Unnamed: 0 int64 0 350k | level_0 int64 0 351k | ApplicationNumber int64 9.75M 96.1M | ArtUnit int64 1.6k 3.99k | Abstract stringlengths 1 8.37k | Claims stringlengths 3 292k | abstract-claims stringlengths 68 293k | TechCenter int64 1.6k 3.9k |
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12,800 | 12,800 | 12,741,397 | 3,626 | The present invention relates to an apparatus for determining a parameter of a moving object, wherein the apparatus comprises an adaptive model providing unit ( 12 ) for providing an adaptive model of the object. The user can define the region of the adaptive model by a user interface ( 13 ). The apparatus further comprises an image data set providing unit ( 14 ) for providing a spatially and temporally dependent image data set of the moving object and an adaptation unit ( 15 ) for adapting at least a defined region of the adaptive model to the spatially and temporally dependent image data set for determining a spatially and temporally dependence of the defined region. The parameter of the moving object is determined