. 4. The system of claim 1, further comprising an aggregation module to identify the intent tracking stream based on aspects of contextual or personal information identified across a multiplicity of devices, sessions, interfaces or communication channels. 5. The system of claim 4, wherein the aggregation module is further to aggregate a plurality of aspects of contextual or personal information across a multiplicity of users to identify an intent tracking stream as a collective user identifier or a predictor of the pre-determined action, or event. 6. A method comprising:
identifying a plurality of aspects of contextual or personal information relating to a user; analyzing the plurality of aspects of contextual or personal information to identify a user intent or a likelihood relating to a pre-determined action or event; correlating the user intent or likelihood with at least a sub-set of the analyzed aspects of contextual or personal information to identify an intent tracking stream for the user, the intent tracking stream based on the correlated sub-set; and tracking the intent tracking stream as a user identifier or a predictor of the pre-determined action or event. 7. The method of claim 6, further comprising tracking the intent tracking stream in a marketplace environment and taking an action based on the identified intent tracking stream. 8. The method of claim 7, wherein the action taken includes presenting real-time targeted information, relevant to a pre-determined action, to a user. 9. The method of claim 6, wherein the intent tracking stream is based on aspects of contextual or personal information identified across a multiplicity of devices, sessions, interfaces or communication channels. 10. The method of claim 6, further comprising aggregating the plurality of aspects of contextual or personal information across a multiplicity of users to identify an intent tracking stream as a collective user identifier or a predictor of the pre-determined action or event. 11. A machine readable medium, including instructions, which when performed by a machine, causes the machine to perform the operations of:
identifying a plurality of aspects of contextual or personal information relating to a user; analyzing the plurality of aspects of contextual or personal information to identify a user intent or a likelihood relating to a pre-determined action or event; correlating the user intent or likelihood with at least a sub-set of the analyzed aspects of contextual or personal information to identify an intent tracking stream for the user, the intent tracking stream based on the correlated sub-set; and tracking the intent tracking stream as a user identifier or a predictor of the pre-determined action or event. 12. The machine readable medium of claim 11, wherein the operations further comprise tracking the intent tracking stream in a marketplace environment and taking an action based on the identified intent tracking stream. 13. The machine readable medium of claim 12, wherein the action taken includes presenting or restricting real-time targeted information, relevant to a pre-determined action, to a user. 14. The machine readable medium of claim 11, wherein the intent tracking stream is based on aspects of contextual or personal information identified across a multiplicity of devices, sessions, interfaces or communication channels. 15. The medium of claim 11, wherein the operations further comprise aggregating the plurality of aspects of contextual or personal information across a multiplicity of users to identify an intent tracking stream as a collective user identifier or a predictor of the pre-determined action or event. | 3,600 |
12,652 | 12,652 | 14,617,584 | 3,683 | An interactive web-based marketing simulation game relying on a proprietary body of knowledge (BoK), techniques and methods allows marketing business leaders to simulate the likely outcomes arising from strategic choices made by the user or by management. A tool enabling modification to create evidence-based, objectively validated modified user data to increase the confidence in the predictability of the outcomes arising from strategic choices enables anonymous conversations between users through comments, questions and feedback. The result is a management planning and decision support tool capable of suggesting to the user that the user activate certain specific initiatives in a specific order to achieve desired outcomes within a desired timeframe. | 1. A method for collecting, assembling, modifying and evaluating content and data about an organization for performing marketing scenario simulation, predicting specific, measurable outcomes that are empirically reproducible, and making, testing, and optimizing specific business decisions surrounding capability improvement programs for marketing to consumers at a remote computing device comprising a processor, comprising the steps of:
a. sending to a user device comprising a web browser a user interface generated by the remote processor; b. receiving through the user interface a set of user supplied content (USC) pertaining to the current maturity level of a plurality of marketing maturity attributes for the organization; c. receiving through the user interface a set of user supplied data (USD) pertaining to a set of KPIs for the organization; d. receiving through the user interface a set of defined output relating to the business rules and instructions pertaining to the organization; e. receiving external evidence related to the organization; f. modifying the USC by means of the extrinsic evidence to produce modified user supplied content (MUSC); g. correlating USC, MUSC, and USD with a normative database (NDB) to produce normalized data, thereby obtaining specific marketing performance predictions for the organization, based on the USC, MUSC, and USD, and used in conjunction with predictive relationships among variables in the NDB; h. identifying predictive relationships based on correlations among variables in the NDB; i. receiving at the processor from the user interface a targeted desired state; j. generating a report indicating current maturity for each set of business challenges, or a subset thereof, and the desired targeted state; and k. outputting to the user interface a marketing improvement plan (MIP). 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the extrinsic evidence is gathered by a party other than the user and a party performing the simulation. 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the correlative relationships established with the NDB are combined with user supplied information to yield predictive models for estimating outcomes and payoffs for the organization. 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the comparisons of the organization to all, or a subset, of the NDB is established with univariate statistics. 5. The method of claim 1, wherein the MIP is based on business intelligence. 6. The method of claim 1, wherein the correlation with the NDB is created by establishing in a requirements table a relationship of attributes to KPIs and an associated USD for each KPI. 7. The method of claim 6, wherein the requirements table comprises an attribute frequency of occurrence with the gaps between MUSC and a target score for each MUSC, resulting in a weighted attribute value. 8. The method of claim 7, wherein the weighted attribute value for each attribute is stored in a summary requirements table. 9. The method of claim 8, further comprising the step of sequencing rows of the requirements table by priority, based on capability and weighted attribute value, to result in at least one scenario for improving at least one KPI to reach stated goals of the organization. 10. The method of claim 9, further comprising the creation of a simulation report and delivery of the simulation report to the user interface, wherein the simulation report comprising a listing of specific actions in a specific order that will indicate the optimal set of actions needed according to the simulation comprising at least one scenario to achieve stated KPI goals. 11. The method of claim 10, wherein improvement actions for KPIs are sorted in rank order by probability of obtaining desired business outcome. 12. The method of claim 7, further comprising the step of delivering to the user interface the requirements table. 13. The method of claim 12, further comprising the step of delivering to the user a summary of the requirements table. 14. The method of claim 1, wherein a set of attributes to be improved, level of improvement, time frame of improvement, and ordering of improvement are received through the user interface at the processor prior to generation of the MIP. 15. The method of claim 14, wherein the MIP comprises a calculated confidence percentage of attaining goals over the time frame of improvement. 16. The method of claim 15, wherein the MIP comprises an optimal sequencing of improvement initiatives, business case metrics showing potential economic outcomes from optimization and KPI benchmarks before and after optimization. 17. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step, after the MIP has been sent to the user interface, of receiving through the user interface a second set of user supplied data (USD) pertaining to the KPIs for the organization. 18. The method of claim 18, further comprising the steps of:
a. recursively re-correlating USC, MUSC, and USD with the NDB; b. identifying additional predictive relationships based on the correlation performed with the NDB; and c. outputting to the user interface an updated marketing improvement plan (MIP). 19. The method of claim 18, further comprising the step of updating the NDB with the additional predictive relationships and actual measured payoffs and outcomes. 20. The method of claim 1, wherein MIP is based on using mass media to promote above-the-line (ATL) techniques, below-the-line (BTL) techniques, and the underlying operational capabilities necessary to optimize marketing. | An interactive web-based marketing simulation game relying on a proprietary body of knowledge (BoK), techniques and methods allows marketing business leaders to simulate the likely outcomes arising from strategic choices made by the user or by management. A tool enabling modification to create evidence-based, objectively validated modified user data to increase the confidence in the predictability of the outcomes arising from strategic choices enables anonymous conversations between users through comments, questions and feedback. The result is a management planning and decision support tool capable of suggesting to the user that the user activate certain specific initiatives in a specific order to achieve desired outcomes within a desired timeframe.1. A method for collecting, assembling, modifying and evaluating content and data about an organization for performing marketing scenario simulation, predicting specific, measurable outcomes that are empirically reproducible, and making, testing, and optimizing specific business decisions surrounding capability improvement programs for marketing to consumers at a remote computing device comprising a processor, comprising the steps of:
a. sending to a user device comprising a web browser a user interface generated by the remote processor; b. receiving through the user interface a set of user supplied content (USC) pertaining to the current maturity level of a plurality of marketing maturity attributes for the organization; c. receiving through the user interface a set of user supplied data (USD) pertaining to a set of KPIs for the organization; d. receiving through the user interface a set of defined output relating to the business rules and instructions pertaining to the organization; e. receiving external evidence related to the organization; f. modifying the USC by means of the extrinsic evidence to produce modified user supplied content (MUSC); g. correlating USC, MUSC, and USD with a normative database (NDB) to produce normalized data, thereby obtaining specific marketing performance predictions for the organization, based on the USC, MUSC, and USD, and used in conjunction with predictive relationships among variables in the NDB; h. identifying predictive relationships based on correlations among variables in the NDB; i. receiving at the processor from the user interface a targeted desired state; j. generating a report indicating current maturity for each set of business challenges, or a subset thereof, and the desired targeted state; and k. outputting to the user interface a marketing improvement plan (MIP). 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the extrinsic evidence is gathered by a party other than the user and a party performing the simulation. 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the correlative relationships established with the NDB are combined with user supplied information to yield predictive models for estimating outcomes and payoffs for the organization. 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the comparisons of the organization to all, or a subset, of the NDB is established with univariate statistics. 5. The method of claim 1, wherein the MIP is based on business intelligence. 6. The method of claim 1, wherein the correlation with the NDB is created by establishing in a requirements table a relationship of attributes to KPIs and an associated USD for each KPI. 7. The method of claim 6, wherein the requirements table comprises an attribute frequency of occurrence with the gaps between MUSC and a target score for each MUSC, resulting in a weighted attribute value. 8. The method of claim 7, wherein the weighted attribute value for each attribute is stored in a summary requirements table. 9. The method of claim 8, further comprising the step of sequencing rows of the requirements table by priority, based on capability and weighted attribute value, to result in at least one scenario for improving at least one KPI to reach stated goals of the organization. 10. The method of claim 9, further comprising the creation of a simulation report and delivery of the simulation report to the user interface, wherein the simulation report comprising a listing of specific actions in a specific order that will indicate the optimal set of actions needed according to the simulation comprising at least one scenario to achieve stated KPI goals. 11. The method of claim 10, wherein improvement actions for KPIs are sorted in rank order by probability of obtaining desired business outcome. 12. The method of claim 7, further comprising the step of delivering to the user interface the requirements table. 13. The method of claim 12, further comprising the step of delivering to the user a summary of the requirements table. 14. The method of claim 1, wherein a set of attributes to be improved, level of improvement, time frame of improvement, and ordering of improvement are received through the user interface at the processor prior to generation of the MIP. 15. The method of claim 14, wherein the MIP comprises a calculated confidence percentage of attaining goals over the time frame of improvement. 16. The method of claim 15, wherein the MIP comprises an optimal sequencing of improvement initiatives, business case metrics showing potential economic outcomes from optimization and KPI benchmarks before and after optimization. 17. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step, after the MIP has been sent to the user interface, of receiving through the user interface a second set of user supplied data (USD) pertaining to the KPIs for the organization. 18. The method of claim 18, further comprising the steps of:
a. recursively re-correlating USC, MUSC, and USD with the NDB; b. identifying additional predictive relationships based on the correlation performed with the NDB; and c. outputting to the user interface an updated marketing improvement plan (MIP). 19. The method of claim 18, further comprising the step of updating the NDB with the additional predictive relationships and actual measured payoffs and outcomes. 20. The method of claim 1, wherein MIP is based on using mass media to promote above-the-line (ATL) techniques, below-the-line (BTL) techniques, and the underlying operational capabilities necessary to optimize marketing. | 3,600 |
12,653 | 12,653 | 14,103,972 | 3,625 | A system for authenticating an agent-initiated interaction between a customer and an agent is provided. A secure code generation module to generate a first secure code for an agent-initiated interaction between a customer and an agent and to provide the first secure code to an agent device; and a secure code verification module to receive a second secure code from an authentication device, determine whether the second secure code corresponds to the first secure code, and to provide an indication that the second secure code corresponds to the first secure code based on the determination that the second secure code corresponds to the first secure code or provide an indication that the second secure code does not correspond to the first secure code based on the determination that the second secure code does not correspond to the first secure code is disclosed. | 1. A system for authenticating an agent, the system comprising:
a secure code generation module to generate a first secure code for an agent-initiated interaction between a customer and an agent and to provide the first secure code to an agent device; and a secure code verification module to receive a second secure code from an authentication device, determine whether the second secure code corresponds to the first secure code, and to provide an indication that the second secure code corresponds to the first secure code based on the determination that the second secure code corresponds to the first secure code or provide an indication that the second secure code does not correspond to the first secure code based on the determination that the second secure code does not correspond to the first secure code. 2. The system of claim 1, determining whether the second secure code corresponds to the first secure code includes determining if the first secure code is the same as the second secure code. 3. The system of claim 1, the indication that the second secure code corresponds to the first secure code including an indication that the agent-initiated interaction is authentic. 4. The system of claim 1, the indication that the second secure code does not correspond to the first secure code including an indication that the agent-initiated interaction is not authentic. 5. The system of claim 1, the secure code generation module to generate the first secure code based at least in part on a public key encryption scheme or a random scheme. 6. The system of claim 1, the secure code generation module to receive a customer specific indication corresponding to the customer, the secure code generation module to generate the first secure code based at least in part on the customer specific indication. 7. The system of claim 6, wherein the customer specific information is selected from the group consisting of customer name, customer nickname, customer identification, customer contact information, customer specific passphrase, or customer specific pin. 8. The system of claim 1, the secure code generation module to receive an agent specific indication corresponding to the agent, the secure code generation module to generate the first secure code based at least in part on the agent specific indication. 9. The system of claim 8, wherein the agent specific indication is selected from the group consisting of an agent name, or an agent identification. 10. A system for authenticating an agent-initiated interaction between an agent and a customer, the system comprising:
a secure code input module to receive a secure code corresponding to an agent-initiated interaction and to provide the secure code to an authentication engine; and a secure code validation module to receive an indication of the authentication of the secure code from the authentication engine. 11. The system of claim 10, the indication of the authentication including an indication that the agent-initiated interaction is authentic. 12. The system of claim 10, the indication of the authentication including an indication that the agent-initiated interaction is not authentic. 13. A computer-implemented method for authenticating an agent, the method comprising:
generating a first secure code for authenticating an agent-initiated interaction between a customer and an agent; providing the first secure code to an agent device; receiving a second secure code from an authentication device; determining whether the second secure code corresponds to the first secure code; and providing an indication that the second secure code corresponds to the first secure code based on the determination that the second secure code corresponds to the first secure code or providing an indication that the second secure code does not correspond to the first secure code based on the determination that the second secure code does not correspond to the first secure code. 14. The computer-implemented method of claim 13, the indication that the second secure code corresponds to the first secure code including an indication that the agent-initiated interaction is authentic. 15. The computer-implemented method of claim 13, the indication that the second secure code does not correspond to the first secure code including an indication that the agent-initiated interaction is not authentic. 16. The computer-implemented method of claim 13, wherein generating the first secure code is based at least in part on a public key encryption scheme or a random scheme. 17. The computer-implemented method of claim 16, wherein generating the first secure is based at least in part on a time interval for generating secure codes. 18. The computer-implemented method of claim 13, wherein receiving a second secure code from an authentication device includes receiving the second secure code from an application executing on the authentication device. 19. The computer-implemented method of claim 18, wherein providing the indication that the second secure code corresponds to the first secure code includes providing the indication to the application executing on the authentication device. 20. The computer-implemented method of claim 18, wherein providing the indication that the second secure code does not correspond to the first secure code includes providing the indication to the application executing on the authentication device. 21. A computer-implemented method for authenticating an agent-initiated interaction between a customer and an agent, the method comprising:
receiving a secure code corresponding to the agent-initiated interaction; providing the secure code to an authentication engine; and receiving an indication of the authentication of the secure code from the authentication engine. 22. The computer-implemented method of claim 21, the indication of the authentication including an indication that the agent-initiated interaction is authentic. 23. The computer-implemented method of claim 21, the indication of the authentication including an indication that the agent-initiated interaction is not authentic. | A system for authenticating an agent-initiated interaction between a customer and an agent is provided. A secure code generation module to generate a first secure code for an agent-initiated interaction between a customer and an agent and to provide the first secure code to an agent device; and a secure code verification module to receive a second secure code from an authentication device, determine whether the second secure code corresponds to the first secure code, and to provide an indication that the second secure code corresponds to the first secure code based on the determination that the second secure code corresponds to the first secure code or provide an indication that the second secure code does not correspond to the first secure code based on the determination that the second secure code does not correspond to the first secure code is disclosed.1. A system for authenticating an agent, the system comprising:
a secure code generation module to generate a first secure code for an agent-initiated interaction between a customer and an agent and to provide the first secure code to an agent device; and a secure code verification module to receive a second secure code from an authentication device, determine whether the second secure code corresponds to the first secure code, and to provide an indication that the second secure code corresponds to the first secure code based on the determination that the second secure code corresponds to the first secure code or provide an indication that the second secure code does not correspond to the first secure code based on the determination that the second secure code does not correspond to the first secure code. 2. The system of claim 1, determining whether the second secure code corresponds to the first secure code includes determining if the first secure code is the same as the second secure code. 3. The system of claim 1, the indication that the second secure code corresponds to the first secure code including an indication that the agent-initiated interaction is authentic. 4. The system of claim 1, the indication that the second secure code does not correspond to the first secure code including an indication that the agent-initiated interaction is not authentic. 5. The system of claim 1, the secure code generation module to generate the first secure code based at least in part on a public key encryption scheme or a random scheme. 6. The system of claim 1, the secure code generation module to receive a customer specific indication corresponding to the customer, the secure code generation module to generate the first secure code based at least in part on the customer specific indication. 7. The system of claim 6, wherein the customer specific information is selected from the group consisting of customer name, customer nickname, customer identification, customer contact information, customer specific passphrase, or customer specific pin. 8. The system of claim 1, the secure code generation module to receive an agent specific indication corresponding to the agent, the secure code generation module to generate the first secure code based at least in part on the agent specific indication. 9. The system of claim 8, wherein the agent specific indication is selected from the group consisting of an agent name, or an agent identification. 10. A system for authenticating an agent-initiated interaction between an agent and a customer, the system comprising:
a secure code input module to receive a secure code corresponding to an agent-initiated interaction and to provide the secure code to an authentication engine; and a secure code validation module to receive an indication of the authentication of the secure code from the authentication engine. 11. The system of claim 10, the indication of the authentication including an indication that the agent-initiated interaction is authentic. 12. The system of claim 10, the indication of the authentication including an indication that the agent-initiated interaction is not authentic. 13. A computer-implemented method for authenticating an agent, the method comprising:
generating a first secure code for authenticating an agent-initiated interaction between a customer and an agent; providing the first secure code to an agent device; receiving a second secure code from an authentication device; determining whether the second secure code corresponds to the first secure code; and providing an indication that the second secure code corresponds to the first secure code based on the determination that the second secure code corresponds to the first secure code or providing an indication that the second secure code does not correspond to the first secure code based on the determination that the second secure code does not correspond to the first secure code. 14. The computer-implemented method of claim 13, the indication that the second secure code corresponds to the first secure code including an indication that the agent-initiated interaction is authentic. 15. The computer-implemented method of claim 13, the indication that the second secure code does not correspond to the first secure code including an indication that the agent-initiated interaction is not authentic. 16. The computer-implemented method of claim 13, wherein generating the first secure code is based at least in part on a public key encryption scheme or a random scheme. 17. The computer-implemented method of claim 16, wherein generating the first secure is based at least in part on a time interval for generating secure codes. 18. The computer-implemented method of claim 13, wherein receiving a second secure code from an authentication device includes receiving the second secure code from an application executing on the authentication device. 19. The computer-implemented method of claim 18, wherein providing the indication that the second secure code corresponds to the first secure code includes providing the indication to the application executing on the authentication device. 20. The computer-implemented method of claim 18, wherein providing the indication that the second secure code does not correspond to the first secure code includes providing the indication to the application executing on the authentication device. 21. A computer-implemented method for authenticating an agent-initiated interaction between a customer and an agent, the method comprising:
receiving a secure code corresponding to the agent-initiated interaction; providing the secure code to an authentication engine; and receiving an indication of the authentication of the secure code from the authentication engine. 22. The computer-implemented method of claim 21, the indication of the authentication including an indication that the agent-initiated interaction is authentic. 23. The computer-implemented method of claim 21, the indication of the authentication including an indication that the agent-initiated interaction is not authentic. | 3,600 |
12,654 | 12,654 | 13,043,424 | 3,681 | A social networking system provides an advertisement for display to a viewing user along with a social endorsement, which contains information about a friend of the viewing user in the social networking system. The social endorsement is selected from the social information maintained by the social networking system. To select the social endorsement, the social networking system identifies social networking system objects related to the advertisement as well as interactions between these objects and other users who are connected to the viewing user in the social networking system, where each interaction relates to a candidate social endorsement. An affinity score may be computed for each candidate social endorsement, where the affinity scores represent a measure of the viewing user's likely interest in each candidate social endorsement. The social networking system selects a social endorsement and provides it for display to the viewing user with the advertisement. In one embodiment, the selection is based upon the computed affinity scores. | 1. A computer-implemented method for selecting social endorsement information to provide with an advertisement, the method comprising:
receiving a request to display an advertisement with social endorsement information to a viewing user, wherein the viewing user is a user of a social networking system; identifying one or more objects in the social networking system related to the advertisement; identifying one or more interactions between the one or more identified objects and one or more other users of the social networking system, each interaction comprising an action taken by one or more of the other users in connection with one or more of the identified objects, wherein each interaction comprises a candidate social endorsement; selecting a candidate social endorsement to provide as social endorsement information; and providing the advertisement and the selected social endorsement for display to the viewing user. 2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:
computing an affinity score for the viewing user for each candidate social endorsement. 3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein the candidate social endorsement is selected based on the computed affinity scores. 4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein identifying one or more objects in the social networking system related to the advertisement comprises receiving in connection with the advertisement information explicitly identifying the identified objects. 5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein identifying one or more objects in the social networking system related to the advertisement comprises analyzing the advertisement to identify objects related to the advertisement. 6. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein analyzing the advertisement comprises parsing the advertisement for textual terms related to one or more of the identified objects. 7. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein analyzing the advertisement comprises receiving ad tags in connection with the advertisement, the ad tags comprising information that identify one or more of the identified objects. 8. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein analyzing the advertisement comprises identifying a web page associated with the advertisement and parsing the web page for textual terms related to one or more of the identified objects. 9. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein analyzing the advertisement comprises identifying a web page associated with the advertisement, where one or more of the identified objects are associated with the web page. 10. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the viewing user has established a connection in the social networking system with each of the other users of the social networking system associated with the identified interactions. 11. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein at least one identified interaction comprises a purchase associated with one of the identified objects by one of the other users. 12. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein at least one identified interaction comprises an indication of an affiliation with an identified object by one of the other users. 13. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein at least one identified interaction comprises checking in at a location by one of the other users, where the location is an identified object. 14. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein at least one identified interaction occurs on a website external to the social networking system. 15. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein at least one identified interaction occurs outside of the social networking system. 16. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein one or more of the computed affinity scores for the candidate social endorsements are computed based on the identified interactions associated with the candidate social endorsements. 17. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein one or more of the computed affinity scores for the candidate social endorsements are computed based on the identified objects associated with the candidate social endorsements. 18. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein one or more of the computed affinity scores for the candidate social endorsements are computed based on the other users associated with the candidate social endorsements. 19. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein one or more of the computed affinity scores for the candidate social endorsements are computed based on a decay factor. 20. The computer-implemented method of claim 19, wherein a rate of the decay factor is based on a type of action associated with the identified interaction. 21. The computer-implemented method of claim 19, wherein a rate of the decay factor is based on the identified objects associated with the identified interaction. 22. The computer-implemented method of claim 19, wherein a rate of the decay factor is based on the other users associated with the identified interaction. 23. A computer-implemented system for selecting social endorsement information to provide with an advertisement, the system comprising:
a computer processor; and
a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing computer program modules configured to execute on the computer processor, the computer program modules comprising:
a receiving module configured to receive a request to display an advertisement with social endorsement information to a viewing user, wherein the viewing user is a user of a social networking system;
an object identification module configured to identify one or more objects in the social networking system related to the advertisement;
an interaction identification module configured to identify one or more interactions between the one or more identified objects and one or more other users of the social networking system, each interaction comprising an action taken by one or more of the other users in connection with one or more of the identified objects, wherein each interaction comprises a candidate social endorsement;
a selection module configured to select a candidate social endorsement to provide as social endorsement information; and
providing the advertisement and the selected social endorsement for display to the viewing user. | A social networking system provides an advertisement for display to a viewing user along with a social endorsement, which contains information about a friend of the viewing user in the social networking system. The social endorsement is selected from the social information maintained by the social networking system. To select the social endorsement, the social networking system identifies social networking system objects related to the advertisement as well as interactions between these objects and other users who are connected to the viewing user in the social networking system, where each interaction relates to a candidate social endorsement. An affinity score may be computed for each candidate social endorsement, where the affinity scores represent a measure of the viewing user's likely interest in each candidate social endorsement. The social networking system selects a social endorsement and provides it for display to the viewing user with the advertisement. In one embodiment, the selection is based upon the computed affinity scores.1. A computer-implemented method for selecting social endorsement information to provide with an advertisement, the method comprising:
receiving a request to display an advertisement with social endorsement information to a viewing user, wherein the viewing user is a user of a social networking system; identifying one or more objects in the social networking system related to the advertisement; identifying one or more interactions between the one or more identified objects and one or more other users of the social networking system, each interaction comprising an action taken by one or more of the other users in connection with one or more of the identified objects, wherein each interaction comprises a candidate social endorsement; selecting a candidate social endorsement to provide as social endorsement information; and providing the advertisement and the selected social endorsement for display to the viewing user. 2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:
computing an affinity score for the viewing user for each candidate social endorsement. 3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein the candidate social endorsement is selected based on the computed affinity scores. 4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein identifying one or more objects in the social networking system related to the advertisement comprises receiving in connection with the advertisement information explicitly identifying the identified objects. 5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein identifying one or more objects in the social networking system related to the advertisement comprises analyzing the advertisement to identify objects related to the advertisement. 6. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein analyzing the advertisement comprises parsing the advertisement for textual terms related to one or more of the identified objects. 7. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein analyzing the advertisement comprises receiving ad tags in connection with the advertisement, the ad tags comprising information that identify one or more of the identified objects. 8. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein analyzing the advertisement comprises identifying a web page associated with the advertisement and parsing the web page for textual terms related to one or more of the identified objects. 9. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein analyzing the advertisement comprises identifying a web page associated with the advertisement, where one or more of the identified objects are associated with the web page. 10. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the viewing user has established a connection in the social networking system with each of the other users of the social networking system associated with the identified interactions. 11. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein at least one identified interaction comprises a purchase associated with one of the identified objects by one of the other users. 12. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein at least one identified interaction comprises an indication of an affiliation with an identified object by one of the other users. 13. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein at least one identified interaction comprises checking in at a location by one of the other users, where the location is an identified object. 14. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein at least one identified interaction occurs on a website external to the social networking system. 15. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein at least one identified interaction occurs outside of the social networking system. 16. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein one or more of the computed affinity scores for the candidate social endorsements are computed based on the identified interactions associated with the candidate social endorsements. 17. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein one or more of the computed affinity scores for the candidate social endorsements are computed based on the identified objects associated with the candidate social endorsements. 18. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein one or more of the computed affinity scores for the candidate social endorsements are computed based on the other users associated with the candidate social endorsements. 19. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein one or more of the computed affinity scores for the candidate social endorsements are computed based on a decay factor. 20. The computer-implemented method of claim 19, wherein a rate of the decay factor is based on a type of action associated with the identified interaction. 21. The computer-implemented method of claim 19, wherein a rate of the decay factor is based on the identified objects associated with the identified interaction. 22. The computer-implemented method of claim 19, wherein a rate of the decay factor is based on the other users associated with the identified interaction. 23. A computer-implemented system for selecting social endorsement information to provide with an advertisement, the system comprising:
a computer processor; and
a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing computer program modules configured to execute on the computer processor, the computer program modules comprising:
a receiving module configured to receive a request to display an advertisement with social endorsement information to a viewing user, wherein the viewing user is a user of a social networking system;
an object identification module configured to identify one or more objects in the social networking system related to the advertisement;
an interaction identification module configured to identify one or more interactions between the one or more identified objects and one or more other users of the social networking system, each interaction comprising an action taken by one or more of the other users in connection with one or more of the identified objects, wherein each interaction comprises a candidate social endorsement;
a selection module configured to select a candidate social endorsement to provide as social endorsement information; and
providing the advertisement and the selected social endorsement for display to the viewing user. | 3,600 |
12,655 | 12,655 | 13,930,014 | 3,651 | A tissue dispenser includes a tissue container having a plurality of walls forming a rectangular-shaped hollow interior space for holding clean tissues and a dispensing opening for removing the clean tissues from the interior space, and a plastic bag having an interior cavity separate from the interior space and an access opening for inserting soiled tissues into the interior cavity. The plastic bag is secured to the container and lays flat against an exterior surface of the container when the plastic bag is empty. At least a portion of the plastic bag is stretchable so that the plastic bag elastically expands when the soiled tissues are inserted into the plastic bag to hold and retain the soiled tissues within the plastic bag. | 1. A tissue dispenser comprising, in combination:
a container having a plurality of walls forming a rectangular-shaped hollow interior space for holding clean tissues and a dispensing opening for removing clean tissues from the interior space; a plastic bag having an interior cavity and an access opening for inserting soiled tissues into the interior cavity; wherein the plastic bag is secured to the container and lays flat against an exterior surface of the container when the plastic bag is empty; and wherein at least a portion of the plastic bag is stretchable so that the plastic bag elastically expands when soiled tissues are inserted into the plastic bag. 2. The tissue dispenser according to claim 1, wherein the stretchable portion of the plastic bag is mechanically treated plastic film. 3. The tissue dispenser according to claim 2, wherein the wherein the stretchable portion of the plastic bag comprises SELF (Structurally Elastic-Like Film). 4. The tissue dispenser according to claim 1, wherein the plastic bag includes elastic material at the access opening that resiliently closes the access opening to retain soiled tissues within the plastic bag. 5. The tissue dispenser according to claim 1, wherein the plastic bag is secured to the container with adhesive. 6. The tissue dispenser according to claim 1, wherein the adhesive is a pressure sensitive adhesive. 7. The tissue dispenser according to claim 1, wherein the plastic bag includes opposed inner and outer rectangular-shaped walls secured together along three edges of the inner and outer walls to form the interior cavity between the inner and outer walls, and the inner wall engages and is secured to the exterior of the container so that the plastic bag lays flat against the container with the opposed outer wall lays generally against the inner wall when the interior cavity is empty. 8. The tissue dispenser according to claim 7, wherein, the plurality of walls of the container includes a top wall, a bottom wall opposed to the top wall, and four side walls perpendicularly extending between the top wall and the bottom wall, and the inner wall of the plastic bag is secured to one of the side walls of the container. 9. The tissue dispenser according to claim 1, wherein the container is located within the plastic bag. 10. The tissue dispenser according to claim 9, wherein the plurality of walls of the container includes a top wall, a bottom wall opposed to the top wall, and four side walls perpendicularly extending between the top wall and the bottom wall, and wherein the plastic bag is secured to the bottom wall of the container. 11. A tissue dispenser comprising, in combination:
a container having a plurality of walls forming a rectangular-shaped hollow interior space for holding clean tissues and a dispensing opening for removing clean tissues from the interior space; a cover over the container and having an open bottom so that the cover can be slid onto and off of the box; a plastic bag having an interior cavity and an access opening for inserting soiled tissues into the interior cavity; wherein the plastic bag is secured to the cover and lays flat against an exterior surface of the cover when the plastic bag is empty; and wherein at least a portion of the plastic bag is stretchable so that the plastic bag elastically expands when soiled tissues are inserted into the plastic bag. 12. The tissue dispenser according to claim 11, wherein the stretchable portion of the plastic bag is mechanically treated plastic film. 13. The tissue dispenser according to claim 12, wherein the wherein the stretchable portion of the plastic bag comprises SELF (Structurally Elastic-Like Film). 14. The tissue dispenser according to claim 11, wherein the plastic bag includes elastic material at the access opening that resiliently closes the access opening to retain soiled tissues within the plastic bag. 15. The tissue dispenser according to claim 11, wherein the plastic bag includes opposed inner and outer rectangular-shaped walls secured together along three edges of the inner and outer walls to form the interior cavity between the inner and outer walls, and the inner wall engages and is secured to the exterior of the cover so that the plastic bag lays flat against the cover with the opposed outer wall lays generally against the inner wall when the interior cavity is empty. 16. A waste receptacle for holding soiled tissues to be secured to a tissue container comprising, in combination:
a plastic bag having a plurality of rectangular-shaped walls secured together to form an interior cavity and an access opening for inserting soiled tissues into the interior cavity; wherein at least a portion of the plastic bag is stretchable so that the plastic bag elastically expands when soiled tissues are inserted into the plastic bag; pressure-sensitive adhesive located on at least a portion of one of the wall for securing the plastic bag to the tissue container; and a release liner temporarily covering the pressure-sensitive adhesive. 17. The tissue dispenser according to claim 16, wherein the stretchable portion of the plastic bag is mechanically treated plastic film. 18. The tissue dispenser according to claim 16, wherein the plastic bag includes elastic material at the access opening that resiliently closes the access opening to retain soiled tissues within the plastic bag. 19. The tissue dispenser according to claim 16, wherein the plurality of rectangular-shaped walls includes opposed inner and outer rectangular-shaped walls secured together along three edges of the inner and outer walls to form the interior cavity between the inner and outer walls and the access opening along a fourth edge of the inner and outer walls, and wherein the pressure-sensitive adhesive located on at least a portion of an exterior side of the inner wall. 20. The tissue dispenser according to claim 16, wherein the wherein the plurality of rectangular-shaped walls includes a rectangular-shaped bottom wall and four rectangular-shaped side walls perpendicularly and upwardly extending from four edges of the bottom wall, and wherein the pressure-sensitive adhesive located on at least a portion of an interior side of the bottom wall. | A tissue dispenser includes a tissue container having a plurality of walls forming a rectangular-shaped hollow interior space for holding clean tissues and a dispensing opening for removing the clean tissues from the interior space, and a plastic bag having an interior cavity separate from the interior space and an access opening for inserting soiled tissues into the interior cavity. The plastic bag is secured to the container and lays flat against an exterior surface of the container when the plastic bag is empty. At least a portion of the plastic bag is stretchable so that the plastic bag elastically expands when the soiled tissues are inserted into the plastic bag to hold and retain the soiled tissues within the plastic bag.1. A tissue dispenser comprising, in combination:
a container having a plurality of walls forming a rectangular-shaped hollow interior space for holding clean tissues and a dispensing opening for removing clean tissues from the interior space; a plastic bag having an interior cavity and an access opening for inserting soiled tissues into the interior cavity; wherein the plastic bag is secured to the container and lays flat against an exterior surface of the container when the plastic bag is empty; and wherein at least a portion of the plastic bag is stretchable so that the plastic bag elastically expands when soiled tissues are inserted into the plastic bag. 2. The tissue dispenser according to claim 1, wherein the stretchable portion of the plastic bag is mechanically treated plastic film. 3. The tissue dispenser according to claim 2, wherein the wherein the stretchable portion of the plastic bag comprises SELF (Structurally Elastic-Like Film). 4. The tissue dispenser according to claim 1, wherein the plastic bag includes elastic material at the access opening that resiliently closes the access opening to retain soiled tissues within the plastic bag. 5. The tissue dispenser according to claim 1, wherein the plastic bag is secured to the container with adhesive. 6. The tissue dispenser according to claim 1, wherein the adhesive is a pressure sensitive adhesive. 7. The tissue dispenser according to claim 1, wherein the plastic bag includes opposed inner and outer rectangular-shaped walls secured together along three edges of the inner and outer walls to form the interior cavity between the inner and outer walls, and the inner wall engages and is secured to the exterior of the container so that the plastic bag lays flat against the container with the opposed outer wall lays generally against the inner wall when the interior cavity is empty. 8. The tissue dispenser according to claim 7, wherein, the plurality of walls of the container includes a top wall, a bottom wall opposed to the top wall, and four side walls perpendicularly extending between the top wall and the bottom wall, and the inner wall of the plastic bag is secured to one of the side walls of the container. 9. The tissue dispenser according to claim 1, wherein the container is located within the plastic bag. 10. The tissue dispenser according to claim 9, wherein the plurality of walls of the container includes a top wall, a bottom wall opposed to the top wall, and four side walls perpendicularly extending between the top wall and the bottom wall, and wherein the plastic bag is secured to the bottom wall of the container. 11. A tissue dispenser comprising, in combination:
a container having a plurality of walls forming a rectangular-shaped hollow interior space for holding clean tissues and a dispensing opening for removing clean tissues from the interior space; a cover over the container and having an open bottom so that the cover can be slid onto and off of the box; a plastic bag having an interior cavity and an access opening for inserting soiled tissues into the interior cavity; wherein the plastic bag is secured to the cover and lays flat against an exterior surface of the cover when the plastic bag is empty; and wherein at least a portion of the plastic bag is stretchable so that the plastic bag elastically expands when soiled tissues are inserted into the plastic bag. 12. The tissue dispenser according to claim 11, wherein the stretchable portion of the plastic bag is mechanically treated plastic film. 13. The tissue dispenser according to claim 12, wherein the wherein the stretchable portion of the plastic bag comprises SELF (Structurally Elastic-Like Film). 14. The tissue dispenser according to claim 11, wherein the plastic bag includes elastic material at the access opening that resiliently closes the access opening to retain soiled tissues within the plastic bag. 15. The tissue dispenser according to claim 11, wherein the plastic bag includes opposed inner and outer rectangular-shaped walls secured together along three edges of the inner and outer walls to form the interior cavity between the inner and outer walls, and the inner wall engages and is secured to the exterior of the cover so that the plastic bag lays flat against the cover with the opposed outer wall lays generally against the inner wall when the interior cavity is empty. 16. A waste receptacle for holding soiled tissues to be secured to a tissue container comprising, in combination:
a plastic bag having a plurality of rectangular-shaped walls secured together to form an interior cavity and an access opening for inserting soiled tissues into the interior cavity; wherein at least a portion of the plastic bag is stretchable so that the plastic bag elastically expands when soiled tissues are inserted into the plastic bag; pressure-sensitive adhesive located on at least a portion of one of the wall for securing the plastic bag to the tissue container; and a release liner temporarily covering the pressure-sensitive adhesive. 17. The tissue dispenser according to claim 16, wherein the stretchable portion of the plastic bag is mechanically treated plastic film. 18. The tissue dispenser according to claim 16, wherein the plastic bag includes elastic material at the access opening that resiliently closes the access opening to retain soiled tissues within the plastic bag. 19. The tissue dispenser according to claim 16, wherein the plurality of rectangular-shaped walls includes opposed inner and outer rectangular-shaped walls secured together along three edges of the inner and outer walls to form the interior cavity between the inner and outer walls and the access opening along a fourth edge of the inner and outer walls, and wherein the pressure-sensitive adhesive located on at least a portion of an exterior side of the inner wall. 20. The tissue dispenser according to claim 16, wherein the wherein the plurality of rectangular-shaped walls includes a rectangular-shaped bottom wall and four rectangular-shaped side walls perpendicularly and upwardly extending from four edges of the bottom wall, and wherein the pressure-sensitive adhesive located on at least a portion of an interior side of the bottom wall. | 3,600 |
12,656 | 12,656 | 12,492,861 | 3,682 | A mobile device may present advertisements to users. However, advertisements may be ineffective or dangerous if presented when the attention of the user is unavailable (e.g., while operating a vehicle at a busy intersection.) It may also be desirable to select a sequence of advertisements that interrelate, or that relate the route of the user to an advertised product or service. Therefore, potential routes may be identified (e.g., based on user history or nearby locations of interest), and for potential routes, advertisement opportunities may be identified where the user may have an at least partial attention availability (e.g., traffic signals and fuel stops.) Advertisements may be selected for presentation at the advertisement opportunities of respective potential routes. Additionally, advertisement opportunities may be offered to advertisers in an auction model, and advertisers may specify conditions of advertisements (e.g., competitive placement exclusive of competitors' advertisements, or combinatorial placement of several advertisements.) | 1. A method of generating an advertisement plan for a user of a computer having a processor and having access to an advertisement set comprising advertisements provided by respective advertisers, the method comprising:
executing upon the processor instructions configured to:
identify at least one potential route of the user;
for respective potential routes, identify along the potential route at least one advertisement opportunity where the user may have at least partial attention availability; and
for respective advertisement opportunities, select at least one advertisement from the advertisement set to be presented at the advertisement opportunity. 2. The method of claim 1:
the instructions configured to:
monitor the user to determine a completed route, and
for respective completed routes, store a route record in a user profile, the route record specifying the completed route; and
identifying the at least one potential route of the user comprising: selecting at least one completed route specified in at least one route record in the user profile. 3. The method of claim 1, identifying the at least one potential route of the user comprising:
detecting at least one route determinant, and identifying at least one potential route that are correlated with the at least one route determinant. 4. The method of claim 3:
the position along the potential route associated with an attention type of the user, and selecting the at least one advertisement to be presented at the advertisement opportunity comprising: selecting at least one advertisement that is compatible with the attention type of the user associated with the position along the potential route. 5. The method of claim 1, selecting the at least one advertisement to be presented at the advertisement opportunity comprising: selecting, to be presented at the advertisement opportunity, a first advertisement that relates to a second advertisement to be presented at an advertisement opportunity. 6. The method of claim 1, selecting the at least one advertisement to be presented at the advertisement opportunity comprising:
identifying at least one trait of the user, and selecting advertisements targeted to the user based on the at least one trait. 7. The method of claim 1, selecting the at least one advertisement to be presented at the advertisement opportunity comprising:
detecting at least one advertisement opportunity factor relating the advertisement opportunity to at least one advertisement; and selecting at least one advertisement that is related to the advertisement opportunity by the advertisement opportunity factor. 8. The method of claim 1, the computer utilizing a predictive function trained to predict at least one predictive user aspect selected from a set of predictive user aspects comprising:
potential routes selected by the user, an attention availability of the user at an advertisement opportunity along a potential route, and a user responsiveness to an advertisement presented at an advertisement opportunity. 9. The method of claim 1:
respective advertisements in the advertisement set having an advertisement action that is associated with an advertisement payment, and selecting the at least one advertisement to be presented at the advertisement opportunity comprising: selecting advertisements that, for respective potential routes, maximize the advertisement payments associated with the advertisement actions of the advertisements. 10. The method of claim 9:
respective advertisements having an advertisement bid, and selecting advertisements that, for respective potential routes, maximize the advertisement payments comprising:
for respective advertisement opportunities:
offering the advertisement opportunity to the advertisements;
receiving an advertisement bid from respective advertisements for the advertisement opportunity; and
selecting for the advertisement opportunity the advertisement offering a high advertisement bid. 11. The method of claim 10, the advertisement bid for at least one advertisement based on at least one advertising condition selected from a set of advertising aspects comprising:
an identified trait of the user; a user relevance of the user correlated with the advertisement; an attention type of the user at the advertisement opportunity; an advertisement opportunity factor relating the advertisement to the advertisement opportunity; a competitive advertising condition relating to selections of other advertisements for other advertising opportunities in the advertisement plan; and a combinatorial advertising condition relating to selection of advertisements for at least two advertisement opportunities in the advertisement plan. 12. The method of claim 9, selecting for the advertisement opportunity the advertisement offering the high advertisement bid comprising: maximizing the mathematical formula:
V*(s)=maxa∈A(s) R(s,a)+Σs′ T(s′,s,a)×V*(s′)
wherein:
s represents a state in a potential route corresponding to at least one of an advertisement opportunity and a location;
S represents a state set comprising the states s in the potential route;
V*(s) represents an expected cumulative value of state s, comprising expected advertisement revenue for the advertisement opportunity and future opportunities following state s;
A(s) represents a set of advertising actions for respective advertisements at a state s;
R(s,a) represents revenue for displaying a advertisement a at state s;
s′ represents a second state in a potential route that is accessible from a state s;
V*(s′) represents an expected cumulative value of state s′; and
T(s′,s,a) represents a transition probability of transitioning from a state s to a state s′ upon performing an advertising action a. 13. The method of claim 1, the instructions configured to:
monitor the user to determine:
a selected route among the potential routes, and
an arrival at an advertisement opportunity along the selected route; and
upon detecting the arrival at an advertisement opportunity along the selected route, present to the user the at least one advertisement selected to be presented at the advertisement opportunity. 14. The method of claim 13:
selecting the at least one advertisement to be presented at the advertisement opportunity based on at least one trait of the user, the at least one trait stored in a user profile; and monitoring the user comprising: detecting an advertisement action by the user associated with an advertisement; and the instructions configured, upon detecting the advertisement action, to:
identify at least one trait of the user based on the advertisement action, and
store the at least one trait in the user profile. 15. The method of claim 13:
respective advertisements associated with an advertisement payment, and the instructions configured to, upon presenting an advertisement, compute the advertisement payment associated with the advertisement. 16. The method of claim 15:
the advertisement payments of respective advertisements associated with an advertisement action; the instructions configured to, upon presenting the advertisement, monitor the user to detect the advertisement action associated with the advertisement; and computing the advertisement payment comprising: upon detecting the advertisement action associated with the advertisement, compute the advertisement payment associated with the advertisement and the advertisement action. 17. The method of claim 16, computing the advertisement payment collected from advertiser i at state s according to the mathematical formula:
T
i
(
s
,
b
)
=
V
-
i
*
(
s
,
b
-
i
)
-
V
-
i
*
(
s
,
b
-
i
π
*
(
s
,
b
)
)
P
action
(
b
i
)
wherein:
s represents a state in a potential route corresponding to at least one of an advertisement opportunity and a location;
bi represents an advertising bid received from advertiser i;
π*(s,b) represents a selected advertisement action computed for state s that maximizes the cumulative expected value in view of bids b;
V*−i(s,b−i) represents the cumulative expected value of all advertisers except advertiser i in state s, when advertiser i is excluded from advertisement opportunities;
V*−i(s,b−i|π*(s,b)) represents a cumulative expected value of all advertisers except advertiser i state s if the selected advertisement action is selected for the advertisement opportunity and advertiser I is excluded from future advertisement opportunities;
Paction(bi) represents a probability that the user will undertake the action associated with bi; and
Ti(s,b) represents an advertisement payment to be collected from advertiser i at state s. 18. The method of claim 15, the instructions configured to, upon detecting the at least one advertisement action of the user, charge the advertiser the advertisement payment computed with respect to the advertisement and the advertisement action. 19. A system configured to generate an advertisement plan for a user of a computer having access to an advertisement set, the system comprising: a potential route identifying component configured to identify at least one potential route of the user;
an advertisement opportunity identifying component configured to, for respective potential routes, identify along the potential route at least one advertisement opportunity where the user may have at least partial attention availability; and an advertisement selecting component configured to, for respective advertisement opportunities, select at least one advertisement from the advertisement set to be presented at the advertisement opportunity. 20. A computer-readable medium comprising processor-executable instructions that, when executed by a processor of a computer having access to an advertisement set comprising advertisements provided by respective advertisers and to a predictive function trained to correlate advertisements with a user relevance of a user of the computer during an advertisement opportunity, generate an advertisement plan for the user by:
monitoring the user to determine a completed route; for respective completed routes, storing a route record in a user profile, the route record specifying the completed route; detecting at least one route determinant; identifying the at least one potential route of the user by performing at least one of:
selecting at least one completed route specified in at least one route record in the user profile, and
identifying at least one potential route that is correlated with the at least one route determinant;
for respective potential routes, identify along the potential route at least one advertisement opportunity where the user may have at least partial attention availability, and the advertisement opportunity associated with an attention type of the user; for respective advertisement opportunities, selecting from the advertisement set, to be presented at the advertisement opportunity, at least one advertisement that is compatible with the attention type of the user associated with the position along the potential route, and the advertisement selected by:
identifying at least one trait of the user;
detecting at least one advertisement opportunity factor relating the advertisement opportunity to at least one advertisement; and
selecting the advertisement that:
is targeted to the user based on the at least one trait,
is related to the advertisement opportunity by the advertisement opportunity factor, and
has a high user relevance to the user during the advertisement opportunity according to the predictive function,
the advertisements selected to, for respective potential routes, maximize advertisement payments associated with advertisement actions of the advertisements;
monitoring the user to determine:
a selected route among the potential routes, and
an arrival at an advertisement opportunity along the selected route;
upon detecting the arrival at an advertisement opportunity along the selected route, presenting to the user the at least one advertisement selected to be presented at the advertisement opportunity; monitoring the user to detect at least one advertisement action associated with at least one advertisement; and upon detecting the advertisement action:
computing the advertisement payment associated with the advertisement and the advertisement action;
identifying at least one trait of the user based on the advertisement action; and
upon identifying the at least one trait, storing the at least one trait in the user profile. | A mobile device may present advertisements to users. However, advertisements may be ineffective or dangerous if presented when the attention of the user is unavailable (e.g., while operating a vehicle at a busy intersection.) It may also be desirable to select a sequence of advertisements that interrelate, or that relate the route of the user to an advertised product or service. Therefore, potential routes may be identified (e.g., based on user history or nearby locations of interest), and for potential routes, advertisement opportunities may be identified where the user may have an at least partial attention availability (e.g., traffic signals and fuel stops.) Advertisements may be selected for presentation at the advertisement opportunities of respective potential routes. Additionally, advertisement opportunities may be offered to advertisers in an auction model, and advertisers may specify conditions of advertisements (e.g., competitive placement exclusive of competitors' advertisements, or combinatorial placement of several advertisements.)1. A method of generating an advertisement plan for a user of a computer having a processor and having access to an advertisement set comprising advertisements provided by respective advertisers, the method comprising:
executing upon the processor instructions configured to:
identify at least one potential route of the user;
for respective potential routes, identify along the potential route at least one advertisement opportunity where the user may have at least partial attention availability; and
for respective advertisement opportunities, select at least one advertisement from the advertisement set to be presented at the advertisement opportunity. 2. The method of claim 1:
the instructions configured to:
monitor the user to determine a completed route, and
for respective completed routes, store a route record in a user profile, the route record specifying the completed route; and
identifying the at least one potential route of the user comprising: selecting at least one completed route specified in at least one route record in the user profile. 3. The method of claim 1, identifying the at least one potential route of the user comprising:
detecting at least one route determinant, and identifying at least one potential route that are correlated with the at least one route determinant. 4. The method of claim 3:
the position along the potential route associated with an attention type of the user, and selecting the at least one advertisement to be presented at the advertisement opportunity comprising: selecting at least one advertisement that is compatible with the attention type of the user associated with the position along the potential route. 5. The method of claim 1, selecting the at least one advertisement to be presented at the advertisement opportunity comprising: selecting, to be presented at the advertisement opportunity, a first advertisement that relates to a second advertisement to be presented at an advertisement opportunity. 6. The method of claim 1, selecting the at least one advertisement to be presented at the advertisement opportunity comprising:
identifying at least one trait of the user, and selecting advertisements targeted to the user based on the at least one trait. 7. The method of claim 1, selecting the at least one advertisement to be presented at the advertisement opportunity comprising:
detecting at least one advertisement opportunity factor relating the advertisement opportunity to at least one advertisement; and selecting at least one advertisement that is related to the advertisement opportunity by the advertisement opportunity factor. 8. The method of claim 1, the computer utilizing a predictive function trained to predict at least one predictive user aspect selected from a set of predictive user aspects comprising:
potential routes selected by the user, an attention availability of the user at an advertisement opportunity along a potential route, and a user responsiveness to an advertisement presented at an advertisement opportunity. 9. The method of claim 1:
respective advertisements in the advertisement set having an advertisement action that is associated with an advertisement payment, and selecting the at least one advertisement to be presented at the advertisement opportunity comprising: selecting advertisements that, for respective potential routes, maximize the advertisement payments associated with the advertisement actions of the advertisements. 10. The method of claim 9:
respective advertisements having an advertisement bid, and selecting advertisements that, for respective potential routes, maximize the advertisement payments comprising:
for respective advertisement opportunities:
offering the advertisement opportunity to the advertisements;
receiving an advertisement bid from respective advertisements for the advertisement opportunity; and
selecting for the advertisement opportunity the advertisement offering a high advertisement bid. 11. The method of claim 10, the advertisement bid for at least one advertisement based on at least one advertising condition selected from a set of advertising aspects comprising:
an identified trait of the user; a user relevance of the user correlated with the advertisement; an attention type of the user at the advertisement opportunity; an advertisement opportunity factor relating the advertisement to the advertisement opportunity; a competitive advertising condition relating to selections of other advertisements for other advertising opportunities in the advertisement plan; and a combinatorial advertising condition relating to selection of advertisements for at least two advertisement opportunities in the advertisement plan. 12. The method of claim 9, selecting for the advertisement opportunity the advertisement offering the high advertisement bid comprising: maximizing the mathematical formula:
V*(s)=maxa∈A(s) R(s,a)+Σs′ T(s′,s,a)×V*(s′)
wherein:
s represents a state in a potential route corresponding to at least one of an advertisement opportunity and a location;
S represents a state set comprising the states s in the potential route;
V*(s) represents an expected cumulative value of state s, comprising expected advertisement revenue for the advertisement opportunity and future opportunities following state s;
A(s) represents a set of advertising actions for respective advertisements at a state s;
R(s,a) represents revenue for displaying a advertisement a at state s;
s′ represents a second state in a potential route that is accessible from a state s;
V*(s′) represents an expected cumulative value of state s′; and
T(s′,s,a) represents a transition probability of transitioning from a state s to a state s′ upon performing an advertising action a. 13. The method of claim 1, the instructions configured to:
monitor the user to determine:
a selected route among the potential routes, and
an arrival at an advertisement opportunity along the selected route; and
upon detecting the arrival at an advertisement opportunity along the selected route, present to the user the at least one advertisement selected to be presented at the advertisement opportunity. 14. The method of claim 13:
selecting the at least one advertisement to be presented at the advertisement opportunity based on at least one trait of the user, the at least one trait stored in a user profile; and monitoring the user comprising: detecting an advertisement action by the user associated with an advertisement; and the instructions configured, upon detecting the advertisement action, to:
identify at least one trait of the user based on the advertisement action, and
store the at least one trait in the user profile. 15. The method of claim 13:
respective advertisements associated with an advertisement payment, and the instructions configured to, upon presenting an advertisement, compute the advertisement payment associated with the advertisement. 16. The method of claim 15:
the advertisement payments of respective advertisements associated with an advertisement action; the instructions configured to, upon presenting the advertisement, monitor the user to detect the advertisement action associated with the advertisement; and computing the advertisement payment comprising: upon detecting the advertisement action associated with the advertisement, compute the advertisement payment associated with the advertisement and the advertisement action. 17. The method of claim 16, computing the advertisement payment collected from advertiser i at state s according to the mathematical formula:
T
i
(
s
,
b
)
=
V
-
i
*
(
s
,
b
-
i
)
-
V
-
i
*
(
s
,
b
-
i
π
*
(
s
,
b
)
)
P
action
(
b
i
)
wherein:
s represents a state in a potential route corresponding to at least one of an advertisement opportunity and a location;
bi represents an advertising bid received from advertiser i;
π*(s,b) represents a selected advertisement action computed for state s that maximizes the cumulative expected value in view of bids b;
V*−i(s,b−i) represents the cumulative expected value of all advertisers except advertiser i in state s, when advertiser i is excluded from advertisement opportunities;
V*−i(s,b−i|π*(s,b)) represents a cumulative expected value of all advertisers except advertiser i state s if the selected advertisement action is selected for the advertisement opportunity and advertiser I is excluded from future advertisement opportunities;
Paction(bi) represents a probability that the user will undertake the action associated with bi; and
Ti(s,b) represents an advertisement payment to be collected from advertiser i at state s. 18. The method of claim 15, the instructions configured to, upon detecting the at least one advertisement action of the user, charge the advertiser the advertisement payment computed with respect to the advertisement and the advertisement action. 19. A system configured to generate an advertisement plan for a user of a computer having access to an advertisement set, the system comprising: a potential route identifying component configured to identify at least one potential route of the user;
an advertisement opportunity identifying component configured to, for respective potential routes, identify along the potential route at least one advertisement opportunity where the user may have at least partial attention availability; and an advertisement selecting component configured to, for respective advertisement opportunities, select at least one advertisement from the advertisement set to be presented at the advertisement opportunity. 20. A computer-readable medium comprising processor-executable instructions that, when executed by a processor of a computer having access to an advertisement set comprising advertisements provided by respective advertisers and to a predictive function trained to correlate advertisements with a user relevance of a user of the computer during an advertisement opportunity, generate an advertisement plan for the user by:
monitoring the user to determine a completed route; for respective completed routes, storing a route record in a user profile, the route record specifying the completed route; detecting at least one route determinant; identifying the at least one potential route of the user by performing at least one of:
selecting at least one completed route specified in at least one route record in the user profile, and
identifying at least one potential route that is correlated with the at least one route determinant;
for respective potential routes, identify along the potential route at least one advertisement opportunity where the user may have at least partial attention availability, and the advertisement opportunity associated with an attention type of the user; for respective advertisement opportunities, selecting from the advertisement set, to be presented at the advertisement opportunity, at least one advertisement that is compatible with the attention type of the user associated with the position along the potential route, and the advertisement selected by:
identifying at least one trait of the user;
detecting at least one advertisement opportunity factor relating the advertisement opportunity to at least one advertisement; and
selecting the advertisement that:
is targeted to the user based on the at least one trait,
is related to the advertisement opportunity by the advertisement opportunity factor, and
has a high user relevance to the user during the advertisement opportunity according to the predictive function,
the advertisements selected to, for respective potential routes, maximize advertisement payments associated with advertisement actions of the advertisements;
monitoring the user to determine:
a selected route among the potential routes, and
an arrival at an advertisement opportunity along the selected route;
upon detecting the arrival at an advertisement opportunity along the selected route, presenting to the user the at least one advertisement selected to be presented at the advertisement opportunity; monitoring the user to detect at least one advertisement action associated with at least one advertisement; and upon detecting the advertisement action:
computing the advertisement payment associated with the advertisement and the advertisement action;
identifying at least one trait of the user based on the advertisement action; and
upon identifying the at least one trait, storing the at least one trait in the user profile. | 3,600 |
12,657 | 12,657 | 14,563,828 | 3,625 | The present disclosure is directed to apparatuses, systems, and methods for predicting item characteristic popularity—i.e., identifying item characteristics (e.g., item brands, item types, etc.) that are to eventually become popular. Something that is to eventually become popular is referred to herein as “pre-trend” or “cool.” In the embodiments described herein, electronic marketplace transaction data is analyzed to identify popular characteristics of items involved in recent transactions. The electronic marketplace transaction data is further analyzed to identify one or more users that executed transactions for items having these popular characteristics during a previous time period. These users' transaction histories are analyzed to determine what other item characteristics are prevalent in their more recent transactions, as these item characteristics can be identified as pre-trend/cool. | 1. A non-transitory machine-useable storage medium embodying instructions which, when executed by a machine, cause the machine to execute operations comprising:
receiving a query for one or more item listings of an electronic marketplace database; identifying data representing a first set of one or more popular item characteristics from electronic marketplace transaction data; identifying one or more users, from the electronic marketplace transaction data, associated with marketplace transactions for items having the first set of identified popular item characteristics during a first time interval; identifying data representing a second set of one or more pre-trend item characteristics, from the electronic marketplace transaction data, associated with marketplace transactions of the identified users during a second time interval more recent than the first time interval; and generating display data representing a query result of one or more item listings for a client device to display to a user via a graphical user interface (GUI), the one or more item listings selected based, at least in part, on the data representing the second set of one or more pre-trend item characteristics. 2. The non-transitory machine-useable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the first and second set of item characteristics each include an item brand. 3. The non-transitory machine-useable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the first and second set of item characteristics each include an item type. 4. The non-transitory machine-useable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the operation of identifying the first set of one or more popular item characteristics from the electronic marketplace transaction data comprises identifying one or more item characteristics associated with a quantity of marketplace transactions increasing over a plurality of time intervals. 5. The non-transitory machine--useable storage medium of claim 4, wherein the operation of identifying the first set of one or more popular item characteristics from the electronic marketplace transaction data comprises identifying one or more item characteristics associated with a transaction revenue increasing over the plurality of time intervals. 6. The non-transitory machine-useable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the operation of identifying the one or more users is based, at least in part, on profile data of a runtime user. 7. The non-transitory machine-useable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the operation of identifying the one or more users comprises identifying the one or more users, from the electronic marketplace transaction data, associated with marketplace transactions for items having additional identified popular item characteristics during the first time interval. 8. The non-transitory machine-useable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:
identifying a third set of one or more item characteristics associated with a decreasing quantity of marketplace transactions associated with the identified one or more users over a plurality of time intervals. 9. A computer implemented method comprising:
receiving a query for one or more item listings of an electronic marketplace database; identifying a first set of one or more popular item characteristics from electronic marketplace transaction data; identifying one or more users, from the electronic marketplace transaction data, associated with marketplace transactions for items having the first set of identified popular item characteristics during a first time interval; identifying a second set of one or more pre-trend item characteristics, from the electronic marketplace transaction data, associated with marketplace transactions of the identified users during a second time interval more recent than the first time interval; and generating display data representing a query result of one or more item listings for a client device to display to a user via a graphical user interface (GUI), the one or more item listings selected based, at least in part, on the data representing the second set of one or more pre-trend item characteristics. 10. The method of claim 90 wherein the first and second set item characteristics each include an item brand. 11. The method of claim 9, wherein the first and second set item characteristics each include an item type. 12. The method of claim 9, wherein identifying the first set of one or more popular item characteristics from the electronic marketplace transaction data comprises identifying one or more item characteristics associated with a quantity of marketplace transactions increasing over a plurality of time intervals. 13. A system comprising:
a transaction analysis engine to:
identify a first set of one or more popular item characteristics from electronic marketplace transaction data;
identify one or more users, from the electronic marketplace transaction data, associated with marketplace transactions for items having the first set of identified popular item characteristics during a first time interval; and
identify a second set of one or more pre-trend item characteristics, from the electronic marketplace transaction data, associated with marketplace transactions of the identified users during a second time interval more recent than the first time interval;
an item listing search engine to:
receive a query for one or more item listings of an electronic marketplace database; and
generate display data representing a query result of one or more item listings for a client device to display to a user via a graphical user interface (GUI), the one or more item listings selected based, at least in part, on the data representing the second set of one or more pre-trend item characteristics;
one or more memory devices communicatively coupled to the transaction analysis engine and the item listing search engine; and one or more processors to execute the transaction analysis engine and the item listing search engine. 14. The system of claim 13, wherein the first and second set of item characteristics each include an item brand. 15. The system of claim 13, wherein the first and second set of item characteristics each include an item type. 16. The system c:claim 13, wherein the operation to identify the first set of one or more popular item characteristics from the electronic marketplace transaction data comprises an operation to identify one or more item characteristics associated with a quantity of marketplace transactions increasing over a plurality of time intervals. 17. The system of claim 16, wherein the operation to identify the first set of one or more popular item characteristics from the electronic marketplace transaction data further comprises an operation to identify one or more item characteristics associated with a transaction revenue increasing over the plurality of time intervals. 18. The system of claim 13, wherein the operation to identify the one or more users is based, at least in part, on profile data of a runtime user. 19. The system of claim 13, wherein the operation to identify the one or more users further comprises identifying; the one or more users, from the electronic marketplace transaction data, associated with marketplace transactions for items having additional identified popular item characteristics during the first time interval. 20. The system of claim 3, wherein the transaction analysis engine is to further:
identify a third set of one or more item characteristics associated with a decreasing quantity of marketplace transactions associated with the identified one or more users over a plurality of time intervals. | The present disclosure is directed to apparatuses, systems, and methods for predicting item characteristic popularity—i.e., identifying item characteristics (e.g., item brands, item types, etc.) that are to eventually become popular. Something that is to eventually become popular is referred to herein as “pre-trend” or “cool.” In the embodiments described herein, electronic marketplace transaction data is analyzed to identify popular characteristics of items involved in recent transactions. The electronic marketplace transaction data is further analyzed to identify one or more users that executed transactions for items having these popular characteristics during a previous time period. These users' transaction histories are analyzed to determine what other item characteristics are prevalent in their more recent transactions, as these item characteristics can be identified as pre-trend/cool.1. A non-transitory machine-useable storage medium embodying instructions which, when executed by a machine, cause the machine to execute operations comprising:
receiving a query for one or more item listings of an electronic marketplace database; identifying data representing a first set of one or more popular item characteristics from electronic marketplace transaction data; identifying one or more users, from the electronic marketplace transaction data, associated with marketplace transactions for items having the first set of identified popular item characteristics during a first time interval; identifying data representing a second set of one or more pre-trend item characteristics, from the electronic marketplace transaction data, associated with marketplace transactions of the identified users during a second time interval more recent than the first time interval; and generating display data representing a query result of one or more item listings for a client device to display to a user via a graphical user interface (GUI), the one or more item listings selected based, at least in part, on the data representing the second set of one or more pre-trend item characteristics. 2. The non-transitory machine-useable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the first and second set of item characteristics each include an item brand. 3. The non-transitory machine-useable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the first and second set of item characteristics each include an item type. 4. The non-transitory machine-useable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the operation of identifying the first set of one or more popular item characteristics from the electronic marketplace transaction data comprises identifying one or more item characteristics associated with a quantity of marketplace transactions increasing over a plurality of time intervals. 5. The non-transitory machine--useable storage medium of claim 4, wherein the operation of identifying the first set of one or more popular item characteristics from the electronic marketplace transaction data comprises identifying one or more item characteristics associated with a transaction revenue increasing over the plurality of time intervals. 6. The non-transitory machine-useable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the operation of identifying the one or more users is based, at least in part, on profile data of a runtime user. 7. The non-transitory machine-useable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the operation of identifying the one or more users comprises identifying the one or more users, from the electronic marketplace transaction data, associated with marketplace transactions for items having additional identified popular item characteristics during the first time interval. 8. The non-transitory machine-useable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:
identifying a third set of one or more item characteristics associated with a decreasing quantity of marketplace transactions associated with the identified one or more users over a plurality of time intervals. 9. A computer implemented method comprising:
receiving a query for one or more item listings of an electronic marketplace database; identifying a first set of one or more popular item characteristics from electronic marketplace transaction data; identifying one or more users, from the electronic marketplace transaction data, associated with marketplace transactions for items having the first set of identified popular item characteristics during a first time interval; identifying a second set of one or more pre-trend item characteristics, from the electronic marketplace transaction data, associated with marketplace transactions of the identified users during a second time interval more recent than the first time interval; and generating display data representing a query result of one or more item listings for a client device to display to a user via a graphical user interface (GUI), the one or more item listings selected based, at least in part, on the data representing the second set of one or more pre-trend item characteristics. 10. The method of claim 90 wherein the first and second set item characteristics each include an item brand. 11. The method of claim 9, wherein the first and second set item characteristics each include an item type. 12. The method of claim 9, wherein identifying the first set of one or more popular item characteristics from the electronic marketplace transaction data comprises identifying one or more item characteristics associated with a quantity of marketplace transactions increasing over a plurality of time intervals. 13. A system comprising:
a transaction analysis engine to:
identify a first set of one or more popular item characteristics from electronic marketplace transaction data;
identify one or more users, from the electronic marketplace transaction data, associated with marketplace transactions for items having the first set of identified popular item characteristics during a first time interval; and
identify a second set of one or more pre-trend item characteristics, from the electronic marketplace transaction data, associated with marketplace transactions of the identified users during a second time interval more recent than the first time interval;
an item listing search engine to:
receive a query for one or more item listings of an electronic marketplace database; and
generate display data representing a query result of one or more item listings for a client device to display to a user via a graphical user interface (GUI), the one or more item listings selected based, at least in part, on the data representing the second set of one or more pre-trend item characteristics;
one or more memory devices communicatively coupled to the transaction analysis engine and the item listing search engine; and one or more processors to execute the transaction analysis engine and the item listing search engine. 14. The system of claim 13, wherein the first and second set of item characteristics each include an item brand. 15. The system of claim 13, wherein the first and second set of item characteristics each include an item type. 16. The system c:claim 13, wherein the operation to identify the first set of one or more popular item characteristics from the electronic marketplace transaction data comprises an operation to identify one or more item characteristics associated with a quantity of marketplace transactions increasing over a plurality of time intervals. 17. The system of claim 16, wherein the operation to identify the first set of one or more popular item characteristics from the electronic marketplace transaction data further comprises an operation to identify one or more item characteristics associated with a transaction revenue increasing over the plurality of time intervals. 18. The system of claim 13, wherein the operation to identify the one or more users is based, at least in part, on profile data of a runtime user. 19. The system of claim 13, wherein the operation to identify the one or more users further comprises identifying; the one or more users, from the electronic marketplace transaction data, associated with marketplace transactions for items having additional identified popular item characteristics during the first time interval. 20. The system of claim 3, wherein the transaction analysis engine is to further:
identify a third set of one or more item characteristics associated with a decreasing quantity of marketplace transactions associated with the identified one or more users over a plurality of time intervals. | 3,600 |
12,658 | 12,658 | 13,886,719 | 3,624 | A system for estimating a risk that a site will have deficiencies receives data relating to the site. The data comprises a plurality of previous inspection results of the site. The system determines a risk score that corresponds to the expected deficiencies that would be found if the site were inspected, where a poor risk score corresponds to a higher risk of having deficiencies. The risk score for the site is based upon the plurality of previous inspection results of the site, and previous deficiencies worsen the determined risk score for the site. | 1. A computer readable medium having instructions stored thereon that, when executed by a processor, causes the processor to estimate a risk for at least one site that the at least one site will have deficiencies, the estimating comprising:
receiving data relating to the at least one site, wherein the data comprises a plurality of previous inspection results of the at least one site; and determining a risk score that corresponds to the expected deficiencies that would be found if the at least one site were inspected, wherein a poor risk score corresponds to a higher risk of having deficiencies, the risk score for the at least one site is based upon the plurality of previous inspection results of the at least one site, and previous deficiencies worsen the determined risk score for the at least one site. 2. The computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein the determining the risk score is also based upon previous inspection results of other sites that are under a same management as the at least one site. 3. The computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein the received data relating to the at least one site also comprises data relating to the financial health of a company that operates the at least one site, and the determined risk score for the at least one site is also based upon the financial health of the company that operates the at least one site, and poor financial health of the company worsens the determined risk score for the at least one site. 4. The computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein the received data relating to the at least one site also comprises data relating to negative findings produced during the previous inspections of the at least one site, and having negative findings of greater severity worsens the determined risk score for the at least one site. 5. The computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein the risk score for the at least one site is based upon an amount of time that has elapsed since deficiencies were last found. 6. The computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein the risk score for the at least one site is automatically recalculated according to a schedule. 7. A method for estimating a risk for at least one site that the at least one site will have deficiencies, the method comprising:
receiving data relating to the at least one site, wherein the data comprises a plurality of previous inspection results of the at least one site; and determining a risk score that corresponds to the expected deficiencies that would be found if the at least one site were inspected, wherein a poor risk score corresponds to a higher risk of having deficiencies, the risk score for the at least one site is based upon the plurality of previous inspection results of the at least one site, and previous deficiencies worsen the determined risk score for the at least one site. 8. The method of claim 7, wherein the determining the risk score is also based upon previous inspection results of other sites that are under a same management as the at least one site. 9. The method of claim 7, wherein the received data relating to the at least one site also comprises data relating to the financial health of a company that operates the at least one site, and the determined risk score for the at least one site is also based upon the financial health of the company that operates the at least one site, and poor financial health of the company worsens the determined risk score for the at least one site. 10. The method of claim 7, wherein the received data relating to the at least one site also comprises data relating to negative findings produced during the previous inspections of the at least one site, and having negative findings of greater severity worsens the determined risk score for the at least one site. 11. The method of claim 7, wherein the determined risk score for the at least one site is based upon an amount of time that has elapsed since deficiencies were last found. 12. The method of claim 7, wherein the risk score for the at least one site is automatically recalculated according to a schedule. 13. A system for estimating a risk for at least one site that the at least one site will have deficiencies, the system comprising:
a processor; a memory coupled to the processor; a receiving module that receives data relating to the at least one site, wherein the data comprises a plurality of previous inspection results of the at least one site; and an determining module that determines a risk score that corresponds to the expected deficiencies that would be found if the at least one site were inspected, wherein a poor risk score corresponds to a higher risk of having deficiencies, the risk score for the at least one site is based upon the plurality of previous inspection results of the at least one site, and previous deficiencies worsen the determined risk score for the at least site. 14. The system of claim 13, wherein the determining the risk score is based upon previous inspection results of other sites that are under a same management as the at least one site. 15. The system of claim 13, wherein the received data relating to the at least one site also comprises data relating to the financial health of a company that operates the at least one site, and the determined risk score for the at least one site is also based upon the financial health of the company that operates the at least one site, and poor financial health of the company worsens the determined risk score for the at least one site. 16. The system of claim 13, wherein the received data relating to the at least one site also comprises data relating to negative findings produced during the previous inspections of the at least one site, and having negative findings of greater severity increases the determined risk score for the at least one site. 17. The system of claim 13, wherein the risk score for the at least one site is based upon an amount of time that has elapsed since deficiencies were last found. 18. The system of claim 13, wherein the risk score for the at least one site is automatically recalculated according to a schedule. | A system for estimating a risk that a site will have deficiencies receives data relating to the site. The data comprises a plurality of previous inspection results of the site. The system determines a risk score that corresponds to the expected deficiencies that would be found if the site were inspected, where a poor risk score corresponds to a higher risk of having deficiencies. The risk score for the site is based upon the plurality of previous inspection results of the site, and previous deficiencies worsen the determined risk score for the site.1. A computer readable medium having instructions stored thereon that, when executed by a processor, causes the processor to estimate a risk for at least one site that the at least one site will have deficiencies, the estimating comprising:
receiving data relating to the at least one site, wherein the data comprises a plurality of previous inspection results of the at least one site; and determining a risk score that corresponds to the expected deficiencies that would be found if the at least one site were inspected, wherein a poor risk score corresponds to a higher risk of having deficiencies, the risk score for the at least one site is based upon the plurality of previous inspection results of the at least one site, and previous deficiencies worsen the determined risk score for the at least one site. 2. The computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein the determining the risk score is also based upon previous inspection results of other sites that are under a same management as the at least one site. 3. The computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein the received data relating to the at least one site also comprises data relating to the financial health of a company that operates the at least one site, and the determined risk score for the at least one site is also based upon the financial health of the company that operates the at least one site, and poor financial health of the company worsens the determined risk score for the at least one site. 4. The computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein the received data relating to the at least one site also comprises data relating to negative findings produced during the previous inspections of the at least one site, and having negative findings of greater severity worsens the determined risk score for the at least one site. 5. The computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein the risk score for the at least one site is based upon an amount of time that has elapsed since deficiencies were last found. 6. The computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein the risk score for the at least one site is automatically recalculated according to a schedule. 7. A method for estimating a risk for at least one site that the at least one site will have deficiencies, the method comprising:
receiving data relating to the at least one site, wherein the data comprises a plurality of previous inspection results of the at least one site; and determining a risk score that corresponds to the expected deficiencies that would be found if the at least one site were inspected, wherein a poor risk score corresponds to a higher risk of having deficiencies, the risk score for the at least one site is based upon the plurality of previous inspection results of the at least one site, and previous deficiencies worsen the determined risk score for the at least one site. 8. The method of claim 7, wherein the determining the risk score is also based upon previous inspection results of other sites that are under a same management as the at least one site. 9. The method of claim 7, wherein the received data relating to the at least one site also comprises data relating to the financial health of a company that operates the at least one site, and the determined risk score for the at least one site is also based upon the financial health of the company that operates the at least one site, and poor financial health of the company worsens the determined risk score for the at least one site. 10. The method of claim 7, wherein the received data relating to the at least one site also comprises data relating to negative findings produced during the previous inspections of the at least one site, and having negative findings of greater severity worsens the determined risk score for the at least one site. 11. The method of claim 7, wherein the determined risk score for the at least one site is based upon an amount of time that has elapsed since deficiencies were last found. 12. The method of claim 7, wherein the risk score for the at least one site is automatically recalculated according to a schedule. 13. A system for estimating a risk for at least one site that the at least one site will have deficiencies, the system comprising:
a processor; a memory coupled to the processor; a receiving module that receives data relating to the at least one site, wherein the data comprises a plurality of previous inspection results of the at least one site; and an determining module that determines a risk score that corresponds to the expected deficiencies that would be found if the at least one site were inspected, wherein a poor risk score corresponds to a higher risk of having deficiencies, the risk score for the at least one site is based upon the plurality of previous inspection results of the at least one site, and previous deficiencies worsen the determined risk score for the at least site. 14. The system of claim 13, wherein the determining the risk score is based upon previous inspection results of other sites that are under a same management as the at least one site. 15. The system of claim 13, wherein the received data relating to the at least one site also comprises data relating to the financial health of a company that operates the at least one site, and the determined risk score for the at least one site is also based upon the financial health of the company that operates the at least one site, and poor financial health of the company worsens the determined risk score for the at least one site. 16. The system of claim 13, wherein the received data relating to the at least one site also comprises data relating to negative findings produced during the previous inspections of the at least one site, and having negative findings of greater severity increases the determined risk score for the at least one site. 17. The system of claim 13, wherein the risk score for the at least one site is based upon an amount of time that has elapsed since deficiencies were last found. 18. The system of claim 13, wherein the risk score for the at least one site is automatically recalculated according to a schedule. | 3,600 |
12,659 | 12,659 | 13,794,206 | 3,694 | A method for applying promotion codes to a payment transaction using a computing device is provided. The computing device includes a promotion application in communication with a server. The payment transaction includes a purchase made by a cardholder using a payment card over a payment card network. The method includes providing, by the promotion application, promotion data to the computing device, wherein the promotion data includes a merchant participating in the payment card network, a promotion program offered by the merchant, and promotion codes associated with the promotion program. The method further includes displaying the at least one promotion program on the computing device, receiving a selection of the at least one promotion program from the cardholder using the computing device, and sending the promotion codes associated with the selected promotion program to the server for a payment transaction that corresponds to the selected promotion program. | 1. A method for applying promotion codes to a payment transaction using a computing device comprising a promotion application in communication with a server system, the payment transaction including a purchase made by a cardholder using a payment card over a payment card network, the method comprising:
providing, by the promotion application, promotion data to the computing device, the promotion data including at least one merchant participating in the payment card network, at least one promotion program offered by the at least one merchant to the cardholder, and promotion codes associated with the at least one promotion program; displaying, by the promotion application, the at least one promotion program on the computing device; receiving a selection of the at least one promotion program from the cardholder using the computing device; and sending the promotion codes associated with the selected promotion program to the server system for a payment transaction that corresponds to the selected promotion program. 2. A method according to claim 1, further comprising receiving, by the promotion application, the promotion data from the server system. 3. A method according to claim 1, further comprising receiving, by the promotion application, the promotion data from an unpowered near field communication tag. 4. A method according to claim 1, further comprising receiving, by the promotion application, the promotion data from an interactive kiosk using near field communication between the computing device and the interactive kiosk. 5. A method according to claim 1, wherein the computing device is a mobile computing device. 6. A method according to claim 1, wherein the computing device is an interactive kiosk. 7. A method according to claim 1, wherein the at least one promotion program is a rewards program that includes a qualifying number of rewards points for the rewards program. 8. A method according to claim 7, further comprising storing rewards data within the promotion application, the rewards data including a current number of rewards points accumulated by the cardholder as part of the rewards program. 9. A method according to claim 1 further comprising storing promotion data within the promotion application for a plurality of merchants participating in the payment card network, the promotion data including at least one of a merchant name, a merchant identification (ID) number, promotion identifiers, transaction qualifications including rewards-based qualifications, terms of promotions, and promotion codes. 10. A method according to claim 1 further comprising displaying, on the computing device, a current number of rewards points accumulated by the cardholder as part of a rewards program associated with the at least one promotion program. 11. A network-based system for applying promotion codes to a payment transaction including a purchase made by a cardholder using a payment card over a payment card network, the system comprising:
a server system; and a computing device comprising:
a promotion application;
a memory; and
one or more processors programmed to:
store promotion data in the memory, the promotion data including at least one merchant participating in the payment card network, at least one promotion program offered by the at least one merchant to the cardholder, and promotion codes associated with the at least one promotion program;
receive a selected promotion program from the cardholder using the computing device; and
send the promotion codes associated with the selected promotion program to the server system for a payment transaction that corresponds to the selected promotion program. 12. A system according to claim 11, wherein the computing device further comprises the payment card, and wherein the payment card is a contactless transaction card that communicates with a point of sale device using near field communication. 13. A system according to claim 11, wherein the one or processors are further programmed to:
receive the promotion data from the server system; and provide the promotion data to the promotion application. 14. A system according to claim 11, wherein the one or processors are further programmed to:
receive the promotion data from an unpowered near field communication tag; and provide the promotion data to the promotion application. 15. A system according to claim 11, further comprising an interactive kiosk, and wherein the one or processors are further programmed to:
receive the promotion data from the interactive kiosk using near field communication; and provide the promotion data to the promotion application. 16. A system according to claim 11, wherein the computing device is a mobile computing device. 17. A system according to claim 11, wherein the computing device is an interactive kiosk. 18. A system according to claim 11 wherein the server is associated with the payment card network, and wherein the server is configured to:
store transaction qualifications that include terms a payment transaction must include for a corresponding promotion program to be applicable;
validate the payment transaction initiated by the cardholder with the payment card, wherein the validation comprises determining whether the payment transaction satisfies the transaction qualifications associated with the selected promotion program; and
apply the promotion codes associated with the selected promotion program to the validated payment transaction such that terms of the selected promotion program are applied to the payment transaction of the cardholder. 19. A system according to claim 11 wherein the server system is associated with the payment card network, and wherein the server system is configured to:
interrogate a payment transaction initiated by the cardholder to determine whether the payment transaction satisfies transaction qualifications associated with the selected promotion program;
apply the promotion codes associated with the selected promotion program to the payment transaction if the transaction qualifications are satisfied; and
generate accounting entries associated with the payment transaction including at least one of crediting and debiting merchant and issuer accounts, and at least one of crediting and debiting rewards program accounts with the merchant and the issuer. 20. A promotion application for providing promotion programs to a computing device for a payment transaction made by a cardholder using a payment card over a payment card network, the promotion application comprising instructions that cause one or more processors to:
access promotion data, the promotion data including at least one merchant participating in the payment card network, at least one promotion program offered by the at least one merchant to the cardholder, and promotion codes associated with the at least one promotion program; display the at least one promotion program on the computing device; receive a selection of the at least one promotion program from the cardholder using the computing device; and send the promotion codes associated with the selected promotion program to a server system for a payment transaction that corresponds to the selected promotion program. 21. A promotion application according to claim 20, wherein the promotion data is accessed from the server system. 22. A promotion application according to claim 20, wherein the promotion data is accessed from an unpowered near field communication tag. 23. A promotion application according to claim 20, wherein the promotion data is accessed from an interactive kiosk using near field communication between the computing device and the interactive kiosk. 24. A promotion application according to claim 20, wherein the promotion application instructions further cause the one or processors to store rewards data within the promotion application, the rewards data including a current number of rewards points accumulated by the cardholder as part of the rewards program. 25. A promotion application according to claim 20, wherein the promotion application instructions further cause the one or processors to store promotion data within the promotion application for a plurality of merchants participating in the payment card network, the promotion data including at least one of a merchant name, a merchant identification (ID) number, promotion identifiers, transaction qualifications including rewards-based qualifications, terms of promotions, and promotion codes. 26. A promotion application according to claim 20, wherein the promotion application instructions further cause the one or processors to display, on the computing device, a current number of rewards points accumulated by the cardholder as part of a rewards program associated with the at least one promotion program. | A method for applying promotion codes to a payment transaction using a computing device is provided. The computing device includes a promotion application in communication with a server. The payment transaction includes a purchase made by a cardholder using a payment card over a payment card network. The method includes providing, by the promotion application, promotion data to the computing device, wherein the promotion data includes a merchant participating in the payment card network, a promotion program offered by the merchant, and promotion codes associated with the promotion program. The method further includes displaying the at least one promotion program on the computing device, receiving a selection of the at least one promotion program from the cardholder using the computing device, and sending the promotion codes associated with the selected promotion program to the server for a payment transaction that corresponds to the selected promotion program.1. A method for applying promotion codes to a payment transaction using a computing device comprising a promotion application in communication with a server system, the payment transaction including a purchase made by a cardholder using a payment card over a payment card network, the method comprising:
providing, by the promotion application, promotion data to the computing device, the promotion data including at least one merchant participating in the payment card network, at least one promotion program offered by the at least one merchant to the cardholder, and promotion codes associated with the at least one promotion program; displaying, by the promotion application, the at least one promotion program on the computing device; receiving a selection of the at least one promotion program from the cardholder using the computing device; and sending the promotion codes associated with the selected promotion program to the server system for a payment transaction that corresponds to the selected promotion program. 2. A method according to claim 1, further comprising receiving, by the promotion application, the promotion data from the server system. 3. A method according to claim 1, further comprising receiving, by the promotion application, the promotion data from an unpowered near field communication tag. 4. A method according to claim 1, further comprising receiving, by the promotion application, the promotion data from an interactive kiosk using near field communication between the computing device and the interactive kiosk. 5. A method according to claim 1, wherein the computing device is a mobile computing device. 6. A method according to claim 1, wherein the computing device is an interactive kiosk. 7. A method according to claim 1, wherein the at least one promotion program is a rewards program that includes a qualifying number of rewards points for the rewards program. 8. A method according to claim 7, further comprising storing rewards data within the promotion application, the rewards data including a current number of rewards points accumulated by the cardholder as part of the rewards program. 9. A method according to claim 1 further comprising storing promotion data within the promotion application for a plurality of merchants participating in the payment card network, the promotion data including at least one of a merchant name, a merchant identification (ID) number, promotion identifiers, transaction qualifications including rewards-based qualifications, terms of promotions, and promotion codes. 10. A method according to claim 1 further comprising displaying, on the computing device, a current number of rewards points accumulated by the cardholder as part of a rewards program associated with the at least one promotion program. 11. A network-based system for applying promotion codes to a payment transaction including a purchase made by a cardholder using a payment card over a payment card network, the system comprising:
a server system; and a computing device comprising:
a promotion application;
a memory; and
one or more processors programmed to:
store promotion data in the memory, the promotion data including at least one merchant participating in the payment card network, at least one promotion program offered by the at least one merchant to the cardholder, and promotion codes associated with the at least one promotion program;
receive a selected promotion program from the cardholder using the computing device; and
send the promotion codes associated with the selected promotion program to the server system for a payment transaction that corresponds to the selected promotion program. 12. A system according to claim 11, wherein the computing device further comprises the payment card, and wherein the payment card is a contactless transaction card that communicates with a point of sale device using near field communication. 13. A system according to claim 11, wherein the one or processors are further programmed to:
receive the promotion data from the server system; and provide the promotion data to the promotion application. 14. A system according to claim 11, wherein the one or processors are further programmed to:
receive the promotion data from an unpowered near field communication tag; and provide the promotion data to the promotion application. 15. A system according to claim 11, further comprising an interactive kiosk, and wherein the one or processors are further programmed to:
receive the promotion data from the interactive kiosk using near field communication; and provide the promotion data to the promotion application. 16. A system according to claim 11, wherein the computing device is a mobile computing device. 17. A system according to claim 11, wherein the computing device is an interactive kiosk. 18. A system according to claim 11 wherein the server is associated with the payment card network, and wherein the server is configured to:
store transaction qualifications that include terms a payment transaction must include for a corresponding promotion program to be applicable;
validate the payment transaction initiated by the cardholder with the payment card, wherein the validation comprises determining whether the payment transaction satisfies the transaction qualifications associated with the selected promotion program; and
apply the promotion codes associated with the selected promotion program to the validated payment transaction such that terms of the selected promotion program are applied to the payment transaction of the cardholder. 19. A system according to claim 11 wherein the server system is associated with the payment card network, and wherein the server system is configured to:
interrogate a payment transaction initiated by the cardholder to determine whether the payment transaction satisfies transaction qualifications associated with the selected promotion program;
apply the promotion codes associated with the selected promotion program to the payment transaction if the transaction qualifications are satisfied; and
generate accounting entries associated with the payment transaction including at least one of crediting and debiting merchant and issuer accounts, and at least one of crediting and debiting rewards program accounts with the merchant and the issuer. 20. A promotion application for providing promotion programs to a computing device for a payment transaction made by a cardholder using a payment card over a payment card network, the promotion application comprising instructions that cause one or more processors to:
access promotion data, the promotion data including at least one merchant participating in the payment card network, at least one promotion program offered by the at least one merchant to the cardholder, and promotion codes associated with the at least one promotion program; display the at least one promotion program on the computing device; receive a selection of the at least one promotion program from the cardholder using the computing device; and send the promotion codes associated with the selected promotion program to a server system for a payment transaction that corresponds to the selected promotion program. 21. A promotion application according to claim 20, wherein the promotion data is accessed from the server system. 22. A promotion application according to claim 20, wherein the promotion data is accessed from an unpowered near field communication tag. 23. A promotion application according to claim 20, wherein the promotion data is accessed from an interactive kiosk using near field communication between the computing device and the interactive kiosk. 24. A promotion application according to claim 20, wherein the promotion application instructions further cause the one or processors to store rewards data within the promotion application, the rewards data including a current number of rewards points accumulated by the cardholder as part of the rewards program. 25. A promotion application according to claim 20, wherein the promotion application instructions further cause the one or processors to store promotion data within the promotion application for a plurality of merchants participating in the payment card network, the promotion data including at least one of a merchant name, a merchant identification (ID) number, promotion identifiers, transaction qualifications including rewards-based qualifications, terms of promotions, and promotion codes. 26. A promotion application according to claim 20, wherein the promotion application instructions further cause the one or processors to display, on the computing device, a current number of rewards points accumulated by the cardholder as part of a rewards program associated with the at least one promotion program. | 3,600 |
12,660 | 12,660 | 14,542,460 | 3,623 | A social networking system obtains information describing one or more interactions performed by users of the social networking system with various applications. The information identifies users, applications, and interactions by users with applications. Based on the obtained information, the social networking system determines likelihoods of a selected user performing another type of interaction with each application in a set of applications. The set of applications are ranked based on the determined likelihoods, and one or more of the applications from the set are selected based on the ranking Information describing the selected one or more applications is then provided to the selected user. | 1. A method comprising:
obtaining, at an online system, information describing one or more interactions performed by one or more users of the online system with one or more applications, the information including information identifying each of the users, identifying one or more types of the interactions performed, and identifying each of the one or more applications; determining likelihoods of a selected user of the one or more users performing an additional type of interaction with each application in a set of the one or more applications based at least in part on the obtained information describing interactions by the selected user with the set of the one or more applications; ranking the one or more applications in the set based on the determined likelihoods of the selected user performing the additional type of interaction; selecting one or more applications from the set based at least in part on the ranking; and providing information identifying the selected one or more applications to the selected user. 2. The method of claiml, wherein obtaining, at the online system, information describing the one or more interactions by the one or more users of the online system with the one or more applications comprises:
providing one or more instructions to a third party system associated with an application for inclusion in the application, the instructions, when executed, communicate information describing interactions with the application to the online system; and receiving, at the online system, the information communicated from the application describing interactions with the application, the information identifying a user performing an interaction with the application, identifying the application, and describing the interaction. 3. The method of claim 2, wherein obtaining, at the online system, information describing the one or more interactions by the one or more users of the online system with the one or more applications further comprises:
storing the information communicated from the application at the online system; and retrieving the information communicated from the application. 4. The method of claim 1, wherein determining likelihoods of the selected user of the one or more users performing the additional type of interaction with each application in the set of the one or more applications based at least in part on the obtained information describing interactions by the selected user with the one or more applications comprises:
obtaining information describing one or more interactions by the selected user of the online system with one or more objects associated with one or more applications in the set of the one or more applications, the information including information identifying each of the users and identifying each of the one or more applications; and determining the likelihoods of the selected user performing the additional type of interaction with each application in the set of the one or more applications based at least in part on the obtained information describing interactions by the selected user with the one or more applications and on the obtained information describing interactions by the selected user with the one or more objects associated with one or more applications in the set of the one or more applications. 5. The method of claim 4, wherein an object associated with an application in the set of the one or more applications is selected from a group consisting of: an advertisement associated with the application, a web page associated with the application, a group maintained by the online system and associated with the application, content posted to the online system and associated with the application, and any combination thereof. 6. The method of claim 1, wherein determining likelihoods of the selected user of the one or more users performing the additional type of interaction with each application in the set of the one or more applications based at least in part on the obtained information describing interactions by the selected user with the one or more applications comprises:
obtaining information describing interactions by the selected user with one or more additional applications each having at least a threshold measure of similarity with an application in the set of the one or more applications; and determining the likelihoods of the selected user performing the additional type of interaction with each application in the set of the one or more applications based at least in part on the obtained information describing interactions by the selected user with the set of one or more applications and on the obtained information describing interactions by the selected user with the one or more additional applications. 7. The method of claim 1, wherein determining likelihoods of the selected user of the one or more users performing the additional type of interaction with each application in the set of the one or more applications based at least in part on the obtained information describing interactions by the selected user with the one or more applications comprises:
retrieving information describing interactions by one or more additional users having at least a threshold measure of similarity with the selected user with the set of one or more applications if less than a threshold amount of obtained information describing interactions by the selected user with the set of the one or more applications was obtained; and determining the likelihoods of the selected user performing the additional type of interaction with each application in the set of the one or more applications based at least in part on the retrieved information describing interactions by the selected user with the one or more applications and on the retrieved information describing interactions by the one or more additional users with the one or more applications. 8. The method of claim 1, wherein an interaction with an application is selected from a group consisting of: an installation of the application, a purchase made via the application, an interaction with an advertisement presented via the application, an interaction with another user of the online system via the application, an amount of usage of the application, and any combination thereof. 9. The method of claim 1, wherein selecting one or more applications from the set based at least in part on the ranking; comprises:
selecting one or more applications having at least a threshold position in the ranking 10. A method comprising:
obtaining, at an online system, information describing one or more interactions performed by one or more users of the online system with one or more applications, the information including information identifying each of the users, identifying one or more types of the interactions performed, and identifying each of the one or more applications; determining one or more amounts that a selected user from the one or more users is likely to spend via each application in a set of the one or more applications based at least in part on the obtained information describing interactions by the selected user with the set of the one or more applications; ranking the one or more applications in the set based on the one or more amounts that the selected user is likely to via each application in the set of the one or more applications; selecting one or more applications from the set based at least in part on the ranking; and providing information identifying the selected one or more applications to the selected user. 11. The method of claim 10, wherein an amount that the selected user is likely to spend via an application is selected from a group consisting of: an amount of money that the selected user is likely to spend via the application, a number of times that the user is likely to interact with the application, an amount of time that the user is likely to spend interacting with the application, a number of other users of the online system with whom the user is likely to interact via the application, and any combination thereof. 12. The method of claim 10, wherein determining one or more amounts that the selected user from the one or more users is likely to spend via each application in the set of the one or more applications based at least in part on the obtained information describing interactions by the selected user with the set of the one or more applications comprises:
obtaining information describing interactions by the selected user with one or more additional applications each having at least a threshold measure of similarity with an application in the set of the one or more applications; and determining the one or more amounts that the selected user is likely to spend via each application in the set of the one or more applications based at least in part on the obtained information describing interactions by the selected user with the set of the one or more applications and on the obtained information describing interactions by the selected user with the one or more additional applications. 13. The method of claim 10, wherein determining one or more amounts that the selected user from the one or more users is likely to spend via each application in the set of the one or more applications based at least in part on the obtained information describing interactions by the selected user with the set of the one or more applications comprises:
retrieving information describing interactions by one or more additional users having at least a threshold measure of similarity with the selected user with the set of one or more applications if less than a threshold amount of obtained information describing interactions by the selected user with the set of the one or more applications was obtained; and determining the one or more amounts that the selected user is likely to spend via each application in the set of the one or more applications based at least in part on the obtained information describing interactions by the selected user with the set of the one or more applications on the retrieved information describing interactions by the one or more additional users. 14. The method of claim 10, wherein an interaction with an application is selected from a group consisting of: an installation of the application, a purchase made via the application, an interaction with an advertisement presented via the application, an interaction with another user of the online system via the application, an amount of usage of the application, and any combination thereof. 15. The method of claim 10, wherein selecting one or more applications from the set based at least in part on the ranking; comprises:
selecting one or more applications having at least a threshold position in the ranking. 16. A computer program product comprising a computer readable storage medium having instructions encoded thereon that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to:
obtain, at an online system, information describing one or more interactions by the selected user of the online system with one or more objects associated with one or more applications, the information including information identifying each of the users and identifying each of the one or more applications; determine likelihoods of a selected user of the one or more users performing an additional type of interaction with each application in a set of the one or more applications based at least in part on the obtained information describing interactions by the selected user with the one or more objects; rank the one or more applications in the set based on the determined likelihoods of the selected user performing the additional type of interaction; select one or more applications from the set based at least in part on the ranking; and provide information identifying the selected one or more applications to the selected user. 17. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein an object associated with an application in the set of the one or more applications is selected from a group consisting of: an advertisement associated with the application, a web page associated with the application, a group maintained by the online system and associated with the application, content posted to the online system and associated with the application, and any combination thereof. 18. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein select one or more applications from the set based at least in part on the ranking comprises:
select one or more applications having at least a threshold position in the ranking 19. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein determine likelihoods of the selected user of the one or more users performing an additional type of interaction with each application in the set of the one or more applications based at least in part on the obtained information describing interactions by the selected user with the one or more objects comprises:
obtain information describing interactions by the selected user with objects associated with one or more additional applications each having at least a threshold measure of similarity with an application in the set of the one or more applications; and determining the one or more amounts that the selected user is likely to spend via each application in the set of the one or more applications based at least in part on the obtained information describing interactions by the selected user with the one or more objects associated with the set of applications and on the obtained information describing interactions by the selected use with objects associated with the one or more additional applications. | A social networking system obtains information describing one or more interactions performed by users of the social networking system with various applications. The information identifies users, applications, and interactions by users with applications. Based on the obtained information, the social networking system determines likelihoods of a selected user performing another type of interaction with each application in a set of applications. The set of applications are ranked based on the determined likelihoods, and one or more of the applications from the set are selected based on the ranking Information describing the selected one or more applications is then provided to the selected user.1. A method comprising:
obtaining, at an online system, information describing one or more interactions performed by one or more users of the online system with one or more applications, the information including information identifying each of the users, identifying one or more types of the interactions performed, and identifying each of the one or more applications; determining likelihoods of a selected user of the one or more users performing an additional type of interaction with each application in a set of the one or more applications based at least in part on the obtained information describing interactions by the selected user with the set of the one or more applications; ranking the one or more applications in the set based on the determined likelihoods of the selected user performing the additional type of interaction; selecting one or more applications from the set based at least in part on the ranking; and providing information identifying the selected one or more applications to the selected user. 2. The method of claiml, wherein obtaining, at the online system, information describing the one or more interactions by the one or more users of the online system with the one or more applications comprises:
providing one or more instructions to a third party system associated with an application for inclusion in the application, the instructions, when executed, communicate information describing interactions with the application to the online system; and receiving, at the online system, the information communicated from the application describing interactions with the application, the information identifying a user performing an interaction with the application, identifying the application, and describing the interaction. 3. The method of claim 2, wherein obtaining, at the online system, information describing the one or more interactions by the one or more users of the online system with the one or more applications further comprises:
storing the information communicated from the application at the online system; and retrieving the information communicated from the application. 4. The method of claim 1, wherein determining likelihoods of the selected user of the one or more users performing the additional type of interaction with each application in the set of the one or more applications based at least in part on the obtained information describing interactions by the selected user with the one or more applications comprises:
obtaining information describing one or more interactions by the selected user of the online system with one or more objects associated with one or more applications in the set of the one or more applications, the information including information identifying each of the users and identifying each of the one or more applications; and determining the likelihoods of the selected user performing the additional type of interaction with each application in the set of the one or more applications based at least in part on the obtained information describing interactions by the selected user with the one or more applications and on the obtained information describing interactions by the selected user with the one or more objects associated with one or more applications in the set of the one or more applications. 5. The method of claim 4, wherein an object associated with an application in the set of the one or more applications is selected from a group consisting of: an advertisement associated with the application, a web page associated with the application, a group maintained by the online system and associated with the application, content posted to the online system and associated with the application, and any combination thereof. 6. The method of claim 1, wherein determining likelihoods of the selected user of the one or more users performing the additional type of interaction with each application in the set of the one or more applications based at least in part on the obtained information describing interactions by the selected user with the one or more applications comprises:
obtaining information describing interactions by the selected user with one or more additional applications each having at least a threshold measure of similarity with an application in the set of the one or more applications; and determining the likelihoods of the selected user performing the additional type of interaction with each application in the set of the one or more applications based at least in part on the obtained information describing interactions by the selected user with the set of one or more applications and on the obtained information describing interactions by the selected user with the one or more additional applications. 7. The method of claim 1, wherein determining likelihoods of the selected user of the one or more users performing the additional type of interaction with each application in the set of the one or more applications based at least in part on the obtained information describing interactions by the selected user with the one or more applications comprises:
retrieving information describing interactions by one or more additional users having at least a threshold measure of similarity with the selected user with the set of one or more applications if less than a threshold amount of obtained information describing interactions by the selected user with the set of the one or more applications was obtained; and determining the likelihoods of the selected user performing the additional type of interaction with each application in the set of the one or more applications based at least in part on the retrieved information describing interactions by the selected user with the one or more applications and on the retrieved information describing interactions by the one or more additional users with the one or more applications. 8. The method of claim 1, wherein an interaction with an application is selected from a group consisting of: an installation of the application, a purchase made via the application, an interaction with an advertisement presented via the application, an interaction with another user of the online system via the application, an amount of usage of the application, and any combination thereof. 9. The method of claim 1, wherein selecting one or more applications from the set based at least in part on the ranking; comprises:
selecting one or more applications having at least a threshold position in the ranking 10. A method comprising:
obtaining, at an online system, information describing one or more interactions performed by one or more users of the online system with one or more applications, the information including information identifying each of the users, identifying one or more types of the interactions performed, and identifying each of the one or more applications; determining one or more amounts that a selected user from the one or more users is likely to spend via each application in a set of the one or more applications based at least in part on the obtained information describing interactions by the selected user with the set of the one or more applications; ranking the one or more applications in the set based on the one or more amounts that the selected user is likely to via each application in the set of the one or more applications; selecting one or more applications from the set based at least in part on the ranking; and providing information identifying the selected one or more applications to the selected user. 11. The method of claim 10, wherein an amount that the selected user is likely to spend via an application is selected from a group consisting of: an amount of money that the selected user is likely to spend via the application, a number of times that the user is likely to interact with the application, an amount of time that the user is likely to spend interacting with the application, a number of other users of the online system with whom the user is likely to interact via the application, and any combination thereof. 12. The method of claim 10, wherein determining one or more amounts that the selected user from the one or more users is likely to spend via each application in the set of the one or more applications based at least in part on the obtained information describing interactions by the selected user with the set of the one or more applications comprises:
obtaining information describing interactions by the selected user with one or more additional applications each having at least a threshold measure of similarity with an application in the set of the one or more applications; and determining the one or more amounts that the selected user is likely to spend via each application in the set of the one or more applications based at least in part on the obtained information describing interactions by the selected user with the set of the one or more applications and on the obtained information describing interactions by the selected user with the one or more additional applications. 13. The method of claim 10, wherein determining one or more amounts that the selected user from the one or more users is likely to spend via each application in the set of the one or more applications based at least in part on the obtained information describing interactions by the selected user with the set of the one or more applications comprises:
retrieving information describing interactions by one or more additional users having at least a threshold measure of similarity with the selected user with the set of one or more applications if less than a threshold amount of obtained information describing interactions by the selected user with the set of the one or more applications was obtained; and determining the one or more amounts that the selected user is likely to spend via each application in the set of the one or more applications based at least in part on the obtained information describing interactions by the selected user with the set of the one or more applications on the retrieved information describing interactions by the one or more additional users. 14. The method of claim 10, wherein an interaction with an application is selected from a group consisting of: an installation of the application, a purchase made via the application, an interaction with an advertisement presented via the application, an interaction with another user of the online system via the application, an amount of usage of the application, and any combination thereof. 15. The method of claim 10, wherein selecting one or more applications from the set based at least in part on the ranking; comprises:
selecting one or more applications having at least a threshold position in the ranking. 16. A computer program product comprising a computer readable storage medium having instructions encoded thereon that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to:
obtain, at an online system, information describing one or more interactions by the selected user of the online system with one or more objects associated with one or more applications, the information including information identifying each of the users and identifying each of the one or more applications; determine likelihoods of a selected user of the one or more users performing an additional type of interaction with each application in a set of the one or more applications based at least in part on the obtained information describing interactions by the selected user with the one or more objects; rank the one or more applications in the set based on the determined likelihoods of the selected user performing the additional type of interaction; select one or more applications from the set based at least in part on the ranking; and provide information identifying the selected one or more applications to the selected user. 17. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein an object associated with an application in the set of the one or more applications is selected from a group consisting of: an advertisement associated with the application, a web page associated with the application, a group maintained by the online system and associated with the application, content posted to the online system and associated with the application, and any combination thereof. 18. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein select one or more applications from the set based at least in part on the ranking comprises:
select one or more applications having at least a threshold position in the ranking 19. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein determine likelihoods of the selected user of the one or more users performing an additional type of interaction with each application in the set of the one or more applications based at least in part on the obtained information describing interactions by the selected user with the one or more objects comprises:
obtain information describing interactions by the selected user with objects associated with one or more additional applications each having at least a threshold measure of similarity with an application in the set of the one or more applications; and determining the one or more amounts that the selected user is likely to spend via each application in the set of the one or more applications based at least in part on the obtained information describing interactions by the selected user with the one or more objects associated with the set of applications and on the obtained information describing interactions by the selected use with objects associated with the one or more additional applications. | 3,600 |
12,661 | 12,661 | 12,268,296 | 3,693 | One embodiment of the disclosure is a method for providing a secure financial plan that includes allocating all or a portion of a financial contribution to a financial account having a plurality of financial investments, periodically distributing a balance of the financial account such that a first portion of the balance of the financial account is invested in one or more investments from the of the high risk investment category and a second portion of the balance of the financial account is invested in one or more investments from the low risk investment category, such that a ratio of the first portion to the second portion is generally decreased over a period of time. The method further includes determining a base value, calculating a protected value, and an income amount based on the protected value that a beneficiary is guaranteed to receive on a periodic basis. | 1. A financial plan management system, comprising:
one or more processors; one or more memory modules; and software stored on computer-readable media and, when executed by the one or more processors, operable to:
store, in the one or more memory modules, of an account holder, identifying information for an account holder participating in a financial plan;
allocate all or a portion of a financial contribution to a financial account having a plurality of financial investments, the plurality of financial investments comprising at least one investment from each of a high risk investment category and a low risk investment category, wherein the combination of investments in the high risk investment category have a higher expected rate of return and a higher risk than the combination of investments in the low risk investment category;
periodically distribute a balance of the financial account such that a first portion of the balance of the financial account is invested in one or more investments from the high risk investment category and a second portion of the balance of the financial account is invested in one or more investments from the low risk investment category, wherein a ratio of the first portion to the second portion is generally decreased over a period of time;
in response to a first triggering event:
determine a base value, the base value being substantially equal to the balance of the financial account;
in response to a second triggering event:
calculate a protected value, wherein the protected value is at least equal to the base value; and
calculate an income amount based on the protected value that a beneficiary is guaranteed to receive on a periodic basis. 2. The financial plan management system of claim 1, wherein the first portion is between sixty-five percent to seventy-five percent of the balance of the financial account when the account holder is fifty years old. 3. The financial plan management system of claim 1, wherein the periodic basis is yearly. 4. The financial plan management system of claim 1, wherein the beneficiary comprises the account holder. 5. The financial plan management system of claim 1, wherein the base value is used to determine the income amount that the account holder is guaranteed to receive. 6. The financial plan management system of claim 1, wherein the second portion is determined based on the age of the account holder. 7. The financial plan management system of claim 1, wherein the base value grows at a minimum positive growth rate. 8. The financial plan management system of claim 1, wherein the identifying information comprises the account holder's birth date and social security number. 9. The financial plan management system of claim 1, wherein the protected value is a greatest value determined from one or more calculated values, the one or more calculated values comprising:
a guaranteed growth value determined by applying a fixed rate of growth to the base value; an anniversary value determined by taking a highest balance of the financial account from each anniversary for a period between the first triggering event and the second triggering event; and the balance of the financial account. 10. The financial plan management system of claim 1, wherein the financial plan comprises provisions for the account holder to opt-out prior to the first triggering event. 11. The financial plan management system of claim 1, wherein the contribution is a rate between two percent to twenty-five percent of a salary of the account holder. 12. The financial plan management system of claim 1, wherein the one or more financial investments are selected by an issuer. 13. The financial plan management system of claim 1, wherein the high risk investment category comprises one or more equity investments. 14. The financial plan management system of claim 1, wherein the low risk investment category comprises one or more bond funds. 15. The financial plan management system of claim 1, wherein the financial plan is offered within a 401(k) plan. 16. The financial plan management system of claim 1, wherein the income amount is a fixed rate between four percent to six percent of the protected value. 17. The financial plan management system of claim 1, wherein the first triggering event comprises the account holder reaching an age of fifty years old. 18. The financial plan management system of claim 1, wherein the second triggering event comprises the account holder electing to make a withdrawal from the financial account. 19. A financial plan management method, comprising:
storing identifying information for an account holder, the account holder participating in a financial plan; allocating all or a portion of a financial contribution to a financial account having a plurality of financial investments, the plurality of financial investments comprising at least one investment from each of a high risk investment category and a low risk investment category, wherein the combination of investments in the high risk investment category have a higher expected rate of return and a higher risk than the combination of investments in the low risk investment category; periodically distributing a balance of the financial account such that a first portion of the balance of the financial account is invested in one or more investments from the high risk investment category and a second particular percentage of the balance of the financial account is invested in one or more investments from the low risk investment category, wherein a ratio of the first portion to the second portion is generally decreased over a period of time; in response to a first triggering event:
determining a base value, the base value being substantially equal to the balance of the financial account;
in response to a second triggering event:
calculating a protected value, wherein the protected value is at least equal to the base value; and
calculating an income amount based on the protected value that a beneficiary is guaranteed to receive on a periodic basis. 20. The method of claim 19, wherein the first portion is between sixty-five percent to seventy-five percent of the balance of the financial account when the account holder is fifty years old. 21. The method of claim 19, wherein the periodic basis is yearly. 22. The method of claim 19, wherein the beneficiary comprises the account holder. 23. The method of claim 19, wherein the base value is used to determine the income amount that the account holder is guaranteed to receive. 24. The method of claim 19, wherein the second portion is determined based on the age of the account holder. 25. The method of claim 19, wherein the base value grows at a minimum positive growth rate. 26. The method of claim 19, wherein the identifying information comprises the account holder's birth date and social security number. 27. The method of claim 19, wherein the protected value is a greatest value determined from one or more calculated values, the one or more calculated values comprising:
a guaranteed growth value determined by applying a fixed rate of growth to the base value; an anniversary value determined by taking a highest balance of the financial account from each anniversary for a period between the first triggering event and the second triggering event; and the balance of the financial account. 28. The method of claim 19, wherein the financial plan comprises provisions for the account holder to opt-out prior to the first triggering event. 29. The method of claim 19, wherein the contribution is a rate between two percent to twenty-five percent of a salary of the account holder. 30. The method of claim 19, wherein the one or more financial investments are selected by an issuer. 31. The method of claim 19, wherein the high risk investment category comprises one or more equity investments. 32. The method of claim 19, wherein the low risk investment category comprises one or more bond funds. 33. The method of claim 19, wherein the financial plan is offered within a 401(k) plan. 34. The method of claim 19, wherein the income amount is a fixed rate between four percent to six percent of the protected value. 35. The method of claim 19, wherein the first triggering event comprises the account holder reaching an age of fifty years old. 36. The method of claim 19, wherein the second triggering event comprises the account holder electing to make a withdrawal from the financial account. 37. A financial plan, comprising:
a financial account having an account balance and a plurality of financial investments, the plurality of financial investments comprising at least one investment from each of a high risk investment category and a low risk investment category, wherein the combination of investments in the high risk investment category have a higher expected rate of return and a higher risk than the combination of investments in the low risk investment category, wherein the account balance is periodically distributed such that a first portion of the balance of the financial account is invested in one or more investments from the high risk investment category and a second portion of the balance of the financial account is invested in one or more investments from the low risk investment category, wherein a ratio of the first portion to the second portion is generally decreased over a period of time; a base value being substantially equal to the balance of the financial account such that the guaranteed base value being determined in response to a first triggering event; a protected value, wherein the protected value is at least equal to the base value, the protected value being determined in response to a second triggering event; and an income amount based on the protected value that a beneficiary is guaranteed to receive on a periodic basis. 38. The financial plan of claim 37, wherein the first portion is between sixty-five percent to seventy-five percent of the balance of the financial account when the account holder is fifty years old. 39. The financial plan of claim 37, wherein the periodic basis is yearly. 40. The financial plan of claim 37, wherein the beneficiary comprises the account holder. 41. The financial plan of claim 37, wherein the base value is used to determine the income amount that the account holder is guaranteed to receive. 42. The financial plan of claim 37, wherein the second portion is determined based on the age of the account holder. 43. The financial plan of claim 37, wherein the minimum positive growth rate is a fixed rate between four percent and six percent. 44. The financial plan of claim 37, wherein the identifying information comprises the account holder's birth date and social security number. 45. The financial plan of claim 37, wherein the protected value is a greatest value determined from one or more calculated values, the one or more calculated values comprising:
a guaranteed growth value determined by applying a fixed rate of growth to the base value; an anniversary value determined by taking a highest balance of the financial account from each anniversary for a period between the first triggering event and the second triggering event; and the balance of the financial account. 46. The financial plan of claim 37, wherein the financial plan comprises provisions for the account holder to opt-out prior to the first triggering event. 47. The financial plan of claim 37, wherein the contribution is a rate between two percent to twenty-five percent of a salary of the account holder. 48. The financial plan of claim 37, wherein the one or more financial investments are selected by an issuer. 49. The financial plan of claim 37, wherein the high risk investment category comprises one or more equity investments. 50. The financial plan of claim 37, wherein the low risk investment category comprises one or more bond funds. 51. The financial plan of claim 37, wherein the financial plan is offered within a 401(k) plan. 52. The financial plan of claim 37, wherein the base value grows at a minimum positive growth rate. 53. The financial plan of claim 37, wherein the first triggering event comprises the account holder reaching an age of fifty years old. 54. The financial plan of claim 37, wherein the second triggering event comprises the account holder electing to make a withdrawal from the financial account. | One embodiment of the disclosure is a method for providing a secure financial plan that includes allocating all or a portion of a financial contribution to a financial account having a plurality of financial investments, periodically distributing a balance of the financial account such that a first portion of the balance of the financial account is invested in one or more investments from the of the high risk investment category and a second portion of the balance of the financial account is invested in one or more investments from the low risk investment category, such that a ratio of the first portion to the second portion is generally decreased over a period of time. The method further includes determining a base value, calculating a protected value, and an income amount based on the protected value that a beneficiary is guaranteed to receive on a periodic basis.1. A financial plan management system, comprising:
one or more processors; one or more memory modules; and software stored on computer-readable media and, when executed by the one or more processors, operable to:
store, in the one or more memory modules, of an account holder, identifying information for an account holder participating in a financial plan;
allocate all or a portion of a financial contribution to a financial account having a plurality of financial investments, the plurality of financial investments comprising at least one investment from each of a high risk investment category and a low risk investment category, wherein the combination of investments in the high risk investment category have a higher expected rate of return and a higher risk than the combination of investments in the low risk investment category;
periodically distribute a balance of the financial account such that a first portion of the balance of the financial account is invested in one or more investments from the high risk investment category and a second portion of the balance of the financial account is invested in one or more investments from the low risk investment category, wherein a ratio of the first portion to the second portion is generally decreased over a period of time;
in response to a first triggering event:
determine a base value, the base value being substantially equal to the balance of the financial account;
in response to a second triggering event:
calculate a protected value, wherein the protected value is at least equal to the base value; and
calculate an income amount based on the protected value that a beneficiary is guaranteed to receive on a periodic basis. 2. The financial plan management system of claim 1, wherein the first portion is between sixty-five percent to seventy-five percent of the balance of the financial account when the account holder is fifty years old. 3. The financial plan management system of claim 1, wherein the periodic basis is yearly. 4. The financial plan management system of claim 1, wherein the beneficiary comprises the account holder. 5. The financial plan management system of claim 1, wherein the base value is used to determine the income amount that the account holder is guaranteed to receive. 6. The financial plan management system of claim 1, wherein the second portion is determined based on the age of the account holder. 7. The financial plan management system of claim 1, wherein the base value grows at a minimum positive growth rate. 8. The financial plan management system of claim 1, wherein the identifying information comprises the account holder's birth date and social security number. 9. The financial plan management system of claim 1, wherein the protected value is a greatest value determined from one or more calculated values, the one or more calculated values comprising:
a guaranteed growth value determined by applying a fixed rate of growth to the base value; an anniversary value determined by taking a highest balance of the financial account from each anniversary for a period between the first triggering event and the second triggering event; and the balance of the financial account. 10. The financial plan management system of claim 1, wherein the financial plan comprises provisions for the account holder to opt-out prior to the first triggering event. 11. The financial plan management system of claim 1, wherein the contribution is a rate between two percent to twenty-five percent of a salary of the account holder. 12. The financial plan management system of claim 1, wherein the one or more financial investments are selected by an issuer. 13. The financial plan management system of claim 1, wherein the high risk investment category comprises one or more equity investments. 14. The financial plan management system of claim 1, wherein the low risk investment category comprises one or more bond funds. 15. The financial plan management system of claim 1, wherein the financial plan is offered within a 401(k) plan. 16. The financial plan management system of claim 1, wherein the income amount is a fixed rate between four percent to six percent of the protected value. 17. The financial plan management system of claim 1, wherein the first triggering event comprises the account holder reaching an age of fifty years old. 18. The financial plan management system of claim 1, wherein the second triggering event comprises the account holder electing to make a withdrawal from the financial account. 19. A financial plan management method, comprising:
storing identifying information for an account holder, the account holder participating in a financial plan; allocating all or a portion of a financial contribution to a financial account having a plurality of financial investments, the plurality of financial investments comprising at least one investment from each of a high risk investment category and a low risk investment category, wherein the combination of investments in the high risk investment category have a higher expected rate of return and a higher risk than the combination of investments in the low risk investment category; periodically distributing a balance of the financial account such that a first portion of the balance of the financial account is invested in one or more investments from the high risk investment category and a second particular percentage of the balance of the financial account is invested in one or more investments from the low risk investment category, wherein a ratio of the first portion to the second portion is generally decreased over a period of time; in response to a first triggering event:
determining a base value, the base value being substantially equal to the balance of the financial account;
in response to a second triggering event:
calculating a protected value, wherein the protected value is at least equal to the base value; and
calculating an income amount based on the protected value that a beneficiary is guaranteed to receive on a periodic basis. 20. The method of claim 19, wherein the first portion is between sixty-five percent to seventy-five percent of the balance of the financial account when the account holder is fifty years old. 21. The method of claim 19, wherein the periodic basis is yearly. 22. The method of claim 19, wherein the beneficiary comprises the account holder. 23. The method of claim 19, wherein the base value is used to determine the income amount that the account holder is guaranteed to receive. 24. The method of claim 19, wherein the second portion is determined based on the age of the account holder. 25. The method of claim 19, wherein the base value grows at a minimum positive growth rate. 26. The method of claim 19, wherein the identifying information comprises the account holder's birth date and social security number. 27. The method of claim 19, wherein the protected value is a greatest value determined from one or more calculated values, the one or more calculated values comprising:
a guaranteed growth value determined by applying a fixed rate of growth to the base value; an anniversary value determined by taking a highest balance of the financial account from each anniversary for a period between the first triggering event and the second triggering event; and the balance of the financial account. 28. The method of claim 19, wherein the financial plan comprises provisions for the account holder to opt-out prior to the first triggering event. 29. The method of claim 19, wherein the contribution is a rate between two percent to twenty-five percent of a salary of the account holder. 30. The method of claim 19, wherein the one or more financial investments are selected by an issuer. 31. The method of claim 19, wherein the high risk investment category comprises one or more equity investments. 32. The method of claim 19, wherein the low risk investment category comprises one or more bond funds. 33. The method of claim 19, wherein the financial plan is offered within a 401(k) plan. 34. The method of claim 19, wherein the income amount is a fixed rate between four percent to six percent of the protected value. 35. The method of claim 19, wherein the first triggering event comprises the account holder reaching an age of fifty years old. 36. The method of claim 19, wherein the second triggering event comprises the account holder electing to make a withdrawal from the financial account. 37. A financial plan, comprising:
a financial account having an account balance and a plurality of financial investments, the plurality of financial investments comprising at least one investment from each of a high risk investment category and a low risk investment category, wherein the combination of investments in the high risk investment category have a higher expected rate of return and a higher risk than the combination of investments in the low risk investment category, wherein the account balance is periodically distributed such that a first portion of the balance of the financial account is invested in one or more investments from the high risk investment category and a second portion of the balance of the financial account is invested in one or more investments from the low risk investment category, wherein a ratio of the first portion to the second portion is generally decreased over a period of time; a base value being substantially equal to the balance of the financial account such that the guaranteed base value being determined in response to a first triggering event; a protected value, wherein the protected value is at least equal to the base value, the protected value being determined in response to a second triggering event; and an income amount based on the protected value that a beneficiary is guaranteed to receive on a periodic basis. 38. The financial plan of claim 37, wherein the first portion is between sixty-five percent to seventy-five percent of the balance of the financial account when the account holder is fifty years old. 39. The financial plan of claim 37, wherein the periodic basis is yearly. 40. The financial plan of claim 37, wherein the beneficiary comprises the account holder. 41. The financial plan of claim 37, wherein the base value is used to determine the income amount that the account holder is guaranteed to receive. 42. The financial plan of claim 37, wherein the second portion is determined based on the age of the account holder. 43. The financial plan of claim 37, wherein the minimum positive growth rate is a fixed rate between four percent and six percent. 44. The financial plan of claim 37, wherein the identifying information comprises the account holder's birth date and social security number. 45. The financial plan of claim 37, wherein the protected value is a greatest value determined from one or more calculated values, the one or more calculated values comprising:
a guaranteed growth value determined by applying a fixed rate of growth to the base value; an anniversary value determined by taking a highest balance of the financial account from each anniversary for a period between the first triggering event and the second triggering event; and the balance of the financial account. 46. The financial plan of claim 37, wherein the financial plan comprises provisions for the account holder to opt-out prior to the first triggering event. 47. The financial plan of claim 37, wherein the contribution is a rate between two percent to twenty-five percent of a salary of the account holder. 48. The financial plan of claim 37, wherein the one or more financial investments are selected by an issuer. 49. The financial plan of claim 37, wherein the high risk investment category comprises one or more equity investments. 50. The financial plan of claim 37, wherein the low risk investment category comprises one or more bond funds. 51. The financial plan of claim 37, wherein the financial plan is offered within a 401(k) plan. 52. The financial plan of claim 37, wherein the base value grows at a minimum positive growth rate. 53. The financial plan of claim 37, wherein the first triggering event comprises the account holder reaching an age of fifty years old. 54. The financial plan of claim 37, wherein the second triggering event comprises the account holder electing to make a withdrawal from the financial account. | 3,600 |
12,662 | 12,662 | 12,549,732 | 3,688 | In one embodiment, a method includes sending an advertisement template to a device, the advertisement template including at least one predefined field configured to be populated with data associated with the predefined field, and sending to the device a first instruction configured to define a personalized advertisement based at least in part on the advertisement template and the data associated with the predefined field. | 1. A method, comprising:
sending an advertisement template to a device, the advertisement template including at least one predefined field configured to be populated with data associated with the predefined field; and sending to the device a first instruction configured to define a personalized advertisement, the personalized advertisement being defined based at least in part on the advertisement template and the data associated with the predefined field. 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising: sending to the device a second instruction configured to trigger display of the personalized advertisement at a display device. 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the data associated with the predefined field includes information associated with a user. 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first instruction is executed by an Internet application operating at an Internet-connected device. 5. The method of claim 1, wherein the data associated with the predefined field includes one or more of:
profile information of a user of a social network through which the personal advertisement is displayed; image information of the user; profile information of a network friend associated with the user; and image information of a network friend associated with the user. 6. The method of claim 1, wherein the personalized advertisement is defined such that the data associated with the predefined field is displayed within the advertisement when the advertisement is displayed. 7. The method of claim 1, wherein the data associated with the predefined field is retrieved from one or more of:
a first social network profile associated with a first user of a social network; and a second social network profile associated with a social network friend of the first user. 8. The method of claim 1, wherein the sending the advertisement template is in response to a request from one or more of:
an advertising manager module; a social network application module; and a social network web server. 9. The method of claim 1, wherein the advertisement template is formatted such that the personalized advertisement is configured to be displayed within a portion of a webpage populated by a social network application defined by a third party. 10. The method of claim 1, wherein the advertisement template is formatted such that the personalized advertisement is configured to be displayed within a portion of a web content object provided by a content provider associated with a social network. 11. A computer-readable storage medium comprising code representing instructions to cause a processor to:
receive a request including information associated with a user; send, in response to the request, an advertisement template selected based at least in part on the user characteristic information; and send a first instruction configured to define a personalized advertisement, the personalized advertisement being defined based at least in part on the advertisement template and information associated with a user friend. 12. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, further comprising code representing instructions to cause a processor to:
send a second instruction configured to trigger display of the personalized advertisement at a display device. 13. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein the information associated with the user includes anonymous information that describes the user. 14. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the anonymous information includes an indication based at least in part on a calculation based at least in part on social network profile information. 15. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein the user friend information includes one or more of:
a profile image of the friend; and social network profile information associated with the friend. 16. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein the advertisement template includes a plurality of content tokens and the second instruction is further configured to trigger replacement of one or more content tokens from the plurality of content tokens with at least a portion of the information associated with the user friend. 17. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein the advertisement template includes a plurality of content tokens, and the second instruction is further configured to trigger replacement of one or more content tokens from the plurality of content tokens with information not associated with the user or the user friend if the information associated with the user friend is incomplete. 18. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein each content token from the plurality of content tokens is one of:
a text token; an image token; a hyperlink token; and a video token. 19. A method, comprising:
sending a first request, the first request including a user identifier associated with a user of a network; receiving, in response to the first request, a plurality of friend identifiers; calculating a plurality of relationship strength scores, each relationship strength score from the plurality of relationship strength scores being based at least in part on profile content associated with both a friend identifier from the plurality of friend identifiers and the user identifier; selecting a friend identifier from the plurality of friend identifiers based at least in part on the plurality of relationship strength scores; and defining an advertisement based at least in part on information associated with the friend identifier such that the information associated with the friend identifier is displayed within the advertisement. 20. The method of claim 19, wherein the profile content includes one or more of:
an image; name information; gender information; birthday information; current location information; political preference information; religious views information; marital status information; romantic preference information; contact information; hometown information; education information; occupation information; favorite media information; and interest information. 21. The method of claim 20, wherein the calculating is based at least in part on one or more of:
a percentage of images associated with the user identifier that are also associated with a friend identifier from the plurality of friend identifiers; a percentage of images associated with the friend identifier from the plurality of friend identifiers that are also associated with the user identifier; a quantity of images associated with both the user identifier and the friend identifier; and a match between a first portion of a first profile information associated with the user identifier and a second portion of a second profile information associated with the friend identifier. 22. The method of claim 19, wherein the selecting is based at least in a part on a determination of a group of one or more highest relationship strength scores from the plurality of relationship strength scores. 23. The method of claim 19, wherein the advertisement is one of:
a media advertisement; an education advertisement; and a website advertisement. | In one embodiment, a method includes sending an advertisement template to a device, the advertisement template including at least one predefined field configured to be populated with data associated with the predefined field, and sending to the device a first instruction configured to define a personalized advertisement based at least in part on the advertisement template and the data associated with the predefined field.1. A method, comprising:
sending an advertisement template to a device, the advertisement template including at least one predefined field configured to be populated with data associated with the predefined field; and sending to the device a first instruction configured to define a personalized advertisement, the personalized advertisement being defined based at least in part on the advertisement template and the data associated with the predefined field. 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising: sending to the device a second instruction configured to trigger display of the personalized advertisement at a display device. 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the data associated with the predefined field includes information associated with a user. 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first instruction is executed by an Internet application operating at an Internet-connected device. 5. The method of claim 1, wherein the data associated with the predefined field includes one or more of:
profile information of a user of a social network through which the personal advertisement is displayed; image information of the user; profile information of a network friend associated with the user; and image information of a network friend associated with the user. 6. The method of claim 1, wherein the personalized advertisement is defined such that the data associated with the predefined field is displayed within the advertisement when the advertisement is displayed. 7. The method of claim 1, wherein the data associated with the predefined field is retrieved from one or more of:
a first social network profile associated with a first user of a social network; and a second social network profile associated with a social network friend of the first user. 8. The method of claim 1, wherein the sending the advertisement template is in response to a request from one or more of:
an advertising manager module; a social network application module; and a social network web server. 9. The method of claim 1, wherein the advertisement template is formatted such that the personalized advertisement is configured to be displayed within a portion of a webpage populated by a social network application defined by a third party. 10. The method of claim 1, wherein the advertisement template is formatted such that the personalized advertisement is configured to be displayed within a portion of a web content object provided by a content provider associated with a social network. 11. A computer-readable storage medium comprising code representing instructions to cause a processor to:
receive a request including information associated with a user; send, in response to the request, an advertisement template selected based at least in part on the user characteristic information; and send a first instruction configured to define a personalized advertisement, the personalized advertisement being defined based at least in part on the advertisement template and information associated with a user friend. 12. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, further comprising code representing instructions to cause a processor to:
send a second instruction configured to trigger display of the personalized advertisement at a display device. 13. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein the information associated with the user includes anonymous information that describes the user. 14. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the anonymous information includes an indication based at least in part on a calculation based at least in part on social network profile information. 15. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein the user friend information includes one or more of:
a profile image of the friend; and social network profile information associated with the friend. 16. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein the advertisement template includes a plurality of content tokens and the second instruction is further configured to trigger replacement of one or more content tokens from the plurality of content tokens with at least a portion of the information associated with the user friend. 17. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein the advertisement template includes a plurality of content tokens, and the second instruction is further configured to trigger replacement of one or more content tokens from the plurality of content tokens with information not associated with the user or the user friend if the information associated with the user friend is incomplete. 18. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein each content token from the plurality of content tokens is one of:
a text token; an image token; a hyperlink token; and a video token. 19. A method, comprising:
sending a first request, the first request including a user identifier associated with a user of a network; receiving, in response to the first request, a plurality of friend identifiers; calculating a plurality of relationship strength scores, each relationship strength score from the plurality of relationship strength scores being based at least in part on profile content associated with both a friend identifier from the plurality of friend identifiers and the user identifier; selecting a friend identifier from the plurality of friend identifiers based at least in part on the plurality of relationship strength scores; and defining an advertisement based at least in part on information associated with the friend identifier such that the information associated with the friend identifier is displayed within the advertisement. 20. The method of claim 19, wherein the profile content includes one or more of:
an image; name information; gender information; birthday information; current location information; political preference information; religious views information; marital status information; romantic preference information; contact information; hometown information; education information; occupation information; favorite media information; and interest information. 21. The method of claim 20, wherein the calculating is based at least in part on one or more of:
a percentage of images associated with the user identifier that are also associated with a friend identifier from the plurality of friend identifiers; a percentage of images associated with the friend identifier from the plurality of friend identifiers that are also associated with the user identifier; a quantity of images associated with both the user identifier and the friend identifier; and a match between a first portion of a first profile information associated with the user identifier and a second portion of a second profile information associated with the friend identifier. 22. The method of claim 19, wherein the selecting is based at least in a part on a determination of a group of one or more highest relationship strength scores from the plurality of relationship strength scores. 23. The method of claim 19, wherein the advertisement is one of:
a media advertisement; an education advertisement; and a website advertisement. | 3,600 |
12,663 | 12,663 | 12,572,804 | 3,691 | A method to secure a prepaid device for access to audio/video content having the possibility of reimbursement of the unused balance upon presentation of the aforementioned device to a control center by managing an account value in the prepaid device, the prepaid device including an identifier unique to each device and a control value, the method comprising: receiving of a request to modify the account value by an amount; calculating a new account value by modifying the account value by the amount, determining a number of steps, the number of steps being determined according to a function expressing the modification of the new account value relative to the account value; and modifying the control value by executing at least one one-way function on said control value a number of times equal to the number of steps. | 1. A method for managing an account value in a prepaid device, the method comprising the steps of:
receiving of a request to modify a current account value by an amount; calculating a new account value by modifying the current account value by the amount; determining a number of steps according to a function of the modification of the new account value relative to the current account value; and modifying a control value stored in the prepaid device by executing at least one one-way function on said control value a number of times equal to the number of steps, the prepaid device comprising a unique identifier. 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the prepaid device represents an initial credit value, said initial credit value being divided into a plurality of intervals, the number of steps being determined by the number of intervals crossed by the modification of the account value. 3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the function is a division between the current account value V1 and the new account value V1′ by a granularity G representing a unit value for one step, the number of steps N being calculated according to the formula:
N=└V1′/G−V1/G┘; the result of each division being truncated. 4. The method according to claim 2, wherein the prepaid device comprises a remainder value R and a granularity G representing a unit value for one step, the number of steps N being calculated according to the formula:
N=(M+R)/G; wherein M represents the amount by which the account value is modified, the result of the division being truncated, the remainder being memorized as the new remainder value R. 5. The method according to claim 3, wherein the result of the division V1′/G is stored with the new value in order to avoid having to recalculate at the next request to modify the current account value. 6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the prepaid device further comprises an account date value representing a date and a second control value relating to an initial date, the method comprising the steps of:
receiving a new date in addition to the request to modify the current account value by the amount; determining of a second number of steps as a function of the new date and the current account date value, modifying the second control value by executing a one-way function on said control value a number of times equal to the second number of steps, executing at least one second one-way function on the new date to form a verification value; and storing the verification value. 7. The method of claim 1, wherein the account value is a credit. 8. The method of claim 1, wherein the account value is a debit. 9. The method of claim 1, wherein the account value represents monetary units. 10. The method of claim 1, wherein the account value represents units of time. 11. A method for authenticating an account value in a prepaid device, the method comprising the steps of:
obtaining a current account value from the prepaid device; obtaining a current control value associated with the current account value from the prepaid device; obtaining a unique identifier from the prepaid device; obtaining an initial account value associated with the prepaid device; obtaining an initial control value associated with the prepaid device; determining a number of steps as a function of the initial account value and the current account value; calculating a new control value by executing a one way function on the initial control value a number of time equal to the number of steps; and comparing the new control value to the current control value to determine whether the current account value associated with the current control value is authentic. 12. A prepaid device comprising:
a processor; and a memory connected to the processor, the memory having a unique identifier, a specific control value and an account value stored therein; wherein the processor is configured to perform the steps of
modifying the account value by the amount in order to obtain a new account value;
calculating a number of steps as a function of the new account value and the account value prior to modification by the amount; and
modifying the control value by executing at least one one-way function on said control value a number of times equal to the number of steps. 13. The prepaid device of claim 12, wherein the account value is an initial credit value, said initial credit value being divided into a plurality of intervals, and wherein the number of steps is calculated by determining a number of intervals crossed by modifying the account value. 14. The prepaid device of claim 12, wherein the function is a division of the account value (V1) and the new account value (V1′) by a granularity (G) representing a unit value for one step, the number of steps N being calculated according to the formula:
=└V1′/G−V1/G┘; the result of each division being truncated. 15. Prepaid device according to claim 12, characterized in that the prepaid device comprises a remainder value R and a granularity G representing a unit value for one step, the number of steps (N) being calculated according to the formula:
N=(M+R)/G; wherein M represents the amount, the result of the division being truncated, the remainder being memorized as the new remainder value R. | A method to secure a prepaid device for access to audio/video content having the possibility of reimbursement of the unused balance upon presentation of the aforementioned device to a control center by managing an account value in the prepaid device, the prepaid device including an identifier unique to each device and a control value, the method comprising: receiving of a request to modify the account value by an amount; calculating a new account value by modifying the account value by the amount, determining a number of steps, the number of steps being determined according to a function expressing the modification of the new account value relative to the account value; and modifying the control value by executing at least one one-way function on said control value a number of times equal to the number of steps.1. A method for managing an account value in a prepaid device, the method comprising the steps of:
receiving of a request to modify a current account value by an amount; calculating a new account value by modifying the current account value by the amount; determining a number of steps according to a function of the modification of the new account value relative to the current account value; and modifying a control value stored in the prepaid device by executing at least one one-way function on said control value a number of times equal to the number of steps, the prepaid device comprising a unique identifier. 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the prepaid device represents an initial credit value, said initial credit value being divided into a plurality of intervals, the number of steps being determined by the number of intervals crossed by the modification of the account value. 3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the function is a division between the current account value V1 and the new account value V1′ by a granularity G representing a unit value for one step, the number of steps N being calculated according to the formula:
N=└V1′/G−V1/G┘; the result of each division being truncated. 4. The method according to claim 2, wherein the prepaid device comprises a remainder value R and a granularity G representing a unit value for one step, the number of steps N being calculated according to the formula:
N=(M+R)/G; wherein M represents the amount by which the account value is modified, the result of the division being truncated, the remainder being memorized as the new remainder value R. 5. The method according to claim 3, wherein the result of the division V1′/G is stored with the new value in order to avoid having to recalculate at the next request to modify the current account value. 6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the prepaid device further comprises an account date value representing a date and a second control value relating to an initial date, the method comprising the steps of:
receiving a new date in addition to the request to modify the current account value by the amount; determining of a second number of steps as a function of the new date and the current account date value, modifying the second control value by executing a one-way function on said control value a number of times equal to the second number of steps, executing at least one second one-way function on the new date to form a verification value; and storing the verification value. 7. The method of claim 1, wherein the account value is a credit. 8. The method of claim 1, wherein the account value is a debit. 9. The method of claim 1, wherein the account value represents monetary units. 10. The method of claim 1, wherein the account value represents units of time. 11. A method for authenticating an account value in a prepaid device, the method comprising the steps of:
obtaining a current account value from the prepaid device; obtaining a current control value associated with the current account value from the prepaid device; obtaining a unique identifier from the prepaid device; obtaining an initial account value associated with the prepaid device; obtaining an initial control value associated with the prepaid device; determining a number of steps as a function of the initial account value and the current account value; calculating a new control value by executing a one way function on the initial control value a number of time equal to the number of steps; and comparing the new control value to the current control value to determine whether the current account value associated with the current control value is authentic. 12. A prepaid device comprising:
a processor; and a memory connected to the processor, the memory having a unique identifier, a specific control value and an account value stored therein; wherein the processor is configured to perform the steps of
modifying the account value by the amount in order to obtain a new account value;
calculating a number of steps as a function of the new account value and the account value prior to modification by the amount; and
modifying the control value by executing at least one one-way function on said control value a number of times equal to the number of steps. 13. The prepaid device of claim 12, wherein the account value is an initial credit value, said initial credit value being divided into a plurality of intervals, and wherein the number of steps is calculated by determining a number of intervals crossed by modifying the account value. 14. The prepaid device of claim 12, wherein the function is a division of the account value (V1) and the new account value (V1′) by a granularity (G) representing a unit value for one step, the number of steps N being calculated according to the formula:
=└V1′/G−V1/G┘; the result of each division being truncated. 15. Prepaid device according to claim 12, characterized in that the prepaid device comprises a remainder value R and a granularity G representing a unit value for one step, the number of steps (N) being calculated according to the formula:
N=(M+R)/G; wherein M represents the amount, the result of the division being truncated, the remainder being memorized as the new remainder value R. | 3,600 |
12,664 | 12,664 | 14,145,972 | 3,629 | Provided is a restaurant comprising a garden, where a food ingredient of an item served in the restaurant is harvested from the garden after a customer orders the item. Also provided is a restaurant that serves an ingredient to a customer before the ingredient is harvested. Additionally provided is a restaurant that offers an item that has an ingredient that is harvested within six hours of the item being served to a customer. | 1. A restaurant comprising a garden, wherein at least one food ingredient of an item served in the restaurant is harvested from the garden after a customer of the restaurant orders the item, wherein the ingredient is a green vegetable, an herb, a spice, a vegetable, a mushroom, a fruit of a tree, bush or perennial herb, an egg or milk. 2. (canceled) 3. The restaurant of claim 1, wherein the food ingredient is harvested within three hours of when the item is served to the customer. 4. The restaurant of claim 1, wherein the food ingredient is harvested within one hour of when the item is served to the customer. 5. The restaurant of claim 1, wherein the garden is adjacent to the restaurant. 6. The restaurant of claim 1, further comprising a menu having at least one item listed therein that comprises an ingredient that is harvested from the garden after the customer orders the item. 7. The restaurant of claim 1, further comprising a menu that lists, at least once a month, at least three items that comprise an ingredient that is harvested from the garden after the customer orders the item. 8-10. (canceled) 11. The restaurant of claim 1, further comprising at least one closed circuit camera and monitor allowing the customer to observe an employee of the restaurant harvest the ingredient from the garden. 12. The restaurant of claim 1, having a window overlooking the garden such that a customer in the restaurant can observe an employee of the restaurant harvest the ingredient from the garden. 13. The restaurant of claim 1, wherein the ingredient is a green vegetable or an herb. 14. The restaurant of claim 1, wherein the ingredient is a vegetable or a mushroom. 15. The restaurant of claim 1, wherein the ingredient is a fruit of a tree, bush or perennial herb. 16. The restaurant of claim 1, wherein the ingredient is an egg or milk. 17. A menu for the restaurant of claim 1, where the menu lists at least one item that has the ingredient. 18. The menu of claim 17, wherein the menu further indicates that the ingredient will be harvested from the garden after the item is ordered. 19-20. (canceled) 21. The menu of claim 17, wherein the menu further indicates that the item will be served within one hour of the harvesting of the ingredient. 22. A method of serving a customer of the restaurant of claim 1, the method comprising harvesting an ingredient of an item ordered by the customer from a garden after the customer orders the item. 23. (canceled) 24. The method of claim 22, wherein the ingredient is harvested from the garden within three hours of the customer ordering the item. 25. The method of claim 22, wherein the ingredient is harvested from the garden within one hour of the customer ordering the item. 26. A restaurant that serves an ingredient to a customer before the ingredient is harvested, wherein the ingredient is a green vegetable, an herb, a spice, a vegetable, a mushroom, or a fruit of a tree, bush or perennial herb. 27. A restaurant that, at least three days per week for at least three consecutive months, offers an item that has an ingredient that is harvested within six hours of the item being served to a customer. 28-39. (canceled) | Provided is a restaurant comprising a garden, where a food ingredient of an item served in the restaurant is harvested from the garden after a customer orders the item. Also provided is a restaurant that serves an ingredient to a customer before the ingredient is harvested. Additionally provided is a restaurant that offers an item that has an ingredient that is harvested within six hours of the item being served to a customer.1. A restaurant comprising a garden, wherein at least one food ingredient of an item served in the restaurant is harvested from the garden after a customer of the restaurant orders the item, wherein the ingredient is a green vegetable, an herb, a spice, a vegetable, a mushroom, a fruit of a tree, bush or perennial herb, an egg or milk. 2. (canceled) 3. The restaurant of claim 1, wherein the food ingredient is harvested within three hours of when the item is served to the customer. 4. The restaurant of claim 1, wherein the food ingredient is harvested within one hour of when the item is served to the customer. 5. The restaurant of claim 1, wherein the garden is adjacent to the restaurant. 6. The restaurant of claim 1, further comprising a menu having at least one item listed therein that comprises an ingredient that is harvested from the garden after the customer orders the item. 7. The restaurant of claim 1, further comprising a menu that lists, at least once a month, at least three items that comprise an ingredient that is harvested from the garden after the customer orders the item. 8-10. (canceled) 11. The restaurant of claim 1, further comprising at least one closed circuit camera and monitor allowing the customer to observe an employee of the restaurant harvest the ingredient from the garden. 12. The restaurant of claim 1, having a window overlooking the garden such that a customer in the restaurant can observe an employee of the restaurant harvest the ingredient from the garden. 13. The restaurant of claim 1, wherein the ingredient is a green vegetable or an herb. 14. The restaurant of claim 1, wherein the ingredient is a vegetable or a mushroom. 15. The restaurant of claim 1, wherein the ingredient is a fruit of a tree, bush or perennial herb. 16. The restaurant of claim 1, wherein the ingredient is an egg or milk. 17. A menu for the restaurant of claim 1, where the menu lists at least one item that has the ingredient. 18. The menu of claim 17, wherein the menu further indicates that the ingredient will be harvested from the garden after the item is ordered. 19-20. (canceled) 21. The menu of claim 17, wherein the menu further indicates that the item will be served within one hour of the harvesting of the ingredient. 22. A method of serving a customer of the restaurant of claim 1, the method comprising harvesting an ingredient of an item ordered by the customer from a garden after the customer orders the item. 23. (canceled) 24. The method of claim 22, wherein the ingredient is harvested from the garden within three hours of the customer ordering the item. 25. The method of claim 22, wherein the ingredient is harvested from the garden within one hour of the customer ordering the item. 26. A restaurant that serves an ingredient to a customer before the ingredient is harvested, wherein the ingredient is a green vegetable, an herb, a spice, a vegetable, a mushroom, or a fruit of a tree, bush or perennial herb. 27. A restaurant that, at least three days per week for at least three consecutive months, offers an item that has an ingredient that is harvested within six hours of the item being served to a customer. 28-39. (canceled) | 3,600 |
12,665 | 12,665 | 15,363,026 | 3,637 | For the purpose of improving efficiency, a home appliance device, in particular a home chiller appliance device, is proposed. The device includes at least one panel for at least partly covering an opening of a machine compartment; and a connection unit for connecting the panel; the panel comprising at least one panel module which has at least one fin, at least one first fin mounting element and at least one second fin mounting element for mounting the at least one fin, the connection unit comprising at least one connection element for connecting the at least one panel module, and wherein the connection element is movable with respect to the first fin mounting element and the second fin mounting element in a lengthwise direction of the panel in at least one pre-assembled state of the panel. | 1. A home appliance device comprising:
at least one panel for at least partly covering an opening of a machine compartment; and a connection unit for connecting the panel; the panel comprising at least one panel module which has at least one fin, at least one first fin mounting element and at least one second fin mounting element for mounting the at least one fin, the connection unit comprising at least one connection element extending in a direction parallel to a lengthwise direction of the at least one panel for connecting the at least one panel module, and wherein the connection element is movable with respect to the first fin mounting element and the second fin mounting element in the lengthwise direction of the panel in at least one pre-assembled state of the panel. 2. The home appliance device according to claim 1, the connection element having at least one guiding element; the first fin mounting element and the second fin mounting element each comprising at least one corresponding guiding element respectively cooperating with the guiding element of the connection unit at least in an assembled state. 3. The home appliance device according to claim 1, the panel module comprising at least one fin reinforcement element, which reinforces the fin at least in a direction that is perpendicular to the lengthwise direction and is connected to at least one of the fin mounting elements by means of the connection unit. 4. The home appliance device according to claim 1, the panel module comprising at least one air separator, which separates an air flow through the panel and is connected to at least one of the fin mounting elements by means of the connection unit. 5. The home appliance device according to claim 1, the panel comprising at least one cover element, which at least partly covers a machine component and which is connected to at least one of the fin mounting elements by means of the connection unit. 6. The home appliance device according to claim 5, the cover element at least partly embodying the panel module. 7. The home appliance device according to claim 5, the cover element being at least partly implemented integrally with at least one fin mounting element. 8. The home appliance device according to claim 1, further comprising at least one further panel module, which is connected to the panel module by means of the connection unit. 9. The home appliance device according to claim 8, the panel comprising at least one cover element, which covers at least partly a machine component and which embodies at least partly the panel module and at least partly the further panel module. 10. A home appliance device according to claim 1, comprising: at least one panel for at least partly covering an opening of a machine compartment; and a connection unit for connecting the panel, the connection unit being configured for interconnecting the panel toollessly with a housing of the home appliance device in a form-fit and/or force-fit manner, the connection unit comprising in particular a release element, which is accessible through the panel and via which a connection of the panel and the housing is releasable. 11. A home appliance device according to claim 1, comprising: at least one panel for at least partly covering an opening of a machine compartment; and a connection unit for connecting the panel, the panel comprising a first panel plane and a second panel plane, which are connected to each other by means of the connection unit. 12. The home appliance device according to claim 11, the connection unit comprising an adjustment unit for adjusting an offset between the first panel plane and the second panel plane. 13. A home appliance device according to claim 10, comprising: at least one panel for at least partly covering an opening of a machine compartment; and a connection unit for connecting the panel, the panel comprising a first panel plane and a second panel plane, which are connected to each other by means of the connection unit. 14. The home appliance device according to claim 13, the connection unit comprising an adjustment unit for adjusting an offset between the first panel plane and the second panel plane. 15. A home appliance device according to claim 1, comprising: at least one panel, for at least partly or at least mostly covering an opening of a machine compartment; and a connection unit for connecting the at least one panel, the panel comprising at least two or a plurality of panel modules which have at least one or at least two or a plurality of fin/s, at least one first fin mounting element and at least one second fin mounting element for mounting at least one or at least two or a plurality of fin/s, the connection unit comprising at least one connection element for connecting the at least two panel modules to each other. 16. A home appliance device according to claim 10, comprising: at least one panel, for at least partly or at least mostly covering an opening of a machine compartment; and a connection unit for connecting the at least one panel, the panel comprising at least two or a plurality of panel modules which have at least one or at least two or a plurality of fin/s, at least one first fin mounting element and at least one second fin mounting element for mounting at least one or at least two or a plurality of fin/s, the connection unit comprising at least one connection element for connecting the at least two panel modules to each other. 17. A home appliance comprising at least one home appliance device according to claim 1. 18. A home appliance comprising at least one home appliance device according to claim 10. 19. A method for assembling a home appliance device according to claim 1, comprising at least one pre-assembly step, wherein at least one connection element is moved with respect to at least one first fin mounting element and at least one second fin mounting element in a lengthwise direction of the panel for connecting the panel. 20. A method for assembling a home appliance device according to claim 10, comprising at least one pre-assembly step, wherein at least one connection element is moved with respect to at least one first fin mounting element and at least one second fin mounting element in a lengthwise direction of the panel for connecting the panel. | For the purpose of improving efficiency, a home appliance device, in particular a home chiller appliance device, is proposed. The device includes at least one panel for at least partly covering an opening of a machine compartment; and a connection unit for connecting the panel; the panel comprising at least one panel module which has at least one fin, at least one first fin mounting element and at least one second fin mounting element for mounting the at least one fin, the connection unit comprising at least one connection element for connecting the at least one panel module, and wherein the connection element is movable with respect to the first fin mounting element and the second fin mounting element in a lengthwise direction of the panel in at least one pre-assembled state of the panel.1. A home appliance device comprising:
at least one panel for at least partly covering an opening of a machine compartment; and a connection unit for connecting the panel; the panel comprising at least one panel module which has at least one fin, at least one first fin mounting element and at least one second fin mounting element for mounting the at least one fin, the connection unit comprising at least one connection element extending in a direction parallel to a lengthwise direction of the at least one panel for connecting the at least one panel module, and wherein the connection element is movable with respect to the first fin mounting element and the second fin mounting element in the lengthwise direction of the panel in at least one pre-assembled state of the panel. 2. The home appliance device according to claim 1, the connection element having at least one guiding element; the first fin mounting element and the second fin mounting element each comprising at least one corresponding guiding element respectively cooperating with the guiding element of the connection unit at least in an assembled state. 3. The home appliance device according to claim 1, the panel module comprising at least one fin reinforcement element, which reinforces the fin at least in a direction that is perpendicular to the lengthwise direction and is connected to at least one of the fin mounting elements by means of the connection unit. 4. The home appliance device according to claim 1, the panel module comprising at least one air separator, which separates an air flow through the panel and is connected to at least one of the fin mounting elements by means of the connection unit. 5. The home appliance device according to claim 1, the panel comprising at least one cover element, which at least partly covers a machine component and which is connected to at least one of the fin mounting elements by means of the connection unit. 6. The home appliance device according to claim 5, the cover element at least partly embodying the panel module. 7. The home appliance device according to claim 5, the cover element being at least partly implemented integrally with at least one fin mounting element. 8. The home appliance device according to claim 1, further comprising at least one further panel module, which is connected to the panel module by means of the connection unit. 9. The home appliance device according to claim 8, the panel comprising at least one cover element, which covers at least partly a machine component and which embodies at least partly the panel module and at least partly the further panel module. 10. A home appliance device according to claim 1, comprising: at least one panel for at least partly covering an opening of a machine compartment; and a connection unit for connecting the panel, the connection unit being configured for interconnecting the panel toollessly with a housing of the home appliance device in a form-fit and/or force-fit manner, the connection unit comprising in particular a release element, which is accessible through the panel and via which a connection of the panel and the housing is releasable. 11. A home appliance device according to claim 1, comprising: at least one panel for at least partly covering an opening of a machine compartment; and a connection unit for connecting the panel, the panel comprising a first panel plane and a second panel plane, which are connected to each other by means of the connection unit. 12. The home appliance device according to claim 11, the connection unit comprising an adjustment unit for adjusting an offset between the first panel plane and the second panel plane. 13. A home appliance device according to claim 10, comprising: at least one panel for at least partly covering an opening of a machine compartment; and a connection unit for connecting the panel, the panel comprising a first panel plane and a second panel plane, which are connected to each other by means of the connection unit. 14. The home appliance device according to claim 13, the connection unit comprising an adjustment unit for adjusting an offset between the first panel plane and the second panel plane. 15. A home appliance device according to claim 1, comprising: at least one panel, for at least partly or at least mostly covering an opening of a machine compartment; and a connection unit for connecting the at least one panel, the panel comprising at least two or a plurality of panel modules which have at least one or at least two or a plurality of fin/s, at least one first fin mounting element and at least one second fin mounting element for mounting at least one or at least two or a plurality of fin/s, the connection unit comprising at least one connection element for connecting the at least two panel modules to each other. 16. A home appliance device according to claim 10, comprising: at least one panel, for at least partly or at least mostly covering an opening of a machine compartment; and a connection unit for connecting the at least one panel, the panel comprising at least two or a plurality of panel modules which have at least one or at least two or a plurality of fin/s, at least one first fin mounting element and at least one second fin mounting element for mounting at least one or at least two or a plurality of fin/s, the connection unit comprising at least one connection element for connecting the at least two panel modules to each other. 17. A home appliance comprising at least one home appliance device according to claim 1. 18. A home appliance comprising at least one home appliance device according to claim 10. 19. A method for assembling a home appliance device according to claim 1, comprising at least one pre-assembly step, wherein at least one connection element is moved with respect to at least one first fin mounting element and at least one second fin mounting element in a lengthwise direction of the panel for connecting the panel. 20. A method for assembling a home appliance device according to claim 10, comprising at least one pre-assembly step, wherein at least one connection element is moved with respect to at least one first fin mounting element and at least one second fin mounting element in a lengthwise direction of the panel for connecting the panel. | 3,600 |
12,666 | 12,666 | 14,252,098 | 3,686 | Disclosed are various embodiments of systems and methods related to determining beneficial and customized surroundings for a subject in a healthcare setting or related type setting, based at least in part on the subject's personal profile including one or more of personal health information, detected biological data, input from the subject itself, or input from a healthcare worker. | 1. A system, comprising:
one or more computing devices having a non-transitory signal bearing medium operable to accept data related to a subject; convert the data related to a subject into a personal profile; compare the subject's personal profile to at least one Environmental Supplement dataset for enhancing the subject's healthcare setting; determine as a choice for the subject at least one Environmental Supplement that correlates as beneficial to the subject based on the comparison; generate output related to the selected at least one Environmental Supplement. 2. The system of claim 1, further including comparing the subject's personal profile to at least one personal profile dataset of one or more other subject's personal profiles prior to comparing with the at least one Environmental Supplement dataset. 3. The system of claim 2, further including selecting at least one matching or correlating second personal profile from the personal profile dataset prior to comparing with the at least one Environmental Supplement dataset. 4. The system of claim 2, wherein the output includes one or more suggestions or options for one or more Environmental Supplement determined to be beneficial to the subject's health. 5. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more Environmental Supplements include one or more customized settings for at least one of temperature; lightness or darkness; humidity; vibration or other movement, influx of fresh air from outdoors or filtered air, images, sounds, or scents. 6. The system of claim 1, wherein the devices for providing one or more Environmental Supplements include at least one of an audio delivery device or visual display device. 7.-8. (canceled) 9. The system of claim 1, wherein the system includes one or more devices for providing one or more Environmental Supplements including at least one of an audio delivery device or visual display device. 10.-22. (canceled) 23. The system of claim 1, wherein the data related to the subject includes at least one of personal health records, input from one or more sensors, input from at least one healthcare worker, or input from the subject. 24. The system of claim 23, wherein the one or more sensors include at least one of an EEG, EKG, pupillometer, blood pressure, ultrasound, bioimpedance, infrared thermometry, audio, visual, acoustic sensors, optical sensors, electromagnetic energy sensors, image sensors, photodiode arrays, charge-coupled devices (CCDs), complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) devices, optical recognition sensors, infrared sensors, radio frequency component sensors, thermo sensors, pressure sensors, or three-dimensional sensors. 25.-28. (canceled) 29. The system of claim 1, wherein the selected Environmental Supplements are altered based on cyclic aspects correlated with the data related to the subject or a specific time period. 30. The system of claim 29, wherein the cyclic aspects include cycling one or more Environmental Supplements on a regular schedule as determined by the data related to the subject or a specific time period. 31. The system of claim 1, further including provide instructions for altering the subject's surroundings to correspond to the selected Environmental Supplements if a condition threshold has been satisfied. 32. The system of claim 31, wherein the condition threshold includes one or more of time, change in the subject's health, or request by the subject. 33. The system of claim 1, wherein the accepting data includes continuous input of data related to the subject. 34. The system of claim 1, wherein the Environmental Supplement includes mimicry of a dynamic spatial or temporal image. 35. The system of claim 34, wherein the dynamic spatial or temporal image includes at least one of an image of daylight turning to darkness, traveling on land, air, or sea. 36. The system of claim 1, wherein accepting the data related to the subject is conducted by remote control. 37. The system of claim 1, wherein accepting the data related to the subject is conducted by manual input. 38. The system of claim 1, wherein the setting of the subject includes at least one of a labor/delivery room, neonate room, intensive care unit, emergency room, psychiatric ward/room, pediatric ward/room, diagnostic ward/room, examination ward/room, cancer treatment center, Alzheimer's unit, eldercare unit, or long term care facility with a room, apartment, or other living area occupied by a subject. 39.-77. (canceled) 78. A system, comprising:
one or more computing devices having a non-transitory signal bearing medium operable to accept data related to a subject; compare the subject's data to at least one Environmental Supplement dataset for enhancing the subject's healthcare setting; determine as a choice for the subject at least one Environmental Supplement that correlates as beneficial to the subject based on the comparison; generate a value related to the determined at least one Environmental Supplement reinitiate accepting data related to a subject, comparing the data with an Environmental Supplement dataset, and select at least one Environmental Supplement that correlates as beneficial to the subject based on the comparison until the comparison satisfies a threshold condition; communicate to a user an output indicative of at least one selected Environmental Supplement based on the comparison. 79. The system of claim 78, further including comparing the subject's personal profile to at least one personal profile dataset of one or more other subject's personal profiles prior to comparing with the at least one Environmental Supplement dataset. 80. The system of claim 78, further including selecting at least one matching or correlating second personal profile from the personal profile dataset prior to comparing with the at least one Environmental Supplement dataset. 81. The system of claim 78, wherein the output includes one or more suggestions or options for one or more Environmental Supplement determined to be beneficial to the subject's health. 82. The system of claim 78, wherein the one or more Environmental Supplements include one or more customized settings for at least one of temperature; lightness or darkness; humidity; vibration or other movement, influx of fresh air from outdoors or filtered air, images, sounds, or scents. 83. The system of claim 78, wherein the system includes one or more devices for providing one or more Environmental Supplements include at least one of an audio delivery device or visual display device. 84.-94. (canceled) 95. The system of claim 78, wherein the data related to the subject includes at least one of personal health records, input from one or more sensors, input from at least one healthcare worker, or input from the subject. 96. The system of claim 95, wherein the one or more sensors include at least one of an EEG, EKG, pupillometer, blood pressure, ultrasound, bioimpedance, infrared thermometry, audio, visual, acoustic sensors, optical sensors, electromagnetic energy sensors, image sensors, photodiode arrays, charge-coupled devices (CCDs), complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) devices, optical recognition sensors, infrared sensors, radio frequency component sensors, thermo sensors, pressure sensors, or three-dimensional sensors. 97.-99. (canceled) 100. The system of claim 78, wherein the data related to the subject includes at least one of sensed data, stored data, or broadcast data. 101. The system of claim 100, wherein the selected Environmental Supplements are altered based on cyclic aspects correlated with the data related to the subject or a specific time period. 102. The system of claim 101, wherein the cyclic aspects include cycling one or more Environmental Supplements on a regular schedule as determined by the data related to the subject or a specific time period. 103. The system of claim 78, further including providing instructions for altering the subject's surroundings to correspond to the selected Environmental Supplements if a condition threshold has been satisfied. 104. The system of claim 103, wherein the condition threshold includes one or more of time, change in the subject's health, or request by the subject. 105. The system of claim 78, wherein the accepting data includes continuous input of data related to the subject. 106. The system of claim 78, wherein the Environmental Supplement includes mimicry of a dynamic spatial or temporal image. 107. The system of claim 106, wherein the dynamic spatial or temporal image includes at least one of an image of daylight turning to darkness, traveling on land, air, or sea. 108. The system of claim 78, wherein accepting the data related to the subject is conducted by remote control. 109. The system of claim 78, wherein accepting the data related to the subject is conducted by manual input. 110. The system of claim 78, wherein the setting of the subject includes at least one of a labor/delivery room, neonate room, intensive care unit, emergency room, psychiatric ward/room, pediatric ward/room, diagnostic ward/room, examination ward/room, cancer treatment center, Alzheimer's unit, eldercare unit, or long term care facility with a room, apartment, or other living area occupied by a subject. 111.-114. (canceled) | Disclosed are various embodiments of systems and methods related to determining beneficial and customized surroundings for a subject in a healthcare setting or related type setting, based at least in part on the subject's personal profile including one or more of personal health information, detected biological data, input from the subject itself, or input from a healthcare worker.1. A system, comprising:
one or more computing devices having a non-transitory signal bearing medium operable to accept data related to a subject; convert the data related to a subject into a personal profile; compare the subject's personal profile to at least one Environmental Supplement dataset for enhancing the subject's healthcare setting; determine as a choice for the subject at least one Environmental Supplement that correlates as beneficial to the subject based on the comparison; generate output related to the selected at least one Environmental Supplement. 2. The system of claim 1, further including comparing the subject's personal profile to at least one personal profile dataset of one or more other subject's personal profiles prior to comparing with the at least one Environmental Supplement dataset. 3. The system of claim 2, further including selecting at least one matching or correlating second personal profile from the personal profile dataset prior to comparing with the at least one Environmental Supplement dataset. 4. The system of claim 2, wherein the output includes one or more suggestions or options for one or more Environmental Supplement determined to be beneficial to the subject's health. 5. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more Environmental Supplements include one or more customized settings for at least one of temperature; lightness or darkness; humidity; vibration or other movement, influx of fresh air from outdoors or filtered air, images, sounds, or scents. 6. The system of claim 1, wherein the devices for providing one or more Environmental Supplements include at least one of an audio delivery device or visual display device. 7.-8. (canceled) 9. The system of claim 1, wherein the system includes one or more devices for providing one or more Environmental Supplements including at least one of an audio delivery device or visual display device. 10.-22. (canceled) 23. The system of claim 1, wherein the data related to the subject includes at least one of personal health records, input from one or more sensors, input from at least one healthcare worker, or input from the subject. 24. The system of claim 23, wherein the one or more sensors include at least one of an EEG, EKG, pupillometer, blood pressure, ultrasound, bioimpedance, infrared thermometry, audio, visual, acoustic sensors, optical sensors, electromagnetic energy sensors, image sensors, photodiode arrays, charge-coupled devices (CCDs), complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) devices, optical recognition sensors, infrared sensors, radio frequency component sensors, thermo sensors, pressure sensors, or three-dimensional sensors. 25.-28. (canceled) 29. The system of claim 1, wherein the selected Environmental Supplements are altered based on cyclic aspects correlated with the data related to the subject or a specific time period. 30. The system of claim 29, wherein the cyclic aspects include cycling one or more Environmental Supplements on a regular schedule as determined by the data related to the subject or a specific time period. 31. The system of claim 1, further including provide instructions for altering the subject's surroundings to correspond to the selected Environmental Supplements if a condition threshold has been satisfied. 32. The system of claim 31, wherein the condition threshold includes one or more of time, change in the subject's health, or request by the subject. 33. The system of claim 1, wherein the accepting data includes continuous input of data related to the subject. 34. The system of claim 1, wherein the Environmental Supplement includes mimicry of a dynamic spatial or temporal image. 35. The system of claim 34, wherein the dynamic spatial or temporal image includes at least one of an image of daylight turning to darkness, traveling on land, air, or sea. 36. The system of claim 1, wherein accepting the data related to the subject is conducted by remote control. 37. The system of claim 1, wherein accepting the data related to the subject is conducted by manual input. 38. The system of claim 1, wherein the setting of the subject includes at least one of a labor/delivery room, neonate room, intensive care unit, emergency room, psychiatric ward/room, pediatric ward/room, diagnostic ward/room, examination ward/room, cancer treatment center, Alzheimer's unit, eldercare unit, or long term care facility with a room, apartment, or other living area occupied by a subject. 39.-77. (canceled) 78. A system, comprising:
one or more computing devices having a non-transitory signal bearing medium operable to accept data related to a subject; compare the subject's data to at least one Environmental Supplement dataset for enhancing the subject's healthcare setting; determine as a choice for the subject at least one Environmental Supplement that correlates as beneficial to the subject based on the comparison; generate a value related to the determined at least one Environmental Supplement reinitiate accepting data related to a subject, comparing the data with an Environmental Supplement dataset, and select at least one Environmental Supplement that correlates as beneficial to the subject based on the comparison until the comparison satisfies a threshold condition; communicate to a user an output indicative of at least one selected Environmental Supplement based on the comparison. 79. The system of claim 78, further including comparing the subject's personal profile to at least one personal profile dataset of one or more other subject's personal profiles prior to comparing with the at least one Environmental Supplement dataset. 80. The system of claim 78, further including selecting at least one matching or correlating second personal profile from the personal profile dataset prior to comparing with the at least one Environmental Supplement dataset. 81. The system of claim 78, wherein the output includes one or more suggestions or options for one or more Environmental Supplement determined to be beneficial to the subject's health. 82. The system of claim 78, wherein the one or more Environmental Supplements include one or more customized settings for at least one of temperature; lightness or darkness; humidity; vibration or other movement, influx of fresh air from outdoors or filtered air, images, sounds, or scents. 83. The system of claim 78, wherein the system includes one or more devices for providing one or more Environmental Supplements include at least one of an audio delivery device or visual display device. 84.-94. (canceled) 95. The system of claim 78, wherein the data related to the subject includes at least one of personal health records, input from one or more sensors, input from at least one healthcare worker, or input from the subject. 96. The system of claim 95, wherein the one or more sensors include at least one of an EEG, EKG, pupillometer, blood pressure, ultrasound, bioimpedance, infrared thermometry, audio, visual, acoustic sensors, optical sensors, electromagnetic energy sensors, image sensors, photodiode arrays, charge-coupled devices (CCDs), complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) devices, optical recognition sensors, infrared sensors, radio frequency component sensors, thermo sensors, pressure sensors, or three-dimensional sensors. 97.-99. (canceled) 100. The system of claim 78, wherein the data related to the subject includes at least one of sensed data, stored data, or broadcast data. 101. The system of claim 100, wherein the selected Environmental Supplements are altered based on cyclic aspects correlated with the data related to the subject or a specific time period. 102. The system of claim 101, wherein the cyclic aspects include cycling one or more Environmental Supplements on a regular schedule as determined by the data related to the subject or a specific time period. 103. The system of claim 78, further including providing instructions for altering the subject's surroundings to correspond to the selected Environmental Supplements if a condition threshold has been satisfied. 104. The system of claim 103, wherein the condition threshold includes one or more of time, change in the subject's health, or request by the subject. 105. The system of claim 78, wherein the accepting data includes continuous input of data related to the subject. 106. The system of claim 78, wherein the Environmental Supplement includes mimicry of a dynamic spatial or temporal image. 107. The system of claim 106, wherein the dynamic spatial or temporal image includes at least one of an image of daylight turning to darkness, traveling on land, air, or sea. 108. The system of claim 78, wherein accepting the data related to the subject is conducted by remote control. 109. The system of claim 78, wherein accepting the data related to the subject is conducted by manual input. 110. The system of claim 78, wherein the setting of the subject includes at least one of a labor/delivery room, neonate room, intensive care unit, emergency room, psychiatric ward/room, pediatric ward/room, diagnostic ward/room, examination ward/room, cancer treatment center, Alzheimer's unit, eldercare unit, or long term care facility with a room, apartment, or other living area occupied by a subject. 111.-114. (canceled) | 3,600 |
12,667 | 12,667 | 15,149,668 | 3,677 | A backing for an ornamental pin including a tab extended backwards at an angle. Said tab allows ornamental pin to become a display, and vice versa. Includes at least one hole configured to receive at least one type of pin back, including but not limited to needle style pins and locking pin mechanisms. Backing is substantially rigid to allow for standing function. Tab may be adjustable, but still fixable at an angle. Tab may be rigidly fixed at a particular angle. May include grip section for ease of use. Grip section may also enable the pin to lay more uniformly against a user's clothing when ornamental pin is used as such. | 1. A backing for an ornamental pin, the backing comprised of:
at least one first portion with a top end and a bottom end; and at lease one tab portion coupled with at least one of the top end or the bottom end of the at least one first portion, wherein the tab portion is disposed at an angle to the first portion. 2. The backing of claim 1, wherein the at least one first portion is further comprised of:
at least one receiving space configured to receive at least one of a needle pin or a locking pin. 3. The backing of claim 1, further comprising:
at least one grip portion disposed on one side of the at least one first portion between the top end and the bottom end. 4. The backing of claim 3, wherein the at least one grip portion is substantially solid. 5. The backing of claim 3, wherein the at least one grip portion is substantially hollow. 6. The backing of claim 3, wherein the at least one grip portion is permanently coupled with the at least one first portion. 7. The backing of claim 3, wherein the at least one grip portion is removably coupleable with the at least one first portion. 8. The backing of claim 1, wherein the at least one tab portion is rigidly coupled with the at least one first portion such that the angle is fixed. 9. The backing of claim 1, wherein the at least one tab portion is flexibly coupled with the at least one first portion such that the angle is adjustable. 10. The backing of claim 1, wherein the at least one first portion and the at least one tab portion are comprised of a single unit. 11. The backing of claim 1, wherein the at least one first portion and the at least one tab portion are comprised of two separate units coupled to form the backing. 12. The backing of claim 11, wherein the at least one first portion and the at least one tab portion are removably coupled. 13. A backing for an ornamental pin, the backing comprised of:
at least one first portion with a top end and a bottom end; at least one tab portion coupled with the bottom end of the at least one first portion, wherein the at least one tab portion is disposed at an angle to the at least one first portion; and at least one receiving space configured to receive at least one ornamental pin. 14. The backing of claim 13, wherein the at least one receiving space configured to receive at least one ornamental pin is further comprised of:
at least one hole disposed on a front side of the at least one first portion, the at least one hole configured to receive a needle pin. 15. The backing of claim 13, wherein the at least one receiving space configured to receive at least one ornamental pin is further comprised of:
at least two holes disposed vertically along a front side of the at least one first portion. 16. The backing of claim 15, wherein the at least two holes disposed vertically along a front side of the at least one first portion are configured to receive a locking pin. 17. A backing for an ornamental pin, the backing comprised of:
at least one first portion with a top end and a bottom end, the at least one first portion including at least one receiving space configured to receive at least one ornamental pin, the at least one receiving space disposed on a front side of the at least one first portion; at least one tab portion coupled with the bottom end of the at least one first portion, wherein the at least one tab portion is disposed at an angle to the at least one first portion; and at least one grip section disposed on a rear side of the at least one first portion between the at least one tab portion and the top end of the at least one first portion. 18. The backing of claim 17, wherein the at least one tab portion coupled with the bottom end of the at least one first portion is disposed at an angle toward the rear side of the at least one first portion. 19. The backing of claim 17, wherein the at least one grip portion extends to a length substantially coplanar with the at least one tab portion. 20. The backing of claim 17, wherein the at least one receiving space is configured to receive at least one needle pin. | A backing for an ornamental pin including a tab extended backwards at an angle. Said tab allows ornamental pin to become a display, and vice versa. Includes at least one hole configured to receive at least one type of pin back, including but not limited to needle style pins and locking pin mechanisms. Backing is substantially rigid to allow for standing function. Tab may be adjustable, but still fixable at an angle. Tab may be rigidly fixed at a particular angle. May include grip section for ease of use. Grip section may also enable the pin to lay more uniformly against a user's clothing when ornamental pin is used as such.1. A backing for an ornamental pin, the backing comprised of:
at least one first portion with a top end and a bottom end; and at lease one tab portion coupled with at least one of the top end or the bottom end of the at least one first portion, wherein the tab portion is disposed at an angle to the first portion. 2. The backing of claim 1, wherein the at least one first portion is further comprised of:
at least one receiving space configured to receive at least one of a needle pin or a locking pin. 3. The backing of claim 1, further comprising:
at least one grip portion disposed on one side of the at least one first portion between the top end and the bottom end. 4. The backing of claim 3, wherein the at least one grip portion is substantially solid. 5. The backing of claim 3, wherein the at least one grip portion is substantially hollow. 6. The backing of claim 3, wherein the at least one grip portion is permanently coupled with the at least one first portion. 7. The backing of claim 3, wherein the at least one grip portion is removably coupleable with the at least one first portion. 8. The backing of claim 1, wherein the at least one tab portion is rigidly coupled with the at least one first portion such that the angle is fixed. 9. The backing of claim 1, wherein the at least one tab portion is flexibly coupled with the at least one first portion such that the angle is adjustable. 10. The backing of claim 1, wherein the at least one first portion and the at least one tab portion are comprised of a single unit. 11. The backing of claim 1, wherein the at least one first portion and the at least one tab portion are comprised of two separate units coupled to form the backing. 12. The backing of claim 11, wherein the at least one first portion and the at least one tab portion are removably coupled. 13. A backing for an ornamental pin, the backing comprised of:
at least one first portion with a top end and a bottom end; at least one tab portion coupled with the bottom end of the at least one first portion, wherein the at least one tab portion is disposed at an angle to the at least one first portion; and at least one receiving space configured to receive at least one ornamental pin. 14. The backing of claim 13, wherein the at least one receiving space configured to receive at least one ornamental pin is further comprised of:
at least one hole disposed on a front side of the at least one first portion, the at least one hole configured to receive a needle pin. 15. The backing of claim 13, wherein the at least one receiving space configured to receive at least one ornamental pin is further comprised of:
at least two holes disposed vertically along a front side of the at least one first portion. 16. The backing of claim 15, wherein the at least two holes disposed vertically along a front side of the at least one first portion are configured to receive a locking pin. 17. A backing for an ornamental pin, the backing comprised of:
at least one first portion with a top end and a bottom end, the at least one first portion including at least one receiving space configured to receive at least one ornamental pin, the at least one receiving space disposed on a front side of the at least one first portion; at least one tab portion coupled with the bottom end of the at least one first portion, wherein the at least one tab portion is disposed at an angle to the at least one first portion; and at least one grip section disposed on a rear side of the at least one first portion between the at least one tab portion and the top end of the at least one first portion. 18. The backing of claim 17, wherein the at least one tab portion coupled with the bottom end of the at least one first portion is disposed at an angle toward the rear side of the at least one first portion. 19. The backing of claim 17, wherein the at least one grip portion extends to a length substantially coplanar with the at least one tab portion. 20. The backing of claim 17, wherein the at least one receiving space is configured to receive at least one needle pin. | 3,600 |
12,668 | 12,668 | 14,595,694 | 3,651 | Folded sheet product cartridges and dispensing assemblies, systems, and methods of dispense therefor are provided. A dispensing assembly includes a housing for vertically stacked cartridges. The housing defines a load opening in a side panel or top end and a dispensing slot in a side panel or bottom end. A sheet product cartridge includes a plurality of folded sheet products for dispense through a dispensing opening and a plurality of flexible material panels containing the sheet products. One of the material panels includes a detachable area that is detachable to form the dispensing opening. | 1. A sheet product dispensing system, comprising:
a housing having one or more vertically stacked cartridges therein, each cartridge containing a plurality of individual sheet products for dispense through a dispensing opening of the cartridge, wherein the housing defines a load opening in a side panel or top end of the housing, the load opening being configured to receive the one or more cartridges therethrough, wherein the housing defines a dispensing slot in a side panel or bottom end of the housing, the dispensing slot being configured to at least partially align with the dispensing opening of a bottommost cartridge of the one or more vertically stacked cartridges, such that the individual sheet products are accessible therethrough, and wherein the cartridges are each formed of a flexible panel material, such that an exhausted cartridge may be removed via the dispensing slot. 2. The system of claim 1, wherein the dispensing slot is sized such that a detachable panel of the cartridge is removable therethrough. 3. The system of claim 1, wherein the cartridge comprises rectangular side panels and the housing comprises complementary rectangular side panels. 4. The system of claim 1, wherein the housing is configured to house three vertically stacked cartridges. 5. The system of claim 1, wherein the flexible panel material comprises a polymer film. 6. A sheet product cartridge, comprising:
a plurality of individual folded sheet products for dispense through a dispensing opening of the cartridge, the folded sheet products being interleaved for sequential dispense; and a plurality of flexible material panels containing the folded sheet products, wherein one of the panels comprises a detachable area that is configured to be detached to form the dispensing opening, the detachable area comprising a weakened perimeter and an integral pull tab disposed within the weakened perimeter, wherein the pull tab comprises a weakened neck portion associated with a partially detached stub portion, such that the detached stub portion is graspable by a user to detach the weakened neck portion and successively detach the weakened perimeter to detach the detachable area and form the dispensing opening. 7. The cartridge of claim 6, wherein the flexible panel material comprises a polymer film. 8. The cartridge of claim 7, wherein the polymer film comprises low density polyethylene. 9. The cartridge of claim 6, wherein the weakened perimeter and the weakened neck portion comprise perforations. 10. The cartridge of claim 6, wherein the plurality of flexible material panels form a parallelepiped. 11. The cartridge of claim 7, wherein each flexible material panel is a rectangle. 12. The cartridge of claim 6, wherein the weakened perimeter is substantially rectangular. 13. The cartridge of claim 12, wherein the weakened perimeter comprises two elongated sides and two ends having a length that is shorter than a length of the elongated sides. 14. The cartridge of claim 6, wherein the weakened neck comprises two substantially parallel weakened strips. 15. The cartridge of claim 14, wherein the strips are substantially parallel to two elongated sides of the weakened perimeter. 16. The cartridge of claim 15, wherein the strips are offset relative to the two elongated sides and are centered relative to two ends of the weakened perimeter having a length that is shorter than a length of the elongated sides. 17. The cartridge of claim 16, wherein the strips are disposed in a first half of the detachable area. 18. The cartridge of claim 6, wherein the detached stub portion comprises a semicircular cut portion of the material panel forming the detachable area. 19. The cartridge of claim 6, wherein the detachable area comprises a portion of the material panel in which it is disposed. 20. The cartridge of claim 6, wherein the detachable area comprises substantially all of the material panel in which it is disposed. 21. The cartridge of claim 6, wherein the detachable area is configured to be detached by application of a substantially constant pull force to the stub portion of the pull tab, the pull force being applied in a direction substantially perpendicular to the material panel in which the pull tab is disposed. 22. The cartridge of claim 6, wherein an individual sheet product adjacent the detachable area prior to detachment of the detachable area comprises a reinforced leading end comprising a folded portion of the sheet product. | Folded sheet product cartridges and dispensing assemblies, systems, and methods of dispense therefor are provided. A dispensing assembly includes a housing for vertically stacked cartridges. The housing defines a load opening in a side panel or top end and a dispensing slot in a side panel or bottom end. A sheet product cartridge includes a plurality of folded sheet products for dispense through a dispensing opening and a plurality of flexible material panels containing the sheet products. One of the material panels includes a detachable area that is detachable to form the dispensing opening.1. A sheet product dispensing system, comprising:
a housing having one or more vertically stacked cartridges therein, each cartridge containing a plurality of individual sheet products for dispense through a dispensing opening of the cartridge, wherein the housing defines a load opening in a side panel or top end of the housing, the load opening being configured to receive the one or more cartridges therethrough, wherein the housing defines a dispensing slot in a side panel or bottom end of the housing, the dispensing slot being configured to at least partially align with the dispensing opening of a bottommost cartridge of the one or more vertically stacked cartridges, such that the individual sheet products are accessible therethrough, and wherein the cartridges are each formed of a flexible panel material, such that an exhausted cartridge may be removed via the dispensing slot. 2. The system of claim 1, wherein the dispensing slot is sized such that a detachable panel of the cartridge is removable therethrough. 3. The system of claim 1, wherein the cartridge comprises rectangular side panels and the housing comprises complementary rectangular side panels. 4. The system of claim 1, wherein the housing is configured to house three vertically stacked cartridges. 5. The system of claim 1, wherein the flexible panel material comprises a polymer film. 6. A sheet product cartridge, comprising:
a plurality of individual folded sheet products for dispense through a dispensing opening of the cartridge, the folded sheet products being interleaved for sequential dispense; and a plurality of flexible material panels containing the folded sheet products, wherein one of the panels comprises a detachable area that is configured to be detached to form the dispensing opening, the detachable area comprising a weakened perimeter and an integral pull tab disposed within the weakened perimeter, wherein the pull tab comprises a weakened neck portion associated with a partially detached stub portion, such that the detached stub portion is graspable by a user to detach the weakened neck portion and successively detach the weakened perimeter to detach the detachable area and form the dispensing opening. 7. The cartridge of claim 6, wherein the flexible panel material comprises a polymer film. 8. The cartridge of claim 7, wherein the polymer film comprises low density polyethylene. 9. The cartridge of claim 6, wherein the weakened perimeter and the weakened neck portion comprise perforations. 10. The cartridge of claim 6, wherein the plurality of flexible material panels form a parallelepiped. 11. The cartridge of claim 7, wherein each flexible material panel is a rectangle. 12. The cartridge of claim 6, wherein the weakened perimeter is substantially rectangular. 13. The cartridge of claim 12, wherein the weakened perimeter comprises two elongated sides and two ends having a length that is shorter than a length of the elongated sides. 14. The cartridge of claim 6, wherein the weakened neck comprises two substantially parallel weakened strips. 15. The cartridge of claim 14, wherein the strips are substantially parallel to two elongated sides of the weakened perimeter. 16. The cartridge of claim 15, wherein the strips are offset relative to the two elongated sides and are centered relative to two ends of the weakened perimeter having a length that is shorter than a length of the elongated sides. 17. The cartridge of claim 16, wherein the strips are disposed in a first half of the detachable area. 18. The cartridge of claim 6, wherein the detached stub portion comprises a semicircular cut portion of the material panel forming the detachable area. 19. The cartridge of claim 6, wherein the detachable area comprises a portion of the material panel in which it is disposed. 20. The cartridge of claim 6, wherein the detachable area comprises substantially all of the material panel in which it is disposed. 21. The cartridge of claim 6, wherein the detachable area is configured to be detached by application of a substantially constant pull force to the stub portion of the pull tab, the pull force being applied in a direction substantially perpendicular to the material panel in which the pull tab is disposed. 22. The cartridge of claim 6, wherein an individual sheet product adjacent the detachable area prior to detachment of the detachable area comprises a reinforced leading end comprising a folded portion of the sheet product. | 3,600 |
12,669 | 12,669 | 14,635,811 | 3,688 | Techniques described herein relate to calculating the effectiveness or marketing “lift” of online social media promotions (e.g., Tweets® made on Twitter® or postings made on Facebook®), based on the impact that any such promotion is measured to have, after the promotion is made. Key performance indicators (KPI) for online social media marketing efforts may be established or updated based on such calculations. The techniques disclosed herein may also provide a direct way of measuring impact of an online social media promotion on brand awareness among an online social media audience. This may be accomplished while taking into account any effects of other promotions that have been made or are being made contemporaneously on the online social media platform or other non-social media marketing efforts. | 1. A computer implemented method of measuring performance of a promotion made by a handle in an online social media platform, the method comprising:
identifying, by a computer processor, followers of the handle on the online social media platform; defining, by the computer processor, a first subset that includes followers of the handle that have performed further promotion of the promotion; defining, by the computer processor, a test group that includes followers of members of the first subset; defining, by the computer processor, a control group that includes followers of the handle that have abstained from performing further promotion of the promotion; collecting, by the computer processor, online social media features for members of the test group and for members of the control group; and analyzing, by the computer processor, the further promotions in view of the online social media features for the test group and the control group to measure performance of the promotion. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein analyzing the further promotions includes performing logistic regression on the further promotions in view of the online social media features for the test group and the control group to measure performance of the promotion. 3. The method of claim 2, wherein defining the control group includes defining the control group from a second subset of the followers of the handle that have abstained from further promoting the promotion made by the handle in the online social media platform. 4. The method of claim 3, wherein defining the control group includes excluding members from the control group that are also followers of the handle. 5. The method of claim 4, wherein defining the control group includes defining the control group by sampling with replacement from the first subset. 6. The method of claim 2, wherein defining the test group includes excluding members from the test group that are also followers of the handle. 7. The method of claim 2, wherein collecting online social media features includes collecting user features for members of the test group and the control group. 8. The method of claim 2, wherein collecting online social media features includes collecting network features for members of the test group and the control group. 9. A system comprising:
a storage; and a computer processor operatively coupled to the storage, the computer processor configured to execute instructions stored in the storage that when executed cause the computer processor to carry out a process comprising: identifying followers of the handle on the online social media platform with a web crawler; defining a first subset that includes followers of the handle that have performed further promotion of the promotion; defining a test group that includes followers of members of the first subset; defining a control group that includes followers of the handle that have abstained from performing further promotion of the promotion; collecting online social media features for members of the test group and for members of the control group; and analyzing the further promotions in view of the online social media features for the test group and the control group to measure performance of the promotion. 10. The system of claim 9, wherein defining the control group includes excluding members from the control group that are also followers of the handle by sampling with replacement from the first subset. 11. The system of claim 9, wherein analyzing the further promotions includes performing logistic regression on the further promotions in view of the online social media features for the test group and the control group to measure performance of the promotion. 12. The system of claim 9, wherein collecting online social media features includes collecting user features for members of the test group and for members of the control group, wherein the user features include at least one user feature selected from a group consisting of a count of connections and a count of statuses. 13. The system of claim 12, wherein the count of connections includes one or more of a count of friends and a count of followers on the online social media platform. 14. The system of claim 12, wherein collecting online social media features includes collecting network features for members of the test group and for members of the control group, the network features including one or more network feature selected from a group consisting of:
a number of friends that a user has outside both the test group and the control group that have made a prior promotion on a topic related the promotion made by the handle; a number of followers of friends that have made a prior promotion on a topic related to the promotion made by the handle; a number of friends in an opposite of the test group and the control group of a user that have made a prior promotion on a topic related to the promotion made by the handle; and a number of friends in a common group of the test group and the control group of a user that have made a prior promotion on a topic related to the promotion made by the handle. 15. A non-transitory computer program product having instructions encoded thereon that when executed by one or more computer processors cause a process to be carried out, the process comprising:
identifying followers of the handle on the online social media platform with a web crawler; defining a first subset that includes followers of the handle that have performed further promotion of the promotion; defining a test group that includes followers of members of the first subset; defining a second subset that includes followers of the handle that have abstained from further promotion of the promotion; defining a control group that includes followers of members of the second subset; collecting online social media features for members of the test group and for members of the control group; and analyzing the further promotions in view of the online social media features for the test group and the control group to measure performance of the promotion. 16. The non-transitory computer program product of claim 15, wherein defining the control group includes excluding members from the control group that are also followers of the handle by sampling with replacement from the first subset. 17. The non-transitory computer program product of claim 15, wherein defining the test group includes excluding members from the test group that are also followers of the handle by sampling with replacement from the first subset. 18. The non-transitory computer program product of claim 15, wherein collecting online social media features includes collecting user features for members of the test group and for members of the control group. 19. The non-transitory computer program product of claim 18, wherein the user features include one or more of a count of friends; a count of followers, and a count of postings on the online social media platform. 20. The non-transitory computer program product of claim 15, wherein analyzing the further promotions includes performing logistic regression on the further promotions in view of the online social media features for the test group and the control group to measure performance of the promotion. | Techniques described herein relate to calculating the effectiveness or marketing “lift” of online social media promotions (e.g., Tweets® made on Twitter® or postings made on Facebook®), based on the impact that any such promotion is measured to have, after the promotion is made. Key performance indicators (KPI) for online social media marketing efforts may be established or updated based on such calculations. The techniques disclosed herein may also provide a direct way of measuring impact of an online social media promotion on brand awareness among an online social media audience. This may be accomplished while taking into account any effects of other promotions that have been made or are being made contemporaneously on the online social media platform or other non-social media marketing efforts.1. A computer implemented method of measuring performance of a promotion made by a handle in an online social media platform, the method comprising:
identifying, by a computer processor, followers of the handle on the online social media platform; defining, by the computer processor, a first subset that includes followers of the handle that have performed further promotion of the promotion; defining, by the computer processor, a test group that includes followers of members of the first subset; defining, by the computer processor, a control group that includes followers of the handle that have abstained from performing further promotion of the promotion; collecting, by the computer processor, online social media features for members of the test group and for members of the control group; and analyzing, by the computer processor, the further promotions in view of the online social media features for the test group and the control group to measure performance of the promotion. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein analyzing the further promotions includes performing logistic regression on the further promotions in view of the online social media features for the test group and the control group to measure performance of the promotion. 3. The method of claim 2, wherein defining the control group includes defining the control group from a second subset of the followers of the handle that have abstained from further promoting the promotion made by the handle in the online social media platform. 4. The method of claim 3, wherein defining the control group includes excluding members from the control group that are also followers of the handle. 5. The method of claim 4, wherein defining the control group includes defining the control group by sampling with replacement from the first subset. 6. The method of claim 2, wherein defining the test group includes excluding members from the test group that are also followers of the handle. 7. The method of claim 2, wherein collecting online social media features includes collecting user features for members of the test group and the control group. 8. The method of claim 2, wherein collecting online social media features includes collecting network features for members of the test group and the control group. 9. A system comprising:
a storage; and a computer processor operatively coupled to the storage, the computer processor configured to execute instructions stored in the storage that when executed cause the computer processor to carry out a process comprising: identifying followers of the handle on the online social media platform with a web crawler; defining a first subset that includes followers of the handle that have performed further promotion of the promotion; defining a test group that includes followers of members of the first subset; defining a control group that includes followers of the handle that have abstained from performing further promotion of the promotion; collecting online social media features for members of the test group and for members of the control group; and analyzing the further promotions in view of the online social media features for the test group and the control group to measure performance of the promotion. 10. The system of claim 9, wherein defining the control group includes excluding members from the control group that are also followers of the handle by sampling with replacement from the first subset. 11. The system of claim 9, wherein analyzing the further promotions includes performing logistic regression on the further promotions in view of the online social media features for the test group and the control group to measure performance of the promotion. 12. The system of claim 9, wherein collecting online social media features includes collecting user features for members of the test group and for members of the control group, wherein the user features include at least one user feature selected from a group consisting of a count of connections and a count of statuses. 13. The system of claim 12, wherein the count of connections includes one or more of a count of friends and a count of followers on the online social media platform. 14. The system of claim 12, wherein collecting online social media features includes collecting network features for members of the test group and for members of the control group, the network features including one or more network feature selected from a group consisting of:
a number of friends that a user has outside both the test group and the control group that have made a prior promotion on a topic related the promotion made by the handle; a number of followers of friends that have made a prior promotion on a topic related to the promotion made by the handle; a number of friends in an opposite of the test group and the control group of a user that have made a prior promotion on a topic related to the promotion made by the handle; and a number of friends in a common group of the test group and the control group of a user that have made a prior promotion on a topic related to the promotion made by the handle. 15. A non-transitory computer program product having instructions encoded thereon that when executed by one or more computer processors cause a process to be carried out, the process comprising:
identifying followers of the handle on the online social media platform with a web crawler; defining a first subset that includes followers of the handle that have performed further promotion of the promotion; defining a test group that includes followers of members of the first subset; defining a second subset that includes followers of the handle that have abstained from further promotion of the promotion; defining a control group that includes followers of members of the second subset; collecting online social media features for members of the test group and for members of the control group; and analyzing the further promotions in view of the online social media features for the test group and the control group to measure performance of the promotion. 16. The non-transitory computer program product of claim 15, wherein defining the control group includes excluding members from the control group that are also followers of the handle by sampling with replacement from the first subset. 17. The non-transitory computer program product of claim 15, wherein defining the test group includes excluding members from the test group that are also followers of the handle by sampling with replacement from the first subset. 18. The non-transitory computer program product of claim 15, wherein collecting online social media features includes collecting user features for members of the test group and for members of the control group. 19. The non-transitory computer program product of claim 18, wherein the user features include one or more of a count of friends; a count of followers, and a count of postings on the online social media platform. 20. The non-transitory computer program product of claim 15, wherein analyzing the further promotions includes performing logistic regression on the further promotions in view of the online social media features for the test group and the control group to measure performance of the promotion. | 3,600 |
12,670 | 12,670 | 14,620,491 | 3,683 | The present invention broadly comprises crowd-sourced computer-implemented methods and systems of collecting requested data. One embodiment of the invention may be implemented as an electronic device including a request creating unit, a transmitter, and a receiver. The request creating unit is configured to create a request. The transmitter is configured to transmit the request for data to a plurality of collecting devices, to transmit an acceptance message to at least one of the plurality of collecting devices, and to transmit payment to each of the plurality of collecting devices to which the acceptance message was sent. The receiver is configured to receive bids from each of the plurality of collecting devices as proposed payment for collecting the data, and to receive the data from each of the plurality of collecting devices. | 1. An electronic device comprising:
a request creating unit configured to create a request; a transmitter configured to transmit the request for data to a plurality of collecting devices, to transmit an acceptance message to at least one of the plurality of collecting devices, and to transmit payment to each of the plurality of collecting devices to which the acceptance message was sent; and a receiver configured to receive bids from each of the plurality of collecting devices as proposed payment for collecting the data, and to receive the data from each of the plurality of collecting devices. 2. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the electronic device is a smartphone. 3. The electronic device according to claim 1, further comprising:
a display configured to display the data received from each of the plurality of collecting devices. 4. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the request creating unit creates the request based on input from a user of the electronic device. 5. The electronic device according to claim 4, wherein the request creating unit creates the request including specifications for a video sequence. 6. The electronic device according to claim 4, wherein the request creating unit creates the request including specifications for an audio sequence. 7. The electronic device according to claim 4, wherein the request creating unit creates the request including specifications for an image. 8. The electronic device according to claim 4, wherein the request creating unit creates the request including a start date. 9. The electronic device according to claim 4, wherein the request creating unit creates the request including an end date. 10. An electronic device comprising:
a sensor configured to collect data; a receiver configured to transmit receive a request for data from a tasking device, to receive an acceptance message from the tasking device, and to receive payment from the tasking device; and a transmitter configured to transmit a bid to the tasking device as proposed payment for collecting the data, and to transmit the data collected by the sensor to the tasking device. 11. The electronic device according to claim 10, wherein the electronic device is a smartphone. 12. The electronic device according to claim 10, further comprising:
a display configured to display the request received from the tasking device. 13. The electronic device according to claim 10, wherein the receiver receives the request including specifications for a video sequence. 14. The electronic device according to claim 10, wherein the receiver receives the request including specifications for an audio sequence. 15. The electronic device according to claim 10, wherein receiver receives the request including specifications for an image. 16. The electronic device according to claim 10, wherein the receiver receives the request including a start date. 17. The electronic device according to claim 10, wherein the receiver receives the request including an end date. 18. A method comprising:
transmitting a request for data to a plurality of collecting devices; receiving bids from each of the plurality of collecting devices as proposed payment for collecting the data; receiving the data from each of the plurality of collecting devices; sending an acceptance message to at least one of the plurality of collecting devices; and sending payment to each of the plurality of collecting devices to which the acceptance message was sent. 19. A method comprising:
receiving a request for data from a tasking device; sending a bid to the tasking device as proposed payment for collecting the data; collecting the data; transmitting the data to the tasking device; receiving an acceptance message from the tasking device; and receiving payment from the tasking device. | The present invention broadly comprises crowd-sourced computer-implemented methods and systems of collecting requested data. One embodiment of the invention may be implemented as an electronic device including a request creating unit, a transmitter, and a receiver. The request creating unit is configured to create a request. The transmitter is configured to transmit the request for data to a plurality of collecting devices, to transmit an acceptance message to at least one of the plurality of collecting devices, and to transmit payment to each of the plurality of collecting devices to which the acceptance message was sent. The receiver is configured to receive bids from each of the plurality of collecting devices as proposed payment for collecting the data, and to receive the data from each of the plurality of collecting devices.1. An electronic device comprising:
a request creating unit configured to create a request; a transmitter configured to transmit the request for data to a plurality of collecting devices, to transmit an acceptance message to at least one of the plurality of collecting devices, and to transmit payment to each of the plurality of collecting devices to which the acceptance message was sent; and a receiver configured to receive bids from each of the plurality of collecting devices as proposed payment for collecting the data, and to receive the data from each of the plurality of collecting devices. 2. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the electronic device is a smartphone. 3. The electronic device according to claim 1, further comprising:
a display configured to display the data received from each of the plurality of collecting devices. 4. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the request creating unit creates the request based on input from a user of the electronic device. 5. The electronic device according to claim 4, wherein the request creating unit creates the request including specifications for a video sequence. 6. The electronic device according to claim 4, wherein the request creating unit creates the request including specifications for an audio sequence. 7. The electronic device according to claim 4, wherein the request creating unit creates the request including specifications for an image. 8. The electronic device according to claim 4, wherein the request creating unit creates the request including a start date. 9. The electronic device according to claim 4, wherein the request creating unit creates the request including an end date. 10. An electronic device comprising:
a sensor configured to collect data; a receiver configured to transmit receive a request for data from a tasking device, to receive an acceptance message from the tasking device, and to receive payment from the tasking device; and a transmitter configured to transmit a bid to the tasking device as proposed payment for collecting the data, and to transmit the data collected by the sensor to the tasking device. 11. The electronic device according to claim 10, wherein the electronic device is a smartphone. 12. The electronic device according to claim 10, further comprising:
a display configured to display the request received from the tasking device. 13. The electronic device according to claim 10, wherein the receiver receives the request including specifications for a video sequence. 14. The electronic device according to claim 10, wherein the receiver receives the request including specifications for an audio sequence. 15. The electronic device according to claim 10, wherein receiver receives the request including specifications for an image. 16. The electronic device according to claim 10, wherein the receiver receives the request including a start date. 17. The electronic device according to claim 10, wherein the receiver receives the request including an end date. 18. A method comprising:
transmitting a request for data to a plurality of collecting devices; receiving bids from each of the plurality of collecting devices as proposed payment for collecting the data; receiving the data from each of the plurality of collecting devices; sending an acceptance message to at least one of the plurality of collecting devices; and sending payment to each of the plurality of collecting devices to which the acceptance message was sent. 19. A method comprising:
receiving a request for data from a tasking device; sending a bid to the tasking device as proposed payment for collecting the data; collecting the data; transmitting the data to the tasking device; receiving an acceptance message from the tasking device; and receiving payment from the tasking device. | 3,600 |
12,671 | 12,671 | 14,863,280 | 3,694 | Embodiments of the present invention are generally directed to systems, methods, and computer program products for verifying payment data related to payments sent from a payor to a biller and/or accelerating posting of such payments. More particularly, a system is provided for receiving payment data related to a payment sent from a payor to a biller and for verifying the accuracy of the payment data before allowing the biller to accept the payment. The system is configured to verify the accuracy of the payment data by comparing at least a portion of the payment data to the biller's substantially real-time account records. The system is then configured to allow the biller to accept payments that include accurate data and to identify those payments that do not include accurate data. The system may further be configured to provide the source of the payment data with an indication that the payment data is inaccurate. | 1. A computer program product embodied on a non-transitory computer readable medium for processing payments from a payor to a biller, the computer program product comprising a computer-readable storage medium having computer-readable program code portions stored therein, the computer-readable program code portions comprising:
an executable portion configured for receiving payment data representing a payment from the payor to the biller and for verifying the accuracy of at least a portion of the payment data before allowing the biller to accept the payment; wherein the executable portion is configured to verify the accuracy of the at least a portion of the payment data by opening a batch file containing payment data, reading the contents of the batch file, and comparing the contents of the batch file to a database, a table, and/or an algorithm maintained by the biller, wherein the database, table and/or algorithm comprises data for a plurality of payors. 2. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the database, table, and/or algorithm provides a substantially real-time representation of at least a portion of the biller's account data. 3. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the executable portion is further configured to identify payments associated with inaccurate payment data. 4. The computer program product of claim 3, wherein the executable portion is configured to identify payments associated with inaccurate payment data by adding an identifier in the batch file that contains inaccurate payment data, the identifier indicating that the payment data is not accurate, and wherein the executable portion is further configured to return the batch file to the source of the batch file from which the computer program product received the batch file. 5. The computer program product of claim 4, wherein the source of the batch file from which the computer program product received the batch file is an entity other than the payor. 6. A method of receiving and processing payments from a payor to a biller, comprising:
receiving payment data related to a payment sent from a payor; portion of the payment data to a database maintained by the biller before allowing the biller to accept the payment, and wherein the database comprises data for a plurality of payors; and identifying payments associated with inaccurate payment data. 7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:
allowing the biller to accept payments that include accurate data. 8. The method of claim 6, wherein the database provides a substantially real-time representation of the biller's accounts. 9. The method of claim 6, wherein verifying the accuracy of at least a portion of the payment data by comparing the at least a portion of the payment data to a database maintained by the biller comprises:
opening a batch file containing the payment data; reading the contents of the batch file; and comparing the contents of the batch file to the database. 10. The method of claim 6, wherein verifying the accuracy of at least a portion of the payment data by comparing the at least a portion of the payment data to a database maintained by the biller comprises:
accessing a data server maintained by the biller; and comparing the at least a portion of the payment data to a database maintained by the biller on the data sever. 11. The method of claim 6, further comprising: receiving account information from the biller to maintain the database. 12. The method of claim 6, wherein verifying the accuracy of at least a portion of the payment data by comparing the at least a portion of the payment data to a database maintained by the biller comprises:
communicating the at least a portion of the payment data to the biller; and receiving an indication from the biller of the accuracy of the at least a portion of the payment data. 13. The method of claim 6, wherein receiving payment data related to a payment sent from a payor comprises receiving payment data from a source, and wherein identifying payments that do not include accurate data comprises providing the source of the payment data with an indication that the received payment data is inaccurate. 14. The method of claim 6, where the at least a portion of the payment data comprises at least a portion of the payor's account number with the biller. 15. A system for processing payments and verifying the accuracy of payment data related to a payment sent from a payor to a biller prior to allowing the biller to accept the payment, the system comprising:
a processing element capable of receiving the payment data, said processing element also capable of accessing a database maintained by the biller and containing account information, and wherein said processing element is further capable of comparing the at least a portion of the payment data to account information from the database maintained by the biller to verify the accuracy of at least a portion of the payment data before authorizing the biller to accept the payment, and wherein the database comprises data for a plurality of payors. 16. The system of claim 15, wherein the processing element is further capable of identifying payments associated with inaccurate payment data, said processing element being further capable of providing a source of the payment data with an electronic notice that the received payment data is inaccurate. 17. The system of claim 15, wherein the processing element is capable of receiving payment data from a source other than the payor. 18. The system of claim 15, wherein the database maintained by the biller provides a substantially real-time representation of the biller's accounts. 19. The system of claim 15, wherein the processing element is further capable of electronically storing the account information from the database maintained by the biller, wherein the processing element is further capable of periodically receiving current account information from the biller, and wherein the processing element is further capable of using the account information received from the biller to update the stored account information. 20. The system of claim 15, wherein the processing element is capable of communicating the at least a portion of the payment data to the biller, and wherein the processing element is further capable of receiving an electronic notice from the biller indicating whether at least a portion of the payment data is accurate. 21. The system of claim 15, where the processing element is capable of receiving and verifying payment data related to payments sent to the biller from many different payors. 22. The system of claim 15, the processing element is capable of receiving and verifying payment data related to payments sent to many different billers. 23. The system of claim 15, wherein the processing element is capable of receiving payment data from a concentrator, and wherein the processing element is further capable of returning an electronic notice to the concentrator indicating that the payment is not accurate if the processing element determines that payment data associated with the payment does not include accurate data. | Embodiments of the present invention are generally directed to systems, methods, and computer program products for verifying payment data related to payments sent from a payor to a biller and/or accelerating posting of such payments. More particularly, a system is provided for receiving payment data related to a payment sent from a payor to a biller and for verifying the accuracy of the payment data before allowing the biller to accept the payment. The system is configured to verify the accuracy of the payment data by comparing at least a portion of the payment data to the biller's substantially real-time account records. The system is then configured to allow the biller to accept payments that include accurate data and to identify those payments that do not include accurate data. The system may further be configured to provide the source of the payment data with an indication that the payment data is inaccurate.1. A computer program product embodied on a non-transitory computer readable medium for processing payments from a payor to a biller, the computer program product comprising a computer-readable storage medium having computer-readable program code portions stored therein, the computer-readable program code portions comprising:
an executable portion configured for receiving payment data representing a payment from the payor to the biller and for verifying the accuracy of at least a portion of the payment data before allowing the biller to accept the payment; wherein the executable portion is configured to verify the accuracy of the at least a portion of the payment data by opening a batch file containing payment data, reading the contents of the batch file, and comparing the contents of the batch file to a database, a table, and/or an algorithm maintained by the biller, wherein the database, table and/or algorithm comprises data for a plurality of payors. 2. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the database, table, and/or algorithm provides a substantially real-time representation of at least a portion of the biller's account data. 3. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the executable portion is further configured to identify payments associated with inaccurate payment data. 4. The computer program product of claim 3, wherein the executable portion is configured to identify payments associated with inaccurate payment data by adding an identifier in the batch file that contains inaccurate payment data, the identifier indicating that the payment data is not accurate, and wherein the executable portion is further configured to return the batch file to the source of the batch file from which the computer program product received the batch file. 5. The computer program product of claim 4, wherein the source of the batch file from which the computer program product received the batch file is an entity other than the payor. 6. A method of receiving and processing payments from a payor to a biller, comprising:
receiving payment data related to a payment sent from a payor; portion of the payment data to a database maintained by the biller before allowing the biller to accept the payment, and wherein the database comprises data for a plurality of payors; and identifying payments associated with inaccurate payment data. 7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:
allowing the biller to accept payments that include accurate data. 8. The method of claim 6, wherein the database provides a substantially real-time representation of the biller's accounts. 9. The method of claim 6, wherein verifying the accuracy of at least a portion of the payment data by comparing the at least a portion of the payment data to a database maintained by the biller comprises:
opening a batch file containing the payment data; reading the contents of the batch file; and comparing the contents of the batch file to the database. 10. The method of claim 6, wherein verifying the accuracy of at least a portion of the payment data by comparing the at least a portion of the payment data to a database maintained by the biller comprises:
accessing a data server maintained by the biller; and comparing the at least a portion of the payment data to a database maintained by the biller on the data sever. 11. The method of claim 6, further comprising: receiving account information from the biller to maintain the database. 12. The method of claim 6, wherein verifying the accuracy of at least a portion of the payment data by comparing the at least a portion of the payment data to a database maintained by the biller comprises:
communicating the at least a portion of the payment data to the biller; and receiving an indication from the biller of the accuracy of the at least a portion of the payment data. 13. The method of claim 6, wherein receiving payment data related to a payment sent from a payor comprises receiving payment data from a source, and wherein identifying payments that do not include accurate data comprises providing the source of the payment data with an indication that the received payment data is inaccurate. 14. The method of claim 6, where the at least a portion of the payment data comprises at least a portion of the payor's account number with the biller. 15. A system for processing payments and verifying the accuracy of payment data related to a payment sent from a payor to a biller prior to allowing the biller to accept the payment, the system comprising:
a processing element capable of receiving the payment data, said processing element also capable of accessing a database maintained by the biller and containing account information, and wherein said processing element is further capable of comparing the at least a portion of the payment data to account information from the database maintained by the biller to verify the accuracy of at least a portion of the payment data before authorizing the biller to accept the payment, and wherein the database comprises data for a plurality of payors. 16. The system of claim 15, wherein the processing element is further capable of identifying payments associated with inaccurate payment data, said processing element being further capable of providing a source of the payment data with an electronic notice that the received payment data is inaccurate. 17. The system of claim 15, wherein the processing element is capable of receiving payment data from a source other than the payor. 18. The system of claim 15, wherein the database maintained by the biller provides a substantially real-time representation of the biller's accounts. 19. The system of claim 15, wherein the processing element is further capable of electronically storing the account information from the database maintained by the biller, wherein the processing element is further capable of periodically receiving current account information from the biller, and wherein the processing element is further capable of using the account information received from the biller to update the stored account information. 20. The system of claim 15, wherein the processing element is capable of communicating the at least a portion of the payment data to the biller, and wherein the processing element is further capable of receiving an electronic notice from the biller indicating whether at least a portion of the payment data is accurate. 21. The system of claim 15, where the processing element is capable of receiving and verifying payment data related to payments sent to the biller from many different payors. 22. The system of claim 15, the processing element is capable of receiving and verifying payment data related to payments sent to many different billers. 23. The system of claim 15, wherein the processing element is capable of receiving payment data from a concentrator, and wherein the processing element is further capable of returning an electronic notice to the concentrator indicating that the payment is not accurate if the processing element determines that payment data associated with the payment does not include accurate data. | 3,600 |
12,672 | 12,672 | 14,169,921 | 3,689 | Computer-based processes are disclosed for mining and analyzing owner association (OA) data associated with a plurality of real estate properties and generating an OA amount model that can be used to estimate OA amounts for a subject property. The OA data may also be analyzed to identify OA ratings, OA recommendations, OA delinquency actions, OA contacts information, OA services information, etc. The disclosed processes can also use the generated OA amount model to identify OA amount trends, and determine valuations and investment metrics for real estate properties. | 1. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium comprising instructions which, when executed by a computer system that includes a data processor and is connected to at least one data repository, perform a method comprising:
(a) accessing, by the computer system from the at least one data repository through a communication channel, owner association (OA) data associated with a plurality of real estate properties; (b) generating, by the data processor of the computer system, an OA amount model based at least in part on the accessed OA data associated with the plurality of real estate properties, wherein the generating comprises:
assigning each property in a geographic area to a group based at least in part on a location of each property;
iteratively merging pairs of geospatially adjacent groups if the characteristics of assigned properties in the geospatially adjacent groups are adequately similar; and
iteratively inferring an OA amount for each property in the geographic area by inferring an OA amount for each property in a respective merged pair of geospatially adjacent groups for which OA amount is not known based at least in part on an OA amount for a property in the same group for which the OA amount is known;
(c) receiving, by the computer system through a network communication channel, identification information associated with a subject property; (d) determining, by the data processor of the computer system, an estimated OA amount for the subject property by applying the OA amount model to the property; and (e) storing, by the data processor of the computer system through the communication channel, the estimated OA amount in the at least one data repository. 2. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 1, where the method further comprises identifying one or more confidence scores associated with the estimated OA amount. 3. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein each property in the geographic area is assigned to a group based at least in part on a location and property characteristics of each property. 4. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the data repository comprises an electronic database. 5. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises providing the estimated OA amount via a web interface. 6. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the OA amount comprises a homeowners association monthly fee. 7. A system comprising:
physical data storage configured to store (1) OA data associated with real estate properties and (2) recommendations associated with the real estate properties; and a computer system in communication with the physical data storage, the computer system comprising computer hardware, the computer system programed to:
receive, by the computer system over a network communication channel, identification information associated with a subject owner association (OA);
identify, by the computer system, one or more comparable OAs;
determine, by the computer system, OA amounts associated with the one or more comparable OAs and the subject OA by accessing an OA amount model;
determine a rating for the subject OA by comparing the OA amounts associated with the one or more comparable OAs and the OA amount associated with the subject OA; and
store the determined rating in the physical data storage. 8. The system of claim 7, wherein the OA comprises a homeowners association. 9. The system of claim 7, wherein the comparing comprises comparing an average of the OA amounts associated with the one or more comparable OAs with the OA amount associated with the subject OA. 10. The system of claim 7, wherein the comparing comprises comparing a weighted average of the OA amounts associated with the one or more comparable OAs with the OA amount associated with the subject OA. 11. The system of claim 7, wherein the comparable OAs are determined by comparing property characteristics of properties managed by OAs with the property characteristics of the properties managed by the subject OA. 12. The system of claim 7, wherein the system is further programmed to receive user preferences and determine the rating based at least in part on the user preferences. 13. The system of claim 7, wherein the computer system is further programmed to provide the determined rating via a web interface. 14. The system of claim 7, wherein the physical data storage comprises an electronic database. 15. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium comprising instructions which, when executed by a computer system that includes a data processor and is connected to at least one data repository, perform a method comprising:
(a) receiving, by the computer system through a network communication channel, identification information associated with a plurality of properties associated with an owner association (OA); (b) determining, by the processor of the computer system, an estimated OA amount for each property of the plurality of properties by applying an OA amount model to each property; (c); storing, by the data processor of the computer system through the communication channel, the estimated OA amount for each property of the plurality of properties in the at least one data repository (d) providing, by the data processor of the computer system through the network communication channel, a report comprising the estimated OA amount for each property of the plurality of properties. 16. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the OA amount model comprises a group determination model that assigns each of the plurality of properties to a group based on respective property characteristics and determining the estimated OA amount for each property based at least in part on the respective assigned group. 17. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the OA amount model comprises a regression model. 18. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the report is organized by property type. 19. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the report is provided via a web interface. 20. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the data repository comprises an electronic database. | Computer-based processes are disclosed for mining and analyzing owner association (OA) data associated with a plurality of real estate properties and generating an OA amount model that can be used to estimate OA amounts for a subject property. The OA data may also be analyzed to identify OA ratings, OA recommendations, OA delinquency actions, OA contacts information, OA services information, etc. The disclosed processes can also use the generated OA amount model to identify OA amount trends, and determine valuations and investment metrics for real estate properties.1. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium comprising instructions which, when executed by a computer system that includes a data processor and is connected to at least one data repository, perform a method comprising:
(a) accessing, by the computer system from the at least one data repository through a communication channel, owner association (OA) data associated with a plurality of real estate properties; (b) generating, by the data processor of the computer system, an OA amount model based at least in part on the accessed OA data associated with the plurality of real estate properties, wherein the generating comprises:
assigning each property in a geographic area to a group based at least in part on a location of each property;
iteratively merging pairs of geospatially adjacent groups if the characteristics of assigned properties in the geospatially adjacent groups are adequately similar; and
iteratively inferring an OA amount for each property in the geographic area by inferring an OA amount for each property in a respective merged pair of geospatially adjacent groups for which OA amount is not known based at least in part on an OA amount for a property in the same group for which the OA amount is known;
(c) receiving, by the computer system through a network communication channel, identification information associated with a subject property; (d) determining, by the data processor of the computer system, an estimated OA amount for the subject property by applying the OA amount model to the property; and (e) storing, by the data processor of the computer system through the communication channel, the estimated OA amount in the at least one data repository. 2. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 1, where the method further comprises identifying one or more confidence scores associated with the estimated OA amount. 3. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein each property in the geographic area is assigned to a group based at least in part on a location and property characteristics of each property. 4. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the data repository comprises an electronic database. 5. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises providing the estimated OA amount via a web interface. 6. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the OA amount comprises a homeowners association monthly fee. 7. A system comprising:
physical data storage configured to store (1) OA data associated with real estate properties and (2) recommendations associated with the real estate properties; and a computer system in communication with the physical data storage, the computer system comprising computer hardware, the computer system programed to:
receive, by the computer system over a network communication channel, identification information associated with a subject owner association (OA);
identify, by the computer system, one or more comparable OAs;
determine, by the computer system, OA amounts associated with the one or more comparable OAs and the subject OA by accessing an OA amount model;
determine a rating for the subject OA by comparing the OA amounts associated with the one or more comparable OAs and the OA amount associated with the subject OA; and
store the determined rating in the physical data storage. 8. The system of claim 7, wherein the OA comprises a homeowners association. 9. The system of claim 7, wherein the comparing comprises comparing an average of the OA amounts associated with the one or more comparable OAs with the OA amount associated with the subject OA. 10. The system of claim 7, wherein the comparing comprises comparing a weighted average of the OA amounts associated with the one or more comparable OAs with the OA amount associated with the subject OA. 11. The system of claim 7, wherein the comparable OAs are determined by comparing property characteristics of properties managed by OAs with the property characteristics of the properties managed by the subject OA. 12. The system of claim 7, wherein the system is further programmed to receive user preferences and determine the rating based at least in part on the user preferences. 13. The system of claim 7, wherein the computer system is further programmed to provide the determined rating via a web interface. 14. The system of claim 7, wherein the physical data storage comprises an electronic database. 15. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium comprising instructions which, when executed by a computer system that includes a data processor and is connected to at least one data repository, perform a method comprising:
(a) receiving, by the computer system through a network communication channel, identification information associated with a plurality of properties associated with an owner association (OA); (b) determining, by the processor of the computer system, an estimated OA amount for each property of the plurality of properties by applying an OA amount model to each property; (c); storing, by the data processor of the computer system through the communication channel, the estimated OA amount for each property of the plurality of properties in the at least one data repository (d) providing, by the data processor of the computer system through the network communication channel, a report comprising the estimated OA amount for each property of the plurality of properties. 16. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the OA amount model comprises a group determination model that assigns each of the plurality of properties to a group based on respective property characteristics and determining the estimated OA amount for each property based at least in part on the respective assigned group. 17. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the OA amount model comprises a regression model. 18. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the report is organized by property type. 19. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the report is provided via a web interface. 20. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the data repository comprises an electronic database. | 3,600 |
12,673 | 12,673 | 13,135,240 | 3,694 | A trust architecture, including an intermediary for use therewith, which may be referred to as a Personal Privacy Stronghold (“PPS”), is disclosed which facilitates user management, including control, enablement, extension and augmentation, of unsolicited server operations, allowing the user to control such operations without compromising their ability to use other functionality. Such stateful operations may be used, for example, to monitor and track the user's Internet activities. | 1. An intermediary for use in a client-server architecture, the client-server architecture comprising at least one client in communication, via a network, with at least one server, each of the at least one server being operative to perform at least one unsolicited function with respect to each of the at least one client upon which one or more of the at least one server is at least partially dependent to facilitate stateful operation thereof with respect to the respective at least one client, each of the at least one unsolicited function comprising one of a first active function with respect to the respective client comprising provision of server originated data thereto or a second passive function with respect to the respective client comprising obtaining of client originated data therefrom, the intermediary comprising:
an interface in communication, via the network, with at least a first client of the at least one client and at least a first server of the at least one server and operative to, according to a direction of a user associated with the first client and derived at least in part from data indicative of previous interaction between the user and at least one of the at least one server, cause the first server to perform the at least one unsolicited function with respect to the intermediary on behalf of the first client, the stateful operation of the one or more of the at least one server at least partially dependent thereon thereby being subject to the direction of the user. 2. The intermediary of claim 1 wherein each of the at least one server is further operative to perform a third function with respect to each of the at least one client at the direction of a user thereof, the at least one unsolicited function being performed subsequent thereto. 3. The intermediary of claim 1 wherein the interface is further operative to:
intercept a communication transmitted from the first client to a destination prior to the receipt thereby, and one of copy at least a portion of the communication and store the copy in a storage associated with the intermediary, delete the communication, forward the communication to the destination, forward the communication to a different destination, modify at least a portion of the communication and forward the modified communication to the destination, modify at least a portion of the communication and forward the modified communication to a different destination, or combinations thereof; and wherein the interface is further operative to:
intercept a communication transmitted from a source to the first client prior to the receipt thereby, and one of copy at least a portion of the communication and store the copy in the storage, store at least a portion of the communication in the storage, delete the communication, forward the communication to the first client, forward the communication to a different destination, modify at least a portion of the communication and forward the modified communication to the first client, modify at least a portion of the communication and forward the modified communication to a different destination, or combinations thereof. 4. The intermediary of claim 3 further comprising a profile generator coupled with the interface and operative to analyze at least a subset of the stored copies and generate a profile based thereon, the profile comprising the data indicative of previous interaction between the user and at least one of the at least one server. 5. The intermediary of claim 1 wherein the interface is further operative to:
receive a second communication, transmitted to the first client in response to a first communication transmitted by the first client, prior to receipt thereby;
modify at least a portion of the second communication; and
forward the modified second communication to the first client. 6. The intermediary of claim 1 wherein the interface is further operative to:
identify a communication from the first client comprising a request for a first object from a first source; and
one of respond to the request by providing a second object to the first client, forward the communication to a second source, modify the communication to request a second object instead of the first object from one of the first or second sources, or combinations thereof. 7. The intermediary of claim 1 wherein the interface is further operative to:
intercept a communication transmitted from a source to the first client prior to the receipt thereby, the communication comprising data intended by the source to be stored by the first client and provided by the first client to a requestor upon request; and
store the data on behalf of the first client and, on behalf of the first client and according to the direction of the user, provide the data to a requestor upon request. 8. The intermediary of claim 7 wherein the data comprises a cookie. 9. The intermediary of claim 1 wherein the interface is further operative to:
intercept a communication transmitted from a source to the first client prior to the receipt thereby, the communication comprising data intended by the source to be executed by the first client to cause the first client to provide identifying data to a requestor upon request; and
modify the data at the direction of the user to prevent the data from being executed by the first client to cause the first client to provide identifying data to a requestor upon request. 10. The intermediary of claim 9 wherein the interface is further operative to provide the modified data to the first client to be executed thereby to cause the first client to provide non-identifying data to a requestor upon request. 11. A method of facilitating management of unsolicited server operations in a client-server architecture by an intermediary comprising a processor and an interface coupled therewith, the client-server architecture comprising at least one client in communication, via a network, with at least one server, each of the at least one server being operative to perform at least one unsolicited function with respect to each of the at least one client upon which one or more of the at least one server is at least partially dependent to facilitate stateful operation thereof with respect to the respective at least one client, each of the at least one unsolicited function comprising one of a first active function with respect to the respective client comprising provision of server originated data thereto or a second passive function with respect to the respective client comprising obtaining of client originated data therefrom, the method comprising:
causing by the processor via the interface, the interface being in communication, via the network, with at least a first client of the at least one client and at least a first server of the at least one server, according to a direction of a user associated with the first client and derived at least in part from data indicative of previous interaction between the user and at least one of the at least one server, the first server to perform the at least one unsolicited function with respect to the intermediary on behalf of the first client, the stateful operation of the one or more of the at least one server at least partially dependent thereon thereby being subject to the direction of the user. 12. The method of claim 11 wherein each of the at least one server is further operative to perform a third function with respect to each of the at least one client at the direction of a user thereof, the at least one unsolicited function being performed subsequent thereto. 13. The method of claim 11 further comprising:
intercepting a communication transmitted from the first client to a destination prior to the receipt thereby, and one of copying at least a portion of the communication and storing the copy in a storage associated with the intermediary, deleting the communication, forwarding the communication to the destination, forwarding the communication to a different destination, modifying at least a portion of the communication and forwarding the modified communication to the destination, modifying at least a portion of the communication and forwarding the modified communication to a different destination, or combinations thereof; and
intercepting a communication transmitted from a source to the first client prior to the receipt thereby, and one of copying at least a portion of the communication and storing the copy in the storage, storing at least a portion of the communication in the storage, deleting the communication, forwarding the communication to the first client, forwarding the communication to a different destination, modifying at least a portion of the communication and forwarding the modified communication to the first client, modifying at least a portion of the communication and forwarding the modified communication to a different destination, or combinations thereof. 14. The method of claim 11 wherein each of the at least one client is operative to transmit a plurality of communications, each of the plurality of communications of each of the at least one client being characterized by a set of attributes, at least one attribute of the set of attributes characterizing the plurality of communications of the first client being non-unique with respect to a corresponding attribute of another set of attributes characterizing the plurality of communication of another client of the at least one client, but wherein the set of attributes characterizing the plurality of communication of the first client is substantially unique with respect to the set of attributes characterizing the plurality of communications of the other client, the method further comprising modifying, by the processor, one or more attributes of the set of attributes characterizing the plurality of communications of the first client such that the modified set of attributes characterizing the plurality of communications of the first client is not substantially unique with respect to the set of attributes characterizing the plurality of communications of the other client. 15. The method of claim 11 further comprising
receiving a second communication, transmitted to the first client in response to a first communication transmitted by the first client, prior to receipt thereby;
modifying at least a portion of the second communication; and
forwarding the modified second communication to the first client. 16. The method of claim 15 wherein the modifying further comprises modifying at least the portion of the second communication in accordance with the direction of the user. 17. The method of claim 11 further comprising:
identifying a communication from the first client comprising a request for a first object from a first source; and
one of responding to the request by providing a second object to the first client, forwarding the communication to a second source, modifying the communication to request a second object instead of the first object from one of the first or second sources, or combinations thereof. 18. The method of claim 11 further comprising:
intercepting a communication transmitted from a source to the first client prior to the receipt thereby, the communication comprising data intended by the source to be stored by the first client and provided by the first client to a requestor upon request; and
storing the data on behalf of the first client and, on behalf of the first client and according to the direction of the user, providing the data to a requestor upon request. 19. The method of claim 11 further comprising:
intercepting a communication transmitted from a source to the first client prior to the receipt thereby, the communication comprising data intended by the source to be executed by the first client to cause the first client to provide identifying data to a requestor upon request; and
modifying the data at the direction of the user to prevent the data from being executed by the first client to cause the first client to provide identifying data to a requestor upon request. 20. An intermediary for use in a client-server architecture, the client-server architecture comprising at least one client in communication, via a network, with at least one server, each of the at least one server being operative to perform at least one unsolicited function with respect to each of the at least one client upon which one or more of the at least one server is at least partially dependent to facilitate stateful operation thereof with respect to the respective at least one client, each of the at least one unsolicited function comprising one of a first active function with respect to the respective client comprising provision of server originated data thereto or a second passive function with respect to the respective client comprising obtaining of client originated data therefrom, the intermediary comprising a processor and a memory coupled therewith, the intermediary further comprising:
an interface coupled with the processor and the memory and in communication, via the network, with at least a first client of the at least one client and at least a first server of the at least one server; and logic stored in the memory and executable by the processor to, according to a direction of a user associated with the first client and derived at least in part from data indicative of previous interaction between the user and at least one of the at least one server, cause the first server to perform the at least one unsolicited function with respect to the intermediary on behalf of the first client, the stateful operation of the one or more of the at least one server at least partially dependent thereon thereby being subject to the direction of the user. | A trust architecture, including an intermediary for use therewith, which may be referred to as a Personal Privacy Stronghold (“PPS”), is disclosed which facilitates user management, including control, enablement, extension and augmentation, of unsolicited server operations, allowing the user to control such operations without compromising their ability to use other functionality. Such stateful operations may be used, for example, to monitor and track the user's Internet activities.1. An intermediary for use in a client-server architecture, the client-server architecture comprising at least one client in communication, via a network, with at least one server, each of the at least one server being operative to perform at least one unsolicited function with respect to each of the at least one client upon which one or more of the at least one server is at least partially dependent to facilitate stateful operation thereof with respect to the respective at least one client, each of the at least one unsolicited function comprising one of a first active function with respect to the respective client comprising provision of server originated data thereto or a second passive function with respect to the respective client comprising obtaining of client originated data therefrom, the intermediary comprising:
an interface in communication, via the network, with at least a first client of the at least one client and at least a first server of the at least one server and operative to, according to a direction of a user associated with the first client and derived at least in part from data indicative of previous interaction between the user and at least one of the at least one server, cause the first server to perform the at least one unsolicited function with respect to the intermediary on behalf of the first client, the stateful operation of the one or more of the at least one server at least partially dependent thereon thereby being subject to the direction of the user. 2. The intermediary of claim 1 wherein each of the at least one server is further operative to perform a third function with respect to each of the at least one client at the direction of a user thereof, the at least one unsolicited function being performed subsequent thereto. 3. The intermediary of claim 1 wherein the interface is further operative to:
intercept a communication transmitted from the first client to a destination prior to the receipt thereby, and one of copy at least a portion of the communication and store the copy in a storage associated with the intermediary, delete the communication, forward the communication to the destination, forward the communication to a different destination, modify at least a portion of the communication and forward the modified communication to the destination, modify at least a portion of the communication and forward the modified communication to a different destination, or combinations thereof; and wherein the interface is further operative to:
intercept a communication transmitted from a source to the first client prior to the receipt thereby, and one of copy at least a portion of the communication and store the copy in the storage, store at least a portion of the communication in the storage, delete the communication, forward the communication to the first client, forward the communication to a different destination, modify at least a portion of the communication and forward the modified communication to the first client, modify at least a portion of the communication and forward the modified communication to a different destination, or combinations thereof. 4. The intermediary of claim 3 further comprising a profile generator coupled with the interface and operative to analyze at least a subset of the stored copies and generate a profile based thereon, the profile comprising the data indicative of previous interaction between the user and at least one of the at least one server. 5. The intermediary of claim 1 wherein the interface is further operative to:
receive a second communication, transmitted to the first client in response to a first communication transmitted by the first client, prior to receipt thereby;
modify at least a portion of the second communication; and
forward the modified second communication to the first client. 6. The intermediary of claim 1 wherein the interface is further operative to:
identify a communication from the first client comprising a request for a first object from a first source; and
one of respond to the request by providing a second object to the first client, forward the communication to a second source, modify the communication to request a second object instead of the first object from one of the first or second sources, or combinations thereof. 7. The intermediary of claim 1 wherein the interface is further operative to:
intercept a communication transmitted from a source to the first client prior to the receipt thereby, the communication comprising data intended by the source to be stored by the first client and provided by the first client to a requestor upon request; and
store the data on behalf of the first client and, on behalf of the first client and according to the direction of the user, provide the data to a requestor upon request. 8. The intermediary of claim 7 wherein the data comprises a cookie. 9. The intermediary of claim 1 wherein the interface is further operative to:
intercept a communication transmitted from a source to the first client prior to the receipt thereby, the communication comprising data intended by the source to be executed by the first client to cause the first client to provide identifying data to a requestor upon request; and
modify the data at the direction of the user to prevent the data from being executed by the first client to cause the first client to provide identifying data to a requestor upon request. 10. The intermediary of claim 9 wherein the interface is further operative to provide the modified data to the first client to be executed thereby to cause the first client to provide non-identifying data to a requestor upon request. 11. A method of facilitating management of unsolicited server operations in a client-server architecture by an intermediary comprising a processor and an interface coupled therewith, the client-server architecture comprising at least one client in communication, via a network, with at least one server, each of the at least one server being operative to perform at least one unsolicited function with respect to each of the at least one client upon which one or more of the at least one server is at least partially dependent to facilitate stateful operation thereof with respect to the respective at least one client, each of the at least one unsolicited function comprising one of a first active function with respect to the respective client comprising provision of server originated data thereto or a second passive function with respect to the respective client comprising obtaining of client originated data therefrom, the method comprising:
causing by the processor via the interface, the interface being in communication, via the network, with at least a first client of the at least one client and at least a first server of the at least one server, according to a direction of a user associated with the first client and derived at least in part from data indicative of previous interaction between the user and at least one of the at least one server, the first server to perform the at least one unsolicited function with respect to the intermediary on behalf of the first client, the stateful operation of the one or more of the at least one server at least partially dependent thereon thereby being subject to the direction of the user. 12. The method of claim 11 wherein each of the at least one server is further operative to perform a third function with respect to each of the at least one client at the direction of a user thereof, the at least one unsolicited function being performed subsequent thereto. 13. The method of claim 11 further comprising:
intercepting a communication transmitted from the first client to a destination prior to the receipt thereby, and one of copying at least a portion of the communication and storing the copy in a storage associated with the intermediary, deleting the communication, forwarding the communication to the destination, forwarding the communication to a different destination, modifying at least a portion of the communication and forwarding the modified communication to the destination, modifying at least a portion of the communication and forwarding the modified communication to a different destination, or combinations thereof; and
intercepting a communication transmitted from a source to the first client prior to the receipt thereby, and one of copying at least a portion of the communication and storing the copy in the storage, storing at least a portion of the communication in the storage, deleting the communication, forwarding the communication to the first client, forwarding the communication to a different destination, modifying at least a portion of the communication and forwarding the modified communication to the first client, modifying at least a portion of the communication and forwarding the modified communication to a different destination, or combinations thereof. 14. The method of claim 11 wherein each of the at least one client is operative to transmit a plurality of communications, each of the plurality of communications of each of the at least one client being characterized by a set of attributes, at least one attribute of the set of attributes characterizing the plurality of communications of the first client being non-unique with respect to a corresponding attribute of another set of attributes characterizing the plurality of communication of another client of the at least one client, but wherein the set of attributes characterizing the plurality of communication of the first client is substantially unique with respect to the set of attributes characterizing the plurality of communications of the other client, the method further comprising modifying, by the processor, one or more attributes of the set of attributes characterizing the plurality of communications of the first client such that the modified set of attributes characterizing the plurality of communications of the first client is not substantially unique with respect to the set of attributes characterizing the plurality of communications of the other client. 15. The method of claim 11 further comprising
receiving a second communication, transmitted to the first client in response to a first communication transmitted by the first client, prior to receipt thereby;
modifying at least a portion of the second communication; and
forwarding the modified second communication to the first client. 16. The method of claim 15 wherein the modifying further comprises modifying at least the portion of the second communication in accordance with the direction of the user. 17. The method of claim 11 further comprising:
identifying a communication from the first client comprising a request for a first object from a first source; and
one of responding to the request by providing a second object to the first client, forwarding the communication to a second source, modifying the communication to request a second object instead of the first object from one of the first or second sources, or combinations thereof. 18. The method of claim 11 further comprising:
intercepting a communication transmitted from a source to the first client prior to the receipt thereby, the communication comprising data intended by the source to be stored by the first client and provided by the first client to a requestor upon request; and
storing the data on behalf of the first client and, on behalf of the first client and according to the direction of the user, providing the data to a requestor upon request. 19. The method of claim 11 further comprising:
intercepting a communication transmitted from a source to the first client prior to the receipt thereby, the communication comprising data intended by the source to be executed by the first client to cause the first client to provide identifying data to a requestor upon request; and
modifying the data at the direction of the user to prevent the data from being executed by the first client to cause the first client to provide identifying data to a requestor upon request. 20. An intermediary for use in a client-server architecture, the client-server architecture comprising at least one client in communication, via a network, with at least one server, each of the at least one server being operative to perform at least one unsolicited function with respect to each of the at least one client upon which one or more of the at least one server is at least partially dependent to facilitate stateful operation thereof with respect to the respective at least one client, each of the at least one unsolicited function comprising one of a first active function with respect to the respective client comprising provision of server originated data thereto or a second passive function with respect to the respective client comprising obtaining of client originated data therefrom, the intermediary comprising a processor and a memory coupled therewith, the intermediary further comprising:
an interface coupled with the processor and the memory and in communication, via the network, with at least a first client of the at least one client and at least a first server of the at least one server; and logic stored in the memory and executable by the processor to, according to a direction of a user associated with the first client and derived at least in part from data indicative of previous interaction between the user and at least one of the at least one server, cause the first server to perform the at least one unsolicited function with respect to the intermediary on behalf of the first client, the stateful operation of the one or more of the at least one server at least partially dependent thereon thereby being subject to the direction of the user. | 3,600 |
12,674 | 12,674 | 14,464,762 | 3,649 | An eye mask containing a loose filling of beads and an electro-massaging unit positioned in the mask to provide vibratory massage to a user's eye, nose and to the loose filling of beads. | 1. An eye mask, comprising:
a pair of fabric panels each having an interior surface and an exterior surface, joined to form a closed pouch; a plurality of beads substantially filling said pouch; and an electro-vibration unit mounted on the interior surface of at least one of said panels. 2. The eye mask of claim 1 wherein the electro-vibration unit comprises a rechargeable power source, electrically connected to motors positioned on the interior surface of one of the said panels. 3. The eye mask of claim 1 wherein the electro-vibration unit is mounted on the interior surface of the one of said panels that would normally contact a user's eye. 4. The eye mask of claim 1 wherein the pair of fabric panels are stretchable and/or about 92% cotton, about 8% spandex. 5. The eye mask of claim 1 wherein the mask has an on/off switch associated with said electro-vibration unit. 6. The eye mask of claim 3 wherein the interior surface of the one of said eye panels that would normally contact the user's eye has a layer of stretchable fabric covering its electro-vibration unit. 7. The eye mask of claim 6 wherein motors are positioned to provide vibration to each of a user's eyes. 8. The eye mask of claim 7 wherein at least one motor is positioned to provide vibration to a user's olfactory nerve. 9. The eye mask of claim of claim 8 wherein the beads are ergobeads. 10. In an eye mask comprising:
a filling of loose beads, the improvement comprising an electro-massage unit positioned to provide vibratory therapy to a user's eye and vibration to the loose filling of said beads. 11. The eye mask of claim 10 wherein the beads are ergobeads. | An eye mask containing a loose filling of beads and an electro-massaging unit positioned in the mask to provide vibratory massage to a user's eye, nose and to the loose filling of beads.1. An eye mask, comprising:
a pair of fabric panels each having an interior surface and an exterior surface, joined to form a closed pouch; a plurality of beads substantially filling said pouch; and an electro-vibration unit mounted on the interior surface of at least one of said panels. 2. The eye mask of claim 1 wherein the electro-vibration unit comprises a rechargeable power source, electrically connected to motors positioned on the interior surface of one of the said panels. 3. The eye mask of claim 1 wherein the electro-vibration unit is mounted on the interior surface of the one of said panels that would normally contact a user's eye. 4. The eye mask of claim 1 wherein the pair of fabric panels are stretchable and/or about 92% cotton, about 8% spandex. 5. The eye mask of claim 1 wherein the mask has an on/off switch associated with said electro-vibration unit. 6. The eye mask of claim 3 wherein the interior surface of the one of said eye panels that would normally contact the user's eye has a layer of stretchable fabric covering its electro-vibration unit. 7. The eye mask of claim 6 wherein motors are positioned to provide vibration to each of a user's eyes. 8. The eye mask of claim 7 wherein at least one motor is positioned to provide vibration to a user's olfactory nerve. 9. The eye mask of claim of claim 8 wherein the beads are ergobeads. 10. In an eye mask comprising:
a filling of loose beads, the improvement comprising an electro-massage unit positioned to provide vibratory therapy to a user's eye and vibration to the loose filling of said beads. 11. The eye mask of claim 10 wherein the beads are ergobeads. | 3,600 |
12,675 | 12,675 | 13,462,178 | 3,627 | According to embodiments described in the specification, a method, system and apparatus for integrating warehouse management and order management are provided. The method comprises: maintaining, in a memory connected to a first server, a first data store comprising a plurality of records representing one or more items at a production site; detecting an event at the first server, the event comprising an update to the first data store; in response to detecting the event, determining whether a further action is required to send at least one outgoing message to one or more of a second server and a third server; and, when the determination is affirmative, generating a the outgoing message and transmitting the message to the one or more of the second server and the third server. | 1. A method, comprising:
maintaining, in a memory connected to a first server, a first data store comprising a plurality of records representing one or more items at a production site; detecting an event at the first server, the event comprising an update to the first data store; in response to detecting the event, determining whether to send at least one outgoing message to one or more of a second server and a third server; and, when the determination is affirmative, generating the outgoing message and transmitting the message to the one or more of the second server and the third server. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one outgoing message causes an update to a data store at the one or more of the second server and the third server. 3. The method of claim 2, wherein the first server is a contract packager server, the second server is an enterprise management server, and the third server is a warehouse management server. 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the update to the first data store comprises the storage of an order received from the second server for a specified quantity of a finished good item. 5. The method of claim 4, wherein the determination comprises determining whether sufficient subcomponent items are available to produce the specified quantity of the finished good item. 6. The method of claim 5, wherein, when the determination is negative, the outgoing message comprises a request for a determined quantity of subcomponent items. 7. The method of claim 1, wherein the update to the first data store comprises the storage of data representing an inventory transfer, and wherein the determination comprises determining whether the inventory transfer has been validated. 8. The method of claim 7, wherein the data representing the inventory transfer comprises a validation flag, and wherein the determination comprises examining the state of the validation flag. 9. The method of claim 1, wherein the update to the first data store comprises the storage of data representing the production of a finished good from at least one subcomponent, and wherein the determination comprises determining whether the production has been reconciled. 10. The method of claim 9, wherein the data representing the production comprises a reconciliation flag, and wherein the determination comprises examining the state of the reconciliation flag. 11. A server, comprising:
a processor; and a network interface for connecting to a first data store comprising a plurality of records representing one or more items at a production site; the processor configured to perform the method of claim 1. 12. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing a plurality of computer-readable instructions executable by a processor, the computer-readable instructions for performing the method of claim 1. | According to embodiments described in the specification, a method, system and apparatus for integrating warehouse management and order management are provided. The method comprises: maintaining, in a memory connected to a first server, a first data store comprising a plurality of records representing one or more items at a production site; detecting an event at the first server, the event comprising an update to the first data store; in response to detecting the event, determining whether a further action is required to send at least one outgoing message to one or more of a second server and a third server; and, when the determination is affirmative, generating a the outgoing message and transmitting the message to the one or more of the second server and the third server.1. A method, comprising:
maintaining, in a memory connected to a first server, a first data store comprising a plurality of records representing one or more items at a production site; detecting an event at the first server, the event comprising an update to the first data store; in response to detecting the event, determining whether to send at least one outgoing message to one or more of a second server and a third server; and, when the determination is affirmative, generating the outgoing message and transmitting the message to the one or more of the second server and the third server. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one outgoing message causes an update to a data store at the one or more of the second server and the third server. 3. The method of claim 2, wherein the first server is a contract packager server, the second server is an enterprise management server, and the third server is a warehouse management server. 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the update to the first data store comprises the storage of an order received from the second server for a specified quantity of a finished good item. 5. The method of claim 4, wherein the determination comprises determining whether sufficient subcomponent items are available to produce the specified quantity of the finished good item. 6. The method of claim 5, wherein, when the determination is negative, the outgoing message comprises a request for a determined quantity of subcomponent items. 7. The method of claim 1, wherein the update to the first data store comprises the storage of data representing an inventory transfer, and wherein the determination comprises determining whether the inventory transfer has been validated. 8. The method of claim 7, wherein the data representing the inventory transfer comprises a validation flag, and wherein the determination comprises examining the state of the validation flag. 9. The method of claim 1, wherein the update to the first data store comprises the storage of data representing the production of a finished good from at least one subcomponent, and wherein the determination comprises determining whether the production has been reconciled. 10. The method of claim 9, wherein the data representing the production comprises a reconciliation flag, and wherein the determination comprises examining the state of the reconciliation flag. 11. A server, comprising:
a processor; and a network interface for connecting to a first data store comprising a plurality of records representing one or more items at a production site; the processor configured to perform the method of claim 1. 12. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing a plurality of computer-readable instructions executable by a processor, the computer-readable instructions for performing the method of claim 1. | 3,600 |
12,676 | 12,676 | 12,566,452 | 3,692 | An insurance policy management computing system ( 201 ) stores a legally-binding insurance policy as a read-only document including the complete policy history. To facilitate revisions to the policy, the computing system ( 201 ) provides an opportunity ( 202 ) to revise an insurance policy and recalls ( 203 ) the currently legally-binding insurance policy. Since the legally-binding insurance policy is a read-only document, the computing system ( 201 ) uses the legally-binding policy to generate an editable version that is a complete copy of the legally-binding policy. Once the editable version of the insurance policy has been generated, the input revisions can be incorporated into the policy and then, the revised version of the insurance policy is saved as a read-only, now-current version of the insurance policy. The new legally-binding insurance policy has a new creation and effective dates of the various policy elements. To evaluate the insurance policy, the most recently bound legally-binding insurance policy is accessed and that document contains the currently effective policy, as well as the policy history. | 1. An apparatus comprising:
an end-user interface; a memory; a processor operably coupled to the end-user interface and the memory and being configured to:
provide an end user with an opportunity to revise a first version of an insurance policy that comprises a current version of the insurance policy, wherein the first version has a corresponding creation date stored therewith in the memory and wherein the first version comprises a plurality of policy elements each having corresponding effective dates and fixed identifiers;
in preparation to revise the first version of the insurance policy, recall from the memory the first version of the insurance policy and using the first version of the insurance policy to generate an editable version comprising a copy of the first version of the insurance policy wherein corresponding policy elements of the insurance policy in the first version and in the editable version have identical corresponding fixed identifiers;
use input as entered by the end user via the end-user interface to revise the editable version to thereby provide a revised version;
use the memory to store the revised version as a now-current version of the insurance policy along with a corresponding creation date and at least one new corresponding effective date;
retain the first version of the insurance policy in the memory notwithstanding that the first version of the insurance policy is no longer presently legally effective. 2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the memory has stored therein a record of prior revisions to the insurance policy. 3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the record of prior revisions to the insurance policy comprises a complete record of all prior revisions to the insurance policy. 4. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein the complete record of all prior revisions to the insurance policy comprises a record of the first version of the insurance policy and each revised version of the insurance policy that was legally effective for some period of time. 5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the versions of the insurance policy as stored in the memory and having a corresponding effective date comprise read-only files. 6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the processor is configured to use the memory to store the revised version as the now-current version of the insurance policy along with a corresponding creation date and at least one new corresponding effective date in response to binding of the revised version as a current instantiation of the insurance policy. 7. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the processor is further configured to:
receive information via the end-user interface regarding an effective date of change;
automatically processing the now-current version of the insurance policy to determine a plurality of policy elements that are effective on the effective date of change;
modify at least a selected one of the plurality of policy elements that are effective on the effective date of change to thereby produce a first policy element and a second policy element, wherein the first policy element represents the at least a selected one of the policy elements before modification and the second policy element represents the at least a selected one of the policy elements after modification; and
set an end effective date of the first policy element to the effective date of change and a start effective date of the second policy element to the effective date of change. 8. The apparatus of claim 7 further comprising automatically prorating costs related to modification of the policy elements to account for changes to the corresponding effective dates of the plurality of policy elements that are effective on the effective date of change. 9. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the processor is further configured to:
permit the end user to view the policy elements of the editable version of the insurance policy as pertain to a period of effective time;
for at least a given one of the policy elements, permitting the user to modify at least one of the policy element and the revision of the policy element as pertain to that period of effective time in the editable version of the insurance policy. 10. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the processor is further configured to:
permit the end user to view at least one revision to the policy elements as pertains to a period of time. 11. A digital memory having stored therein computer instructions configured to cause a computer to:
provide an end user with an opportunity to revise a current instantiation of an insurance policy; in preparation to revise the current instantiation of the insurance policy, recall from a memory a version comprising the current instantiation of the insurance policy to thereby provide a copy of the version; use input as entered by the end user via an end-user interface to revise the copy of the version to thereby provide a revised version; store the revised version as the current instantiation of the insurance policy; retain the version in storage notwithstanding that the version is no longer presently legally effective. 12. An apparatus comprising:
an end-user interface; a memory having stored therein a plurality of versions as each corresponds to earlier instantiations of an insurance policy including a current version of the insurance policy; a processor operably coupled to the end-user interface and the memory and being configured to:
provide an end user with an opportunity to revise a current version of an insurance policy, wherein the current version has a corresponding creation date stored therewith in the memory and wherein the current version comprises a plurality of policy elements each having corresponding effective dates;
in preparation to revise the current version of the insurance policy, recall from the memory the current version of the insurance policy and using the current version of the insurance policy to generate an editable version comprising a copy of the current version of the insurance policy;
use input as entered by the end user via the end-user interface to revise the editable version to thereby provide a revised version;
use the memory to store the revised version as a now-current version of the insurance policy along with a corresponding creation date and at least one new corresponding policy element effective date;
retain the current version of the insurance policy in the memory notwithstanding that the current version of the insurance policy is at least partially supplanted by the now-current version of the insurance policy. 13. A method comprising:
at an insurance policy management computing system:
provide an end user, via an end-user interface to the insurance policy management computing system, with an opportunity to revise a first version of an insurance policy that comprises a current version of the insurance policy, wherein the first version has a corresponding creation date stored therewith in a memory and wherein the first version comprises a plurality of policy elements each having corresponding effective dates;
in preparation to revise the first version of the insurance policy, recall from the memory the first version of the insurance policy and using the first version of the insurance policy to generate an editable version comprising a copy of the first version of the insurance policy;
use input as entered by the end user via the end-user interface to revise the editable version to thereby provide a revised version;
use the memory to store the revised version as a now-current version of the insurance policy along with a corresponding creation date and at least one new corresponding effective date;
retain the first version of the insurance policy in the memory notwithstanding that the first version of the insurance policy is no longer presently legally effective. 14. An apparatus comprising:
an end-user interface; a digital memory;
wherein the digital memory has stored therein insurance policies, the insurance policies being comprised of a plurality of policy elements, at least some of the plurality of policy elements having a fixed identifier associated therewith, wherein the fixed identifiers are consistent across an insurance policy such that corresponding policy elements have corresponding fixed identifiers;
a processor operably coupled to the end-user interface and the digital memory and being configured to:
provide an end user with an opportunity to revise a current version of an insurance policy wherein the current version has effective dates for the plurality of policy elements stored therewith in the digital memory;
in preparation to revise the current version of the insurance policy, recall from the digital memory the current version of the insurance policy and using the current version of the insurance policy to generate an editable version comprising a copy of the current version of the insurance policy wherein the fixed identifier for each of the plurality of policy elements of the current version corresponds to the fixed identifier for each of the plurality of policy elements of the editable version;
provide an opportunity via the end-user interface to edit the editable version and input an edit along with an edit effective date of when the edit becomes effective;
compare the edit effective date and effective dates for previously entered revisions;
when the edit effective date is earlier than any effective date of the previously entered revisions, notifying the end-user through the end-user interface that the edit is an out-of-sequence revision. 15. The apparatus of claim 14 wherein the input edit has edited policy elements associated therewith, and wherein the processor is further configured to:
when the end-user elects to continue the out-of-sequence revision, use the fixed identifiers to identify substantive interpretive conflicts between the edited and the current version of the insurance policy. 16. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein identifying substantive interpretive conflicts between the edited and the current version of the insurance policy comprises assessing a level of conflict of the out-of-sequence revision and the current version of the insurance policy. 17. The apparatus of claim 16 wherein the processor is further configured to, upon identifying at least one substantive interpretive conflict, prompt the end-user to resolve the conflict. 18. An apparatus comprising:
an end-user interface; a digital memory;
wherein the digital memory has stored therein insurance policies, the insurance policies being comprised of a plurality of elements, at least some of the plurality of elements each having a fixed identifier associated therewith, wherein the fixed identifiers are consistent across various stored versions of an insurance policy such that corresponding policy elements have corresponding fixed identifiers;
a processor operably coupled to the end-user interface and the digital memory and being configured to:
provide an end user with an opportunity via the end-user interface to edit an insurance policy and input an edit effective date corresponding to a policy edit, the policy edit having revision policy elements associated therewith;
compare the revision policy elements with corresponding policy elements of the insurance policy based on the fixed identifiers; and
ascertain a level of similarity between the revision policy elements and the corresponding policy elements of the insurance policy. 19. The apparatus of claim 18 wherein the processor is further configured to:
recall a legally-binding version of the insurance policy from the digital memory and use the legally-binding version of the insurance policy to generate an editable version of the insurance policy, in preparation to revise the insurance policy; and
compare the editable version of the insurance policy with a now-current version of the insurance policy prior to saving the editable version of the insurance policy as a now-current, legally-binding insurance policy to determine if the editable version has been pre-empted since the insurance policy has been recalled from the digital memory. 20. The apparatus of claim 18 wherein the processor is configured to compare the revision policy elements with the corresponding policy elements of the insurance policy by ascertaining differences between the revision policy elements and a currently legally-binding version of the insurance policy to determine whether an edit conflict is present. 21. The apparatus of claim 20 wherein the processor is further configured to provide the end-user with a prompted opportunity to resolve the edit conflict when the edit conflict is present. | An insurance policy management computing system ( 201 ) stores a legally-binding insurance policy as a read-only document including the complete policy history. To facilitate revisions to the policy, the computing system ( 201 ) provides an opportunity ( 202 ) to revise an insurance policy and recalls ( 203 ) the currently legally-binding insurance policy. Since the legally-binding insurance policy is a read-only document, the computing system ( 201 ) uses the legally-binding policy to generate an editable version that is a complete copy of the legally-binding policy. Once the editable version of the insurance policy has been generated, the input revisions can be incorporated into the policy and then, the revised version of the insurance policy is saved as a read-only, now-current version of the insurance policy. The new legally-binding insurance policy has a new creation and effective dates of the various policy elements. To evaluate the insurance policy, the most recently bound legally-binding insurance policy is accessed and that document contains the currently effective policy, as well as the policy history.1. An apparatus comprising:
an end-user interface; a memory; a processor operably coupled to the end-user interface and the memory and being configured to:
provide an end user with an opportunity to revise a first version of an insurance policy that comprises a current version of the insurance policy, wherein the first version has a corresponding creation date stored therewith in the memory and wherein the first version comprises a plurality of policy elements each having corresponding effective dates and fixed identifiers;
in preparation to revise the first version of the insurance policy, recall from the memory the first version of the insurance policy and using the first version of the insurance policy to generate an editable version comprising a copy of the first version of the insurance policy wherein corresponding policy elements of the insurance policy in the first version and in the editable version have identical corresponding fixed identifiers;
use input as entered by the end user via the end-user interface to revise the editable version to thereby provide a revised version;
use the memory to store the revised version as a now-current version of the insurance policy along with a corresponding creation date and at least one new corresponding effective date;
retain the first version of the insurance policy in the memory notwithstanding that the first version of the insurance policy is no longer presently legally effective. 2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the memory has stored therein a record of prior revisions to the insurance policy. 3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the record of prior revisions to the insurance policy comprises a complete record of all prior revisions to the insurance policy. 4. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein the complete record of all prior revisions to the insurance policy comprises a record of the first version of the insurance policy and each revised version of the insurance policy that was legally effective for some period of time. 5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the versions of the insurance policy as stored in the memory and having a corresponding effective date comprise read-only files. 6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the processor is configured to use the memory to store the revised version as the now-current version of the insurance policy along with a corresponding creation date and at least one new corresponding effective date in response to binding of the revised version as a current instantiation of the insurance policy. 7. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the processor is further configured to:
receive information via the end-user interface regarding an effective date of change;
automatically processing the now-current version of the insurance policy to determine a plurality of policy elements that are effective on the effective date of change;
modify at least a selected one of the plurality of policy elements that are effective on the effective date of change to thereby produce a first policy element and a second policy element, wherein the first policy element represents the at least a selected one of the policy elements before modification and the second policy element represents the at least a selected one of the policy elements after modification; and
set an end effective date of the first policy element to the effective date of change and a start effective date of the second policy element to the effective date of change. 8. The apparatus of claim 7 further comprising automatically prorating costs related to modification of the policy elements to account for changes to the corresponding effective dates of the plurality of policy elements that are effective on the effective date of change. 9. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the processor is further configured to:
permit the end user to view the policy elements of the editable version of the insurance policy as pertain to a period of effective time;
for at least a given one of the policy elements, permitting the user to modify at least one of the policy element and the revision of the policy element as pertain to that period of effective time in the editable version of the insurance policy. 10. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the processor is further configured to:
permit the end user to view at least one revision to the policy elements as pertains to a period of time. 11. A digital memory having stored therein computer instructions configured to cause a computer to:
provide an end user with an opportunity to revise a current instantiation of an insurance policy; in preparation to revise the current instantiation of the insurance policy, recall from a memory a version comprising the current instantiation of the insurance policy to thereby provide a copy of the version; use input as entered by the end user via an end-user interface to revise the copy of the version to thereby provide a revised version; store the revised version as the current instantiation of the insurance policy; retain the version in storage notwithstanding that the version is no longer presently legally effective. 12. An apparatus comprising:
an end-user interface; a memory having stored therein a plurality of versions as each corresponds to earlier instantiations of an insurance policy including a current version of the insurance policy; a processor operably coupled to the end-user interface and the memory and being configured to:
provide an end user with an opportunity to revise a current version of an insurance policy, wherein the current version has a corresponding creation date stored therewith in the memory and wherein the current version comprises a plurality of policy elements each having corresponding effective dates;
in preparation to revise the current version of the insurance policy, recall from the memory the current version of the insurance policy and using the current version of the insurance policy to generate an editable version comprising a copy of the current version of the insurance policy;
use input as entered by the end user via the end-user interface to revise the editable version to thereby provide a revised version;
use the memory to store the revised version as a now-current version of the insurance policy along with a corresponding creation date and at least one new corresponding policy element effective date;
retain the current version of the insurance policy in the memory notwithstanding that the current version of the insurance policy is at least partially supplanted by the now-current version of the insurance policy. 13. A method comprising:
at an insurance policy management computing system:
provide an end user, via an end-user interface to the insurance policy management computing system, with an opportunity to revise a first version of an insurance policy that comprises a current version of the insurance policy, wherein the first version has a corresponding creation date stored therewith in a memory and wherein the first version comprises a plurality of policy elements each having corresponding effective dates;
in preparation to revise the first version of the insurance policy, recall from the memory the first version of the insurance policy and using the first version of the insurance policy to generate an editable version comprising a copy of the first version of the insurance policy;
use input as entered by the end user via the end-user interface to revise the editable version to thereby provide a revised version;
use the memory to store the revised version as a now-current version of the insurance policy along with a corresponding creation date and at least one new corresponding effective date;
retain the first version of the insurance policy in the memory notwithstanding that the first version of the insurance policy is no longer presently legally effective. 14. An apparatus comprising:
an end-user interface; a digital memory;
wherein the digital memory has stored therein insurance policies, the insurance policies being comprised of a plurality of policy elements, at least some of the plurality of policy elements having a fixed identifier associated therewith, wherein the fixed identifiers are consistent across an insurance policy such that corresponding policy elements have corresponding fixed identifiers;
a processor operably coupled to the end-user interface and the digital memory and being configured to:
provide an end user with an opportunity to revise a current version of an insurance policy wherein the current version has effective dates for the plurality of policy elements stored therewith in the digital memory;
in preparation to revise the current version of the insurance policy, recall from the digital memory the current version of the insurance policy and using the current version of the insurance policy to generate an editable version comprising a copy of the current version of the insurance policy wherein the fixed identifier for each of the plurality of policy elements of the current version corresponds to the fixed identifier for each of the plurality of policy elements of the editable version;
provide an opportunity via the end-user interface to edit the editable version and input an edit along with an edit effective date of when the edit becomes effective;
compare the edit effective date and effective dates for previously entered revisions;
when the edit effective date is earlier than any effective date of the previously entered revisions, notifying the end-user through the end-user interface that the edit is an out-of-sequence revision. 15. The apparatus of claim 14 wherein the input edit has edited policy elements associated therewith, and wherein the processor is further configured to:
when the end-user elects to continue the out-of-sequence revision, use the fixed identifiers to identify substantive interpretive conflicts between the edited and the current version of the insurance policy. 16. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein identifying substantive interpretive conflicts between the edited and the current version of the insurance policy comprises assessing a level of conflict of the out-of-sequence revision and the current version of the insurance policy. 17. The apparatus of claim 16 wherein the processor is further configured to, upon identifying at least one substantive interpretive conflict, prompt the end-user to resolve the conflict. 18. An apparatus comprising:
an end-user interface; a digital memory;
wherein the digital memory has stored therein insurance policies, the insurance policies being comprised of a plurality of elements, at least some of the plurality of elements each having a fixed identifier associated therewith, wherein the fixed identifiers are consistent across various stored versions of an insurance policy such that corresponding policy elements have corresponding fixed identifiers;
a processor operably coupled to the end-user interface and the digital memory and being configured to:
provide an end user with an opportunity via the end-user interface to edit an insurance policy and input an edit effective date corresponding to a policy edit, the policy edit having revision policy elements associated therewith;
compare the revision policy elements with corresponding policy elements of the insurance policy based on the fixed identifiers; and
ascertain a level of similarity between the revision policy elements and the corresponding policy elements of the insurance policy. 19. The apparatus of claim 18 wherein the processor is further configured to:
recall a legally-binding version of the insurance policy from the digital memory and use the legally-binding version of the insurance policy to generate an editable version of the insurance policy, in preparation to revise the insurance policy; and
compare the editable version of the insurance policy with a now-current version of the insurance policy prior to saving the editable version of the insurance policy as a now-current, legally-binding insurance policy to determine if the editable version has been pre-empted since the insurance policy has been recalled from the digital memory. 20. The apparatus of claim 18 wherein the processor is configured to compare the revision policy elements with the corresponding policy elements of the insurance policy by ascertaining differences between the revision policy elements and a currently legally-binding version of the insurance policy to determine whether an edit conflict is present. 21. The apparatus of claim 20 wherein the processor is further configured to provide the end-user with a prompted opportunity to resolve the edit conflict when the edit conflict is present. | 3,600 |
12,677 | 12,677 | 14,868,422 | 3,643 | A system and method are provided for indoor agriculture using at least one growth chamber illuminated by laser light. In an example embodiment of the agriculture system, a growth chamber is provided having one or more walls defining an interior portion of the growth chamber. The agriculture system may include a removable tray disposed within the interior portion of the growth chamber. The agriculture system also includes a light source, which may be disposed outside the growth chamber. The one or more walls may include at least one aperture. The light source is configured to illuminate at least a part of the interior portion of the growth chamber. In embodiments in which the light source is disposed outside the growth chamber, the light source is configured to transmit the laser light to the interior portion of the growth chamber via the at least one aperture. | 1. An agriculture system comprising:
a growth chamber having one or more walls defining an interior portion of the growth chamber; a tray disposed within the interior portion of the growth chamber, the tray configured to support growth media and one or more agriculture products; and a light source configured to illuminate at least a part of the interior portion of the growth chamber with laser light. 2. The agriculture system of claim 1,
wherein the light source is disposed outside the growth chamber, wherein at least one of the one or more walls includes at least one aperture configured to communicate the laser light from outside the growth chamber into the interior portion of the growth chamber, and wherein the light source is configured to transmit the laser light into the interior portion of the growth chamber via one or more optical elements and the at least one aperture. 3-4. (canceled) 5. The agriculture system of claim 1, further comprising:
a diffuser suspended within the interior portion of the growth chamber and configured to scatter laser light; and a collimator disposed within the enclosed chamber and configured to convey laser light to the diffuser. 6-7. (canceled) 8. The agriculture system of claim 1, further comprising:
one or more additional trays disposed within the interior portion of the growth chamber; and one or more optical elements configured to direct laser light received from the light source towards the tray and the one or more additional trays. 9. The agriculture system of claim 1, further comprising:
a computer configured to control wavelengths and intensity of laser light from the light source. 10. The agriculture system of claim 1, wherein the light source is configured to produce continuous wave laser light. 11. The agriculture system of claim 10, wherein the light source comprises at least one of: a diode-pumped solid-state laser, a gas laser, a dye laser, or a semiconductor diode laser. 12. The agriculture system of claim 1, wherein the light source is configured to produce pulsed laser light. 13. The agriculture system of claim 12, wherein the light source comprises at least one of: a Q-switched laser, a mode-locked laser, a continuous wave laser light source with an on-off stage modulated by a function generator, or a continuous wave laser light source with an injection current modulated by a driver circuit. 14. The agriculture system of claim 1, wherein the light source comprises a tunable laser light source. 15. The agriculture system of claim 1, wherein the light source comprises one or more semiconductor diode lasers arranged in a panel or a bulb. 16. The agriculture system of claim 1, wherein the light source is configured to emit laser light at one or more predetermined wavelengths, and wherein the one or more predetermined wavelengths include:
a wavelength within the range of 440 nm to 490 nm; a wavelength within the range of 650 nm to 680 nm a wavelength less than or equal to 380 nm; a wavelength less than or equal to 300 nm; a wavelength less than or equal to 300 nm; or a wavelength between 220 nm and 300 nm. 17-21. (canceled) 22. The agriculture system of claim 1, wherein the light source is configured to generate laser light with a fluent within the range of 80 μmolm−2s−1 to 400 μmolm−2s−1. 23. The agriculture system of claim 1, wherein an inner wall lining of at least one wall of the growth chamber comprises:
at least one reflective material selected from the group consisting of SiO2, Si3N4, aluminum, or chrome plating; at least one metallic material; at least one dielectric material; or a combination thereof. 24-25. (canceled) 26. The agriculture system of claim 1, wherein an upper portion of the enclosed chamber comprises a water condensation tower. 27. The agriculture system of claim 1, further comprising:
a heating and cooling system configured to regulate temperature within the growth chamber. 28-30. (canceled) 31. The agriculture system of claim 1, further comprising:
a humidifier configured to regulate humidity within the growth chamber. 32-34. (canceled) 35. An agriculture system comprising:
a growth chamber having one or more walls defining an interior portion of the growth chamber, at least one of the one or more walls including at least one aperture configured to communicate artificial light from outside the growth chamber into the interior portion of the growth chamber; and an artificial light source disposed outside the growth chamber; and one or more optical elements configured to communicate artificial light from the artificial light source, via the at least one aperture, into the interior portion of the growth chamber. 36-67. (canceled) 68. A method for growing agriculture products in a growth chamber that has at least one aperture configured to communicate laser light from outside the growth chamber to an interior portion of the growth chamber, the method comprising:
generating visible laser light by a laser light source disposed outside the growth chamber; and guiding the visible laser light through the at least one aperture to illuminate the interior portion of the growth chamber. 69-84. (canceled) 85. The method of claim 68, further comprising:
generating ultraviolet laser light by the light source; and guiding the ultraviolet laser light through the at least one aperture to sterilize the interior portion of the growth chamber. 86-90. (canceled) | A system and method are provided for indoor agriculture using at least one growth chamber illuminated by laser light. In an example embodiment of the agriculture system, a growth chamber is provided having one or more walls defining an interior portion of the growth chamber. The agriculture system may include a removable tray disposed within the interior portion of the growth chamber. The agriculture system also includes a light source, which may be disposed outside the growth chamber. The one or more walls may include at least one aperture. The light source is configured to illuminate at least a part of the interior portion of the growth chamber. In embodiments in which the light source is disposed outside the growth chamber, the light source is configured to transmit the laser light to the interior portion of the growth chamber via the at least one aperture.1. An agriculture system comprising:
a growth chamber having one or more walls defining an interior portion of the growth chamber; a tray disposed within the interior portion of the growth chamber, the tray configured to support growth media and one or more agriculture products; and a light source configured to illuminate at least a part of the interior portion of the growth chamber with laser light. 2. The agriculture system of claim 1,
wherein the light source is disposed outside the growth chamber, wherein at least one of the one or more walls includes at least one aperture configured to communicate the laser light from outside the growth chamber into the interior portion of the growth chamber, and wherein the light source is configured to transmit the laser light into the interior portion of the growth chamber via one or more optical elements and the at least one aperture. 3-4. (canceled) 5. The agriculture system of claim 1, further comprising:
a diffuser suspended within the interior portion of the growth chamber and configured to scatter laser light; and a collimator disposed within the enclosed chamber and configured to convey laser light to the diffuser. 6-7. (canceled) 8. The agriculture system of claim 1, further comprising:
one or more additional trays disposed within the interior portion of the growth chamber; and one or more optical elements configured to direct laser light received from the light source towards the tray and the one or more additional trays. 9. The agriculture system of claim 1, further comprising:
a computer configured to control wavelengths and intensity of laser light from the light source. 10. The agriculture system of claim 1, wherein the light source is configured to produce continuous wave laser light. 11. The agriculture system of claim 10, wherein the light source comprises at least one of: a diode-pumped solid-state laser, a gas laser, a dye laser, or a semiconductor diode laser. 12. The agriculture system of claim 1, wherein the light source is configured to produce pulsed laser light. 13. The agriculture system of claim 12, wherein the light source comprises at least one of: a Q-switched laser, a mode-locked laser, a continuous wave laser light source with an on-off stage modulated by a function generator, or a continuous wave laser light source with an injection current modulated by a driver circuit. 14. The agriculture system of claim 1, wherein the light source comprises a tunable laser light source. 15. The agriculture system of claim 1, wherein the light source comprises one or more semiconductor diode lasers arranged in a panel or a bulb. 16. The agriculture system of claim 1, wherein the light source is configured to emit laser light at one or more predetermined wavelengths, and wherein the one or more predetermined wavelengths include:
a wavelength within the range of 440 nm to 490 nm; a wavelength within the range of 650 nm to 680 nm a wavelength less than or equal to 380 nm; a wavelength less than or equal to 300 nm; a wavelength less than or equal to 300 nm; or a wavelength between 220 nm and 300 nm. 17-21. (canceled) 22. The agriculture system of claim 1, wherein the light source is configured to generate laser light with a fluent within the range of 80 μmolm−2s−1 to 400 μmolm−2s−1. 23. The agriculture system of claim 1, wherein an inner wall lining of at least one wall of the growth chamber comprises:
at least one reflective material selected from the group consisting of SiO2, Si3N4, aluminum, or chrome plating; at least one metallic material; at least one dielectric material; or a combination thereof. 24-25. (canceled) 26. The agriculture system of claim 1, wherein an upper portion of the enclosed chamber comprises a water condensation tower. 27. The agriculture system of claim 1, further comprising:
a heating and cooling system configured to regulate temperature within the growth chamber. 28-30. (canceled) 31. The agriculture system of claim 1, further comprising:
a humidifier configured to regulate humidity within the growth chamber. 32-34. (canceled) 35. An agriculture system comprising:
a growth chamber having one or more walls defining an interior portion of the growth chamber, at least one of the one or more walls including at least one aperture configured to communicate artificial light from outside the growth chamber into the interior portion of the growth chamber; and an artificial light source disposed outside the growth chamber; and one or more optical elements configured to communicate artificial light from the artificial light source, via the at least one aperture, into the interior portion of the growth chamber. 36-67. (canceled) 68. A method for growing agriculture products in a growth chamber that has at least one aperture configured to communicate laser light from outside the growth chamber to an interior portion of the growth chamber, the method comprising:
generating visible laser light by a laser light source disposed outside the growth chamber; and guiding the visible laser light through the at least one aperture to illuminate the interior portion of the growth chamber. 69-84. (canceled) 85. The method of claim 68, further comprising:
generating ultraviolet laser light by the light source; and guiding the ultraviolet laser light through the at least one aperture to sterilize the interior portion of the growth chamber. 86-90. (canceled) | 3,600 |
12,678 | 12,678 | 13,831,758 | 3,624 | A server for providing scheduling services to at least two remote devices includes a communications interface for transmitting scheduling options to the at least two remote devices and receiving user inputs from the at least two remote devices. The server further includes a processing circuit configured to manage scheduling services for the at least two remote devices. In one embodiment, the server provides scheduling services for two users, allowing the two users to schedule an appointment with each other. In another embodiment, the server provides scheduling services for a first user and a plurality of second users, allowing the multiple users to schedule an appointment with one another. | 1. A method for providing a scheduling service to two remote devices, comprising:
receiving a request from a first remote device to generate an appointment request, wherein the request comprises two or more possible appointment times; transmitting the appointment request including the two or more possible appointment times to the second remote device; receiving a selection of an appointment time from the two or more possible appointment times from the second remote device; transmitting an indication of the selection of the appointment time to the first remote device; and synchronizing the appointment between the two remote devices. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the two remote devices are configured to display the appointment request and appointment time information via a graphical user interface;
wherein receiving a request from the first remote device and selection from the second remote device comprises receiving a user input via the graphical user interface; wherein the graphical user interface is configured to display calendar data relevant to the appointment request and appointment time information. 3. The method of claim 2, wherein the graphical user interface is configured to synchronize with one or more calendar-based applications of the two remote devices;
wherein transmitting the appointment request to the second remote device further comprises:
creating a calendar appointment including a first status for the one or more calendar-based applications for each of the two or more possible appointment times. 4. The method of claim 3, wherein transmitting an indication of the selection of the appointment time to the first remote device comprises:
creating a calendar appointment including a second status for the one or more calendar-based applications for the selected appointment time. 5. The method of claim 4, wherein the first status is “tentative” and the second status is “confirmed”. 6. The method of claim 1, wherein the two remote devices are mobile devices. 7. The method of claim 1, wherein the first remote device is a mobile device and the second remote device is a non-mobile device. 8. The method of claim 7, wherein the appointment request transmitted to the second remote device comprises:
a link to a website; wherein the website includes one or more user interfaces for interacting with the appointment request and indicating one or more selections relating to the appointment. 9. The method of claim 1, wherein the first remote device is a non-mobile device and the second remote device is a mobile device. 10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
receiving a first counter offer from the second remote device, wherein the counter offer comprises at least one appointment time; transmitting the first counter offer to the first remote device; receiving a second counter offer from the first remote device, wherein the counter offer comprises at least one appointment time; and transmitting the second counter offer to the second remote device. 11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
receiving a counter offer from the second remote device, wherein the counter offer comprises at least one appointment time; transmitting the counter offer to the first remote device; and receiving a selection of an appointment time of the counter offer from the first remote device; and transmitting an indication of the selection of the appointment time to the second remote device. 12. A method for providing a scheduling service to a first remote device and a plurality of second remote devices, comprising:
receiving a request from the first remote device to generate an appointment request, wherein the request comprises two or more possible appointment times; transmitting the appointment request including the two or more possible appointment times to the plurality of second remote devices; receiving a selection of an appointment time from the two or more possible appointment times from at least one of the second remote devices; transmitting the selection of appointment times to the first remote device and plurality of second remote devices; receiving a selection of an appointment time from the first remote device; transmitting an indication of the selection of the appointment time to the plurality of second remote devices; and synchronizing the appointment between the first remote device and plurality of second remote devices. 13. The method of claim 12, wherein the first remote device and plurality of second remote devices are configured to display the appointment request and appointment time information via a graphical user interface;
wherein receiving a request from the first remote device and selection from the plurality of second remote devices comprises receiving a user input via the graphical user interface; wherein the graphical user interface is configured to display calendar data relevant to the appointment request and appointment time information. 14. The method of claim 13, wherein the graphical user interface is configured to synchronize with one or more calendar-based applications of the first remote device and plurality of second remote devices. 15. The method of claim 14, wherein transmitting the appointment request to the plurality of second remote device further comprises:
creating a calendar appointment including a first status for the one or more calendar-based applications for each of the two or more possible appointment times; wherein transmitting an indication of the selection of the appointment time to the plurality of second remote devices comprises: creating a calendar appointment including a second status for the one or more calendar-based applications for the selected appointment time. 16. The method of claim 15, wherein the first status is “tentative” and the second status is “confirmed”. 17. The method of claim 12, wherein a selection of an appointment time from the two or more possible appointment times is received from all of the second remote devices before selecting an appointment time from the two or more possible appointment times. 18. The method of claim 12, wherein the transmission of the selection of appointment times to the first remote device may comprise a selection of appointment times from a subset of the plurality of second remote devices. 19. The method of claim 18, wherein at least one of the selections of an appointment time is received from a second remote device identified as a remote device of a primary user. 20. The method of claim 12, wherein the selection of an appointment time may comprise:
an indication, for each appointment time, that the appointment time is “ideal”, “okay”, or “not okay”. 21. The method of claim 20, further comprising:
after receiving a selection of an appointment time from a second remote device, transmitting an indication of the selection of the appointment time to the first remote device and the plurality of second remote devices. 22. The method of claim 21, wherein transmitting the selection of appointment times to the first remote device and plurality of second remote devices comprises:
transmitting the indication for each appointment time; wherein a user interface of the first remote device and plurality of second remote devices is configured to display indication information for each second user. 23. The method of claim 12, wherein the first remote device and plurality of second remote devices are mobile devices. 24. The method of claim 12, wherein at least one of the plurality of the second remote devices is a non-mobile device;
wherein the appointment request transmitted to the at least one non-mobile device comprises: a link to a website; wherein the website includes one or more user interfaces for interacting with the appointment request and indicating one or more selections relating to the appointment. 25. The method of claim 12, wherein the first remote device is a non-mobile device and the second remote device is a mobile device. 26. A server for providing scheduling services to at least two remote devices, comprising:
a communications interface for transmitting scheduling options to the at least two remote devices and receiving user inputs from the at least two remote devices; and a processing circuit configured to manage scheduling services for the at least two remote devices. 27. The server of claim 26, wherein the communications interface receives a user input from a first remote device and transmits scheduling options to a second remote device;
wherein the communications interface further receives a user input from the second remote device; wherein the processing circuit is configured to manage scheduling services for the first remote device and second remote device based on the user input from the second remote device. 28. The server of claim 27, wherein the user input from the first remote device comprises an appointment request comprising two or more possible appointment times; and
wherein the user input from the second remote device comprises a selection of an appointment time from the two or more possible appointment times. 29. The server of claim 26, wherein the communications interface receives a user input from a first remote device and transmits scheduling options to a plurality of second remote devices;
wherein the communications interface further receives user input from at least one of the second remote devices; wherein the processing circuit is configured to manage scheduling services for the first remote device and second remote devices based on the at least one user input from the second remote devices. 30. The server of claim 29, wherein the user input from the first remote device comprises an appointment request comprising two or more possible appointment times; and
wherein the at least one user input from the plurality of second remote devices comprises a selection of an appointment time from the two or more possible appointment times. 31. The server of claim 30, wherein the processing circuit further receives selection of an appointment time from the first remote device based on a determination of a best appointment time. 32. The server of claim 26, wherein managing scheduling services for the at least two remote devices comprises:
synchronizing an appointment between the two or more remote devices; and | A server for providing scheduling services to at least two remote devices includes a communications interface for transmitting scheduling options to the at least two remote devices and receiving user inputs from the at least two remote devices. The server further includes a processing circuit configured to manage scheduling services for the at least two remote devices. In one embodiment, the server provides scheduling services for two users, allowing the two users to schedule an appointment with each other. In another embodiment, the server provides scheduling services for a first user and a plurality of second users, allowing the multiple users to schedule an appointment with one another.1. A method for providing a scheduling service to two remote devices, comprising:
receiving a request from a first remote device to generate an appointment request, wherein the request comprises two or more possible appointment times; transmitting the appointment request including the two or more possible appointment times to the second remote device; receiving a selection of an appointment time from the two or more possible appointment times from the second remote device; transmitting an indication of the selection of the appointment time to the first remote device; and synchronizing the appointment between the two remote devices. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the two remote devices are configured to display the appointment request and appointment time information via a graphical user interface;
wherein receiving a request from the first remote device and selection from the second remote device comprises receiving a user input via the graphical user interface; wherein the graphical user interface is configured to display calendar data relevant to the appointment request and appointment time information. 3. The method of claim 2, wherein the graphical user interface is configured to synchronize with one or more calendar-based applications of the two remote devices;
wherein transmitting the appointment request to the second remote device further comprises:
creating a calendar appointment including a first status for the one or more calendar-based applications for each of the two or more possible appointment times. 4. The method of claim 3, wherein transmitting an indication of the selection of the appointment time to the first remote device comprises:
creating a calendar appointment including a second status for the one or more calendar-based applications for the selected appointment time. 5. The method of claim 4, wherein the first status is “tentative” and the second status is “confirmed”. 6. The method of claim 1, wherein the two remote devices are mobile devices. 7. The method of claim 1, wherein the first remote device is a mobile device and the second remote device is a non-mobile device. 8. The method of claim 7, wherein the appointment request transmitted to the second remote device comprises:
a link to a website; wherein the website includes one or more user interfaces for interacting with the appointment request and indicating one or more selections relating to the appointment. 9. The method of claim 1, wherein the first remote device is a non-mobile device and the second remote device is a mobile device. 10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
receiving a first counter offer from the second remote device, wherein the counter offer comprises at least one appointment time; transmitting the first counter offer to the first remote device; receiving a second counter offer from the first remote device, wherein the counter offer comprises at least one appointment time; and transmitting the second counter offer to the second remote device. 11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
receiving a counter offer from the second remote device, wherein the counter offer comprises at least one appointment time; transmitting the counter offer to the first remote device; and receiving a selection of an appointment time of the counter offer from the first remote device; and transmitting an indication of the selection of the appointment time to the second remote device. 12. A method for providing a scheduling service to a first remote device and a plurality of second remote devices, comprising:
receiving a request from the first remote device to generate an appointment request, wherein the request comprises two or more possible appointment times; transmitting the appointment request including the two or more possible appointment times to the plurality of second remote devices; receiving a selection of an appointment time from the two or more possible appointment times from at least one of the second remote devices; transmitting the selection of appointment times to the first remote device and plurality of second remote devices; receiving a selection of an appointment time from the first remote device; transmitting an indication of the selection of the appointment time to the plurality of second remote devices; and synchronizing the appointment between the first remote device and plurality of second remote devices. 13. The method of claim 12, wherein the first remote device and plurality of second remote devices are configured to display the appointment request and appointment time information via a graphical user interface;
wherein receiving a request from the first remote device and selection from the plurality of second remote devices comprises receiving a user input via the graphical user interface; wherein the graphical user interface is configured to display calendar data relevant to the appointment request and appointment time information. 14. The method of claim 13, wherein the graphical user interface is configured to synchronize with one or more calendar-based applications of the first remote device and plurality of second remote devices. 15. The method of claim 14, wherein transmitting the appointment request to the plurality of second remote device further comprises:
creating a calendar appointment including a first status for the one or more calendar-based applications for each of the two or more possible appointment times; wherein transmitting an indication of the selection of the appointment time to the plurality of second remote devices comprises: creating a calendar appointment including a second status for the one or more calendar-based applications for the selected appointment time. 16. The method of claim 15, wherein the first status is “tentative” and the second status is “confirmed”. 17. The method of claim 12, wherein a selection of an appointment time from the two or more possible appointment times is received from all of the second remote devices before selecting an appointment time from the two or more possible appointment times. 18. The method of claim 12, wherein the transmission of the selection of appointment times to the first remote device may comprise a selection of appointment times from a subset of the plurality of second remote devices. 19. The method of claim 18, wherein at least one of the selections of an appointment time is received from a second remote device identified as a remote device of a primary user. 20. The method of claim 12, wherein the selection of an appointment time may comprise:
an indication, for each appointment time, that the appointment time is “ideal”, “okay”, or “not okay”. 21. The method of claim 20, further comprising:
after receiving a selection of an appointment time from a second remote device, transmitting an indication of the selection of the appointment time to the first remote device and the plurality of second remote devices. 22. The method of claim 21, wherein transmitting the selection of appointment times to the first remote device and plurality of second remote devices comprises:
transmitting the indication for each appointment time; wherein a user interface of the first remote device and plurality of second remote devices is configured to display indication information for each second user. 23. The method of claim 12, wherein the first remote device and plurality of second remote devices are mobile devices. 24. The method of claim 12, wherein at least one of the plurality of the second remote devices is a non-mobile device;
wherein the appointment request transmitted to the at least one non-mobile device comprises: a link to a website; wherein the website includes one or more user interfaces for interacting with the appointment request and indicating one or more selections relating to the appointment. 25. The method of claim 12, wherein the first remote device is a non-mobile device and the second remote device is a mobile device. 26. A server for providing scheduling services to at least two remote devices, comprising:
a communications interface for transmitting scheduling options to the at least two remote devices and receiving user inputs from the at least two remote devices; and a processing circuit configured to manage scheduling services for the at least two remote devices. 27. The server of claim 26, wherein the communications interface receives a user input from a first remote device and transmits scheduling options to a second remote device;
wherein the communications interface further receives a user input from the second remote device; wherein the processing circuit is configured to manage scheduling services for the first remote device and second remote device based on the user input from the second remote device. 28. The server of claim 27, wherein the user input from the first remote device comprises an appointment request comprising two or more possible appointment times; and
wherein the user input from the second remote device comprises a selection of an appointment time from the two or more possible appointment times. 29. The server of claim 26, wherein the communications interface receives a user input from a first remote device and transmits scheduling options to a plurality of second remote devices;
wherein the communications interface further receives user input from at least one of the second remote devices; wherein the processing circuit is configured to manage scheduling services for the first remote device and second remote devices based on the at least one user input from the second remote devices. 30. The server of claim 29, wherein the user input from the first remote device comprises an appointment request comprising two or more possible appointment times; and
wherein the at least one user input from the plurality of second remote devices comprises a selection of an appointment time from the two or more possible appointment times. 31. The server of claim 30, wherein the processing circuit further receives selection of an appointment time from the first remote device based on a determination of a best appointment time. 32. The server of claim 26, wherein managing scheduling services for the at least two remote devices comprises:
synchronizing an appointment between the two or more remote devices; and | 3,600 |
12,679 | 12,679 | 14,028,751 | 3,694 | A trading platform and trading method that may allow access to additional pools of liquidity is described. Other embodiments are also described. | 1. A method comprising:
receiving, by an alternative trading system from an order submitter, a formula defining a set of orders for a side of trading in a financial instrument, in which the formula relates price to size to define the set of orders; transmitting, by the alternative trading system, an indication of the formula and a side of the trade to a plurality of participant systems that each access respective order management systems of respective buy side participants, in which the order management systems, taken together, form a dark pool of liquidity that is accessible to the alternative trading system; receiving, by a participant system of the plurality of participant systems from the alternative trading system, the indication of the formula and the side of the trade; in response to receiving the indication of the formula and the side of the trade, determining, by the participant system, that an order for an opposite side of trading is pending in an order management system of a buy side participant that is accessible by the participant system; in response to determining that the order for the opposite side of the trade is pending, determining, by the participant system, a quantity defined by the order; in response to determining the quantity, determining, by the participant system, a price from the formula by inputting the quantity into the formula; in response to determining the price, querying, by the participant system, a trading entity for an acceptance of a trade with the price and quantity; receiving, by the participant system, an indication of the acceptance; in response to receiving the indication of the acceptance, transmitting, by the participant system, the indication of the acceptance to the alternative trading system; receiving, by the alternative trading system, the indication of the acceptance; and in response to receiving the indication of the acceptance, facilitating, by the alternative trading system, execution of the trade; notifying, by the alternative trading system, the order submitter of the trade; and determining, by the alternative trading system, that the set of orders is fulfilled based on the trade being executed. 2. A method comprising:
receiving, by the alternative trading system from a plurality of buy-side participants, a plurality of indications of interests, in which each indication of interest of the plurality of indications of interest identifies a respective order pending in a respective order management system of a respective buy-side participant of the plurality of buy side participants; receiving, by an alternative trading system from an order submitter, a formula defining a set of orders for a side of trading in a financial instrument, in which the formula relates price to size to define the set of orders; in response to receiving the formula, determining, by the alternative trading system, an indication of interest of the plurality of indications of interest that is for an opposite side of trading in the financial instrument; in response to determining the indication of interest, determining, by the alternative trading system, a quantity defined by the indication of interest; in response to determining the quantity, determining, by the alternative trading system, a price from the formula by inputting the quantity into the formula; in response to determining the price, querying, by the alternative trading system, a buy-side participant that submitted the indication of interest to the alternative trading system for an acceptance of a trade with the price and quantity; receiving, by the alternative trading system, an indication of the acceptance; and in response to receiving the indication of the acceptance, facilitating, by the alternative trading system, execution of the trade; notifying, by the alternative trading system, the order submitter of the trade; and determining, by the alternative trading system, that the set of orders is fulfilled based on the trade being executed. 3. A method comprising:
receiving, by an alternative trading system from an order submitter, a formula defining a set of orders for a side of trading in a financial instrument, in which the formula relates price to size to define the set of orders; transmitting, by the alternative trading system, an indication of the side and a range of quantities spanned by the formula to a plurality of participant systems that each access respective order management systems of respective buy side participants, in which the order management systems, taken together, form a dark pool of liquidity that is accessible to the alternative trading system; receiving, by a participant system of the plurality of participant systems from the alternative trading system, the indication of the side and the range; in response to receiving the indication of the side and the range, determining, by the participant system, that an order for an opposite side of trading is pending in an order management system of a buy side participant that is accessible by the participant system; in response to determining that the order for the opposite side of the trade is pending, determining, by the participant system, that a quantity defined by the order is in the range; in response to determining that the quantity is in the range, transmitting, by the participant system, an indication of the quantity to the alternative trading system; receiving, by the alternative trading system, the indication of the quantity; in response to receiving the indication of the quantity, determining, by the alternative trading system, a price from the formula by inputting the quantity into the formula; in response to determining the price, querying, by the alternative trading system, a trading entity for an acceptance of a trade with the price and quantity; receiving, by the alternative trading system, the indication of the acceptance; and in response to receiving the indication of the acceptance, facilitating, by the alternative trading system, execution of the trade; notifying, by the alternative trading system, the order submitter of the trade; and determining, by the alternative trading system, that the set of orders is fulfilled based on the trade being executed. | A trading platform and trading method that may allow access to additional pools of liquidity is described. Other embodiments are also described.1. A method comprising:
receiving, by an alternative trading system from an order submitter, a formula defining a set of orders for a side of trading in a financial instrument, in which the formula relates price to size to define the set of orders; transmitting, by the alternative trading system, an indication of the formula and a side of the trade to a plurality of participant systems that each access respective order management systems of respective buy side participants, in which the order management systems, taken together, form a dark pool of liquidity that is accessible to the alternative trading system; receiving, by a participant system of the plurality of participant systems from the alternative trading system, the indication of the formula and the side of the trade; in response to receiving the indication of the formula and the side of the trade, determining, by the participant system, that an order for an opposite side of trading is pending in an order management system of a buy side participant that is accessible by the participant system; in response to determining that the order for the opposite side of the trade is pending, determining, by the participant system, a quantity defined by the order; in response to determining the quantity, determining, by the participant system, a price from the formula by inputting the quantity into the formula; in response to determining the price, querying, by the participant system, a trading entity for an acceptance of a trade with the price and quantity; receiving, by the participant system, an indication of the acceptance; in response to receiving the indication of the acceptance, transmitting, by the participant system, the indication of the acceptance to the alternative trading system; receiving, by the alternative trading system, the indication of the acceptance; and in response to receiving the indication of the acceptance, facilitating, by the alternative trading system, execution of the trade; notifying, by the alternative trading system, the order submitter of the trade; and determining, by the alternative trading system, that the set of orders is fulfilled based on the trade being executed. 2. A method comprising:
receiving, by the alternative trading system from a plurality of buy-side participants, a plurality of indications of interests, in which each indication of interest of the plurality of indications of interest identifies a respective order pending in a respective order management system of a respective buy-side participant of the plurality of buy side participants; receiving, by an alternative trading system from an order submitter, a formula defining a set of orders for a side of trading in a financial instrument, in which the formula relates price to size to define the set of orders; in response to receiving the formula, determining, by the alternative trading system, an indication of interest of the plurality of indications of interest that is for an opposite side of trading in the financial instrument; in response to determining the indication of interest, determining, by the alternative trading system, a quantity defined by the indication of interest; in response to determining the quantity, determining, by the alternative trading system, a price from the formula by inputting the quantity into the formula; in response to determining the price, querying, by the alternative trading system, a buy-side participant that submitted the indication of interest to the alternative trading system for an acceptance of a trade with the price and quantity; receiving, by the alternative trading system, an indication of the acceptance; and in response to receiving the indication of the acceptance, facilitating, by the alternative trading system, execution of the trade; notifying, by the alternative trading system, the order submitter of the trade; and determining, by the alternative trading system, that the set of orders is fulfilled based on the trade being executed. 3. A method comprising:
receiving, by an alternative trading system from an order submitter, a formula defining a set of orders for a side of trading in a financial instrument, in which the formula relates price to size to define the set of orders; transmitting, by the alternative trading system, an indication of the side and a range of quantities spanned by the formula to a plurality of participant systems that each access respective order management systems of respective buy side participants, in which the order management systems, taken together, form a dark pool of liquidity that is accessible to the alternative trading system; receiving, by a participant system of the plurality of participant systems from the alternative trading system, the indication of the side and the range; in response to receiving the indication of the side and the range, determining, by the participant system, that an order for an opposite side of trading is pending in an order management system of a buy side participant that is accessible by the participant system; in response to determining that the order for the opposite side of the trade is pending, determining, by the participant system, that a quantity defined by the order is in the range; in response to determining that the quantity is in the range, transmitting, by the participant system, an indication of the quantity to the alternative trading system; receiving, by the alternative trading system, the indication of the quantity; in response to receiving the indication of the quantity, determining, by the alternative trading system, a price from the formula by inputting the quantity into the formula; in response to determining the price, querying, by the alternative trading system, a trading entity for an acceptance of a trade with the price and quantity; receiving, by the alternative trading system, the indication of the acceptance; and in response to receiving the indication of the acceptance, facilitating, by the alternative trading system, execution of the trade; notifying, by the alternative trading system, the order submitter of the trade; and determining, by the alternative trading system, that the set of orders is fulfilled based on the trade being executed. | 3,600 |
12,680 | 12,680 | 14,845,882 | 3,664 | A vehicle system has a first communication processor connected to a vehicle network, a second communication processor connected to the first communication processor, and a vehicle processor configured to communicate with the first and second communication processors. The vehicle processor is programmed to, in response to received vehicle data via the vehicle network, communicate the vehicle data to a server via the first communication processor. The vehicle processor is further programmed to, in response to received infotainment data via the second communication processor, output the infotainment data to a display. | 1. A vehicle system comprising:
a first communication processor (FCP) connected to a vehicle network; a second communication processor (SCP) connected to the FCP; and a vehicle processor configured to communicate with the FCP and SCP, and programmed to, in response to received vehicle data via the vehicle network, communicate the vehicle data to a server via the FCP; and in response to received infotainment data via the SCP, output the infotainment data to a display. 2. The vehicle system of claim 1, wherein the vehicle processor is further programmed to, in response to received information from the server via the FCP, output a portion of the information to the display. 3. The vehicle system of claim 1, wherein the FCP is an embedded processor and transceiver having at least one of a WiFi modem or cellular modem. 4. The vehicle system of claim 1, wherein the SCP is at least one of a WiFi, cellular, and BLUETOOTH transceiver. 5. The vehicle system of claim 4, wherein the vehicle processor is further programmed to communicate with a public server using an application program interface at the FCP through a smartphone connection via the BLUETOOTH transceiver at the SCP. 6. The vehicle system of claim 5, wherein the vehicle processor is further programmed to, in response to the infotainment data received from the smartphone via the BLUETOOTH transceiver, configure one or more settings of an infotainment system. 7. The vehicle system of claim 6, wherein the one or more settings is at least one of climate control, music, navigation, and phone settings. 8. The vehicle system of claim 1, wherein the vehicle data is received from one or more processors connected to the vehicle network. 9. The vehicle system of claim 8, wherein the one or more processors is at least one of a body control module, brake control module, battery management system, transmission control module, powertrain control module, and telematics control unit. 10. The vehicle system of claim 9, wherein the vehicle processor is further programmed to, in response to received brake data from the brake control module via the vehicle network, transmit the brake data to the server. 11. The vehicle system of claim 1, wherein the FCP is in communication with the server via a private cellular carrier virtual network. 12. The vehicle system of claim 1, wherein the SCP communicates with the FCP based on at least one of an application program interface and a circuit configuration. 13. A vehicle communication method comprising:
in response to received vehicle data from one or more processors via a vehicle network, transmitting the vehicle data to a pre-identified server via a first communication processor (FCP); receiving infotainment data in a predefined application program interface from a public server via a second communication processor connected to the FCP; and outputting, via a vehicle processor, at least one of the vehicle data and infotainment data to a display. 14. The method of claim 13, further comprising, in response to received information from the pre-identified server via the FCP, outputting the information to the display. 15. The method of claim 13, further comprising transmitting drive performance data to the pre-identified server based on the one or more processors being at least one of a brake control module, battery management system, transmission control module, and engine control module. 16. The method of claim 13, further comprising, in response to the second communication processor being a BLUETOOTH transceiver, communicating with the public server through a smartphone connection via the BLUETOOTH transceiver. 17. A computer-program product embodied in a non-transitory computer readable medium having stored instructions for programming a processor, comprising instructions for:
communicating vehicle data received from one or more processors connected to a vehicle network to a server via a first communication processor on a private cellular carrier virtual network; communicating infotainment data to a remote device via a second communication processor connected to the first communication processor; and outputting at least a portion of the infotainment and vehicle data to a display. 18. The computer-program product of claim 17, the non-transitory computer readable medium further comprising instructions for:
in response to the second communication processor being a Bluetooth transceiver, communicating with a public server through the remote device via the Bluetooth transceiver. 19. The computer program product of claim 18, the non-transitory computer readable medium further comprising instructions for, in response to received information from the public server through the remote device, configuring one or more settings of a vehicle infotainment system. 20. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the second communication processor is a WiFi modem configured to provide a WiFi hotspot. | A vehicle system has a first communication processor connected to a vehicle network, a second communication processor connected to the first communication processor, and a vehicle processor configured to communicate with the first and second communication processors. The vehicle processor is programmed to, in response to received vehicle data via the vehicle network, communicate the vehicle data to a server via the first communication processor. The vehicle processor is further programmed to, in response to received infotainment data via the second communication processor, output the infotainment data to a display.1. A vehicle system comprising:
a first communication processor (FCP) connected to a vehicle network; a second communication processor (SCP) connected to the FCP; and a vehicle processor configured to communicate with the FCP and SCP, and programmed to, in response to received vehicle data via the vehicle network, communicate the vehicle data to a server via the FCP; and in response to received infotainment data via the SCP, output the infotainment data to a display. 2. The vehicle system of claim 1, wherein the vehicle processor is further programmed to, in response to received information from the server via the FCP, output a portion of the information to the display. 3. The vehicle system of claim 1, wherein the FCP is an embedded processor and transceiver having at least one of a WiFi modem or cellular modem. 4. The vehicle system of claim 1, wherein the SCP is at least one of a WiFi, cellular, and BLUETOOTH transceiver. 5. The vehicle system of claim 4, wherein the vehicle processor is further programmed to communicate with a public server using an application program interface at the FCP through a smartphone connection via the BLUETOOTH transceiver at the SCP. 6. The vehicle system of claim 5, wherein the vehicle processor is further programmed to, in response to the infotainment data received from the smartphone via the BLUETOOTH transceiver, configure one or more settings of an infotainment system. 7. The vehicle system of claim 6, wherein the one or more settings is at least one of climate control, music, navigation, and phone settings. 8. The vehicle system of claim 1, wherein the vehicle data is received from one or more processors connected to the vehicle network. 9. The vehicle system of claim 8, wherein the one or more processors is at least one of a body control module, brake control module, battery management system, transmission control module, powertrain control module, and telematics control unit. 10. The vehicle system of claim 9, wherein the vehicle processor is further programmed to, in response to received brake data from the brake control module via the vehicle network, transmit the brake data to the server. 11. The vehicle system of claim 1, wherein the FCP is in communication with the server via a private cellular carrier virtual network. 12. The vehicle system of claim 1, wherein the SCP communicates with the FCP based on at least one of an application program interface and a circuit configuration. 13. A vehicle communication method comprising:
in response to received vehicle data from one or more processors via a vehicle network, transmitting the vehicle data to a pre-identified server via a first communication processor (FCP); receiving infotainment data in a predefined application program interface from a public server via a second communication processor connected to the FCP; and outputting, via a vehicle processor, at least one of the vehicle data and infotainment data to a display. 14. The method of claim 13, further comprising, in response to received information from the pre-identified server via the FCP, outputting the information to the display. 15. The method of claim 13, further comprising transmitting drive performance data to the pre-identified server based on the one or more processors being at least one of a brake control module, battery management system, transmission control module, and engine control module. 16. The method of claim 13, further comprising, in response to the second communication processor being a BLUETOOTH transceiver, communicating with the public server through a smartphone connection via the BLUETOOTH transceiver. 17. A computer-program product embodied in a non-transitory computer readable medium having stored instructions for programming a processor, comprising instructions for:
communicating vehicle data received from one or more processors connected to a vehicle network to a server via a first communication processor on a private cellular carrier virtual network; communicating infotainment data to a remote device via a second communication processor connected to the first communication processor; and outputting at least a portion of the infotainment and vehicle data to a display. 18. The computer-program product of claim 17, the non-transitory computer readable medium further comprising instructions for:
in response to the second communication processor being a Bluetooth transceiver, communicating with a public server through the remote device via the Bluetooth transceiver. 19. The computer program product of claim 18, the non-transitory computer readable medium further comprising instructions for, in response to received information from the public server through the remote device, configuring one or more settings of a vehicle infotainment system. 20. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the second communication processor is a WiFi modem configured to provide a WiFi hotspot. | 3,600 |
12,681 | 12,681 | 14,560,293 | 3,624 | a computer-implemented business process monitoring system includes a set of concept probes. Each concept probe is communicatively connected to a monitoring component of an associated business process management (BPM) infrastructure. In response to the BPM infrastructure deploying a domain-specific business process activity—including at least one manual task—each concept probe queries the BPM infrastructure for manual task information associated with execution of the business process activity. In response to receiving the manual task information from the BPM infrastructure and activity information acquired from an associated second probe connected to the BPM infrastructure, each concept probe correlates the manual task information with the activity information. Each concept probe generates monitoring information based on the correlated data. | 1. A computer-implemented business process monitoring system comprising:
a set of concept probes, each concept probe being communicatively connected to a monitoring component of an associated business process management (BPM) infrastructure, wherein in response to the BPM infrastructure deploying a domain-specific business process activity including at least one manual task, the each concept probe queries the BPM infrastructure for manual task information associated with execution of the business process activity; wherein in response to receiving the manual task information from the BPM infrastructure, and wherein in response to receiving activity information acquired from an associated second probe connected to the BPM infrastructure, the each concept probe correlates the manual task information with the activity; and, wherein the each concept probe generates monitoring information based on the correlated data. 2. The system of claim 1, wherein the activity information includes data corresponding to execution of a respective activity which may be repeated across business processes. 3. The system of claim 1, wherein in response to receiving service information acquired from an associated third probe connected to the BPM infrastructure, the each concept probe correlates the manual task information with the activity information and the service information. 4. The system of claim 3, wherein the service information includes data corresponding to at least one technical service that is called by the BPM to execute the respective activity in a service oriented architecture (SOA). 5. The system of claim 1, wherein the each concept probe includes:
a workload data collector component collecting the manual task information received from the BPM infrastructure; a workload analysis component aggregating the manual task information obtained from the workload data collector component and computing a metric value with the aggregated information; and, a workload alert component comparing the metric value with a predetermined threshold and generating an alert in response to the metric value meeting the threshold. 6. The system of claim 1, wherein the each concept probe relays the manual task information to an associated business process probe. 7. The system of claim 1, wherein the each concept probe is further communicatively connected to a business process probe, the business process probe including:
a raw data collection component receiving the manual task information from the each concept probe; an analysis component aggregating the manual task information with the Activity information to detect if a registered rule is violated; and a concept alerts and reporting component generating an alert based on a detected rule violation and sends the alert to at least one associated registered listener component. 8. The system of claim 1, wherein in response to the BPM infrastructure deploying the domain-specific business process activity, the each concept probe querying the BPM infrastructure for data selected from a group consisting of:
the at least one manual task associated with the business process activity; users of an entity employing the BPM infrastructure; roles of the users; and, a combination of the above each associated with the business process activity. 9. The system of claim 8, wherein the each concept probe correlates the data to determine a user's workload at any time interval. 10. The system of claim 8, wherein the each concept probe analyzes the user's worklist and the roles to generate the manual task information about activities assigned to the user. 11. The system of claim 8, wherein the each concept probe determines the user workload by querying the BPM infrastructure for tasks belonging to a user-of-interest including at least one of tasks started and completed in a same time interval for executing the manual task-of-interest; tasks started before the manual task-of-interest and completed in the same time interval; tasks started after the manual task-of-interest and not completed in the same time interval; tasks started before the manual-task-of-interest and not completed in the same time interval; tasks started 12. The system of claim 1, wherein one concept probe is associated with each manual task required to execute the business process activity. 13. A computer-implemented method of monitoring a business process, the method comprising:
for each domain-specific business process activity deployed in a BPM infrastructure, providing a concept probe implemented by a computer processor; communicatively connecting the concept probe to a monitoring component of an associated business process management (BPM) infrastructure; providing the concept probe with a mapping between the concept probe and manual task information associated with at least one manual task called on by the BPM infrastructure for execution of the business process activity; wherein in response to receiving the manual task information from the BPM infrastructure, and wherein in response to receiving activity information acquired from an associated second probe connected to the BPM infrastructure, correlating the manual task information with the activity information; and, generating monitoring information based on the correlated data. 14. The method of claim 13, further receiving service information acquired from a third probe connected to the BPM infrastructure. 15. The method of claim 14, wherein the activity information includes data corresponding to execution of a respective activity which may be repeated across business processes, and the service information includes data corresponding to at least one technical service that is called by the BPM to execute the respective activity in a service oriented architecture (SOA). 16. The method of claim 13, further comprising:
collecting the manual task information received from the BPM infrastructure at the concept probe; aggregating the manual task information and computing a metric value with the aggregated information; comparing the metric value with a predetermined threshold; and, generating an alert in response to the metric value meeting the threshold. 17. The method of claim 13, further comprising:
relaying the manual task information to an associated business process probe. 18. The method of claim 13, further comprising:
communicatively connecting the concept probe to a business process probe including: a raw data collection component receiving the manual task information from the each concept probe; an analysis component aggregating the manual task information with the activity information to detect if a registered rule is violated; and a concept alerts and reporting component generating an alert based on a detected rule violation and sends the alert to at least one associated registered listener component. 19. The method of claim 13, further comprising:
querying by the concept probe for data selected from a group consisting of: the at least one manual task associated with the business process activity; users of an entity employing the BPM infrastructure; roles of the users; and, a combination of the above each associated with the business process activity. 20. The method of claim 13, further comprising correlating the data to determine a user's workload at any time interval. 21. The method of claim 19, further comprising:
analyzing the user's worklist and the roles to generate the manual task information about activities assigned to the user. 22. The method of claim 21, further comprising determining the user workload by querying the BPM infrastructure for at least one of tasks started and completed in a same time interval for executing the manual task-of-interest; tasks started before the manual task-of-interest and completed in the same time interval; tasks started after the manual task-of-interest and not completed in the same time interval; tasks started before the manual-task-of-interest and not completed in the same time interval; tasks started 23. The method of claim 13, further comprising associating one concept probe with each manual task required to execute the business process activity. | a computer-implemented business process monitoring system includes a set of concept probes. Each concept probe is communicatively connected to a monitoring component of an associated business process management (BPM) infrastructure. In response to the BPM infrastructure deploying a domain-specific business process activity—including at least one manual task—each concept probe queries the BPM infrastructure for manual task information associated with execution of the business process activity. In response to receiving the manual task information from the BPM infrastructure and activity information acquired from an associated second probe connected to the BPM infrastructure, each concept probe correlates the manual task information with the activity information. Each concept probe generates monitoring information based on the correlated data.1. A computer-implemented business process monitoring system comprising:
a set of concept probes, each concept probe being communicatively connected to a monitoring component of an associated business process management (BPM) infrastructure, wherein in response to the BPM infrastructure deploying a domain-specific business process activity including at least one manual task, the each concept probe queries the BPM infrastructure for manual task information associated with execution of the business process activity; wherein in response to receiving the manual task information from the BPM infrastructure, and wherein in response to receiving activity information acquired from an associated second probe connected to the BPM infrastructure, the each concept probe correlates the manual task information with the activity; and, wherein the each concept probe generates monitoring information based on the correlated data. 2. The system of claim 1, wherein the activity information includes data corresponding to execution of a respective activity which may be repeated across business processes. 3. The system of claim 1, wherein in response to receiving service information acquired from an associated third probe connected to the BPM infrastructure, the each concept probe correlates the manual task information with the activity information and the service information. 4. The system of claim 3, wherein the service information includes data corresponding to at least one technical service that is called by the BPM to execute the respective activity in a service oriented architecture (SOA). 5. The system of claim 1, wherein the each concept probe includes:
a workload data collector component collecting the manual task information received from the BPM infrastructure; a workload analysis component aggregating the manual task information obtained from the workload data collector component and computing a metric value with the aggregated information; and, a workload alert component comparing the metric value with a predetermined threshold and generating an alert in response to the metric value meeting the threshold. 6. The system of claim 1, wherein the each concept probe relays the manual task information to an associated business process probe. 7. The system of claim 1, wherein the each concept probe is further communicatively connected to a business process probe, the business process probe including:
a raw data collection component receiving the manual task information from the each concept probe; an analysis component aggregating the manual task information with the Activity information to detect if a registered rule is violated; and a concept alerts and reporting component generating an alert based on a detected rule violation and sends the alert to at least one associated registered listener component. 8. The system of claim 1, wherein in response to the BPM infrastructure deploying the domain-specific business process activity, the each concept probe querying the BPM infrastructure for data selected from a group consisting of:
the at least one manual task associated with the business process activity; users of an entity employing the BPM infrastructure; roles of the users; and, a combination of the above each associated with the business process activity. 9. The system of claim 8, wherein the each concept probe correlates the data to determine a user's workload at any time interval. 10. The system of claim 8, wherein the each concept probe analyzes the user's worklist and the roles to generate the manual task information about activities assigned to the user. 11. The system of claim 8, wherein the each concept probe determines the user workload by querying the BPM infrastructure for tasks belonging to a user-of-interest including at least one of tasks started and completed in a same time interval for executing the manual task-of-interest; tasks started before the manual task-of-interest and completed in the same time interval; tasks started after the manual task-of-interest and not completed in the same time interval; tasks started before the manual-task-of-interest and not completed in the same time interval; tasks started 12. The system of claim 1, wherein one concept probe is associated with each manual task required to execute the business process activity. 13. A computer-implemented method of monitoring a business process, the method comprising:
for each domain-specific business process activity deployed in a BPM infrastructure, providing a concept probe implemented by a computer processor; communicatively connecting the concept probe to a monitoring component of an associated business process management (BPM) infrastructure; providing the concept probe with a mapping between the concept probe and manual task information associated with at least one manual task called on by the BPM infrastructure for execution of the business process activity; wherein in response to receiving the manual task information from the BPM infrastructure, and wherein in response to receiving activity information acquired from an associated second probe connected to the BPM infrastructure, correlating the manual task information with the activity information; and, generating monitoring information based on the correlated data. 14. The method of claim 13, further receiving service information acquired from a third probe connected to the BPM infrastructure. 15. The method of claim 14, wherein the activity information includes data corresponding to execution of a respective activity which may be repeated across business processes, and the service information includes data corresponding to at least one technical service that is called by the BPM to execute the respective activity in a service oriented architecture (SOA). 16. The method of claim 13, further comprising:
collecting the manual task information received from the BPM infrastructure at the concept probe; aggregating the manual task information and computing a metric value with the aggregated information; comparing the metric value with a predetermined threshold; and, generating an alert in response to the metric value meeting the threshold. 17. The method of claim 13, further comprising:
relaying the manual task information to an associated business process probe. 18. The method of claim 13, further comprising:
communicatively connecting the concept probe to a business process probe including: a raw data collection component receiving the manual task information from the each concept probe; an analysis component aggregating the manual task information with the activity information to detect if a registered rule is violated; and a concept alerts and reporting component generating an alert based on a detected rule violation and sends the alert to at least one associated registered listener component. 19. The method of claim 13, further comprising:
querying by the concept probe for data selected from a group consisting of: the at least one manual task associated with the business process activity; users of an entity employing the BPM infrastructure; roles of the users; and, a combination of the above each associated with the business process activity. 20. The method of claim 13, further comprising correlating the data to determine a user's workload at any time interval. 21. The method of claim 19, further comprising:
analyzing the user's worklist and the roles to generate the manual task information about activities assigned to the user. 22. The method of claim 21, further comprising determining the user workload by querying the BPM infrastructure for at least one of tasks started and completed in a same time interval for executing the manual task-of-interest; tasks started before the manual task-of-interest and completed in the same time interval; tasks started after the manual task-of-interest and not completed in the same time interval; tasks started before the manual-task-of-interest and not completed in the same time interval; tasks started 23. The method of claim 13, further comprising associating one concept probe with each manual task required to execute the business process activity. | 3,600 |
12,682 | 12,682 | 14,458,726 | 3,683 | A method for generating a micro-neighborhood of consumers includes: storing a plurality of account profiles, each profile including data related to a consumer including account data, a micro-neighborhood location identifier, and a plurality of transaction data entries, each entry being related to a payment transaction involving the related consumer and including transaction data; scoring each account profile stored in the account database by application of a scoring model to the transaction data included in one or more transaction data entries included in the respective account profile; and identifying a plurality of account profile groupings, each grouping including a subset of the plurality of account profiles identified based on the score for and micro-neighborhood location identifier included in each account profile included in the subset, wherein the subset of the plurality of account profiles included in each account profile grouping includes at least a predetermined number of account profiles. | 1. A method for generating a micro-neighborhood of consumers, comprising:
storing, in an account database, a plurality of account profiles, wherein each account profile includes data related to a consumer including at least account data, a micro-neighborhood location identifier, and a plurality of transaction data entries, each transaction data entry being related to a payment transaction involving the related consumer and including at least transaction data; scoring, by a processing device, each account profile stored in the account database by application of a scoring model to at least the transaction data included in one or more transaction data entries included in the respective account profile; and identifying, by the processing device, a plurality of account profile groupings, wherein each account profile grouping includes a subset of the plurality of account profiles identified based on at least the score for and micro-neighborhood location identifier included in each account profile included in the subset, wherein the subset of the plurality of account profiles included in each account profile grouping includes at least a predetermined number of account profiles. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying a plurality of account profile groupings based on at least the score for and micro-neighborhood location identifier included in each account profile included in the subset is further based on application of one or more optimization algorithms to the score for each account profile included in the subset and a distance between each account profile included in the subset based on the included micro-neighborhood location identifier. 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the micro-neighborhood location identifier is at least one of: an extended zip code, radius of a mile or less around a given latitude and longitude, and a plurality of blocks on one or more adjacent streets. 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the predetermined number of account profiles is a minimum number of account profiles such that no account profile included in the account profile grouping is personally identifiable to a consumer. 5. The method of claim 1, wherein each account profile does not include personally identifiable information. 6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
receiving, by a receiving device, a request for a consumer group, wherein the request for a consumer group includes at least a spending behavior; identifying, by the processing device, the scoring model based on the spending behavior; and transmitting, by a transmitting device, at least the account data included in each account profile included in the subset of account profiles included in at least one account profile grouping. 7. The method of claim 6, wherein
the request for a consumer group further includes a geographic location, and the at least one account profile grouping is based on the geographic location and the micro-neighborhood location identifier included in each account profile included in the subset of account profiles included in at least one account profile grouping. 8. The method of claim 6, further comprising:
generating, by the processing device, the scoring model based on the spending behavior included in the received request for a consumer group and the transaction data included in one or more transaction data entries included in one or more account profiles stored in the account database. 9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
generating, by the processing device, the scoring model based on the transaction data included in one or more transaction data entries included in one or more account profiles stored in the account database. 10. The method of claim 1, wherein the score for each account profile indicates a propensity for the related consumer to spend for one or more of a plurality of spend criteria. 11. A system for generating a micro-neighborhood of consumers, comprising:
an account database configured to store a plurality of account profiles, wherein each account profile includes data related to a consumer including at least account data, a micro-neighborhood location identifier, and a plurality of transaction data entries, each transaction data entry being related to a payment transaction involving the related consumer and including at least transaction data; and a processing device configured to
score each account profile stored in the account database by application of a scoring model to at least the transaction data included in one or more transaction data entries included in the respective account profile, and
identify a plurality of account profile groupings, wherein each account profile grouping includes a subset of the plurality of account profiles identified based on at least the score for and micro-neighborhood location identifier included in each account profile included in the subset, wherein
the subset of the plurality of account profiles included in each account profile grouping includes at least a predetermined number of account profiles. 12. The system of claim 11, wherein identifying a plurality of account profile groupings based on at least the score for and micro-neighborhood location identifier included in each account profile included in the subset is further based on application of one or more optimization algorithms to the score for each account profile included in the subset and a distance between each account profile included in the subset based on the included micro-neighborhood location identifier. 13. The system of claim 11, wherein the micro-neighborhood location identifier is at least one of: radius of a mile or less around a given latitude and longitude, and a plurality of blocks on one or more adjacent streets. 14. The system of claim 11, wherein the predetermined number of account profiles is a minimum number of account profiles such that no account profile included in the account profile grouping is personally identifiable to a consumer. 15. The system of claim 11, wherein each account profile does not include personally identifiable information. 16. The system of claim 11, further comprising:
a transmitting device; and a receiving device configured to receive a request for a consumer group, wherein the request for a consumer group includes at least a spending behavior, wherein the processing device is further configured to identify the scoring model based on the spending behavior, and the transmitting device is configured to transmit at least the account data included in each account profile included in the subset of account profiles included in at least one account profile grouping. 17. The system of claim 16, wherein
the request for a consumer group further includes a geographic location, and the at least one account profile grouping is based on the geographic location and the micro-neighborhood location identifier included in each account profile included in the subset of account profiles included in at least one account profile grouping. 18. The system of claim 16, wherein the processing device is further configured to generate the scoring model based on the spending behavior included in the received request for a consumer group and the transaction data included in one or more transaction data entries included in one or more account profiles stored in the account database. 19. The system of claim 11, wherein the processing device is configured to generate the scoring model based on the transaction data included in one or more transaction data entries included in one or more account profiles stored in the account database. 20. The system of claim 11, wherein the score for each account profile indicates a propensity for the related consumer to spend for one or more of a plurality of spend criteria. | A method for generating a micro-neighborhood of consumers includes: storing a plurality of account profiles, each profile including data related to a consumer including account data, a micro-neighborhood location identifier, and a plurality of transaction data entries, each entry being related to a payment transaction involving the related consumer and including transaction data; scoring each account profile stored in the account database by application of a scoring model to the transaction data included in one or more transaction data entries included in the respective account profile; and identifying a plurality of account profile groupings, each grouping including a subset of the plurality of account profiles identified based on the score for and micro-neighborhood location identifier included in each account profile included in the subset, wherein the subset of the plurality of account profiles included in each account profile grouping includes at least a predetermined number of account profiles.1. A method for generating a micro-neighborhood of consumers, comprising:
storing, in an account database, a plurality of account profiles, wherein each account profile includes data related to a consumer including at least account data, a micro-neighborhood location identifier, and a plurality of transaction data entries, each transaction data entry being related to a payment transaction involving the related consumer and including at least transaction data; scoring, by a processing device, each account profile stored in the account database by application of a scoring model to at least the transaction data included in one or more transaction data entries included in the respective account profile; and identifying, by the processing device, a plurality of account profile groupings, wherein each account profile grouping includes a subset of the plurality of account profiles identified based on at least the score for and micro-neighborhood location identifier included in each account profile included in the subset, wherein the subset of the plurality of account profiles included in each account profile grouping includes at least a predetermined number of account profiles. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying a plurality of account profile groupings based on at least the score for and micro-neighborhood location identifier included in each account profile included in the subset is further based on application of one or more optimization algorithms to the score for each account profile included in the subset and a distance between each account profile included in the subset based on the included micro-neighborhood location identifier. 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the micro-neighborhood location identifier is at least one of: an extended zip code, radius of a mile or less around a given latitude and longitude, and a plurality of blocks on one or more adjacent streets. 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the predetermined number of account profiles is a minimum number of account profiles such that no account profile included in the account profile grouping is personally identifiable to a consumer. 5. The method of claim 1, wherein each account profile does not include personally identifiable information. 6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
receiving, by a receiving device, a request for a consumer group, wherein the request for a consumer group includes at least a spending behavior; identifying, by the processing device, the scoring model based on the spending behavior; and transmitting, by a transmitting device, at least the account data included in each account profile included in the subset of account profiles included in at least one account profile grouping. 7. The method of claim 6, wherein
the request for a consumer group further includes a geographic location, and the at least one account profile grouping is based on the geographic location and the micro-neighborhood location identifier included in each account profile included in the subset of account profiles included in at least one account profile grouping. 8. The method of claim 6, further comprising:
generating, by the processing device, the scoring model based on the spending behavior included in the received request for a consumer group and the transaction data included in one or more transaction data entries included in one or more account profiles stored in the account database. 9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
generating, by the processing device, the scoring model based on the transaction data included in one or more transaction data entries included in one or more account profiles stored in the account database. 10. The method of claim 1, wherein the score for each account profile indicates a propensity for the related consumer to spend for one or more of a plurality of spend criteria. 11. A system for generating a micro-neighborhood of consumers, comprising:
an account database configured to store a plurality of account profiles, wherein each account profile includes data related to a consumer including at least account data, a micro-neighborhood location identifier, and a plurality of transaction data entries, each transaction data entry being related to a payment transaction involving the related consumer and including at least transaction data; and a processing device configured to
score each account profile stored in the account database by application of a scoring model to at least the transaction data included in one or more transaction data entries included in the respective account profile, and
identify a plurality of account profile groupings, wherein each account profile grouping includes a subset of the plurality of account profiles identified based on at least the score for and micro-neighborhood location identifier included in each account profile included in the subset, wherein
the subset of the plurality of account profiles included in each account profile grouping includes at least a predetermined number of account profiles. 12. The system of claim 11, wherein identifying a plurality of account profile groupings based on at least the score for and micro-neighborhood location identifier included in each account profile included in the subset is further based on application of one or more optimization algorithms to the score for each account profile included in the subset and a distance between each account profile included in the subset based on the included micro-neighborhood location identifier. 13. The system of claim 11, wherein the micro-neighborhood location identifier is at least one of: radius of a mile or less around a given latitude and longitude, and a plurality of blocks on one or more adjacent streets. 14. The system of claim 11, wherein the predetermined number of account profiles is a minimum number of account profiles such that no account profile included in the account profile grouping is personally identifiable to a consumer. 15. The system of claim 11, wherein each account profile does not include personally identifiable information. 16. The system of claim 11, further comprising:
a transmitting device; and a receiving device configured to receive a request for a consumer group, wherein the request for a consumer group includes at least a spending behavior, wherein the processing device is further configured to identify the scoring model based on the spending behavior, and the transmitting device is configured to transmit at least the account data included in each account profile included in the subset of account profiles included in at least one account profile grouping. 17. The system of claim 16, wherein
the request for a consumer group further includes a geographic location, and the at least one account profile grouping is based on the geographic location and the micro-neighborhood location identifier included in each account profile included in the subset of account profiles included in at least one account profile grouping. 18. The system of claim 16, wherein the processing device is further configured to generate the scoring model based on the spending behavior included in the received request for a consumer group and the transaction data included in one or more transaction data entries included in one or more account profiles stored in the account database. 19. The system of claim 11, wherein the processing device is configured to generate the scoring model based on the transaction data included in one or more transaction data entries included in one or more account profiles stored in the account database. 20. The system of claim 11, wherein the score for each account profile indicates a propensity for the related consumer to spend for one or more of a plurality of spend criteria. | 3,600 |
12,683 | 12,683 | 14,831,418 | 3,619 | A computer-implemented method of ambient ad hoc project management can include defining a project and associating a project decay function with the project, wherein the project decay function regulates a rate at which project health declines. Responsive to detecting a project event, one or more parameters of the project decay function can be determined from the project event. Project health can be calculated according to the project decay function using the parameter(s). An indication of the project health can be output. | 1-20. (canceled) 21. A computer-implemented method, comprising:
associating, with a project and using a processor, a project decay function that regulates a rate at which a project health declines; identifying, from a project event and using the processor, a parameter of the project decay function; and calculating, based upon the project decay function and using the identified parameter, the project health. 22. The method of claim 21, wherein
the project decay function depends upon time. 23. The method of claim 21, wherein
the project decay function depends upon a level of collaboration detected between at least two users associated with the project. 24. The method of claim 21, wherein
the project health is reset to a maximum value after the projected event is detected. 25. The method of claim 21, wherein
an avatar is displayed as a representation of the project health, and an appearance of the avatar is altered responsive to changes in the project health. 26. The method of claim 21, further comprising:
sending the calculated project health to an ambient device. 27. The method of claim 26, wherein
the ambient device is configured to output the calculated project health. 28. A computer hardware system, comprising:
at least one hardware processor configured to initiate the following executable operations:
associating, with a project, a project decay function that regulates a rate at which a project health declines;
identifying, from a project event, a parameter of the project decay function; and
calculating, based upon the project decay function and using the identified parameter, the project health. 29. The method of claim 21, wherein
the project decay function depends upon time. 30. The system of claim 28, wherein
the project decay function depends upon a level of collaboration detected between at least two users associated with the project. 31. The system of claim 28, wherein
the project health is reset to a maximum value after the projected event is detected. 32. The system of claim 28, wherein
an avatar is displayed as a representation of the project health, and an appearance of the avatar is altered responsive to changes in the project health. 33. The system of claim 28, further comprising:
an ambient device, wherein the calculated project health is sent to the ambient device. 34. The system of claim 33, wherein
the ambient device is configured to output the calculated project health. 35. A computer program product, comprising:
a computer-usable storage device having stored therein computer-usable program code, the computer-usable program code, which when executed by a computer hardware system, causes the computer hardware system to perform:
associating, with a project, a project decay function that regulates a rate at which a project health declines;
identifying, from a project event, a parameter of the project decay function; and
calculating, based upon the project decay function and using the identified parameter, the project health. 36. The computer program product of claim 35, wherein
the project decay function depends upon time. 37. The computer program product of claim 35, wherein
the project decay function depends upon a level of collaboration detected between at least two users associated with the project. 38. The computer program product of claim 35, wherein
the project health is reset to a maximum value after the projected event is detected. 39. The computer program product of claim 35, wherein
an avatar is displayed as a representation of the project health, and an appearance of the avatar is altered responsive to changes in the project health. 40. The computer program product of claim 35, wherein the computer-usable program code further causes the computer hardware system to perform:
sending the calculated project health to an ambient device. | A computer-implemented method of ambient ad hoc project management can include defining a project and associating a project decay function with the project, wherein the project decay function regulates a rate at which project health declines. Responsive to detecting a project event, one or more parameters of the project decay function can be determined from the project event. Project health can be calculated according to the project decay function using the parameter(s). An indication of the project health can be output.1-20. (canceled) 21. A computer-implemented method, comprising:
associating, with a project and using a processor, a project decay function that regulates a rate at which a project health declines; identifying, from a project event and using the processor, a parameter of the project decay function; and calculating, based upon the project decay function and using the identified parameter, the project health. 22. The method of claim 21, wherein
the project decay function depends upon time. 23. The method of claim 21, wherein
the project decay function depends upon a level of collaboration detected between at least two users associated with the project. 24. The method of claim 21, wherein
the project health is reset to a maximum value after the projected event is detected. 25. The method of claim 21, wherein
an avatar is displayed as a representation of the project health, and an appearance of the avatar is altered responsive to changes in the project health. 26. The method of claim 21, further comprising:
sending the calculated project health to an ambient device. 27. The method of claim 26, wherein
the ambient device is configured to output the calculated project health. 28. A computer hardware system, comprising:
at least one hardware processor configured to initiate the following executable operations:
associating, with a project, a project decay function that regulates a rate at which a project health declines;
identifying, from a project event, a parameter of the project decay function; and
calculating, based upon the project decay function and using the identified parameter, the project health. 29. The method of claim 21, wherein
the project decay function depends upon time. 30. The system of claim 28, wherein
the project decay function depends upon a level of collaboration detected between at least two users associated with the project. 31. The system of claim 28, wherein
the project health is reset to a maximum value after the projected event is detected. 32. The system of claim 28, wherein
an avatar is displayed as a representation of the project health, and an appearance of the avatar is altered responsive to changes in the project health. 33. The system of claim 28, further comprising:
an ambient device, wherein the calculated project health is sent to the ambient device. 34. The system of claim 33, wherein
the ambient device is configured to output the calculated project health. 35. A computer program product, comprising:
a computer-usable storage device having stored therein computer-usable program code, the computer-usable program code, which when executed by a computer hardware system, causes the computer hardware system to perform:
associating, with a project, a project decay function that regulates a rate at which a project health declines;
identifying, from a project event, a parameter of the project decay function; and
calculating, based upon the project decay function and using the identified parameter, the project health. 36. The computer program product of claim 35, wherein
the project decay function depends upon time. 37. The computer program product of claim 35, wherein
the project decay function depends upon a level of collaboration detected between at least two users associated with the project. 38. The computer program product of claim 35, wherein
the project health is reset to a maximum value after the projected event is detected. 39. The computer program product of claim 35, wherein
an avatar is displayed as a representation of the project health, and an appearance of the avatar is altered responsive to changes in the project health. 40. The computer program product of claim 35, wherein the computer-usable program code further causes the computer hardware system to perform:
sending the calculated project health to an ambient device. | 3,600 |
12,684 | 12,684 | 14,893,227 | 3,654 | Embodiments are directed reducing the size of an elevator machine by establishing an envelope associated with a sheave of the machine, and recessing at least one bearing associated with the machine at least partially within the envelope. Embodiments are directed to an elevator machine comprising a motor, a sheave, and a plurality of bearings recessed at least partially within an envelope of at least one of the motor and sheave. | 1. A method for reducing the size of an elevator machine, comprising:
establishing an envelope associated with a sheave of the machine; and recessing at least one bearing associated with the machine at least partially within the envelope. 2. The method of claim 1 comprising a plurality of bearings, and wherein each of the plurality of bearings is partially within the envelope. 3. The method of claim 2, further including bearing housings, wherein at least one of the housings includes at least one port for oil maintenance. 4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
seating at least one bearing on a stationary shaft while a spinning component is attached to a brake disc or end plate and through a bolted joint connected to two ends of the sheave. 5. An elevator machine comprising:
a motor; a sheave; and a plurality of bearings recessed at least partially within an envelope of at least one of the motor and sheave. 6. The elevator machine of claim 5, wherein each of the plurality of bearings is contained in a corresponding housing of a plurality of housings included in the machine. 7. The elevator machine of claim 6, wherein each of the housings includes at least one port for oil maintenance. 8. The elevator machine of claim 5, wherein each of the plurality of bearings is situated on a stationary shaft while a spinning component is attached to a brake disc or end plate and through a bolted joint connected to two ends of the sheave. 9. A method for reducing the size of a machine, comprising:
establishing an envelope associated with a stator of a motor; and recessing at least one bearing associated with the machine at least partially within the envelope. 10. An apparatus comprising:
a motor comprising a stator; and a bearing recessed at least partially within an envelope of the stator. 11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the bearing is completely recessed within the envelope. | Embodiments are directed reducing the size of an elevator machine by establishing an envelope associated with a sheave of the machine, and recessing at least one bearing associated with the machine at least partially within the envelope. Embodiments are directed to an elevator machine comprising a motor, a sheave, and a plurality of bearings recessed at least partially within an envelope of at least one of the motor and sheave.1. A method for reducing the size of an elevator machine, comprising:
establishing an envelope associated with a sheave of the machine; and recessing at least one bearing associated with the machine at least partially within the envelope. 2. The method of claim 1 comprising a plurality of bearings, and wherein each of the plurality of bearings is partially within the envelope. 3. The method of claim 2, further including bearing housings, wherein at least one of the housings includes at least one port for oil maintenance. 4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
seating at least one bearing on a stationary shaft while a spinning component is attached to a brake disc or end plate and through a bolted joint connected to two ends of the sheave. 5. An elevator machine comprising:
a motor; a sheave; and a plurality of bearings recessed at least partially within an envelope of at least one of the motor and sheave. 6. The elevator machine of claim 5, wherein each of the plurality of bearings is contained in a corresponding housing of a plurality of housings included in the machine. 7. The elevator machine of claim 6, wherein each of the housings includes at least one port for oil maintenance. 8. The elevator machine of claim 5, wherein each of the plurality of bearings is situated on a stationary shaft while a spinning component is attached to a brake disc or end plate and through a bolted joint connected to two ends of the sheave. 9. A method for reducing the size of a machine, comprising:
establishing an envelope associated with a stator of a motor; and recessing at least one bearing associated with the machine at least partially within the envelope. 10. An apparatus comprising:
a motor comprising a stator; and a bearing recessed at least partially within an envelope of the stator. 11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the bearing is completely recessed within the envelope. | 3,600 |
12,685 | 12,685 | 12,164,446 | 3,621 | A system, method and computer program product for performing a data protection operation is provided. The method includes receiving a write instruction that is associated with a writable entity, the write instruction includes a writable entity identifier, and data protection metadata indicative of a relevancy of at least one data protection operation to be applied in relation to the write instruction, and participating in an execution of a relevant data protection operation, if such a relevant data protection operation exists. | 1. A method for performing a data protection operation, the method comprising:
receiving a write instruction that is associated with a writable entity; wherein the write instruction comprises:
a writable entity identifier; and
data protection metadata indicative of a relevancy of at least one data protection operation to be applied in relation to the write instruction; and
participating in an execution of a relevant data protection operation, if such a relevant data protection operation exists. 2. The method according to claim 1 wherein the write instruction comprises relevancy metadata indicative of a relevancy of the data protection metadata to at least one other write instruction that is associated with the writable entity. 3. The method according to claim 1 comprising:
receiving a first write instruction that comprises a default indication and data protection metadata; receiving a second write instruction that lacks data protection metadata; wherein the first and second write instructions are associated with the writable entity; and determining a relevancy of at least one data protection operation to be applied in relation to the second write operation in response to the data protection metadata of the first write instruction. 4. The method according to claim 1 wherein the data protection metadata is indicative of a relevancy of at least one copy service operation. 5. The method according to claim 1 wherein the data protection metadata is indicative of a relevancy of at least one copy service operation selected out of a group consisting of:
change recording; in-order asynchronous remote copying; out-of-order asynchronous remote copying; and synchronous remote copying. 6. The method according to claim 1 wherein the data protection metadata comprises a bitmap; wherein different bits of the bitmap are indicative of a relevancy of data protection operations of different types. 7. The method according to claim 1 wherein the data protection metadata is indicative of at least one continuous data protection operation. 8. The method according to claim 7 wherein the data protection metadata is indicative of a relevancy of at least one copy service operation. 9. The method according to claim 1 wherein the writable entity is an application object. 10. The method according to claim 1 wherein the writable entity is a memory space. 11. A computer program product comprising a computer usable medium including a computer readable program, wherein the computer readable program when executed on a computer causes the computer to:
receive a write instruction that is associated with a writable entity; wherein the write instruction comprises:
a writable entity identifier; and
data protection metadata indicative of a relevancy of at least one data protection operation to be applied in relation to the write instruction; and
participate in an execution of a relevant data protection operation, if such a relevant data protection operation exists. 12. The computer program product according to claim 11 wherein the write instruction comprises relevancy metadata indicative of a relevancy of the data protection metadata to at least one other write instruction that is associated with the writable entity. 13. The computer program product according to claim 11, wherein the computer readable program when executed on a computer causes the computer to:
receive a first write instruction that comprises a default indication and data protection metadata; receive a second write instruction that lacks data protection metadata; wherein the first and second write instructions are associated with the writable entity; and determine a relevancy of at least one data protection operation to be applied in relation to the second write operation in response to the data protection metadata of the first write instruction. 14. The computer program product according to claim 11 wherein the data protection metadata is indicative of a relevancy of at least one copy service operation. 15. The computer program product according to claim 11 wherein the data protection metadata is indicative of a relevancy of at least one copy service operation selected out of a group consisting of:
change recording; in-order asynchronous remote copying; out-of-order asynchronous remote copying; and synchronous remote copying. 16. The computer program product according to claim 11 wherein the data protection metadata comprises a bitmap; wherein different bits of the bitmap are indicative of a relevancy of data protection operations of different types. 17. The computer program product according to claim 11 wherein the data protection metadata is indicative of at least one continuous data protection operation. 18. The computer program product according to claim 11 wherein the data protection metadata is indicative of a relevancy of at least one copy service operation. 19. The computer program product according to claim 11 wherein the writable entity is an application object. 20. The computer program product according to claim 11 wherein the writable entity is a memory space. 21. A storage system comprising:
a first memory unit that is adapted to store a write instruction that is associated with a writable entity; wherein the write instruction comprises:
a writable entity identifier; and
data protection metadata indicative of a relevancy of at least one data protection operation to be applied in relation to the write instruction; and
a controller, coupled to the memory unit, and adapted to participate in an execution of a relevant data protection operation, if such a relevant data protection operation exists. 22. The storage system according to claim 21 wherein the write instruction comprises relevancy metadata indicative of a relevancy of the data protection metadata to at least one other write instruction that is associated with the writable entity. 23. The storage system according to claim 21 wherein the memory unit is adapted to store a first write instruction that comprises a default indication and data protection metadata and to a second write instruction that lacks data protection metadata; wherein the first and second write instructions are associated with the writable entity; and wherein the controller is adapted to determine a relevancy of at least one data protection operation to be applied in relation to the second write operation in response to the data protection metadata of the first write instruction. 24. The storage system according to claim 21 wherein the data protection metadata is indicative of at least one continuous data protection operation. 25. The storage system according to claim 24 wherein the data protection metadata is indicative of a relevancy of at least one copy service operation. | A system, method and computer program product for performing a data protection operation is provided. The method includes receiving a write instruction that is associated with a writable entity, the write instruction includes a writable entity identifier, and data protection metadata indicative of a relevancy of at least one data protection operation to be applied in relation to the write instruction, and participating in an execution of a relevant data protection operation, if such a relevant data protection operation exists.1. A method for performing a data protection operation, the method comprising:
receiving a write instruction that is associated with a writable entity; wherein the write instruction comprises:
a writable entity identifier; and
data protection metadata indicative of a relevancy of at least one data protection operation to be applied in relation to the write instruction; and
participating in an execution of a relevant data protection operation, if such a relevant data protection operation exists. 2. The method according to claim 1 wherein the write instruction comprises relevancy metadata indicative of a relevancy of the data protection metadata to at least one other write instruction that is associated with the writable entity. 3. The method according to claim 1 comprising:
receiving a first write instruction that comprises a default indication and data protection metadata; receiving a second write instruction that lacks data protection metadata; wherein the first and second write instructions are associated with the writable entity; and determining a relevancy of at least one data protection operation to be applied in relation to the second write operation in response to the data protection metadata of the first write instruction. 4. The method according to claim 1 wherein the data protection metadata is indicative of a relevancy of at least one copy service operation. 5. The method according to claim 1 wherein the data protection metadata is indicative of a relevancy of at least one copy service operation selected out of a group consisting of:
change recording; in-order asynchronous remote copying; out-of-order asynchronous remote copying; and synchronous remote copying. 6. The method according to claim 1 wherein the data protection metadata comprises a bitmap; wherein different bits of the bitmap are indicative of a relevancy of data protection operations of different types. 7. The method according to claim 1 wherein the data protection metadata is indicative of at least one continuous data protection operation. 8. The method according to claim 7 wherein the data protection metadata is indicative of a relevancy of at least one copy service operation. 9. The method according to claim 1 wherein the writable entity is an application object. 10. The method according to claim 1 wherein the writable entity is a memory space. 11. A computer program product comprising a computer usable medium including a computer readable program, wherein the computer readable program when executed on a computer causes the computer to:
receive a write instruction that is associated with a writable entity; wherein the write instruction comprises:
a writable entity identifier; and
data protection metadata indicative of a relevancy of at least one data protection operation to be applied in relation to the write instruction; and
participate in an execution of a relevant data protection operation, if such a relevant data protection operation exists. 12. The computer program product according to claim 11 wherein the write instruction comprises relevancy metadata indicative of a relevancy of the data protection metadata to at least one other write instruction that is associated with the writable entity. 13. The computer program product according to claim 11, wherein the computer readable program when executed on a computer causes the computer to:
receive a first write instruction that comprises a default indication and data protection metadata; receive a second write instruction that lacks data protection metadata; wherein the first and second write instructions are associated with the writable entity; and determine a relevancy of at least one data protection operation to be applied in relation to the second write operation in response to the data protection metadata of the first write instruction. 14. The computer program product according to claim 11 wherein the data protection metadata is indicative of a relevancy of at least one copy service operation. 15. The computer program product according to claim 11 wherein the data protection metadata is indicative of a relevancy of at least one copy service operation selected out of a group consisting of:
change recording; in-order asynchronous remote copying; out-of-order asynchronous remote copying; and synchronous remote copying. 16. The computer program product according to claim 11 wherein the data protection metadata comprises a bitmap; wherein different bits of the bitmap are indicative of a relevancy of data protection operations of different types. 17. The computer program product according to claim 11 wherein the data protection metadata is indicative of at least one continuous data protection operation. 18. The computer program product according to claim 11 wherein the data protection metadata is indicative of a relevancy of at least one copy service operation. 19. The computer program product according to claim 11 wherein the writable entity is an application object. 20. The computer program product according to claim 11 wherein the writable entity is a memory space. 21. A storage system comprising:
a first memory unit that is adapted to store a write instruction that is associated with a writable entity; wherein the write instruction comprises:
a writable entity identifier; and
data protection metadata indicative of a relevancy of at least one data protection operation to be applied in relation to the write instruction; and
a controller, coupled to the memory unit, and adapted to participate in an execution of a relevant data protection operation, if such a relevant data protection operation exists. 22. The storage system according to claim 21 wherein the write instruction comprises relevancy metadata indicative of a relevancy of the data protection metadata to at least one other write instruction that is associated with the writable entity. 23. The storage system according to claim 21 wherein the memory unit is adapted to store a first write instruction that comprises a default indication and data protection metadata and to a second write instruction that lacks data protection metadata; wherein the first and second write instructions are associated with the writable entity; and wherein the controller is adapted to determine a relevancy of at least one data protection operation to be applied in relation to the second write operation in response to the data protection metadata of the first write instruction. 24. The storage system according to claim 21 wherein the data protection metadata is indicative of at least one continuous data protection operation. 25. The storage system according to claim 24 wherein the data protection metadata is indicative of a relevancy of at least one copy service operation. | 3,600 |
12,686 | 12,686 | 14,196,001 | 3,626 | A computer implemented communication method between healthcare professionals. includes receiving, from a first electronic device, a text communication having a patient identifier corresponding to a patient and identifying, via a computer, the patient identifier of the text communication. The method also includes retrieving, via the computer, one or more portions of electronic patient medical records corresponding to the patient identifier and transmitting, via a real time messaging server, the text communication and the one or more portions of the electronic patient medical records to a second electronic device. The method further includes simultaneously displaying the text communication and the one or more portions of the electronic patient medical records at the second electronic device. | 1. A computer implemented communication method between healthcare professionals, the method comprising:
receiving, from a first electronic device, a text communication having a patient identifier corresponding to a patient; identifying, via a computer, the patient identifier of the text communication; retrieving, via the computer, one or more portions of electronic patient medical records corresponding to the patient identifier; transmitting, via a real time messaging server, the text communication and the one or more portions of the electronic patient medical records to a second electronic device; and simultaneously displaying the text communication and the one or more portions of the electronic patient medical records at the second electronic device. 2. The communication method of claim 1, further comprising simultaneously displaying the text communication and the one or more portions of the electronic patient medical records at the first electronic device. 3. The communication method of claim 1, further comprising:
receiving a response text communication from the second electronic device; and simultaneously displaying the response text communication and the one or more portions of electronic patient medical records at the first electronic device and the second electronic device. 4. The communication method of claim 3, wherein the text communication or the response text communication comprises a medical record identifier and the method further comprises simultaneously displaying the text communication or the response text communication and one or more additional portions of the electronic patient medical records corresponding to the medical record identifier. 5. The communication method of claim 4, wherein the medical record identifier in the text communication or the response text communication is a part of a patient's anatomy and the method further comprises simultaneously displaying the text communication or the response text communication and the one or more additional portions of the electronic patient medical records corresponding to the part of the patient's anatomy. 6. The communication method of claim 4, wherein the medical record identifier in the text communication or the response text communication is a current treatment of the patient and the method further comprises simultaneously displaying the text communication or the response text communication and the one or more additional portions of the electronic patient medical records corresponding to the current treatment of the patient. 7. The communication method of claim 4, wherein the medical record identifier in the text communication or the response text communication comprises one or more medications prescribed to the patient and the method further comprises simultaneously displaying the text communication or the response text communication and the one or more additional portions of the electronic patient medical records corresponding to the one or more medications prescribed to the patient. 8. The communication method of claim 1, wherein simultaneously displaying the text communication and the one or more portions of the electronic patient medical records further comprises displaying the text communication in a first display area of a display and displaying the one or more portions of the electronic patient medical records in a second display area of the display. 9. The communication method of claim 1, further comprising:
identifying a plurality of patients each having one or more portions of electronic patient medical records that correspond to the patient identifier; displaying the identification of the plurality of patients having one or more portions of electronic patient medical records; and receiving, from the first electronic device, a second text communication having a second patient identifier corresponding to the patient, the second patient identifier being different from the first patient identifier. 10. A healthcare professional network communication system comprising:
a server comprising:
(i) a receiving module configured to receive a text communication from a first electronic device, the text communication having a patient identifier corresponding to a patient;
(ii) a database interface module configured to retrieve one or more portions of electronic patient medical records corresponding to the patient identifier; and
(iii) a transmitting module configured to transmit, via a real time messaging server, the text communication and the one or more portions of electronic patient medical records to a second electronic device; and
a first presentation module at the second electronic device configured to simultaneously present the text communication and the one or more portions of the electronic patient medical records on a display of the second electronic device. 11. The system according to claim 10, wherein
the receiving module is further configured to receive a response text communication from the second electronic device; and the system further comprises: a second presentation module at the first electronic device configured to present at least one of the text communication and the response text communication simultaneously with the one or more portions of the electronic patient medical records on a display of the first electronic device. 12. The system according to claim 11, wherein
the text communication or the response text communication comprises a medical record identifier, the database interface module is further configured to retrieve one or more additional portions of the electronic patient medical records corresponding to the medical record identifier; the transmitting module is further configured to transmit, via the real time messaging server, the text communication or the response text communication and the one or more additional portions of the electronic patient medical records between the first electronic device and the second electronic device, the first presentation module at the second electronic device is further configured to present the text communication or the response text communication simultaneously with the one or more additional portions of the electronic patient medical records on the display of the second electronic device, and the second presentation module at the first electronic device is further configured to present the text communication or the response text communication simultaneously with the one or more additional portions of the electronic patient medical records on the display of the first electronic device. 13. The system according to claim 10, wherein
the first presentation module at the second electronic device is further configured to simultaneously present: (i) the text communication at a first area of the display at the second electronic device; and (ii) the one or more portions of the electronic patient medical records at a second area of the display at the second electronic device. 14. The system according to claim 10, wherein
the database interface module is further configured to identify a plurality of patients each having one or more portions of electronic patient medical records that correspond to the patient identifier; the first presentation module is further configured to display the identification of the plurality of patients each having one or more portions of electronic patient medical records; the receiving module is further configured to receive a second text communication from the first electronic device having a second patient identifier corresponding to the patient, the second patient identifier being different from the first patient identifier; the database interface module is configured to retrieve the one or more portions of the electronic patient medical records corresponding to the second patient identifier. 15. An article of manufacture for communicating between healthcare professionals, the article of manufacture comprising a non-transitory, tangible computer-readable medium holding computer-executable instructions for performing a method comprising:
receiving, from a first electronic device, a text communication having a patient identifier corresponding to a patient; identifying, via a computer, the patient identifier of the communication; retrieving, via the computer, one or more portions of electronic patient medical records corresponding to the patient identifier; transmitting, via a real time messaging server, the text communication and the electronic medical record data to a second electronic device; and simultaneously displaying the text communication and the one or more portions of the electronic patient medical records at the second electronic device. 16. The article of manufacture of claim 15, further comprising instructions for simultaneously displaying the text communication and the one or more portions of the electronic patient medical records at the first electronic device. 17. The article of manufacture of claim 15, further comprising instructions for:
receiving a response text communication from the second electronic device; and simultaneously displaying the response text communication and the one or more portions of the electronic patient medical records at the first electronic device and the second electronic device. 18. The article of manufacture of claim 17, wherein the text communication or the response text communication comprises a medical record identifier and further comprising instructions for simultaneously displaying the text communication or the response text communication and one or more additional portions of the electronic patient medical records corresponding to the medical record identifier. 19. The article of manufacture of claim 15, wherein simultaneously displaying the text communication and the one or more portions of the electronic patient medical records further comprises displaying the text communication in a first display area of a display and displaying the one or more portions of the electronic patient medical records in a second display area of the display. 20. The article of manufacture of claim 15, further comprising instructions for:
identifying a plurality of patients each having one or more portions of electronic patient medical records that correspond to the patient identifier; displaying the identification of the plurality of patients having one or more portions of electronic patient medical records; and receiving, from the first electronic device, a second text communication having a second patient identifier corresponding to the patient, the second patient identifier being different from the first patient identifier. | A computer implemented communication method between healthcare professionals. includes receiving, from a first electronic device, a text communication having a patient identifier corresponding to a patient and identifying, via a computer, the patient identifier of the text communication. The method also includes retrieving, via the computer, one or more portions of electronic patient medical records corresponding to the patient identifier and transmitting, via a real time messaging server, the text communication and the one or more portions of the electronic patient medical records to a second electronic device. The method further includes simultaneously displaying the text communication and the one or more portions of the electronic patient medical records at the second electronic device.1. A computer implemented communication method between healthcare professionals, the method comprising:
receiving, from a first electronic device, a text communication having a patient identifier corresponding to a patient; identifying, via a computer, the patient identifier of the text communication; retrieving, via the computer, one or more portions of electronic patient medical records corresponding to the patient identifier; transmitting, via a real time messaging server, the text communication and the one or more portions of the electronic patient medical records to a second electronic device; and simultaneously displaying the text communication and the one or more portions of the electronic patient medical records at the second electronic device. 2. The communication method of claim 1, further comprising simultaneously displaying the text communication and the one or more portions of the electronic patient medical records at the first electronic device. 3. The communication method of claim 1, further comprising:
receiving a response text communication from the second electronic device; and simultaneously displaying the response text communication and the one or more portions of electronic patient medical records at the first electronic device and the second electronic device. 4. The communication method of claim 3, wherein the text communication or the response text communication comprises a medical record identifier and the method further comprises simultaneously displaying the text communication or the response text communication and one or more additional portions of the electronic patient medical records corresponding to the medical record identifier. 5. The communication method of claim 4, wherein the medical record identifier in the text communication or the response text communication is a part of a patient's anatomy and the method further comprises simultaneously displaying the text communication or the response text communication and the one or more additional portions of the electronic patient medical records corresponding to the part of the patient's anatomy. 6. The communication method of claim 4, wherein the medical record identifier in the text communication or the response text communication is a current treatment of the patient and the method further comprises simultaneously displaying the text communication or the response text communication and the one or more additional portions of the electronic patient medical records corresponding to the current treatment of the patient. 7. The communication method of claim 4, wherein the medical record identifier in the text communication or the response text communication comprises one or more medications prescribed to the patient and the method further comprises simultaneously displaying the text communication or the response text communication and the one or more additional portions of the electronic patient medical records corresponding to the one or more medications prescribed to the patient. 8. The communication method of claim 1, wherein simultaneously displaying the text communication and the one or more portions of the electronic patient medical records further comprises displaying the text communication in a first display area of a display and displaying the one or more portions of the electronic patient medical records in a second display area of the display. 9. The communication method of claim 1, further comprising:
identifying a plurality of patients each having one or more portions of electronic patient medical records that correspond to the patient identifier; displaying the identification of the plurality of patients having one or more portions of electronic patient medical records; and receiving, from the first electronic device, a second text communication having a second patient identifier corresponding to the patient, the second patient identifier being different from the first patient identifier. 10. A healthcare professional network communication system comprising:
a server comprising:
(i) a receiving module configured to receive a text communication from a first electronic device, the text communication having a patient identifier corresponding to a patient;
(ii) a database interface module configured to retrieve one or more portions of electronic patient medical records corresponding to the patient identifier; and
(iii) a transmitting module configured to transmit, via a real time messaging server, the text communication and the one or more portions of electronic patient medical records to a second electronic device; and
a first presentation module at the second electronic device configured to simultaneously present the text communication and the one or more portions of the electronic patient medical records on a display of the second electronic device. 11. The system according to claim 10, wherein
the receiving module is further configured to receive a response text communication from the second electronic device; and the system further comprises: a second presentation module at the first electronic device configured to present at least one of the text communication and the response text communication simultaneously with the one or more portions of the electronic patient medical records on a display of the first electronic device. 12. The system according to claim 11, wherein
the text communication or the response text communication comprises a medical record identifier, the database interface module is further configured to retrieve one or more additional portions of the electronic patient medical records corresponding to the medical record identifier; the transmitting module is further configured to transmit, via the real time messaging server, the text communication or the response text communication and the one or more additional portions of the electronic patient medical records between the first electronic device and the second electronic device, the first presentation module at the second electronic device is further configured to present the text communication or the response text communication simultaneously with the one or more additional portions of the electronic patient medical records on the display of the second electronic device, and the second presentation module at the first electronic device is further configured to present the text communication or the response text communication simultaneously with the one or more additional portions of the electronic patient medical records on the display of the first electronic device. 13. The system according to claim 10, wherein
the first presentation module at the second electronic device is further configured to simultaneously present: (i) the text communication at a first area of the display at the second electronic device; and (ii) the one or more portions of the electronic patient medical records at a second area of the display at the second electronic device. 14. The system according to claim 10, wherein
the database interface module is further configured to identify a plurality of patients each having one or more portions of electronic patient medical records that correspond to the patient identifier; the first presentation module is further configured to display the identification of the plurality of patients each having one or more portions of electronic patient medical records; the receiving module is further configured to receive a second text communication from the first electronic device having a second patient identifier corresponding to the patient, the second patient identifier being different from the first patient identifier; the database interface module is configured to retrieve the one or more portions of the electronic patient medical records corresponding to the second patient identifier. 15. An article of manufacture for communicating between healthcare professionals, the article of manufacture comprising a non-transitory, tangible computer-readable medium holding computer-executable instructions for performing a method comprising:
receiving, from a first electronic device, a text communication having a patient identifier corresponding to a patient; identifying, via a computer, the patient identifier of the communication; retrieving, via the computer, one or more portions of electronic patient medical records corresponding to the patient identifier; transmitting, via a real time messaging server, the text communication and the electronic medical record data to a second electronic device; and simultaneously displaying the text communication and the one or more portions of the electronic patient medical records at the second electronic device. 16. The article of manufacture of claim 15, further comprising instructions for simultaneously displaying the text communication and the one or more portions of the electronic patient medical records at the first electronic device. 17. The article of manufacture of claim 15, further comprising instructions for:
receiving a response text communication from the second electronic device; and simultaneously displaying the response text communication and the one or more portions of the electronic patient medical records at the first electronic device and the second electronic device. 18. The article of manufacture of claim 17, wherein the text communication or the response text communication comprises a medical record identifier and further comprising instructions for simultaneously displaying the text communication or the response text communication and one or more additional portions of the electronic patient medical records corresponding to the medical record identifier. 19. The article of manufacture of claim 15, wherein simultaneously displaying the text communication and the one or more portions of the electronic patient medical records further comprises displaying the text communication in a first display area of a display and displaying the one or more portions of the electronic patient medical records in a second display area of the display. 20. The article of manufacture of claim 15, further comprising instructions for:
identifying a plurality of patients each having one or more portions of electronic patient medical records that correspond to the patient identifier; displaying the identification of the plurality of patients having one or more portions of electronic patient medical records; and receiving, from the first electronic device, a second text communication having a second patient identifier corresponding to the patient, the second patient identifier being different from the first patient identifier. | 3,600 |
12,687 | 12,687 | 14,227,794 | 3,623 | Embodiments of the present invention provide a method, system and computer program product for an integrated business rules management system (BRMS) and mixed integer programming (MIP) technology application deployment. In an embodiment of the invention, a method of rules processing with MIP constraints can include selecting candidate rules from amongst a set of rules in a rules engine executing in memory of a computer and reducing the candidate rules to rules in a conflict set according to constraints specified in the candidate rules. The method also can include conflict resolving the rules in the conflict set and generating an agenda for the rules of the conflict set. Finally, the method can include adding constraints specified in the rules of the conflict set to working memory of the rules engine and applying the rules in the conflict set in agenda order to the working memory. | 1. A method of rules processing with mixed integer programming (MIP) constraints comprising:
selecting into a candidate set individual candidate rules from amongst a plurality of rules in a rules engine executing in memory of a computer; removing from the candidate set candidate rules according to constraints specified in the candidate rules; conflict resolving the rules in the conflict set; generating an agenda for the rules of the conflict set; adding constraints specified in the rules of the conflict set to working memory of the rules engine; and, applying the rules in the conflict set in agenda order to the working memory. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the candidate rules are selected according to a Rete algorithm. 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the constraints specified in the candidate rules used to reduce the candidate rules are constraints specified in a left hand side of the candidate rules. 4. The method of claim 3, wherein the constraints specified in the rules that are added to the working memory are specified in a right hand side of the rules of the conflict set. 5. The method of claim 1, wherein the candidate rules are selected by selecting a set of rules and removing from the selected set of the rules only rules whose constraints fail testing so as to produce the candidate rules. 6. The method of claim 1, the candidate rules are reduced to the conflict set by including rules in the conflict set from the candidate rules that specify constraints determined by a MIP optimization engine to be feasible while excluding rules in the candidate set from the conflict set that specify constraints determined by a MIP optimization engine to be infeasible. | Embodiments of the present invention provide a method, system and computer program product for an integrated business rules management system (BRMS) and mixed integer programming (MIP) technology application deployment. In an embodiment of the invention, a method of rules processing with MIP constraints can include selecting candidate rules from amongst a set of rules in a rules engine executing in memory of a computer and reducing the candidate rules to rules in a conflict set according to constraints specified in the candidate rules. The method also can include conflict resolving the rules in the conflict set and generating an agenda for the rules of the conflict set. Finally, the method can include adding constraints specified in the rules of the conflict set to working memory of the rules engine and applying the rules in the conflict set in agenda order to the working memory.1. A method of rules processing with mixed integer programming (MIP) constraints comprising:
selecting into a candidate set individual candidate rules from amongst a plurality of rules in a rules engine executing in memory of a computer; removing from the candidate set candidate rules according to constraints specified in the candidate rules; conflict resolving the rules in the conflict set; generating an agenda for the rules of the conflict set; adding constraints specified in the rules of the conflict set to working memory of the rules engine; and, applying the rules in the conflict set in agenda order to the working memory. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the candidate rules are selected according to a Rete algorithm. 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the constraints specified in the candidate rules used to reduce the candidate rules are constraints specified in a left hand side of the candidate rules. 4. The method of claim 3, wherein the constraints specified in the rules that are added to the working memory are specified in a right hand side of the rules of the conflict set. 5. The method of claim 1, wherein the candidate rules are selected by selecting a set of rules and removing from the selected set of the rules only rules whose constraints fail testing so as to produce the candidate rules. 6. The method of claim 1, the candidate rules are reduced to the conflict set by including rules in the conflict set from the candidate rules that specify constraints determined by a MIP optimization engine to be feasible while excluding rules in the candidate set from the conflict set that specify constraints determined by a MIP optimization engine to be infeasible. | 3,600 |
12,688 | 12,688 | 13,861,483 | 3,623 | Embodiments of the present invention provide a method, system and computer program product for an integrated business rules management system (BRMS) and mixed integer programming (MIP) technology application deployment. In an embodiment of the invention, a method of rules processing with MIP constraints can include selecting candidate rules from amongst a set of rules in a rules engine executing in memory of a computer and reducing the candidate rules to rules in a conflict set according to constraints specified in the candidate rules. The method also can include conflict resolving the rules in the conflict set and generating an agenda for the rules of the conflict set. Finally, the method can include adding constraints specified in the rules of the conflict set to working memory of the rules engine and applying the rules in the conflict set in agenda order to the working memory. | 1.-6. (canceled) 7. A rules processing data processing system comprising:
a computer with at least one processor and memory; a rules engine executing in the computer; and, a mixed integer programming (MIP) optimization engine coupled to the rules engine, the rules engine selecting candidate rules from amongst a set of rules, reducing the candidate rules to rules in a conflict set according to constraints specified in the candidate rules, conflict resolving the rules in the conflict set, generating an agenda for the rules of the conflict set, adding constraints specified in the rules of the conflict set to working memory of the rules engine, and applying the rules in the conflict set in agenda order to the working memory. 8. The system of claim 7, wherein the candidate rules are selected according to a Rete algorithm. 9. The system of claim 7, wherein the constraints specified in the candidate rules used to reduce the candidate rules are constraints specified in a left hand side of the candidate rules. 10. The system of claim 9, wherein the constraints specified in the rules that are added to the working memory are specified in a right hand side of the rules of the conflict set. 11. The system of claim 7, wherein the candidate rules are selected by selecting a set of rules and removing from the selected set of the rules only rules whose constraints fail testing so as to produce the candidate rules. 12. The system of claim 7, the candidate rules are reduced to the conflict set by including rules in the conflict set from the candidate rules that specify constraints determined by a MIP optimization engine to be feasible while excluding rules in the candidate set from the conflict set that specify constraints determined by a MIP optimization engine to be infeasible. 13. A computer program product for rules processing with mixed integer programming (MIP) constraints, the computer program product comprising:
a computer readable storage medium having computer readable program code embodied therewith, the computer readable program code comprising: computer readable program code for selecting candidate rules from amongst a set of rules in a rules engine executing in memory of a computer; computer readable program code for reducing the candidate rules to rules in a conflict set according to constraints specified in the candidate rules; computer readable program code for conflict resolving the rules in the conflict set; computer readable program code for generating an agenda for the rules of the conflict set; computer readable program code for adding constraints specified in the rules of the conflict set to working memory of the rules engine; and, computer readable program code for applying the rules in the conflict set in agenda order to the working memory. 14. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the candidate rules are selected according to a Rete algorithm. 15. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the constraints specified in the candidate rules used to reduce the candidate rules are constraints specified in a left hand side of the candidate rules. 16. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the constraints specified in the rules that are added to the working memory are specified in a right hand side of the rules of the conflict set. 17. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the candidate rules are selected by selecting a set of rules and removing from the selected set of the rules only rules whose constraints fail testing so as to produce the candidate rules. 18. The computer program product of claim 13, the candidate rules are reduced to the conflict set by including rules in the conflict set from the candidate rules that specify constraints determined by a MIP optimization engine to be feasible while excluding rules in the candidate set from the conflict set that specify constraints determined by a MIP optimization engine to be infeasible. | Embodiments of the present invention provide a method, system and computer program product for an integrated business rules management system (BRMS) and mixed integer programming (MIP) technology application deployment. In an embodiment of the invention, a method of rules processing with MIP constraints can include selecting candidate rules from amongst a set of rules in a rules engine executing in memory of a computer and reducing the candidate rules to rules in a conflict set according to constraints specified in the candidate rules. The method also can include conflict resolving the rules in the conflict set and generating an agenda for the rules of the conflict set. Finally, the method can include adding constraints specified in the rules of the conflict set to working memory of the rules engine and applying the rules in the conflict set in agenda order to the working memory.1.-6. (canceled) 7. A rules processing data processing system comprising:
a computer with at least one processor and memory; a rules engine executing in the computer; and, a mixed integer programming (MIP) optimization engine coupled to the rules engine, the rules engine selecting candidate rules from amongst a set of rules, reducing the candidate rules to rules in a conflict set according to constraints specified in the candidate rules, conflict resolving the rules in the conflict set, generating an agenda for the rules of the conflict set, adding constraints specified in the rules of the conflict set to working memory of the rules engine, and applying the rules in the conflict set in agenda order to the working memory. 8. The system of claim 7, wherein the candidate rules are selected according to a Rete algorithm. 9. The system of claim 7, wherein the constraints specified in the candidate rules used to reduce the candidate rules are constraints specified in a left hand side of the candidate rules. 10. The system of claim 9, wherein the constraints specified in the rules that are added to the working memory are specified in a right hand side of the rules of the conflict set. 11. The system of claim 7, wherein the candidate rules are selected by selecting a set of rules and removing from the selected set of the rules only rules whose constraints fail testing so as to produce the candidate rules. 12. The system of claim 7, the candidate rules are reduced to the conflict set by including rules in the conflict set from the candidate rules that specify constraints determined by a MIP optimization engine to be feasible while excluding rules in the candidate set from the conflict set that specify constraints determined by a MIP optimization engine to be infeasible. 13. A computer program product for rules processing with mixed integer programming (MIP) constraints, the computer program product comprising:
a computer readable storage medium having computer readable program code embodied therewith, the computer readable program code comprising: computer readable program code for selecting candidate rules from amongst a set of rules in a rules engine executing in memory of a computer; computer readable program code for reducing the candidate rules to rules in a conflict set according to constraints specified in the candidate rules; computer readable program code for conflict resolving the rules in the conflict set; computer readable program code for generating an agenda for the rules of the conflict set; computer readable program code for adding constraints specified in the rules of the conflict set to working memory of the rules engine; and, computer readable program code for applying the rules in the conflict set in agenda order to the working memory. 14. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the candidate rules are selected according to a Rete algorithm. 15. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the constraints specified in the candidate rules used to reduce the candidate rules are constraints specified in a left hand side of the candidate rules. 16. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the constraints specified in the rules that are added to the working memory are specified in a right hand side of the rules of the conflict set. 17. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the candidate rules are selected by selecting a set of rules and removing from the selected set of the rules only rules whose constraints fail testing so as to produce the candidate rules. 18. The computer program product of claim 13, the candidate rules are reduced to the conflict set by including rules in the conflict set from the candidate rules that specify constraints determined by a MIP optimization engine to be feasible while excluding rules in the candidate set from the conflict set that specify constraints determined by a MIP optimization engine to be infeasible. | 3,600 |
12,689 | 12,689 | 14,519,991 | 3,694 | On the basis of simulated backtests, many portfolios including so-called smart beta and other factor products often boast impressive track records. However, given the additional trading that occurs, can such advertised performance truly be realized once transaction costs are taken into account? One might expect these products to make a concerted effort to manage liquidity. However, explicit efforts to manage liquidity in existing smart beta and factor ETF and index products have been relatively modest. A new set of rules are provided that are independent of the notional value of the portfolio that can be used to better manage the liquidity of investment portfolio. | 1. A computer-implemented method for constructing a portfolio of investment assets comprising:
electronically receiving by a programmed computer a set of N potential investments having a range of liquidities; electronically receiving by the programmed computer an N-dimensional vector giving a measure of the trading liquidity for each of the possible investments; electronically receiving by the programmed computer an N-dimensional vector giving percentage weights for a benchmark portfolio of investment assets; electronically receiving by a programmed computer a subset of illiquid assets from the potential investments; calculating on the programmed computer a portfolio of assets with percentage weights, wherein a sum over the subset of illiquid assets of ratios of each percentage weight of the asset in the portfolio squared over the measure of trading liquidity is less than or equal to a constant value times a sum over the subset of illiquid assets of ratios of each percentage weight of the asset in the benchmark portfolio squared over the measure of trading liquidity wherein the constant value is independent of a number of shares or a currency amount invested in each potential investment; electronically outputting the portfolio employing an output device. 2. The method of claim 1 where the measure of the trading liquidity is a measure of average daily volume. 3. The method of claim 2 where the constant value takes a value between 5×10−1 and 1×103. 4. The method of claim 3 where the portfolio to be determined is a factor index wherein the risk of the portfolio is minimized or the exposure of the portfolio to a factor is maximized. 5. The method of claim 4 wherein the factor exposure is a measure of dividend yield, exchange rate sensitivity, growth, leverage, liquidity, market sensitivity or beta, momentum, return on equity, size or market capitalization, value, or volatility. 6. A computer-implemented method for constructing a portfolio of investment assets comprising:
electronically receiving by a programmed computer a set of N potential investments having a range of liquidities; electronically receiving by the programmed computer an N-dimensional vector giving a measure of the trading liquidity for each of the possible investments; electronically receiving by the programmed computer an N-dimensional vector giving percentage weights for a benchmark portfolio of investment assets; electronically receiving by a programmed computer a subset of illiquid assets from the potential investments; calculating on the programmed computer a portfolio of assets with percentage weights, wherein a sum over the subset of illiquid assets of ratios of each percentage weight of the asset in the portfolio times each percentage weight traded in the asset in the portfolio over the measure of trading liquidity is less than or equal to a constant value times a sum over the subset of illiquid assets of ratios of the percentage weight of each asset in the benchmark portfolio squared over the measure of trading liquidity wherein the constant value is independent of a number of shares or a currency amount invested in each potential investment; electronically outputting the optimized portfolio employing an output device. 7. The method of claim 6 where the measure of the trading liquidity is a measure of average daily volume. 8. The method of claim 7 where the constant value takes a value between 5×10−1 and 1×103. 9. The method of claim 8 where the portfolio to be determined is a factor index wherein the risk of the portfolio is minimized or the exposure of the portfolio to a factor is maximized. 10. The method of claim 9 wherein the factor exposure is a measure of dividend yield, exchange rate sensitivity, growth, leverage, liquidity, market sensitivity or beta, momentum, return on equity, size or market capitalization, value, or volatility. 11. A computer-implemented method for constructing a portfolio of investment assets comprising:
electronically receiving by a programmed computer a set of N potential investments having a range of liquidities; electronically receiving by the programmed computer an N-dimensional vector giving a measure of the trading liquidity for each of the possible investments; electronically receiving by a programmed computer a subset of illiquid assets from the potential investments; calculating on the programmed computer a portfolio of assets with percentage weights, wherein the ratio of each percentage weight of the asset in the portfolio over the measure of trading liquidity is the same value for each asset in the subset of illiquid assets where the value is independent of a number of shares or a currency amount invested in each potential investment; and electronically outputting the optimized portfolio employing an output device. 12. The method of claim 11 where the value of the ratio equals a constant divided by the median value of the measure of the trading liquidity. 13. The method of claim 12 where the constant value takes a value between 10−4 and 101. 14. The method of claim 11 where the measure of the trading liquidity is a measure of average daily volume. 15. The method of claim 14 where the portfolio to be determined is a factor index wherein the risk of the portfolio is minimized or the exposure of the portfolio to a factor is maximized. 16. The method of claim 15 wherein the factor exposure is a measure of dividend yield, exchange rate sensitivity, growth, leverage, liquidity, market sensitivity or beta, momentum, return on equity, size or market capitalization, value, or volatility. 17. A computer-implemented method for constructing a portfolio of investment assets comprising:
electronically receiving by a programmed computer a set of N potential investments having a range of liquidities; electronically receiving by the programmed computer an N-dimensional vector giving a measure of the trading liquidity for each of the possible investments; electronically receiving by a programmed computer a subset of illiquid assets from the potential investments; calculating on the programmed computer a portfolio of assets with percentage weights, wherein the ratio of each percentage weight traded in the asset in the portfolio over the measure of trading liquidity is the same value for each asset in the subset of illiquid assets where the value is independent of a number of shares or a currency amount invested in each potential investment; and electronically outputting the optimized portfolio employing an output device. 18. The method of claim 17 where the value of the ratio equals a constant divided by the median value of the measure of the trading liquidity. 19. The method of claim 18 where the constant value takes a value between 10−4 and 101. 20. The method of claim 17 where the measure of the trading liquidity is a measure of average daily volume. 21. The method of claim 20 where the portfolio to be determined is a factor index wherein the risk of the portfolio is minimized or the exposure of the portfolio to a factor is maximized. 22. The method of claim 21 wherein the factor exposure is a measure of dividend yield, exchange rate sensitivity, growth, leverage, liquidity, market sensitivity or beta, momentum, return on equity, size or market capitalization, value, or volatility. 23. A computer-implemented method for constructing a portfolio of investment assets comprising:
electronically receiving by a programmed computer a set of N potential investments having a range of liquidities; electronically receiving by the programmed computer an N-dimensional vector giving a measure of the trading liquidity for each of the possible investments; electronically receiving by the programmed computer an N-dimensional vector giving percentage weights for a benchmark index of investment assets; determining on the programmed computer a first low liquidity, possibly empty subset of the N potential investments having a liquidity less than a predetermined low liquidity; determining a second high liquidity, possibly empty subset of the N potential investments having a liquidity greater than a predetermined high liquidity; determining a central range subset of the N potential investments having liquidities between the low predetermined liquidity and the high predetermined liquidity; calculating a portfolio on the programmed computer in which the percentage weight of each investment in the central range subset of investments is determined by a liquidity constraint; and electronically outputting the portfolio employing an output device. 24. The method of claim 23 wherein the low liquidity subset of the N potential investments is excluded from the portfolio. 25. The method of claim 24 where the percentage holdings of each of the high liquidity subsets are limited to a maximum value in an optimized portfolio. 26. The method of claim 23 wherein the liquidity constraint results in a portfolio of percentage weights for the portfolio of assets wherein a sum over the central subset of assets of ratios of the percentage weight of the portfolio squared over the measure of trading liquidity is less than or equal to a constant value times a sum over the central subset of assets of ratios of the percentage weight of the benchmark portfolio squared over the measure of trading liquidity wherein the constant value is independent of a number of shares or a currency invested in each potential investment. 27. The method of claim 26 wherein the liquidity constant is defined in terms of the constant value γ such that
∑
i
=
1
K
(
w
i
2
ADV
i
)
≤
γ
∑
i
=
1
K
(
b
i
2
ADV
i
)
. 28. The method of claim 27 wherein 5×10−1<γ<1×103. 29. The method of claim 28 wherein 2<γ<15. 30. The method of claim 23 wherein liquidity constraint is defined in terms of β such that
w
i
ADV
i
≤
β
Median
(
ADV
)
,
i=1, . . . , K. 31. The method of claim 30 wherein 10−4<β<101. 32. The method of claim 31 wherein 10−3<β<10−1. | On the basis of simulated backtests, many portfolios including so-called smart beta and other factor products often boast impressive track records. However, given the additional trading that occurs, can such advertised performance truly be realized once transaction costs are taken into account? One might expect these products to make a concerted effort to manage liquidity. However, explicit efforts to manage liquidity in existing smart beta and factor ETF and index products have been relatively modest. A new set of rules are provided that are independent of the notional value of the portfolio that can be used to better manage the liquidity of investment portfolio.1. A computer-implemented method for constructing a portfolio of investment assets comprising:
electronically receiving by a programmed computer a set of N potential investments having a range of liquidities; electronically receiving by the programmed computer an N-dimensional vector giving a measure of the trading liquidity for each of the possible investments; electronically receiving by the programmed computer an N-dimensional vector giving percentage weights for a benchmark portfolio of investment assets; electronically receiving by a programmed computer a subset of illiquid assets from the potential investments; calculating on the programmed computer a portfolio of assets with percentage weights, wherein a sum over the subset of illiquid assets of ratios of each percentage weight of the asset in the portfolio squared over the measure of trading liquidity is less than or equal to a constant value times a sum over the subset of illiquid assets of ratios of each percentage weight of the asset in the benchmark portfolio squared over the measure of trading liquidity wherein the constant value is independent of a number of shares or a currency amount invested in each potential investment; electronically outputting the portfolio employing an output device. 2. The method of claim 1 where the measure of the trading liquidity is a measure of average daily volume. 3. The method of claim 2 where the constant value takes a value between 5×10−1 and 1×103. 4. The method of claim 3 where the portfolio to be determined is a factor index wherein the risk of the portfolio is minimized or the exposure of the portfolio to a factor is maximized. 5. The method of claim 4 wherein the factor exposure is a measure of dividend yield, exchange rate sensitivity, growth, leverage, liquidity, market sensitivity or beta, momentum, return on equity, size or market capitalization, value, or volatility. 6. A computer-implemented method for constructing a portfolio of investment assets comprising:
electronically receiving by a programmed computer a set of N potential investments having a range of liquidities; electronically receiving by the programmed computer an N-dimensional vector giving a measure of the trading liquidity for each of the possible investments; electronically receiving by the programmed computer an N-dimensional vector giving percentage weights for a benchmark portfolio of investment assets; electronically receiving by a programmed computer a subset of illiquid assets from the potential investments; calculating on the programmed computer a portfolio of assets with percentage weights, wherein a sum over the subset of illiquid assets of ratios of each percentage weight of the asset in the portfolio times each percentage weight traded in the asset in the portfolio over the measure of trading liquidity is less than or equal to a constant value times a sum over the subset of illiquid assets of ratios of the percentage weight of each asset in the benchmark portfolio squared over the measure of trading liquidity wherein the constant value is independent of a number of shares or a currency amount invested in each potential investment; electronically outputting the optimized portfolio employing an output device. 7. The method of claim 6 where the measure of the trading liquidity is a measure of average daily volume. 8. The method of claim 7 where the constant value takes a value between 5×10−1 and 1×103. 9. The method of claim 8 where the portfolio to be determined is a factor index wherein the risk of the portfolio is minimized or the exposure of the portfolio to a factor is maximized. 10. The method of claim 9 wherein the factor exposure is a measure of dividend yield, exchange rate sensitivity, growth, leverage, liquidity, market sensitivity or beta, momentum, return on equity, size or market capitalization, value, or volatility. 11. A computer-implemented method for constructing a portfolio of investment assets comprising:
electronically receiving by a programmed computer a set of N potential investments having a range of liquidities; electronically receiving by the programmed computer an N-dimensional vector giving a measure of the trading liquidity for each of the possible investments; electronically receiving by a programmed computer a subset of illiquid assets from the potential investments; calculating on the programmed computer a portfolio of assets with percentage weights, wherein the ratio of each percentage weight of the asset in the portfolio over the measure of trading liquidity is the same value for each asset in the subset of illiquid assets where the value is independent of a number of shares or a currency amount invested in each potential investment; and electronically outputting the optimized portfolio employing an output device. 12. The method of claim 11 where the value of the ratio equals a constant divided by the median value of the measure of the trading liquidity. 13. The method of claim 12 where the constant value takes a value between 10−4 and 101. 14. The method of claim 11 where the measure of the trading liquidity is a measure of average daily volume. 15. The method of claim 14 where the portfolio to be determined is a factor index wherein the risk of the portfolio is minimized or the exposure of the portfolio to a factor is maximized. 16. The method of claim 15 wherein the factor exposure is a measure of dividend yield, exchange rate sensitivity, growth, leverage, liquidity, market sensitivity or beta, momentum, return on equity, size or market capitalization, value, or volatility. 17. A computer-implemented method for constructing a portfolio of investment assets comprising:
electronically receiving by a programmed computer a set of N potential investments having a range of liquidities; electronically receiving by the programmed computer an N-dimensional vector giving a measure of the trading liquidity for each of the possible investments; electronically receiving by a programmed computer a subset of illiquid assets from the potential investments; calculating on the programmed computer a portfolio of assets with percentage weights, wherein the ratio of each percentage weight traded in the asset in the portfolio over the measure of trading liquidity is the same value for each asset in the subset of illiquid assets where the value is independent of a number of shares or a currency amount invested in each potential investment; and electronically outputting the optimized portfolio employing an output device. 18. The method of claim 17 where the value of the ratio equals a constant divided by the median value of the measure of the trading liquidity. 19. The method of claim 18 where the constant value takes a value between 10−4 and 101. 20. The method of claim 17 where the measure of the trading liquidity is a measure of average daily volume. 21. The method of claim 20 where the portfolio to be determined is a factor index wherein the risk of the portfolio is minimized or the exposure of the portfolio to a factor is maximized. 22. The method of claim 21 wherein the factor exposure is a measure of dividend yield, exchange rate sensitivity, growth, leverage, liquidity, market sensitivity or beta, momentum, return on equity, size or market capitalization, value, or volatility. 23. A computer-implemented method for constructing a portfolio of investment assets comprising:
electronically receiving by a programmed computer a set of N potential investments having a range of liquidities; electronically receiving by the programmed computer an N-dimensional vector giving a measure of the trading liquidity for each of the possible investments; electronically receiving by the programmed computer an N-dimensional vector giving percentage weights for a benchmark index of investment assets; determining on the programmed computer a first low liquidity, possibly empty subset of the N potential investments having a liquidity less than a predetermined low liquidity; determining a second high liquidity, possibly empty subset of the N potential investments having a liquidity greater than a predetermined high liquidity; determining a central range subset of the N potential investments having liquidities between the low predetermined liquidity and the high predetermined liquidity; calculating a portfolio on the programmed computer in which the percentage weight of each investment in the central range subset of investments is determined by a liquidity constraint; and electronically outputting the portfolio employing an output device. 24. The method of claim 23 wherein the low liquidity subset of the N potential investments is excluded from the portfolio. 25. The method of claim 24 where the percentage holdings of each of the high liquidity subsets are limited to a maximum value in an optimized portfolio. 26. The method of claim 23 wherein the liquidity constraint results in a portfolio of percentage weights for the portfolio of assets wherein a sum over the central subset of assets of ratios of the percentage weight of the portfolio squared over the measure of trading liquidity is less than or equal to a constant value times a sum over the central subset of assets of ratios of the percentage weight of the benchmark portfolio squared over the measure of trading liquidity wherein the constant value is independent of a number of shares or a currency invested in each potential investment. 27. The method of claim 26 wherein the liquidity constant is defined in terms of the constant value γ such that
∑
i
=
1
K
(
w
i
2
ADV
i
)
≤
γ
∑
i
=
1
K
(
b
i
2
ADV
i
)
. 28. The method of claim 27 wherein 5×10−1<γ<1×103. 29. The method of claim 28 wherein 2<γ<15. 30. The method of claim 23 wherein liquidity constraint is defined in terms of β such that
w
i
ADV
i
≤
β
Median
(
ADV
)
,
i=1, . . . , K. 31. The method of claim 30 wherein 10−4<β<101. 32. The method of claim 31 wherein 10−3<β<10−1. | 3,600 |
12,690 | 12,690 | 14,122,525 | 3,696 | In an embodiment of the invention, there is proposed a method of initiating a charging request in a communication network, the method including the steps of: A. retrieving network context information of a web service from a data repository corresponding to the web service in response to a first charging request from the web service; B. generating a second charging request from the network: context information; and C. transmitting the second charging request to a charging system. With the foregoing solution, the access gateway of the web service or the web service gateway can retrieve network charging and policy information and other network context information of the web service from a network data repository and inserts the information into a charging request transmitted to a network charging system, and the charging system can use the, network context information to charging for the charging request. | 1. A method of initiating a charging request in a communication network, the method comprising:
retrieving network context information of a web service from a data repository corresponding to the web service in response to a first charging request from the web service; generating a second charging request from the network context information; and transmitting the second charging request to a charging system. 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the retrieving further comprises:
retrieving a charging policy from a policy server, the charging policy indicating a service combination of the web service; and retrieving network context information of respective sub-services in the service combination from data repositories corresponding to the respective sub-services. 3. The method according to claim 1, wherein an entity performing the retrieving, the generating and the transmitting is a web service gateway or is an access gateway of the web service. 4. The method according to claim 2, wherein the respective sub-services in the service combination comprises any one or more of:
a positioning service, a QoS control service, a call control service, a charging service, a short messaging service, a multimedia short messaging service, a packet switch service, a WLAN service, a push-to-talk service, a multimedia telephony service and an instant messaging service. 5. The method according to claim 2, wherein the charging policy is generated from any one or more of the following information of the web service:
mobile context information, an invoked mobile operator enabler service, a network charging policy, and web service context information. 6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the mobile context information comprises any one or more of the following information of the web service:
a location, a roaming status, a presence status and an access technology; the invoked mobile operator enabler service comprises any one or more of: a short messaging service, a multimedia short messaging service and an instant messaging service; the network charging policy comprises any one or more of: a mobile broadband, a service delivery priority and a charging mechanism; and the web service context information comprises any one or more of: a web service provider, service category information, a duration and a traffic. 7. The method according to claim 2, wherein the generating further comprises:
determining that the web service shall be charged online and/or offline; and mapping the network context information into service information corresponding respectively to the respective sub-service in the web service to generate the second charging request; and the transmitting further comprises: transmitting the second charging request to an online charging system and/or an offline charging system according to information of the determination that the web service shall be charged online and/or offline. 8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the data repository corresponding to the web service comprises any one of:
a rule server, a charging server, a usage control entity, a positioning service, an SMS service, an MMS service, presence status information, an IMS service, a network resource service, a traffic detection function entity and a network or non-network user configuration data depository. 9. The method according to claim 1, wherein before the transmitting, the method further comprises: normalization the second charging request into a second charging request compatible with a telecommunication network; and
transmitting the normalized second charging request to the charging system. 10. A method of charging a web service in a communication network, the method comprising:
receiving a charging request, the charging request including network context information of the web service; and charging the web service according to the network context information. 11. The method according to claim 9, wherein the charging further comprises:
charging the web service according to the network context information based upon application information or a user account configuration of the web service. 12. The method according to claim 10, wherein the network context information comprises one or more of the following service information:
positioning service information, QoS control service information, call control service information, charging service information, short messaging service information, multimedia short messaging service information, packet switch service information, WLAN service information, push-to-talk service information, multimedia telephony service information and instant messaging service information. 13. An apparatus for initiating a charging request in a communication network, the apparatus comprising:
a web service network context retrieving device configured to retrieve network context information of a web service from a data repository corresponding to the web service in response to a first charging request from the web service; a charging request generating device configured to generate a second charging request from the network context information; and a charging request transmitting device configured to transmit the second charging request to a charging system. 14. The apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the web service network context information retrieving device further comprises:
a charging policy retrieving device configured to retrieve a charging policy from a policy server, the charging policy indicating a service combination of the web service; and a sub-service network context information retrieving device configured to retrieve network context information of respective sub-services in the service combination from data repositories corresponding to the respective sub-services. 15. An apparatus for charging a web service in a communication network, the apparatus comprising:
a charging request receiving device configured to receive a charging request, the charging request including network context information of the web service; and a web service charging device configured to charge the web service according to the network context information. | In an embodiment of the invention, there is proposed a method of initiating a charging request in a communication network, the method including the steps of: A. retrieving network context information of a web service from a data repository corresponding to the web service in response to a first charging request from the web service; B. generating a second charging request from the network: context information; and C. transmitting the second charging request to a charging system. With the foregoing solution, the access gateway of the web service or the web service gateway can retrieve network charging and policy information and other network context information of the web service from a network data repository and inserts the information into a charging request transmitted to a network charging system, and the charging system can use the, network context information to charging for the charging request.1. A method of initiating a charging request in a communication network, the method comprising:
retrieving network context information of a web service from a data repository corresponding to the web service in response to a first charging request from the web service; generating a second charging request from the network context information; and transmitting the second charging request to a charging system. 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the retrieving further comprises:
retrieving a charging policy from a policy server, the charging policy indicating a service combination of the web service; and retrieving network context information of respective sub-services in the service combination from data repositories corresponding to the respective sub-services. 3. The method according to claim 1, wherein an entity performing the retrieving, the generating and the transmitting is a web service gateway or is an access gateway of the web service. 4. The method according to claim 2, wherein the respective sub-services in the service combination comprises any one or more of:
a positioning service, a QoS control service, a call control service, a charging service, a short messaging service, a multimedia short messaging service, a packet switch service, a WLAN service, a push-to-talk service, a multimedia telephony service and an instant messaging service. 5. The method according to claim 2, wherein the charging policy is generated from any one or more of the following information of the web service:
mobile context information, an invoked mobile operator enabler service, a network charging policy, and web service context information. 6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the mobile context information comprises any one or more of the following information of the web service:
a location, a roaming status, a presence status and an access technology; the invoked mobile operator enabler service comprises any one or more of: a short messaging service, a multimedia short messaging service and an instant messaging service; the network charging policy comprises any one or more of: a mobile broadband, a service delivery priority and a charging mechanism; and the web service context information comprises any one or more of: a web service provider, service category information, a duration and a traffic. 7. The method according to claim 2, wherein the generating further comprises:
determining that the web service shall be charged online and/or offline; and mapping the network context information into service information corresponding respectively to the respective sub-service in the web service to generate the second charging request; and the transmitting further comprises: transmitting the second charging request to an online charging system and/or an offline charging system according to information of the determination that the web service shall be charged online and/or offline. 8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the data repository corresponding to the web service comprises any one of:
a rule server, a charging server, a usage control entity, a positioning service, an SMS service, an MMS service, presence status information, an IMS service, a network resource service, a traffic detection function entity and a network or non-network user configuration data depository. 9. The method according to claim 1, wherein before the transmitting, the method further comprises: normalization the second charging request into a second charging request compatible with a telecommunication network; and
transmitting the normalized second charging request to the charging system. 10. A method of charging a web service in a communication network, the method comprising:
receiving a charging request, the charging request including network context information of the web service; and charging the web service according to the network context information. 11. The method according to claim 9, wherein the charging further comprises:
charging the web service according to the network context information based upon application information or a user account configuration of the web service. 12. The method according to claim 10, wherein the network context information comprises one or more of the following service information:
positioning service information, QoS control service information, call control service information, charging service information, short messaging service information, multimedia short messaging service information, packet switch service information, WLAN service information, push-to-talk service information, multimedia telephony service information and instant messaging service information. 13. An apparatus for initiating a charging request in a communication network, the apparatus comprising:
a web service network context retrieving device configured to retrieve network context information of a web service from a data repository corresponding to the web service in response to a first charging request from the web service; a charging request generating device configured to generate a second charging request from the network context information; and a charging request transmitting device configured to transmit the second charging request to a charging system. 14. The apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the web service network context information retrieving device further comprises:
a charging policy retrieving device configured to retrieve a charging policy from a policy server, the charging policy indicating a service combination of the web service; and a sub-service network context information retrieving device configured to retrieve network context information of respective sub-services in the service combination from data repositories corresponding to the respective sub-services. 15. An apparatus for charging a web service in a communication network, the apparatus comprising:
a charging request receiving device configured to receive a charging request, the charging request including network context information of the web service; and a web service charging device configured to charge the web service according to the network context information. | 3,600 |
12,691 | 12,691 | 11,434,818 | 3,685 | To authorize a transaction between a host and a server, a token is operationally connected to the host. The host receives an identification credential of a user. The identification credential is verified by the token and/or by the server. If the token detects a prescribed human action, the token generates token authentication data and the host sends the token authentication data to the server. Upon receiving the authentication data, the server authenticates the transaction. A device for authenticating a transaction includes a device interface for interacting with a host, a connector for reversibly operationally connecting the device to the host, and a controller that authenticates the transaction only once, contingent on detecting a prescribed anonymous human action. One such human action is providing one or more inputs at the host's user interface synchronously with outputs at the device's user interface. | 1. A method of authorizing a transaction, between a host and a server, that is initiated by a user of the host, comprising the steps of:
(a) operationally connecting a token to the host; (b) receiving an identification credential of the user, by the host; (c) verifying said identification credential, by at least one device selected from the group consisting of said token and the server; (d) detecting a prescribed human action, by said token; (e) generating token authentication data, by said token, contingent on said detecting; (f) sending said token authentication data to the server, by the host; and (g) authorizing the transaction, by the server, contingent on receiving said token authentication data. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein said verifying is effected by said token. 3. The method of claim 1, wherein said verifying is effected by the server. 4. The method of claim 1, wherein said identification credential is a password. 5. The method of claim 4, wherein said password is a PIN. 6. The method of claim 1, wherein said identification credential is a biometric signature 7. The method of claim 1, wherein said prescribed human action includes an interaction, between a person and said token, that is effected at least in part while said token is operationally connected to the host. 8. The method of claim 7, wherein said interaction is anonymous. 9. The method of claim 8, wherein said anonymous interaction is a direct interaction between said person and said token. 10. The method of claim 9, further comprising the step of:
(h) providing said token with a user interface that signals that said token is about to effect said generating; and wherein said direct interaction includes leaving said token operationally connected to the host for at least a predetermined time subsequent to said signaling. 11. The method of claim 9, wherein said direct interaction includes operationally disconnecting said token from the host and then operationally reconnecting said token to the host. 12. The method of claim 9, further comprising the step of:
(h) providing said token with a user interface; and wherein said direct interaction includes anonymous manipulation of said user interface. 13. The method of claim 8, wherein said anonymous interaction is mediated at least in part by the host. 14. The method of claim 13, further comprising the step of:
(h) providing said token with a user interface; and wherein said anonymous interaction includes the host receiving at least one input from said person that is substantially synchronous with a corresponding at least one signal from said user interface of said token. 15. The method of claim 14, further comprising the step of:
(i) the host reporting to said token upon receipt of each said at least one input. 16. The method of claim 14, wherein said anonymous interaction includes the host receiving a plurality of said inputs from said person, each said input being received substantially synchronously with a corresponding said signal. 17. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:
(h) providing said token with a user interface; (i) validating the server, by said token; and (j) indicating, by said token, via said user interface, a success of said validating. 18. The method of claim 1, wherein said generating and said sending are also contingent on success of said verifying. 19. A device for authenticating a transaction between a host and a server, comprising:
(a) a device interface for interacting with the host; (b) a connector for reversibly operationally connecting said device interface to the host; and (c) a controller operative, upon receipt of a transaction authentication request from the host via said device interface, to authenticate the transaction only once, contingent on detection by said controller of a prescribed anonymous human action. 20. The device of claim 19, wherein said prescribed human action includes operational connection of said device interface to the host within a predetermined time interval prior to said authentication request being received. 21. The device of claim 19, further comprising:
(d) a user interface; and wherein said prescribed human action includes interacting with said user interface to allow said authenticating. 22. The device of claim 19, further comprising:
(d) a user interface; and wherein said prescribed human action includes leaving said device interface operationally connected to the host for at least a predetermined time subsequent to said user interface indicating to said person that said authentication request has been received. 23. The device of claim 19, further comprising:
(d) a user interface; and wherein said prescribed human action includes interacting with the host substantially synchronously with each of at least one signal from said user interface. 24. The device of claim 23, wherein said detection by said controller includes receipt by said controller of notification by the host of said interaction. 25. The device of claim 23, wherein said prescribed human action includes interacting with the host substantially synchronously with each of a plurality of said signals. 26. The device of claim 19, wherein said authenticating by said controller is also contingent on receipt by said controller, via said device interface, of an identification credential and on verification of said identification credential by said controller. 27. The device of claim 26, wherein said identification credential is a password. 28. The device of claim 27, wherein said password is a PIN. 29. The device of claim 26, wherein said identification credential is a biometric signature. 30. The device of claim 19, further comprising:
(d) a user interface; and wherein said controller is also operative to validate the server and to indicate, via said user interface, a success of said validating. 31. The device of claim 19, further comprising:
(d) a functional component for providing functionality to the host unrelated to said authenticating. 32. The device of claim 31, wherein said functional component includes a memory for storing data received from the host via said device interface. 33. The device of claim 31, wherein said controller is operative, upon said device interface being reversibly operationally connected to the host:
(i) if said request is pending: to handle said request to authenticate the transaction, without providing said functionality to the host; and (ii) otherwise, to provide said functionality to the host. 34. The device of claim 33, wherein, subsequent to handling said authentication request, upon receiving a request via said device interface to provide said functionality to the host, said controller is operative to prompt a user to operationally disconnect said device interface from the host and then to operationally reconnect said device interface to the host. 35. The device of claim 33, wherein, upon receiving said authentication request while providing said functionality to the host, said controller is operative to prompt a user to operationally disconnect said device interface from the host and then to operationally reconnect said device interface to the host. 36. The device of claim 33, wherein, subsequent to handling said authentication request, upon receiving a request via said device interface to provide said functionality to the host, said controller becomes operative to provide said functionality to the host. 37. The device of claim 33, wherein, upon receiving said authentication request while providing said functionality to the host, said controller is operative to stop providing said functionality to the host and instead to handle said authentication request. 38. A method of confirming, to a peripheral device that is operationally connected to a host, by a person, that the person is present, comprising the steps of:
(a) providing the host with a host-user input interface; (b) providing the peripheral device with a device-user output interface; (c) generating at least one output at said device-user output interface, by said peripheral device; (d) for each said at least one output, monitoring said host-user input interface, by the host, for a corresponding input; and (e) reporting each said corresponding input to the peripheral device, by the host, the presence of the person being confirmed only if each said report is received by the peripheral device. 39. The method of claim 38, wherein a plurality of said outputs are generated. 40. The method of claim 39, wherein said outputs are distributed randomly in time. 41. The method of claim 38, wherein the presence of the person is confirmed only if each said report is received substantially synchronously with said generating of said corresponding output. 42. A device for authenticating a transaction between a host and a server, comprising:
(a) a device interface for interacting with the host; (b) a user interface; and (c) a controller operative, upon receipt of a transaction authentication request from the host via said device interface, to validate the server and to indicate, via said user interface, a success of said validating. 43. A method of authenticating a transaction between a host and a server, comprising the steps of:
(a) operationally connecting a token to the host; (b) validating the server, by said token; and (c) indicating a success of said validating, by said token, via a user interface of said token. | To authorize a transaction between a host and a server, a token is operationally connected to the host. The host receives an identification credential of a user. The identification credential is verified by the token and/or by the server. If the token detects a prescribed human action, the token generates token authentication data and the host sends the token authentication data to the server. Upon receiving the authentication data, the server authenticates the transaction. A device for authenticating a transaction includes a device interface for interacting with a host, a connector for reversibly operationally connecting the device to the host, and a controller that authenticates the transaction only once, contingent on detecting a prescribed anonymous human action. One such human action is providing one or more inputs at the host's user interface synchronously with outputs at the device's user interface.1. A method of authorizing a transaction, between a host and a server, that is initiated by a user of the host, comprising the steps of:
(a) operationally connecting a token to the host; (b) receiving an identification credential of the user, by the host; (c) verifying said identification credential, by at least one device selected from the group consisting of said token and the server; (d) detecting a prescribed human action, by said token; (e) generating token authentication data, by said token, contingent on said detecting; (f) sending said token authentication data to the server, by the host; and (g) authorizing the transaction, by the server, contingent on receiving said token authentication data. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein said verifying is effected by said token. 3. The method of claim 1, wherein said verifying is effected by the server. 4. The method of claim 1, wherein said identification credential is a password. 5. The method of claim 4, wherein said password is a PIN. 6. The method of claim 1, wherein said identification credential is a biometric signature 7. The method of claim 1, wherein said prescribed human action includes an interaction, between a person and said token, that is effected at least in part while said token is operationally connected to the host. 8. The method of claim 7, wherein said interaction is anonymous. 9. The method of claim 8, wherein said anonymous interaction is a direct interaction between said person and said token. 10. The method of claim 9, further comprising the step of:
(h) providing said token with a user interface that signals that said token is about to effect said generating; and wherein said direct interaction includes leaving said token operationally connected to the host for at least a predetermined time subsequent to said signaling. 11. The method of claim 9, wherein said direct interaction includes operationally disconnecting said token from the host and then operationally reconnecting said token to the host. 12. The method of claim 9, further comprising the step of:
(h) providing said token with a user interface; and wherein said direct interaction includes anonymous manipulation of said user interface. 13. The method of claim 8, wherein said anonymous interaction is mediated at least in part by the host. 14. The method of claim 13, further comprising the step of:
(h) providing said token with a user interface; and wherein said anonymous interaction includes the host receiving at least one input from said person that is substantially synchronous with a corresponding at least one signal from said user interface of said token. 15. The method of claim 14, further comprising the step of:
(i) the host reporting to said token upon receipt of each said at least one input. 16. The method of claim 14, wherein said anonymous interaction includes the host receiving a plurality of said inputs from said person, each said input being received substantially synchronously with a corresponding said signal. 17. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:
(h) providing said token with a user interface; (i) validating the server, by said token; and (j) indicating, by said token, via said user interface, a success of said validating. 18. The method of claim 1, wherein said generating and said sending are also contingent on success of said verifying. 19. A device for authenticating a transaction between a host and a server, comprising:
(a) a device interface for interacting with the host; (b) a connector for reversibly operationally connecting said device interface to the host; and (c) a controller operative, upon receipt of a transaction authentication request from the host via said device interface, to authenticate the transaction only once, contingent on detection by said controller of a prescribed anonymous human action. 20. The device of claim 19, wherein said prescribed human action includes operational connection of said device interface to the host within a predetermined time interval prior to said authentication request being received. 21. The device of claim 19, further comprising:
(d) a user interface; and wherein said prescribed human action includes interacting with said user interface to allow said authenticating. 22. The device of claim 19, further comprising:
(d) a user interface; and wherein said prescribed human action includes leaving said device interface operationally connected to the host for at least a predetermined time subsequent to said user interface indicating to said person that said authentication request has been received. 23. The device of claim 19, further comprising:
(d) a user interface; and wherein said prescribed human action includes interacting with the host substantially synchronously with each of at least one signal from said user interface. 24. The device of claim 23, wherein said detection by said controller includes receipt by said controller of notification by the host of said interaction. 25. The device of claim 23, wherein said prescribed human action includes interacting with the host substantially synchronously with each of a plurality of said signals. 26. The device of claim 19, wherein said authenticating by said controller is also contingent on receipt by said controller, via said device interface, of an identification credential and on verification of said identification credential by said controller. 27. The device of claim 26, wherein said identification credential is a password. 28. The device of claim 27, wherein said password is a PIN. 29. The device of claim 26, wherein said identification credential is a biometric signature. 30. The device of claim 19, further comprising:
(d) a user interface; and wherein said controller is also operative to validate the server and to indicate, via said user interface, a success of said validating. 31. The device of claim 19, further comprising:
(d) a functional component for providing functionality to the host unrelated to said authenticating. 32. The device of claim 31, wherein said functional component includes a memory for storing data received from the host via said device interface. 33. The device of claim 31, wherein said controller is operative, upon said device interface being reversibly operationally connected to the host:
(i) if said request is pending: to handle said request to authenticate the transaction, without providing said functionality to the host; and (ii) otherwise, to provide said functionality to the host. 34. The device of claim 33, wherein, subsequent to handling said authentication request, upon receiving a request via said device interface to provide said functionality to the host, said controller is operative to prompt a user to operationally disconnect said device interface from the host and then to operationally reconnect said device interface to the host. 35. The device of claim 33, wherein, upon receiving said authentication request while providing said functionality to the host, said controller is operative to prompt a user to operationally disconnect said device interface from the host and then to operationally reconnect said device interface to the host. 36. The device of claim 33, wherein, subsequent to handling said authentication request, upon receiving a request via said device interface to provide said functionality to the host, said controller becomes operative to provide said functionality to the host. 37. The device of claim 33, wherein, upon receiving said authentication request while providing said functionality to the host, said controller is operative to stop providing said functionality to the host and instead to handle said authentication request. 38. A method of confirming, to a peripheral device that is operationally connected to a host, by a person, that the person is present, comprising the steps of:
(a) providing the host with a host-user input interface; (b) providing the peripheral device with a device-user output interface; (c) generating at least one output at said device-user output interface, by said peripheral device; (d) for each said at least one output, monitoring said host-user input interface, by the host, for a corresponding input; and (e) reporting each said corresponding input to the peripheral device, by the host, the presence of the person being confirmed only if each said report is received by the peripheral device. 39. The method of claim 38, wherein a plurality of said outputs are generated. 40. The method of claim 39, wherein said outputs are distributed randomly in time. 41. The method of claim 38, wherein the presence of the person is confirmed only if each said report is received substantially synchronously with said generating of said corresponding output. 42. A device for authenticating a transaction between a host and a server, comprising:
(a) a device interface for interacting with the host; (b) a user interface; and (c) a controller operative, upon receipt of a transaction authentication request from the host via said device interface, to validate the server and to indicate, via said user interface, a success of said validating. 43. A method of authenticating a transaction between a host and a server, comprising the steps of:
(a) operationally connecting a token to the host; (b) validating the server, by said token; and (c) indicating a success of said validating, by said token, via a user interface of said token. | 3,600 |
12,692 | 12,692 | 14,818,489 | 3,649 | A clamp for connecting ropes comprises a material which can be deformed under pressure with two U-shaped recesses arranged on opposite sides of the single-piece clamp into which the rope strands to be connected can be inserted, wherein the arm-like walls of the U-shaped recesses are pressed together and deformed following insertion of the rope strands, in order to form a ring which surrounds each rope strand, wherein the clamp prior to deformation essentially has the shape of a double cone including two cone stumps, and the U-shaped recesses are arranged respectively in the cone stump. At least one of the arm-like walls comprises at least one elevation facing toward the U-shaped recess, wherein the distance between the elevation and the opposite arm-like wall is slightly smaller than a diameter of the rope strands to be connected, and the at least one elevation extends in a longitudinal direction which runs parallel to both arm walls of the U-shaped recess over the length of the arm wall. | 1. A clamp for connecting ropes, in particular for the formation of nets, consisting of a material which can be deformed under pressure with two U-shaped recesses arranged on opposite sides of the single-piece clamp into which the rope strands to be connected can be inserted, wherein the arm-like walls of the U-shaped recesses are pressed together and deformed following insertion of the rope strands, in order to form a ring which surrounds each rope strand, wherein the clamp prior to deformation essentially has the shape of a double cone including two cone stumps, and the U-shaped recesses are arranged respectively in the cone stump, wherein at least one of the arm-like walls of a U-shaped recess comprises at least one elevation facing toward the U-shaped recess, wherein the distance between the elevation and the opposite arm-like wall is slightly smaller than a diameter of the rope strands to be connected, and further wherein the at least one elevation extends in a longitudinal direction which runs parallel to both arm walls of the U-shaped recess over the entire length of the arm wall. 2-3. (canceled) 4. The clamp according to claim 1, wherein a distance of the at least one elevation from a base of the U-shaped recesses is greater than half a diameter and smaller than the diameter of the rope strands to be connected to be connected. 5. (canceled) 6. The clamp according to claim 1, the clamp further comprising:
arm walls comprising additional elevations, wherein the additional elevations are arranged in a longitudinal direction which runs parallel to the arm walls of a U-shaped recess. 7. The clamp according to claim 1, wherein an extension of the elevation from the arm wall corresponds to the diameter of a cord of the rope strand. 8. The clamp according to claim 1, wherein the elevation runs from one wall over a base of the recess to the opposite wall. 9. A net consisting of ropes with rope strands and at least one clamp according to claim 1, wherein two rope strands are connected by means of the at least one clamp. 10. The clamp according to claim 4, wherein the distance of the elevations from the base of the U-shaped recesses is smaller than three-quarters of the diameter of the rope strands to be connected. 11. The clamp according to claim 10, wherein the distance of the elevations from the base of the U-shaped recesses is smaller than two-thirds of the diameter of the rope strands to be connected | A clamp for connecting ropes comprises a material which can be deformed under pressure with two U-shaped recesses arranged on opposite sides of the single-piece clamp into which the rope strands to be connected can be inserted, wherein the arm-like walls of the U-shaped recesses are pressed together and deformed following insertion of the rope strands, in order to form a ring which surrounds each rope strand, wherein the clamp prior to deformation essentially has the shape of a double cone including two cone stumps, and the U-shaped recesses are arranged respectively in the cone stump. At least one of the arm-like walls comprises at least one elevation facing toward the U-shaped recess, wherein the distance between the elevation and the opposite arm-like wall is slightly smaller than a diameter of the rope strands to be connected, and the at least one elevation extends in a longitudinal direction which runs parallel to both arm walls of the U-shaped recess over the length of the arm wall.1. A clamp for connecting ropes, in particular for the formation of nets, consisting of a material which can be deformed under pressure with two U-shaped recesses arranged on opposite sides of the single-piece clamp into which the rope strands to be connected can be inserted, wherein the arm-like walls of the U-shaped recesses are pressed together and deformed following insertion of the rope strands, in order to form a ring which surrounds each rope strand, wherein the clamp prior to deformation essentially has the shape of a double cone including two cone stumps, and the U-shaped recesses are arranged respectively in the cone stump, wherein at least one of the arm-like walls of a U-shaped recess comprises at least one elevation facing toward the U-shaped recess, wherein the distance between the elevation and the opposite arm-like wall is slightly smaller than a diameter of the rope strands to be connected, and further wherein the at least one elevation extends in a longitudinal direction which runs parallel to both arm walls of the U-shaped recess over the entire length of the arm wall. 2-3. (canceled) 4. The clamp according to claim 1, wherein a distance of the at least one elevation from a base of the U-shaped recesses is greater than half a diameter and smaller than the diameter of the rope strands to be connected to be connected. 5. (canceled) 6. The clamp according to claim 1, the clamp further comprising:
arm walls comprising additional elevations, wherein the additional elevations are arranged in a longitudinal direction which runs parallel to the arm walls of a U-shaped recess. 7. The clamp according to claim 1, wherein an extension of the elevation from the arm wall corresponds to the diameter of a cord of the rope strand. 8. The clamp according to claim 1, wherein the elevation runs from one wall over a base of the recess to the opposite wall. 9. A net consisting of ropes with rope strands and at least one clamp according to claim 1, wherein two rope strands are connected by means of the at least one clamp. 10. The clamp according to claim 4, wherein the distance of the elevations from the base of the U-shaped recesses is smaller than three-quarters of the diameter of the rope strands to be connected. 11. The clamp according to claim 10, wherein the distance of the elevations from the base of the U-shaped recesses is smaller than two-thirds of the diameter of the rope strands to be connected | 3,600 |
12,693 | 12,693 | 13,843,283 | 3,623 | A system may include a processor that may receive a first set of energy data associated with a first asset in an automation system, wherein the first set energy data comprises a first confidence level associated with the first set energy data, receive an operational status associated with the first asset, wherein the operational status indicates operational characteristics of the first asset, and updating the first confidence level based on the operational status and a first energy profile associated with the first asset. | 1. A system, comprising:
a processor configured to:
receive a first set of energy data associated with a first asset in an automation system, wherein the first set energy data comprises a first confidence level associated with the first set energy data;
receive a second set of energy data associated with a second asset in an automation system, wherein the second set energy data comprises a second confidence level associated with the second set energy data;
receive organization model data comprises one or more associations between the first set of energy data, the second set of energy data, and one or more logical groupings within the automation system;
identify a first logical grouping of the logical groupings in the automation system that is associated with the first set of energy data and the second set of energy data based on the organizational model data;
generate a third set of energy data associated with the first logical grouping by aggregating the first set of energy data and the second set of energy data; and
generate a third confidence level associated with the third set of energy data based on the first confidence level and the second confidence level. 2. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to:
receive a fourth set of energy data having a fourth confidence level from a third asset, wherein the third asset is associated with the first logical grouping in the automation system; and update the third confidence level based on fourth set of energy data and the fourth confidence level. 3. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to:
receive a fourth set of energy data having a fourth confidence level from a third asset, wherein the third asset is associated with a second logical grouping in the automation system, and wherein the first logical grouping is a subset of the second logical grouping; determine a fifth set of energy data based on the third set of energy data and the fourth set of energy data, wherein the fifth set of energy data is associated with at least one asset associated with unknown energy data; and determine a fifth confidence level associated with the fifth set of energy data based on the third confidence level and the fourth confidence level. 4. The system of claim 1, wherein the logical groupings comprise one or more cells, one or more lines, one or more sites, one or more enterprises, or any combination thereof. 5. The system of claim 1, wherein the logical groupings comprise one or more batches, one or more continuous processes, one or more discrete manufacturing processes, or any combination thereof. 6. The system of claim 1, wherein the logical groupings comprise infrastructure, one or more manufacturing support systems, one or more sub-assembly/batch systems, one or more core manufacturing systems, or any combination thereof. 7. The system of claim 1, wherein the organizational model data comprises one or more energy profiles that correspond to the first asset and the second, wherein the energy profiles define energy consumption characteristics of the first asset and the second asset or energy production characteristics of the first asset and the second asset. 8. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to send a command to the first asset, the second asset, or any combination thereof when the third confidence level is below a threshold. 9. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to send a command to the first asset, the second asset, or any combination thereof when the third confidence level is above a threshold. 10. The system of claim 1, wherein the first set of energy data, the second set of energy data, or both comprise metered energy data, derived energy data, or fixed rate energy data. 11. A system, comprising:
a processor configured to:
receive a first set of energy data associated with a first asset in an automation system, wherein the first set energy data comprises a first confidence level associated with the first set energy data;
receive an operational status associated with the first asset, wherein the operational status indicates operational characteristics of the first asset; and
update the first confidence level based on the operational status and a first energy profile associated with the first asset. 12. The system of claim 11, wherein the processor is configured to:
receive a second set of energy data having a second confidence level from a second asset, wherein the first set of energy data is a subset of the second set of energy data; identify a first logical grouping of one or more logical groupings in the automation system that is associated with the first set of energy data and a third set of energy data based on an organizational model data comprising one or more associations between the first set of energy data, the second set of energy data, the third set of energy data, and the one or more logical groupings in the automation system, wherein the third set of energy data is a subset of the second set of energy data and is unknown; identify a second logical grouping of the logical groupings in the automation system that is associated with the second set of energy data, wherein the first logical grouping is a subset of the second logical grouping; and determining a third confidence level associated with the third set of energy data based on an operation status corresponding to one or more assets associated with the third set of energy data and the first energy data. 13. The system of claim 11, wherein the first energy profile is provided by organizational model data. 14. The system of claim 13, wherein the organizational model data comprises organizational model data comprises a hierarchical structure of the automation system represented in a functional view. 15. The system of claim 13, wherein the organizational model data comprises a logical grouping of assets in the automation system with respect to one or more functionalities of the automation system. 16. The system of claim 13, wherein the organizational model data comprises one work areas, one or more work cells, one or more work units, or any combination thereof. 17. The system of claim 11, wherein the set of energy data is received from the first asset. 18. The system of claim 11, wherein the first asset comprises one or more power meters, one or more drives, one or more motors, one or more capacitor banks, one or more air compressors, one or more refrigerator units, one or more turbines, one or more generators, one or more energy storage devices, one or more photovoltaic cells, one or more robots, one or more reactors, or any combinations thereof. 19. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to send a command to the first asset when the updated confidence level is below a threshold. 20. A method, comprising:
receiving a first set of energy data associated with a first asset in an automation system, wherein the first set energy data comprises a first confidence level associated with the first set energy data; receiving an operational status associated with the first asset, wherein the operational status indicates operational characteristics of the first asset; and updating the first confidence level based on the operational status and a first energy profile associated with the first asset. | A system may include a processor that may receive a first set of energy data associated with a first asset in an automation system, wherein the first set energy data comprises a first confidence level associated with the first set energy data, receive an operational status associated with the first asset, wherein the operational status indicates operational characteristics of the first asset, and updating the first confidence level based on the operational status and a first energy profile associated with the first asset.1. A system, comprising:
a processor configured to:
receive a first set of energy data associated with a first asset in an automation system, wherein the first set energy data comprises a first confidence level associated with the first set energy data;
receive a second set of energy data associated with a second asset in an automation system, wherein the second set energy data comprises a second confidence level associated with the second set energy data;
receive organization model data comprises one or more associations between the first set of energy data, the second set of energy data, and one or more logical groupings within the automation system;
identify a first logical grouping of the logical groupings in the automation system that is associated with the first set of energy data and the second set of energy data based on the organizational model data;
generate a third set of energy data associated with the first logical grouping by aggregating the first set of energy data and the second set of energy data; and
generate a third confidence level associated with the third set of energy data based on the first confidence level and the second confidence level. 2. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to:
receive a fourth set of energy data having a fourth confidence level from a third asset, wherein the third asset is associated with the first logical grouping in the automation system; and update the third confidence level based on fourth set of energy data and the fourth confidence level. 3. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to:
receive a fourth set of energy data having a fourth confidence level from a third asset, wherein the third asset is associated with a second logical grouping in the automation system, and wherein the first logical grouping is a subset of the second logical grouping; determine a fifth set of energy data based on the third set of energy data and the fourth set of energy data, wherein the fifth set of energy data is associated with at least one asset associated with unknown energy data; and determine a fifth confidence level associated with the fifth set of energy data based on the third confidence level and the fourth confidence level. 4. The system of claim 1, wherein the logical groupings comprise one or more cells, one or more lines, one or more sites, one or more enterprises, or any combination thereof. 5. The system of claim 1, wherein the logical groupings comprise one or more batches, one or more continuous processes, one or more discrete manufacturing processes, or any combination thereof. 6. The system of claim 1, wherein the logical groupings comprise infrastructure, one or more manufacturing support systems, one or more sub-assembly/batch systems, one or more core manufacturing systems, or any combination thereof. 7. The system of claim 1, wherein the organizational model data comprises one or more energy profiles that correspond to the first asset and the second, wherein the energy profiles define energy consumption characteristics of the first asset and the second asset or energy production characteristics of the first asset and the second asset. 8. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to send a command to the first asset, the second asset, or any combination thereof when the third confidence level is below a threshold. 9. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to send a command to the first asset, the second asset, or any combination thereof when the third confidence level is above a threshold. 10. The system of claim 1, wherein the first set of energy data, the second set of energy data, or both comprise metered energy data, derived energy data, or fixed rate energy data. 11. A system, comprising:
a processor configured to:
receive a first set of energy data associated with a first asset in an automation system, wherein the first set energy data comprises a first confidence level associated with the first set energy data;
receive an operational status associated with the first asset, wherein the operational status indicates operational characteristics of the first asset; and
update the first confidence level based on the operational status and a first energy profile associated with the first asset. 12. The system of claim 11, wherein the processor is configured to:
receive a second set of energy data having a second confidence level from a second asset, wherein the first set of energy data is a subset of the second set of energy data; identify a first logical grouping of one or more logical groupings in the automation system that is associated with the first set of energy data and a third set of energy data based on an organizational model data comprising one or more associations between the first set of energy data, the second set of energy data, the third set of energy data, and the one or more logical groupings in the automation system, wherein the third set of energy data is a subset of the second set of energy data and is unknown; identify a second logical grouping of the logical groupings in the automation system that is associated with the second set of energy data, wherein the first logical grouping is a subset of the second logical grouping; and determining a third confidence level associated with the third set of energy data based on an operation status corresponding to one or more assets associated with the third set of energy data and the first energy data. 13. The system of claim 11, wherein the first energy profile is provided by organizational model data. 14. The system of claim 13, wherein the organizational model data comprises organizational model data comprises a hierarchical structure of the automation system represented in a functional view. 15. The system of claim 13, wherein the organizational model data comprises a logical grouping of assets in the automation system with respect to one or more functionalities of the automation system. 16. The system of claim 13, wherein the organizational model data comprises one work areas, one or more work cells, one or more work units, or any combination thereof. 17. The system of claim 11, wherein the set of energy data is received from the first asset. 18. The system of claim 11, wherein the first asset comprises one or more power meters, one or more drives, one or more motors, one or more capacitor banks, one or more air compressors, one or more refrigerator units, one or more turbines, one or more generators, one or more energy storage devices, one or more photovoltaic cells, one or more robots, one or more reactors, or any combinations thereof. 19. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to send a command to the first asset when the updated confidence level is below a threshold. 20. A method, comprising:
receiving a first set of energy data associated with a first asset in an automation system, wherein the first set energy data comprises a first confidence level associated with the first set energy data; receiving an operational status associated with the first asset, wherein the operational status indicates operational characteristics of the first asset; and updating the first confidence level based on the operational status and a first energy profile associated with the first asset. | 3,600 |
12,694 | 12,694 | 14,530,801 | 3,643 | The present embodiments provide a method of building an aviary comprising a floor, a roof, a frame, an exterior wall, and a cage tower including a plurality of support members. The method includes disposing the cage tower on the floor. The method also includes attaching the frame to the plurality of support members. The method also includes attaching at least one of the exterior wall and the roof to the frame. The present embodiments also provide an aviary having a cage tower including a plurality of support members. The cage tower is disposed on a floor. A frame is attached to the plurality of support members. At least one of an exterior wall and a roof is attached to the frame. | 1. A method of building an aviary comprising a floor, a roof, a frame, an exterior wall, and a cage tower including a plurality of support members, the method comprising:
disposing the cage tower on the floor; attaching the frame to the plurality of support members; and attaching at least one of the exterior wall and the roof to the frame. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the frame is a roof frame, the method further comprising:
attaching the roof frame to the plurality of support members; and attaching the roof to the roof frame. 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the frame is a wall frame, the method further comprising:
attaching the wall frame to the plurality of support members; and attaching the exterior wall to the wall frame. 4. The method of claim 3 further comprising securing at least a portion of the wall frame to the floor. 5. The method of claim 3 further comprising securing at least a portion of the exterior wall to the floor. 6. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of support members includes a first plurality of support members and a second plurality of support members, and wherein the frame includes a roof frame and a wall frame, the method further comprising:
attaching the roof frame to the first plurality of support members; attaching a roof to the roof frame; attaching the wall frame to the second plurality of support members; and attaching the exterior wall to the wall frame. 7. The method of claim 6 further comprising attaching the wall frame to the roof frame. 8. The method of claim 6 further comprising attaching the exterior wall to the roof. 9. The method of claim 1, wherein the cage tower includes at least one aviary cage, the method further comprising extending the plurality of support members at least one of above or below the at least one aviary cage. 10. The method of claim 1, further comprising
disposing a plurality of cage towers on the floor, each cage tower having at least one support member; and attaching the frame to the at least one support member of each of the plurality of cage towers. 11. A method of building an aviary comprising a floor, a roof, a roof frame, an exterior wall, a wall frame, and a cage tower including a plurality of first support members and a plurality of second support members, the method comprising:
disposing the cage tower on the floor; attaching the roof frame to the plurality of first support members; attaching the roof to the roof frame; attaching the wall frame to the plurality of second support members; attaching the wall frame to the roof frame; and attaching the exterior wall to the wall frame. 12. The method of claim 11 further comprising securing at least a portion of the wall frame to the floor. 13. The method of claim 11 further comprising securing at least a portion of the exterior wall to the floor. 14. The method of claim 11 further comprising attaching the exterior wall to the roof. 15. The method of claim 11, wherein the cage tower includes at least one aviary cage, the method further comprising extending the plurality of support members at least one of above or below the at least one aviary cage. 16. The method of claim 11, further comprising
disposing a plurality of cage towers on the floor, each cage tower having at least one first support member; and attaching the roof frame to the at least one first support member of each of the plurality of cage towers. 17. An aviary comprising:
a floor; a cage tower disposed on the floor; a plurality of first support members extending from the cage tower; a plurality of second support members extending from the cage tower; a roof frame attached to the plurality of first support members; a roof attached to the roof frame; a wall frame attached to the plurality of second support members; and an exterior wall attached to the wall frame. 18. The aviary of claim 17, wherein the plurality of first support members extend from a top of the cage tower. 19. The aviary of claim 17, wherein the plurality of first support members extend from a side of the cage tower. 20. The aviary of claim 17, wherein the wall frame is attached to the roof frame. 21. The aviary of claim 17, wherein at least a portion of the wall frame is secured to the floor. 22. The aviary of claim 17, wherein the cage tower comprises at least one aviary cage, the plurality of support members extending at least one of above or below the at least one aviary cage. 23. The aviary of claim 17, further comprising a plurality of cage towers disposed on the floor, wherein each cage tower has at least one first support member, and wherein the roof frame is attached to the at least one first support member of each of the plurality of cage towers. | The present embodiments provide a method of building an aviary comprising a floor, a roof, a frame, an exterior wall, and a cage tower including a plurality of support members. The method includes disposing the cage tower on the floor. The method also includes attaching the frame to the plurality of support members. The method also includes attaching at least one of the exterior wall and the roof to the frame. The present embodiments also provide an aviary having a cage tower including a plurality of support members. The cage tower is disposed on a floor. A frame is attached to the plurality of support members. At least one of an exterior wall and a roof is attached to the frame.1. A method of building an aviary comprising a floor, a roof, a frame, an exterior wall, and a cage tower including a plurality of support members, the method comprising:
disposing the cage tower on the floor; attaching the frame to the plurality of support members; and attaching at least one of the exterior wall and the roof to the frame. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the frame is a roof frame, the method further comprising:
attaching the roof frame to the plurality of support members; and attaching the roof to the roof frame. 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the frame is a wall frame, the method further comprising:
attaching the wall frame to the plurality of support members; and attaching the exterior wall to the wall frame. 4. The method of claim 3 further comprising securing at least a portion of the wall frame to the floor. 5. The method of claim 3 further comprising securing at least a portion of the exterior wall to the floor. 6. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of support members includes a first plurality of support members and a second plurality of support members, and wherein the frame includes a roof frame and a wall frame, the method further comprising:
attaching the roof frame to the first plurality of support members; attaching a roof to the roof frame; attaching the wall frame to the second plurality of support members; and attaching the exterior wall to the wall frame. 7. The method of claim 6 further comprising attaching the wall frame to the roof frame. 8. The method of claim 6 further comprising attaching the exterior wall to the roof. 9. The method of claim 1, wherein the cage tower includes at least one aviary cage, the method further comprising extending the plurality of support members at least one of above or below the at least one aviary cage. 10. The method of claim 1, further comprising
disposing a plurality of cage towers on the floor, each cage tower having at least one support member; and attaching the frame to the at least one support member of each of the plurality of cage towers. 11. A method of building an aviary comprising a floor, a roof, a roof frame, an exterior wall, a wall frame, and a cage tower including a plurality of first support members and a plurality of second support members, the method comprising:
disposing the cage tower on the floor; attaching the roof frame to the plurality of first support members; attaching the roof to the roof frame; attaching the wall frame to the plurality of second support members; attaching the wall frame to the roof frame; and attaching the exterior wall to the wall frame. 12. The method of claim 11 further comprising securing at least a portion of the wall frame to the floor. 13. The method of claim 11 further comprising securing at least a portion of the exterior wall to the floor. 14. The method of claim 11 further comprising attaching the exterior wall to the roof. 15. The method of claim 11, wherein the cage tower includes at least one aviary cage, the method further comprising extending the plurality of support members at least one of above or below the at least one aviary cage. 16. The method of claim 11, further comprising
disposing a plurality of cage towers on the floor, each cage tower having at least one first support member; and attaching the roof frame to the at least one first support member of each of the plurality of cage towers. 17. An aviary comprising:
a floor; a cage tower disposed on the floor; a plurality of first support members extending from the cage tower; a plurality of second support members extending from the cage tower; a roof frame attached to the plurality of first support members; a roof attached to the roof frame; a wall frame attached to the plurality of second support members; and an exterior wall attached to the wall frame. 18. The aviary of claim 17, wherein the plurality of first support members extend from a top of the cage tower. 19. The aviary of claim 17, wherein the plurality of first support members extend from a side of the cage tower. 20. The aviary of claim 17, wherein the wall frame is attached to the roof frame. 21. The aviary of claim 17, wherein at least a portion of the wall frame is secured to the floor. 22. The aviary of claim 17, wherein the cage tower comprises at least one aviary cage, the plurality of support members extending at least one of above or below the at least one aviary cage. 23. The aviary of claim 17, further comprising a plurality of cage towers disposed on the floor, wherein each cage tower has at least one first support member, and wherein the roof frame is attached to the at least one first support member of each of the plurality of cage towers. | 3,600 |
12,695 | 12,695 | 13,843,015 | 3,621 | A system, method, and computer-readable media are described for facilitating management of vendor offers. In one embodiment, a loyalty card, or portion thereof, is presented, the loyalty card having a plurality of loyalty portions associated with a vendor that indicate loyalty of a user based on interaction with the vendor. Subsequently, an indication to fulfill one of the loyalty portions provided on the loyalty card is received. Upon fulfilling one of the loyalty portions, an indication that one of the loyalty portions is completed is provided. In one embodiment, the vendor is a school or a non-profit organization. | 1. One or more computer-readable media having computer-executable instructions embodied thereon for performing a method of facilitating managing vendor offers, the method comprising:
providing at least a portion of a loyalty card, the loyalty card having a plurality of loyalty portions associated with a vendor that indicate loyalty of a user based on interaction with the vendor; receiving an indication to fulfill one of the loyalty portions provided on the loyalty card; and upon fulfilling the one of the loyalty portions, providing an indication that the one of the loyalty portions is completed. 2. The media of claim 1, wherein the vendor comprises a school or a non-profit organization. 3. The media of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of loyalty portions indicate attendance of an event associated with the vendor. 4. The media of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of loyalty portions indicate a purchase of an event ticket for an event associated with the vendor. 5. The media of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of loyalty portions indicate an amount of money provided to the vendor. 6. The media of claim 1 further comprising determining that each of the plurality of loyalty portions have been fulfilled. 7. The media of claim 6 further comprising providing an offer based on the determination that each of the plurality of loyalty portions have been fulfilled. 8. The media of claim 7, wherein the offer comprises a free attendance to an event hosted by the vendor, a discounted attendance to an event hosted by the vendor, a free attendance to an event hosted by another entity, or a discounted attendance to an event hosted by the other entity. 9. A method of facilitating managing offers, the method comprising:
activating a virtual loyalty card associated with an entity such that the virtual loyalty card can be accessed and used in association with the entity via a mobile device, the entity comprising an educational institution or a non-profit organization; receiving an indication, via the mobile device, that an event associated with the entity has been attended; based on the attendance of the event, determining that attendance has been completed for a predetermined number of entity events; and providing an offer for completion of attending the predetermined number of entity events. 10. The method of claim 9, wherein activating the virtual loyalty card comprises:
searching for the virtual loyalty card; receiving an indication to activate the virtual loyalty card; and downloading the virtual loyalty card to the mobile device. 11. The method of claim 9, wherein receiving the indication that the event has been attended comprises receiving a user selection to utilize a participation portion presented within the virtual loyalty card. 12. The method of claim 9, wherein receiving the indication that the event has been attended comprises receiving an entity representative selection to fulfill a number of participation portions presented within the virtual loyalty card and a vendor representative authentication to authenticate the fulfillment of the number of participation portions. 13. The method of claim 12, wherein each of the participation portions correspond to an item or a monetary amount. 14. The method of claim 9 further comprising providing a visual indication within the virtual loyalty card that the attendance has occurred in association with the entity, wherein the visual indication within the virtual loyalty card comprises removal of an indication of the corresponding attendance or a modification of the indication of the corresponding attendance. 15. One or more computer-readable media having computer-executable instructions embodied thereon for performing a method of facilitating managing entity offers, the method comprising:
receiving data associated with one or more interactions between a user and an entity; storing the data in association with the entity; based on the data associated with the one or more interactions between the user and the entity, providing an electronic coupon to a mobile device of the user for the user to redeem in association with the entity. 16. The media of claim 15, wherein the one or more interactions between the user and the entity are captured based on the user's utilization of a discount card, a loyalty card, or a combination thereof. 17. The media of claim 15, wherein the data associated with the one or more interactions comprises an item purchased, a number of items purchased, a time of a purchase, a date of a purchase, a monetary amount of a purchase, an event attended, a number of events attended, a number of events supported, or a combination thereof. 18. The media of claim 15, wherein the electronic coupon is provided to the mobile device of the user when a predetermined number of items are purchased, a predetermined monetary amount is spent in association with the entity, a purchase or set of purchases was made within a first time period, a purchase or set or purchases was not made within a second time period, a predetermined monetary amount was not spent at the vendor within a third time period, a predetermined number of events were attended, or a predetermined number of events were supported. 19. The media of claim 15, wherein a computing device automatically determines to provide the electronic coupon based on the data associated with the one or more interactions. 20. The media of claim 15, wherein the entity comprises a school or a non-profit organization. | A system, method, and computer-readable media are described for facilitating management of vendor offers. In one embodiment, a loyalty card, or portion thereof, is presented, the loyalty card having a plurality of loyalty portions associated with a vendor that indicate loyalty of a user based on interaction with the vendor. Subsequently, an indication to fulfill one of the loyalty portions provided on the loyalty card is received. Upon fulfilling one of the loyalty portions, an indication that one of the loyalty portions is completed is provided. In one embodiment, the vendor is a school or a non-profit organization.1. One or more computer-readable media having computer-executable instructions embodied thereon for performing a method of facilitating managing vendor offers, the method comprising:
providing at least a portion of a loyalty card, the loyalty card having a plurality of loyalty portions associated with a vendor that indicate loyalty of a user based on interaction with the vendor; receiving an indication to fulfill one of the loyalty portions provided on the loyalty card; and upon fulfilling the one of the loyalty portions, providing an indication that the one of the loyalty portions is completed. 2. The media of claim 1, wherein the vendor comprises a school or a non-profit organization. 3. The media of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of loyalty portions indicate attendance of an event associated with the vendor. 4. The media of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of loyalty portions indicate a purchase of an event ticket for an event associated with the vendor. 5. The media of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of loyalty portions indicate an amount of money provided to the vendor. 6. The media of claim 1 further comprising determining that each of the plurality of loyalty portions have been fulfilled. 7. The media of claim 6 further comprising providing an offer based on the determination that each of the plurality of loyalty portions have been fulfilled. 8. The media of claim 7, wherein the offer comprises a free attendance to an event hosted by the vendor, a discounted attendance to an event hosted by the vendor, a free attendance to an event hosted by another entity, or a discounted attendance to an event hosted by the other entity. 9. A method of facilitating managing offers, the method comprising:
activating a virtual loyalty card associated with an entity such that the virtual loyalty card can be accessed and used in association with the entity via a mobile device, the entity comprising an educational institution or a non-profit organization; receiving an indication, via the mobile device, that an event associated with the entity has been attended; based on the attendance of the event, determining that attendance has been completed for a predetermined number of entity events; and providing an offer for completion of attending the predetermined number of entity events. 10. The method of claim 9, wherein activating the virtual loyalty card comprises:
searching for the virtual loyalty card; receiving an indication to activate the virtual loyalty card; and downloading the virtual loyalty card to the mobile device. 11. The method of claim 9, wherein receiving the indication that the event has been attended comprises receiving a user selection to utilize a participation portion presented within the virtual loyalty card. 12. The method of claim 9, wherein receiving the indication that the event has been attended comprises receiving an entity representative selection to fulfill a number of participation portions presented within the virtual loyalty card and a vendor representative authentication to authenticate the fulfillment of the number of participation portions. 13. The method of claim 12, wherein each of the participation portions correspond to an item or a monetary amount. 14. The method of claim 9 further comprising providing a visual indication within the virtual loyalty card that the attendance has occurred in association with the entity, wherein the visual indication within the virtual loyalty card comprises removal of an indication of the corresponding attendance or a modification of the indication of the corresponding attendance. 15. One or more computer-readable media having computer-executable instructions embodied thereon for performing a method of facilitating managing entity offers, the method comprising:
receiving data associated with one or more interactions between a user and an entity; storing the data in association with the entity; based on the data associated with the one or more interactions between the user and the entity, providing an electronic coupon to a mobile device of the user for the user to redeem in association with the entity. 16. The media of claim 15, wherein the one or more interactions between the user and the entity are captured based on the user's utilization of a discount card, a loyalty card, or a combination thereof. 17. The media of claim 15, wherein the data associated with the one or more interactions comprises an item purchased, a number of items purchased, a time of a purchase, a date of a purchase, a monetary amount of a purchase, an event attended, a number of events attended, a number of events supported, or a combination thereof. 18. The media of claim 15, wherein the electronic coupon is provided to the mobile device of the user when a predetermined number of items are purchased, a predetermined monetary amount is spent in association with the entity, a purchase or set of purchases was made within a first time period, a purchase or set or purchases was not made within a second time period, a predetermined monetary amount was not spent at the vendor within a third time period, a predetermined number of events were attended, or a predetermined number of events were supported. 19. The media of claim 15, wherein a computing device automatically determines to provide the electronic coupon based on the data associated with the one or more interactions. 20. The media of claim 15, wherein the entity comprises a school or a non-profit organization. | 3,600 |
12,696 | 12,696 | 14,692,218 | 3,673 | A bed includes: a foundation; a mattress assembly comprising a mattress and an underlying panel; and a lifting mechanism comprising a series of interconnected pivoting links. The foundation includes a head wall, a foot wall opposed to the head wall, opposed side walls between the head wall and the foot wall, and a floor, the head wall, the foot wall, the side walls and the floor forming at least one storage cavity. The lifting mechanism is mounted to the foundation and the mattress assembly and is configured to move the mattress assembly between a lowered position, in which the mattress assembly is positioned atop the foundation, and a raised position, in which the mattress assembly is positioned above and at least partially laterally of the foundation, such that the storage cavity is accessible. | 1. A bed, comprising:
a foundation including a head wall, a foot wall opposed to the head wall, opposed side walls between the head wall and the foot wall, and a floor, the head wall, the foot wall, the side walls and the floor forming at least one storage cavity; a mattress assembly comprising a mattress and an underlying panel; and a lifting mechanism comprising a series of interconnected pivoting links, the lifting mechanism being mounted to the foundation and the mattress assembly, the lifting mechanism configured to move the mattress assembly between a lowered position, in which the mattress assembly is positioned atop the foundation, and a raised position, in which the mattress assembly is positioned above and at least partially laterally of the foundation, such that the storage cavity is accessible. 2. The bed defined in claim 1, wherein the lifting mechanism includes an automated power unit. 3. The bed defined in claim 2, wherein the automated power unit includes a detachable activation unit. 4. The bed defined in claim 1, wherein the lifting mechanism includes a lateral swing link pivotally connected with the foundation and the mattress assembly and an inboard swing link pivotally connected with the foundation and the mattress assembly. 5. The bed defined in claim 1, wherein the foundation includes at least two storage cavities. 6. The bed defined in claim 1, further comprising a headboard attached to the head wall. 7. The bed defined in claim 1, wherein the bed is positioned with the head wall adjacent a wall of a room. 8. The bed defined in claim 1, wherein the mattress is sized to be a king-sized, queen-sized or double mattress. 9. The bed defined in claim 1, wherein in the raised position, the mattress forms an angle with horizontal of between about 1 and 25 degrees. 10. The bed defined in claim 1, wherein in the raised position, one side edge of the mattress is raised between about 26 to 36 inches above an upper edge of one of the side walls of the foundation. 11. The bed defined in claim 1, wherein in the raised position, one side edge of the mattress is position between about 12 and 20 inches inboard of an upper edge of one of the side walls of the foundation. 12. A bed, comprising:
a foundation including a head wall, a foot wall opposed to the head wall, opposed side walls between the head wall and the foot wall, and a floor, the head wall, the foot wall, the side walls and the floor forming at least one storage cavity; a mattress assembly comprising a mattress and an underlying panel; and a lifting mechanism comprising a series of interconnected pivoting links, the lifting mechanism being mounted to the foundation and the mattress assembly, the lifting mechanism configured to move the mattress assembly between a lowered position, in which the mattress assembly is positioned atop the foundation, and a raised position, in which the mattress assembly is positioned above and at least partially laterally of the foundation, with one side edge of the mattress being raised between about 26 to 36 inches above an upper edge of one of the side walls of the foundation and between about 12 and 20 inches inboard of the upper edge of the side wall, such that the storage cavity is accessible. 13. The bed defined in claim 12, wherein the lifting mechanism includes an automated power unit. 14. The bed defined in claim 13, wherein the automated power unit includes a detachable activation unit. 15. The bed defined in claim 12, wherein the lifting mechanism includes a lateral swing link pivotally connected with the foundation and the mattress assembly and an inboard swing link pivotally connected with the foundation and the mattress assembly. 16. The bed defined in claim 12, wherein the foundation includes at least two storage cavities. 17. The bed defined in claim 12, further comprising a headboard attached to the head wall. 18. The bed defined in claim 12, wherein the bed is positioned with the head wall adjacent a wall of a room. 19. The bed defined in claim 12, wherein the mattress is sized to be a king-sized, queen-sized or double mattress. 20. The bed defined in claim 12, wherein in the raised position, the mattress forms an angle with horizontal of between about 1 and 25 degrees. | A bed includes: a foundation; a mattress assembly comprising a mattress and an underlying panel; and a lifting mechanism comprising a series of interconnected pivoting links. The foundation includes a head wall, a foot wall opposed to the head wall, opposed side walls between the head wall and the foot wall, and a floor, the head wall, the foot wall, the side walls and the floor forming at least one storage cavity. The lifting mechanism is mounted to the foundation and the mattress assembly and is configured to move the mattress assembly between a lowered position, in which the mattress assembly is positioned atop the foundation, and a raised position, in which the mattress assembly is positioned above and at least partially laterally of the foundation, such that the storage cavity is accessible.1. A bed, comprising:
a foundation including a head wall, a foot wall opposed to the head wall, opposed side walls between the head wall and the foot wall, and a floor, the head wall, the foot wall, the side walls and the floor forming at least one storage cavity; a mattress assembly comprising a mattress and an underlying panel; and a lifting mechanism comprising a series of interconnected pivoting links, the lifting mechanism being mounted to the foundation and the mattress assembly, the lifting mechanism configured to move the mattress assembly between a lowered position, in which the mattress assembly is positioned atop the foundation, and a raised position, in which the mattress assembly is positioned above and at least partially laterally of the foundation, such that the storage cavity is accessible. 2. The bed defined in claim 1, wherein the lifting mechanism includes an automated power unit. 3. The bed defined in claim 2, wherein the automated power unit includes a detachable activation unit. 4. The bed defined in claim 1, wherein the lifting mechanism includes a lateral swing link pivotally connected with the foundation and the mattress assembly and an inboard swing link pivotally connected with the foundation and the mattress assembly. 5. The bed defined in claim 1, wherein the foundation includes at least two storage cavities. 6. The bed defined in claim 1, further comprising a headboard attached to the head wall. 7. The bed defined in claim 1, wherein the bed is positioned with the head wall adjacent a wall of a room. 8. The bed defined in claim 1, wherein the mattress is sized to be a king-sized, queen-sized or double mattress. 9. The bed defined in claim 1, wherein in the raised position, the mattress forms an angle with horizontal of between about 1 and 25 degrees. 10. The bed defined in claim 1, wherein in the raised position, one side edge of the mattress is raised between about 26 to 36 inches above an upper edge of one of the side walls of the foundation. 11. The bed defined in claim 1, wherein in the raised position, one side edge of the mattress is position between about 12 and 20 inches inboard of an upper edge of one of the side walls of the foundation. 12. A bed, comprising:
a foundation including a head wall, a foot wall opposed to the head wall, opposed side walls between the head wall and the foot wall, and a floor, the head wall, the foot wall, the side walls and the floor forming at least one storage cavity; a mattress assembly comprising a mattress and an underlying panel; and a lifting mechanism comprising a series of interconnected pivoting links, the lifting mechanism being mounted to the foundation and the mattress assembly, the lifting mechanism configured to move the mattress assembly between a lowered position, in which the mattress assembly is positioned atop the foundation, and a raised position, in which the mattress assembly is positioned above and at least partially laterally of the foundation, with one side edge of the mattress being raised between about 26 to 36 inches above an upper edge of one of the side walls of the foundation and between about 12 and 20 inches inboard of the upper edge of the side wall, such that the storage cavity is accessible. 13. The bed defined in claim 12, wherein the lifting mechanism includes an automated power unit. 14. The bed defined in claim 13, wherein the automated power unit includes a detachable activation unit. 15. The bed defined in claim 12, wherein the lifting mechanism includes a lateral swing link pivotally connected with the foundation and the mattress assembly and an inboard swing link pivotally connected with the foundation and the mattress assembly. 16. The bed defined in claim 12, wherein the foundation includes at least two storage cavities. 17. The bed defined in claim 12, further comprising a headboard attached to the head wall. 18. The bed defined in claim 12, wherein the bed is positioned with the head wall adjacent a wall of a room. 19. The bed defined in claim 12, wherein the mattress is sized to be a king-sized, queen-sized or double mattress. 20. The bed defined in claim 12, wherein in the raised position, the mattress forms an angle with horizontal of between about 1 and 25 degrees. | 3,600 |
12,697 | 12,697 | 14,090,854 | 3,627 | A computer-implemented method for monitoring cardholder return activity associated with cardholder transactions is implemented by a monitoring computer system coupled to a memory. The method includes receiving a set of first transaction data associated with a first transaction initiated by a cardholder at a merchant, determining that the first transaction is a first return transaction including a set of first return transaction data, retrieving a return record associated with the cardholder, wherein the return record is stored within the memory, and updating the return record associated with the cardholder with the set of first return transaction data. | 1. A computer-implemented method for monitoring cardholder return activity associated with cardholder transactions, the method implemented by a monitoring computer system in communication with a memory, the method comprising:
receiving, at the monitoring computer system, a set of first transaction data associated with a first transaction initiated by a cardholder at a merchant; determining that the first transaction is a first return transaction including a set of first return transaction data; retrieving a return record associated with the cardholder, the return record stored within the memory; and updating the return record associated with the cardholder with the set of first return transaction data. 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
upon determining that the return record includes at least one set of second return transaction data associated with at least one second return transaction, transmitting the return record to a merchant computing device. 3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:
processing the at least one set of second return transaction data to generate a cardholder risk assessment; and transmitting the cardholder risk assessment to the merchant computing device. 4. The method of claim 1, wherein determining that the first transaction is a first return transaction further comprises:
processing the set of first transaction data to identify the presence of a return indicator. 5. The method of claim 1, wherein retrieving a return record associated with the cardholder further comprises:
identifying at least one cardholder identifier associated with the set of first return transaction data; and retrieving a return record associated with the at least one cardholder identifier from at least one of the memory, a database in communication with the monitoring computer system, and an external system in communication with the monitoring computer system. 6. The method of claim 1, wherein retrieving a return record associated with the cardholder further comprises:
retrieving a return record associated with the cardholder wherein the return record includes a historical record of related returns, the historical record of related returns including a set of second return transaction data substantially similar to the set of first return transaction data. 7. The method of claim 6, wherein retrieving the return record further comprises:
retrieving the set of second return transaction data collected from a plurality of merchant computing devices associated with a plurality of merchants. 8. The method of claim 1, wherein the monitoring computer system is in communication with a payment network, further comprising:
receiving the set of first transaction data at the monitoring computer system from the payment network. 9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
receiving, from a merchant computing device, a request for a return dashboard associated with a time period; retrieving all return records associated with all cardholders associated with the merchant; identifying, from all return records, return records associated with the time period; generating, based on return records associated with the time period, the return dashboard associated with the time period; and transmitting the return dashboard to the merchant computing device. 10. A monitoring computer system for monitoring cardholder return activity associated with cardholder transactions comprising:
a processor; a memory coupled to said processor, said processor configured to:
receive a set of first transaction data associated with a first transaction initiated by a cardholder at a merchant;
determine that the first transaction is a first return transaction including a set of first return transaction data;
retrieve a return record associated with the cardholder;
update the return record associated with the cardholder with the set of first return transaction data. 11. A monitoring computer system in accordance with claim 10 wherein the processor is further configured to:
transmit the return record to a merchant computing device upon determining that the return record includes at least one set of second return transaction data associated with at least one second return transaction. 12. A monitoring computer system in accordance with claim 11 further configured to:
process the at least one set of second return transaction data to generate a cardholder risk assessment; and
transmit the cardholder risk assessment to the merchant computing device. 13. A monitoring computer system in accordance with claim 10 further configured to:
process the set of first transaction data to identify the presence of a return indicator. 14. A monitoring computer system in accordance with claim 10 further configured to:
identify at least one cardholder identifier associated with the set of first return transaction data; and
retrieve a return record associated with the at least one cardholder identifier from at least one of the memory, a database in communication with the monitoring computer system, and an external system in communication with the monitoring computer system. 15. A monitoring computer system in accordance with claim 10, further configured to:
retrieve a return record associated with the cardholder wherein the return record includes a historical record of related returns, the historical record of related returns including a set of second return transaction data substantially similar to the set of first return transaction data. 16. A monitoring computer system in accordance with claim 15, further configured to:
retrieve the set of second return transaction data collected from a plurality of merchant computing devices associated with a plurality of merchants. 17. A monitoring computer system in accordance with claim 10, wherein the monitoring computer system is in communication with a payment network, further configured to:
receive the set of first transaction data from the payment network. 18. A monitoring computer system in accordance with claim 10, further configured to:
receive, from a merchant computing device, a request for a return dashboard associated with a time period; retrieve all return records associated with all cardholders associated with the merchant; identify, from all return records, return records associated with the time period; generate, based on return records associated with the time period, the return dashboard associated with the time period; and transmit the return dashboard to the merchant computing device. 19. Computer-readable storage media for monitoring cardholder return activity associated with cardholder transactions having computer-executable instructions embodied thereon, wherein, when executed by at least one processor, the computer-executable instructions cause the processor to:
receive a set of first transaction data associated with a first transaction initiated by a cardholder at a merchant; determine that the first transaction is a first return transaction including a set of first return transaction data; retrieve a return record associated with the cardholder; update the return record associated with the cardholder with the set of first return transaction data. 20. The computer-readable storage media in accordance with claim 19, wherein the computer-executable instructions cause the processor to:
transmit the return record to a merchant computing device upon determining that the return record includes at least one set of second return transaction data associated with at least one second return transaction. | A computer-implemented method for monitoring cardholder return activity associated with cardholder transactions is implemented by a monitoring computer system coupled to a memory. The method includes receiving a set of first transaction data associated with a first transaction initiated by a cardholder at a merchant, determining that the first transaction is a first return transaction including a set of first return transaction data, retrieving a return record associated with the cardholder, wherein the return record is stored within the memory, and updating the return record associated with the cardholder with the set of first return transaction data.1. A computer-implemented method for monitoring cardholder return activity associated with cardholder transactions, the method implemented by a monitoring computer system in communication with a memory, the method comprising:
receiving, at the monitoring computer system, a set of first transaction data associated with a first transaction initiated by a cardholder at a merchant; determining that the first transaction is a first return transaction including a set of first return transaction data; retrieving a return record associated with the cardholder, the return record stored within the memory; and updating the return record associated with the cardholder with the set of first return transaction data. 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
upon determining that the return record includes at least one set of second return transaction data associated with at least one second return transaction, transmitting the return record to a merchant computing device. 3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:
processing the at least one set of second return transaction data to generate a cardholder risk assessment; and transmitting the cardholder risk assessment to the merchant computing device. 4. The method of claim 1, wherein determining that the first transaction is a first return transaction further comprises:
processing the set of first transaction data to identify the presence of a return indicator. 5. The method of claim 1, wherein retrieving a return record associated with the cardholder further comprises:
identifying at least one cardholder identifier associated with the set of first return transaction data; and retrieving a return record associated with the at least one cardholder identifier from at least one of the memory, a database in communication with the monitoring computer system, and an external system in communication with the monitoring computer system. 6. The method of claim 1, wherein retrieving a return record associated with the cardholder further comprises:
retrieving a return record associated with the cardholder wherein the return record includes a historical record of related returns, the historical record of related returns including a set of second return transaction data substantially similar to the set of first return transaction data. 7. The method of claim 6, wherein retrieving the return record further comprises:
retrieving the set of second return transaction data collected from a plurality of merchant computing devices associated with a plurality of merchants. 8. The method of claim 1, wherein the monitoring computer system is in communication with a payment network, further comprising:
receiving the set of first transaction data at the monitoring computer system from the payment network. 9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
receiving, from a merchant computing device, a request for a return dashboard associated with a time period; retrieving all return records associated with all cardholders associated with the merchant; identifying, from all return records, return records associated with the time period; generating, based on return records associated with the time period, the return dashboard associated with the time period; and transmitting the return dashboard to the merchant computing device. 10. A monitoring computer system for monitoring cardholder return activity associated with cardholder transactions comprising:
a processor; a memory coupled to said processor, said processor configured to:
receive a set of first transaction data associated with a first transaction initiated by a cardholder at a merchant;
determine that the first transaction is a first return transaction including a set of first return transaction data;
retrieve a return record associated with the cardholder;
update the return record associated with the cardholder with the set of first return transaction data. 11. A monitoring computer system in accordance with claim 10 wherein the processor is further configured to:
transmit the return record to a merchant computing device upon determining that the return record includes at least one set of second return transaction data associated with at least one second return transaction. 12. A monitoring computer system in accordance with claim 11 further configured to:
process the at least one set of second return transaction data to generate a cardholder risk assessment; and
transmit the cardholder risk assessment to the merchant computing device. 13. A monitoring computer system in accordance with claim 10 further configured to:
process the set of first transaction data to identify the presence of a return indicator. 14. A monitoring computer system in accordance with claim 10 further configured to:
identify at least one cardholder identifier associated with the set of first return transaction data; and
retrieve a return record associated with the at least one cardholder identifier from at least one of the memory, a database in communication with the monitoring computer system, and an external system in communication with the monitoring computer system. 15. A monitoring computer system in accordance with claim 10, further configured to:
retrieve a return record associated with the cardholder wherein the return record includes a historical record of related returns, the historical record of related returns including a set of second return transaction data substantially similar to the set of first return transaction data. 16. A monitoring computer system in accordance with claim 15, further configured to:
retrieve the set of second return transaction data collected from a plurality of merchant computing devices associated with a plurality of merchants. 17. A monitoring computer system in accordance with claim 10, wherein the monitoring computer system is in communication with a payment network, further configured to:
receive the set of first transaction data from the payment network. 18. A monitoring computer system in accordance with claim 10, further configured to:
receive, from a merchant computing device, a request for a return dashboard associated with a time period; retrieve all return records associated with all cardholders associated with the merchant; identify, from all return records, return records associated with the time period; generate, based on return records associated with the time period, the return dashboard associated with the time period; and transmit the return dashboard to the merchant computing device. 19. Computer-readable storage media for monitoring cardholder return activity associated with cardholder transactions having computer-executable instructions embodied thereon, wherein, when executed by at least one processor, the computer-executable instructions cause the processor to:
receive a set of first transaction data associated with a first transaction initiated by a cardholder at a merchant; determine that the first transaction is a first return transaction including a set of first return transaction data; retrieve a return record associated with the cardholder; update the return record associated with the cardholder with the set of first return transaction data. 20. The computer-readable storage media in accordance with claim 19, wherein the computer-executable instructions cause the processor to:
transmit the return record to a merchant computing device upon determining that the return record includes at least one set of second return transaction data associated with at least one second return transaction. | 3,600 |
12,698 | 12,698 | 14,966,207 | 3,679 | A quick-connect system for a high pressure connection includes a port and a collet. The port defines an inlet opening at an outer longitudinal end of the port and includes an inner wall having a first sloped surface at least partially defining a collet cavity. The first sloped surface has a first diameter at a first end nearest the inlet opening and a second diameter, which is greater than the first diameter, at a second end opposite the first end. The collet includes a head portion and a plurality of legs extending distally from the head portion, and each leg of the plurality of legs includes a distal foot portion. In a connected state, the foot portions of the plurality of legs are located in the collet cavity, and the foot portions define an outermost diameter that is greater than the first diameter. | 1. A quick-connect system comprising:
a port defining an inlet opening at an outer longitudinal end of the port and including an inner wall having a first sloped surface at least partially defining a collet cavity, the first sloped surface having a first diameter at a first end nearest the inlet opening and a second diameter, which is greater than the first diameter, at a second end opposite the first end; a collet including a head portion and a plurality of legs extending distally from the head portion, each leg of the plurality of legs including a distal foot portion, wherein, in a connected state, the foot portions of the plurality of legs are located in the collet cavity, and the foot portions define an outermost diameter that is greater than the first diameter. 2. The quick-connect system of claim 1, further comprising:
a tube inserted in the collet in the connected state, wherein a maximum width of the foot portion of each leg in a radial direction is greater than a minimum distance between an outer diameter of the tube and the first end of the first sloped portion. 3. The quick-connect system of claim 1, wherein the foot portion of each leg includes a retaining element configured to engage a tube positioned in the collet. 4. The quick-connect system of claim 3, wherein:
the foot portion of each leg includes a first foot sloping surface which slopes outwardly from a distal portion of the first foot sloping surface to a proximal portion of the first foot sloping surface, and the first foot sloping surface is configured to engage the first sloped surface as the collet is moved longitudinally outwardly from the connected state so as to urge the retaining element of each leg radially inwardly. 5. The quick-connect system of claim 4, wherein the inner wall further comprises a second sloped surface extending from the outer longitudinal end of the port toward the first sloped surface, and a first cylindrical portion extending longitudinally from the second sloped surface to the first end of the first sloped surface. 6. The quick-connect system of claim 5, wherein:
the foot portion of each leg includes a second foot sloping surface which slopes inwardly from a distal portion of the second foot sloping surface to a proximal portion of the second foot sloping surface, and the second foot sloping surface cooperates with the second sloped surface of the inner wall when the collet is inserted into the inlet opening so as to deform the plurality of legs radially inwardly. 7. The quick-connect system of claim 1, further comprising:
a sealing element positioned in the port and configured to seal between the inner wall and a tube positioned in the port, wherein the port includes a projection projecting radially inwardly from the inner wall, and the projection is interposed between the sealing element and the collet cavity. 8. The quick-connect system of claim 7, wherein the projection has an inner diameter that substantially corresponds to an outer diameter of the tube. 9. The quick-connect system of claim 8, wherein the port includes a tube stop face longitudinally inwardly of the sealing element and configured to engage a terminal end face of the tube. 10. An air conditioning service system comprising:
a manifold block including a port defining an inlet opening at an outer longitudinal end of the port and including an inner wall having a first sloped surface at least partially defining a collet cavity, the first sloped surface having a first diameter at a first end nearest the inlet opening and a second diameter, which is greater than the first diameter, at a second end opposite the first end; a collet including a head portion and a plurality of legs extending distally from the head portion, each leg of the plurality of legs including a distal foot portion; and a tube inserted in the collet and connected to the port of the manifold block, wherein, in a connected state, the foot portions of the plurality of legs are located in the collet cavity, and the foot portions define an outermost diameter that is greater than the first diameter. 11. The air conditioning service system of claim 10, wherein a maximum width of the foot portion of each leg in a radial direction is greater than a minimum distance between an outer diameter of the tube and the first end of the first sloped portion. 12. The air conditioning service system of claim 10, wherein the foot portion of each leg includes a retaining element configured to engage the tube. 13. The air conditioning service system of claim 12, wherein:
the foot portion of each leg includes a first foot sloping surface which slopes outwardly from a distal portion of the first foot sloping surface to a proximal portion of the first foot sloping surface, and the first foot sloping surface is configured to engage the first sloped surface as the collet is moved longitudinally outwardly from the connected state so as to urge the retaining element of each leg radially inwardly. 14. The air conditioning service system of claim 1, further comprising:
a sealing element positioned in the port and configured to seal between the inner wall and the tube, wherein the port includes a projection projecting radially inwardly from the inner wall, and the projection is interposed between the sealing element and the collet cavity. 15. The air conditioning service system of claim 14, wherein the projection has an inner diameter that substantially corresponds to an outer diameter of the tube. 16. An air conditioning service system comprising:
a manifold block; and a tube connected to the manifold block via a quick-connect system comprising:
a port defining an inlet opening at an outer longitudinal end of the port and including an inner wall having a first sloped surface at least partially defining a collet cavity, the first sloped surface having a first diameter at a first end nearest the inlet opening and a second diameter, which is greater than the first diameter, at a second end opposite the first end;
a collet including a head portion and a plurality of legs extending distally from the head portion, each leg of the plurality of legs including a distal foot portion,
wherein, in a connected state, the foot portions of the plurality of legs are located in the collet cavity, and the foot portions define an outermost diameter that is greater than the first diameter. 17. The air conditioning service system of claim 16, wherein a maximum width of the foot portion of each leg in a radial direction is greater than a minimum distance between an outer diameter of the tube and the first end of the first sloped portion. 18. The air conditioning service system of claim 16, wherein:
the foot portion of each leg includes a retaining element configured to engage the tube and a first foot sloping surface which slopes outwardly from a distal portion of the first foot sloping surface to a proximal portion of the first foot sloping surface, and the first foot sloping surface is configured to engage the first sloped surface as the collet is moved longitudinally outwardly from the connected state so as to urge the retaining element of each leg radially inwardly. 19. The air conditioning service system of claim 16, wherein:
the quick-connect system further comprises a sealing element positioned in the port and configured to seal between the inner wall and the tube, and the port includes a projection projecting radially inwardly from the inner wall, and the projection is interposed between the sealing element and the collet cavity. 20. The air conditioning service system of claim 19, wherein the projection has an inner diameter that substantially corresponds to an outer diameter of the tube. | A quick-connect system for a high pressure connection includes a port and a collet. The port defines an inlet opening at an outer longitudinal end of the port and includes an inner wall having a first sloped surface at least partially defining a collet cavity. The first sloped surface has a first diameter at a first end nearest the inlet opening and a second diameter, which is greater than the first diameter, at a second end opposite the first end. The collet includes a head portion and a plurality of legs extending distally from the head portion, and each leg of the plurality of legs includes a distal foot portion. In a connected state, the foot portions of the plurality of legs are located in the collet cavity, and the foot portions define an outermost diameter that is greater than the first diameter.1. A quick-connect system comprising:
a port defining an inlet opening at an outer longitudinal end of the port and including an inner wall having a first sloped surface at least partially defining a collet cavity, the first sloped surface having a first diameter at a first end nearest the inlet opening and a second diameter, which is greater than the first diameter, at a second end opposite the first end; a collet including a head portion and a plurality of legs extending distally from the head portion, each leg of the plurality of legs including a distal foot portion, wherein, in a connected state, the foot portions of the plurality of legs are located in the collet cavity, and the foot portions define an outermost diameter that is greater than the first diameter. 2. The quick-connect system of claim 1, further comprising:
a tube inserted in the collet in the connected state, wherein a maximum width of the foot portion of each leg in a radial direction is greater than a minimum distance between an outer diameter of the tube and the first end of the first sloped portion. 3. The quick-connect system of claim 1, wherein the foot portion of each leg includes a retaining element configured to engage a tube positioned in the collet. 4. The quick-connect system of claim 3, wherein:
the foot portion of each leg includes a first foot sloping surface which slopes outwardly from a distal portion of the first foot sloping surface to a proximal portion of the first foot sloping surface, and the first foot sloping surface is configured to engage the first sloped surface as the collet is moved longitudinally outwardly from the connected state so as to urge the retaining element of each leg radially inwardly. 5. The quick-connect system of claim 4, wherein the inner wall further comprises a second sloped surface extending from the outer longitudinal end of the port toward the first sloped surface, and a first cylindrical portion extending longitudinally from the second sloped surface to the first end of the first sloped surface. 6. The quick-connect system of claim 5, wherein:
the foot portion of each leg includes a second foot sloping surface which slopes inwardly from a distal portion of the second foot sloping surface to a proximal portion of the second foot sloping surface, and the second foot sloping surface cooperates with the second sloped surface of the inner wall when the collet is inserted into the inlet opening so as to deform the plurality of legs radially inwardly. 7. The quick-connect system of claim 1, further comprising:
a sealing element positioned in the port and configured to seal between the inner wall and a tube positioned in the port, wherein the port includes a projection projecting radially inwardly from the inner wall, and the projection is interposed between the sealing element and the collet cavity. 8. The quick-connect system of claim 7, wherein the projection has an inner diameter that substantially corresponds to an outer diameter of the tube. 9. The quick-connect system of claim 8, wherein the port includes a tube stop face longitudinally inwardly of the sealing element and configured to engage a terminal end face of the tube. 10. An air conditioning service system comprising:
a manifold block including a port defining an inlet opening at an outer longitudinal end of the port and including an inner wall having a first sloped surface at least partially defining a collet cavity, the first sloped surface having a first diameter at a first end nearest the inlet opening and a second diameter, which is greater than the first diameter, at a second end opposite the first end; a collet including a head portion and a plurality of legs extending distally from the head portion, each leg of the plurality of legs including a distal foot portion; and a tube inserted in the collet and connected to the port of the manifold block, wherein, in a connected state, the foot portions of the plurality of legs are located in the collet cavity, and the foot portions define an outermost diameter that is greater than the first diameter. 11. The air conditioning service system of claim 10, wherein a maximum width of the foot portion of each leg in a radial direction is greater than a minimum distance between an outer diameter of the tube and the first end of the first sloped portion. 12. The air conditioning service system of claim 10, wherein the foot portion of each leg includes a retaining element configured to engage the tube. 13. The air conditioning service system of claim 12, wherein:
the foot portion of each leg includes a first foot sloping surface which slopes outwardly from a distal portion of the first foot sloping surface to a proximal portion of the first foot sloping surface, and the first foot sloping surface is configured to engage the first sloped surface as the collet is moved longitudinally outwardly from the connected state so as to urge the retaining element of each leg radially inwardly. 14. The air conditioning service system of claim 1, further comprising:
a sealing element positioned in the port and configured to seal between the inner wall and the tube, wherein the port includes a projection projecting radially inwardly from the inner wall, and the projection is interposed between the sealing element and the collet cavity. 15. The air conditioning service system of claim 14, wherein the projection has an inner diameter that substantially corresponds to an outer diameter of the tube. 16. An air conditioning service system comprising:
a manifold block; and a tube connected to the manifold block via a quick-connect system comprising:
a port defining an inlet opening at an outer longitudinal end of the port and including an inner wall having a first sloped surface at least partially defining a collet cavity, the first sloped surface having a first diameter at a first end nearest the inlet opening and a second diameter, which is greater than the first diameter, at a second end opposite the first end;
a collet including a head portion and a plurality of legs extending distally from the head portion, each leg of the plurality of legs including a distal foot portion,
wherein, in a connected state, the foot portions of the plurality of legs are located in the collet cavity, and the foot portions define an outermost diameter that is greater than the first diameter. 17. The air conditioning service system of claim 16, wherein a maximum width of the foot portion of each leg in a radial direction is greater than a minimum distance between an outer diameter of the tube and the first end of the first sloped portion. 18. The air conditioning service system of claim 16, wherein:
the foot portion of each leg includes a retaining element configured to engage the tube and a first foot sloping surface which slopes outwardly from a distal portion of the first foot sloping surface to a proximal portion of the first foot sloping surface, and the first foot sloping surface is configured to engage the first sloped surface as the collet is moved longitudinally outwardly from the connected state so as to urge the retaining element of each leg radially inwardly. 19. The air conditioning service system of claim 16, wherein:
the quick-connect system further comprises a sealing element positioned in the port and configured to seal between the inner wall and the tube, and the port includes a projection projecting radially inwardly from the inner wall, and the projection is interposed between the sealing element and the collet cavity. 20. The air conditioning service system of claim 19, wherein the projection has an inner diameter that substantially corresponds to an outer diameter of the tube. | 3,600 |
12,699 | 12,699 | 14,471,135 | 3,688 | A method for making a timely and targeted offer by an entity to an audience of potential acceptors is provided. The method involves retrieving information including purchasing and payment activity information attributable to the audience having a transaction, date and time identifier; retrieving information including website browsing information attributable to the audience having a website, date and time identifier for one or more websites visited by the audience; correlating the information to generate one or more predictive behavioral models; identifying time and date patterns associated with activities and characteristics attributable to the audience; and conveying to the entity the time and date patterns associated with the activities and characteristics attributable to the audience, to enable the entity to make a timely and targeted offer to the audience. A system for making a timely and targeted offer by an entity to an audience of potential acceptors is also provided. | 1. A method for making a timely and targeted offer by an entity to an audience of potential acceptors, said method comprising:
retrieving, from one or more databases, a first set of information including purchasing and payment activity information attributable to said audience of potential acceptors, wherein at least a portion of the purchasing and payment activity information has a transaction, date and time identifier; retrieving, from one or more databases, a second set of information including website browsing information attributable to the audience of potential acceptors, wherein at least a portion of the website browsing information has a website, date and time identifier for one or more websites visited by the audience of potential acceptors; correlating the first set of information with the second set of information to generate one or more predictive behavioral models; identifying activities and characteristics, including time and date patterns associated with said activities and characteristics, attributable to the audience of potential acceptors based on the one or more predictive behavioral models; and conveying to the entity said activities and characteristics, including said time and date patterns associated with said activities and characteristics, attributable to the audience of potential acceptors based on the one or more predictive behavioral models, to enable the entity to make a timely and targeted offer to the audience of potential acceptors. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein said correlating comprises:
analyzing the first set of information and the second set of information to determine behavioral information of the audience of potential acceptors; and extracting information related to an intent of the audience of potential acceptors from the behavioral information. 3. The method of claim 2, wherein the one or more predictive behavioral models are based upon the behavioral information of the audience of potential acceptors and the intent of the audience of potential acceptors. 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the audience of potential acceptors are people and/or businesses, wherein the activities attributable to the audience of potential acceptors are financial transactions, including time and date patterns associated with said financial transactions, and website browsing, including time and date patterns associated with said website browsing, and wherein the characteristics attributable to the audience of potential acceptors are demographics and/or geographical characteristics. 5. The method of claim 1, wherein the first set of information comprises the date and time of payment card billing, purchasing and payment transactions by the audience of potential acceptors, and optionally demographic and/or geographic information. 6. The method of claim 1, wherein the second set of information comprises websites visited by the audience of potential acceptors, the date and time of websites visited by the audience of potential acceptors, and optionally demographic and/or geographic information. 7. The method of claim 1, wherein the audience of potential acceptors comprise payment card holders. 8. The method of claim 1, wherein the entity makes a timely and targeted offer to the audience of potential acceptors by e-mails, text messages, phone calls or television. 9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
tracking and measuring impact of the timely and targeted offer based at least in part on purchasing and payment activities attributable to the audience of potential acceptors, after the timely and targeted offer has been made. 10. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more predictive behavioral models provides a behavioral propensity score that is used for conveying to the entity said activities and characteristics, and said time and date pattern associated with said activities and characteristics, attributable to the audience of potential acceptors based on the one or more predictive behavioral models, and wherein the behavioral propensity score is indicative of a propensity to exhibit a certain behavior. 11. The method of claim 1, wherein the entity comprises one or more merchant entities. 12. A system for making a timely and targeted offer by an entity to an audience of potential acceptors, said system comprising:
one or more databases configured to store a first set of information including purchasing and payment activity information attributable to the audience of potential acceptors, wherein at least a portion of the purchasing and payment activity information has a transaction, date and time identifier; one or more databases configured to store a second set of information including website browsing information attributable to the audience of potential acceptors, wherein at least a portion of the website browsing information has a website, date and time identifier for one or more websites visited by the audience of potential acceptors; a processor configured to:
correlate the first set of information with the second set of information to generate one or more predictive behavioral models; and
identify activities and characteristics, including time and date patterns associated with said activities and characteristics, attributable to the audience of potential acceptors based on the one or more predictive behavioral models; and
a device for conveying to the entity said activities and characteristics, including said time and date patterns associated with said activities and characteristics, attributable to the audience of potential acceptors based on the one or more predictive behavioral models, to enable the entity to make a timely and targeted offer to the audience of potential acceptors. 13. The system of claim 12, wherein the processor is configured to:
analyze the first set of information and the second set of information to determine behavioral information of the audience of potential acceptors; and extract information related to an intent of the audience of potential acceptors from the behavioral information. 14. The system of claim 13, wherein the one or more predictive behavioral models are based upon the behavioral information of the audience of potential acceptors and the intent of the audience of potential acceptors. 15. The system of claim 12, wherein the first set of information comprises the date and time of payment card billing, purchasing and payment transactions by the audience of potential acceptors, and optionally demographic and/or geographic information. 16. The system of claim 12, wherein the second set of information comprises websites visited by the audience of potential acceptors, the date and time of websites visited by said audience of potential acceptors, and optionally demographic and/or geographic information. 17. The system of claim 12, wherein the audience of potential acceptors comprise payment card holders. 18. The system of claim 12, wherein the processor is configured to:
track and measure impact of the timely and targeted offer based at least in part on purchasing and payment activities attributable to the audience of potential acceptors, after the timely and targeted offer has been made. 19. The system of claim 12, wherein the one or more predictive behavioral models provides a behavioral propensity score that is used for conveying to the entity said activities and characteristics, and said time and date pattern associated with said activities and characteristics, attributable to the audience of potential acceptors based on the one or more predictive behavioral models, and wherein the behavioral propensity score is indicative of a propensity to exhibit a certain behavior. 20. A method for generating one or more predictive behavioral models, said method comprising:
retrieving, from one or more databases, a first set of information including purchasing and payment activity information attributable to an audience of potential acceptors, wherein at least a portion of the purchasing and payment activity information has a transaction, date and time identifier; retrieving, from one or more databases, a second set of information including website browsing information attributable to the audience of potential acceptors, wherein at least a portion of the website browsing information has a website, date and time identifier for one or more websites visited by the audience of potential acceptors; analyzing the first set of information and the second set of information to determine behavioral information of the audience of potential acceptors; extracting information related to an intent of the audience of potential acceptors from the behavioral information; and generating one or more predictive behavioral models based on the behavioral information and intent of the audience of potential acceptors with the audience of potential acceptors having a propensity to carry out certain activities based on the one or more predictive behavioral models. 21. The method of claim 20, further comprising:
conveying to an entity activities and characteristics, including time and date patterns associated with said activities and characteristics, attributable to the audience of potential acceptors based on the one or more predictive behavioral models, to enable the entity to make a timely and targeted offer to the audience of potential acceptors. 22. The method of claim 21, wherein the one or more predictive behavioral models are capable of predicting behavior and intent in the audience of potential acceptors. | A method for making a timely and targeted offer by an entity to an audience of potential acceptors is provided. The method involves retrieving information including purchasing and payment activity information attributable to the audience having a transaction, date and time identifier; retrieving information including website browsing information attributable to the audience having a website, date and time identifier for one or more websites visited by the audience; correlating the information to generate one or more predictive behavioral models; identifying time and date patterns associated with activities and characteristics attributable to the audience; and conveying to the entity the time and date patterns associated with the activities and characteristics attributable to the audience, to enable the entity to make a timely and targeted offer to the audience. A system for making a timely and targeted offer by an entity to an audience of potential acceptors is also provided.1. A method for making a timely and targeted offer by an entity to an audience of potential acceptors, said method comprising:
retrieving, from one or more databases, a first set of information including purchasing and payment activity information attributable to said audience of potential acceptors, wherein at least a portion of the purchasing and payment activity information has a transaction, date and time identifier; retrieving, from one or more databases, a second set of information including website browsing information attributable to the audience of potential acceptors, wherein at least a portion of the website browsing information has a website, date and time identifier for one or more websites visited by the audience of potential acceptors; correlating the first set of information with the second set of information to generate one or more predictive behavioral models; identifying activities and characteristics, including time and date patterns associated with said activities and characteristics, attributable to the audience of potential acceptors based on the one or more predictive behavioral models; and conveying to the entity said activities and characteristics, including said time and date patterns associated with said activities and characteristics, attributable to the audience of potential acceptors based on the one or more predictive behavioral models, to enable the entity to make a timely and targeted offer to the audience of potential acceptors. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein said correlating comprises:
analyzing the first set of information and the second set of information to determine behavioral information of the audience of potential acceptors; and extracting information related to an intent of the audience of potential acceptors from the behavioral information. 3. The method of claim 2, wherein the one or more predictive behavioral models are based upon the behavioral information of the audience of potential acceptors and the intent of the audience of potential acceptors. 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the audience of potential acceptors are people and/or businesses, wherein the activities attributable to the audience of potential acceptors are financial transactions, including time and date patterns associated with said financial transactions, and website browsing, including time and date patterns associated with said website browsing, and wherein the characteristics attributable to the audience of potential acceptors are demographics and/or geographical characteristics. 5. The method of claim 1, wherein the first set of information comprises the date and time of payment card billing, purchasing and payment transactions by the audience of potential acceptors, and optionally demographic and/or geographic information. 6. The method of claim 1, wherein the second set of information comprises websites visited by the audience of potential acceptors, the date and time of websites visited by the audience of potential acceptors, and optionally demographic and/or geographic information. 7. The method of claim 1, wherein the audience of potential acceptors comprise payment card holders. 8. The method of claim 1, wherein the entity makes a timely and targeted offer to the audience of potential acceptors by e-mails, text messages, phone calls or television. 9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
tracking and measuring impact of the timely and targeted offer based at least in part on purchasing and payment activities attributable to the audience of potential acceptors, after the timely and targeted offer has been made. 10. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more predictive behavioral models provides a behavioral propensity score that is used for conveying to the entity said activities and characteristics, and said time and date pattern associated with said activities and characteristics, attributable to the audience of potential acceptors based on the one or more predictive behavioral models, and wherein the behavioral propensity score is indicative of a propensity to exhibit a certain behavior. 11. The method of claim 1, wherein the entity comprises one or more merchant entities. 12. A system for making a timely and targeted offer by an entity to an audience of potential acceptors, said system comprising:
one or more databases configured to store a first set of information including purchasing and payment activity information attributable to the audience of potential acceptors, wherein at least a portion of the purchasing and payment activity information has a transaction, date and time identifier; one or more databases configured to store a second set of information including website browsing information attributable to the audience of potential acceptors, wherein at least a portion of the website browsing information has a website, date and time identifier for one or more websites visited by the audience of potential acceptors; a processor configured to:
correlate the first set of information with the second set of information to generate one or more predictive behavioral models; and
identify activities and characteristics, including time and date patterns associated with said activities and characteristics, attributable to the audience of potential acceptors based on the one or more predictive behavioral models; and
a device for conveying to the entity said activities and characteristics, including said time and date patterns associated with said activities and characteristics, attributable to the audience of potential acceptors based on the one or more predictive behavioral models, to enable the entity to make a timely and targeted offer to the audience of potential acceptors. 13. The system of claim 12, wherein the processor is configured to:
analyze the first set of information and the second set of information to determine behavioral information of the audience of potential acceptors; and extract information related to an intent of the audience of potential acceptors from the behavioral information. 14. The system of claim 13, wherein the one or more predictive behavioral models are based upon the behavioral information of the audience of potential acceptors and the intent of the audience of potential acceptors. 15. The system of claim 12, wherein the first set of information comprises the date and time of payment card billing, purchasing and payment transactions by the audience of potential acceptors, and optionally demographic and/or geographic information. 16. The system of claim 12, wherein the second set of information comprises websites visited by the audience of potential acceptors, the date and time of websites visited by said audience of potential acceptors, and optionally demographic and/or geographic information. 17. The system of claim 12, wherein the audience of potential acceptors comprise payment card holders. 18. The system of claim 12, wherein the processor is configured to:
track and measure impact of the timely and targeted offer based at least in part on purchasing and payment activities attributable to the audience of potential acceptors, after the timely and targeted offer has been made. 19. The system of claim 12, wherein the one or more predictive behavioral models provides a behavioral propensity score that is used for conveying to the entity said activities and characteristics, and said time and date pattern associated with said activities and characteristics, attributable to the audience of potential acceptors based on the one or more predictive behavioral models, and wherein the behavioral propensity score is indicative of a propensity to exhibit a certain behavior. 20. A method for generating one or more predictive behavioral models, said method comprising:
retrieving, from one or more databases, a first set of information including purchasing and payment activity information attributable to an audience of potential acceptors, wherein at least a portion of the purchasing and payment activity information has a transaction, date and time identifier; retrieving, from one or more databases, a second set of information including website browsing information attributable to the audience of potential acceptors, wherein at least a portion of the website browsing information has a website, date and time identifier for one or more websites visited by the audience of potential acceptors; analyzing the first set of information and the second set of information to determine behavioral information of the audience of potential acceptors; extracting information related to an intent of the audience of potential acceptors from the behavioral information; and generating one or more predictive behavioral models based on the behavioral information and intent of the audience of potential acceptors with the audience of potential acceptors having a propensity to carry out certain activities based on the one or more predictive behavioral models. 21. The method of claim 20, further comprising:
conveying to an entity activities and characteristics, including time and date patterns associated with said activities and characteristics, attributable to the audience of potential acceptors based on the one or more predictive behavioral models, to enable the entity to make a timely and targeted offer to the audience of potential acceptors. 22. The method of claim 21, wherein the one or more predictive behavioral models are capable of predicting behavior and intent in the audience of potential acceptors. | 3,600 |
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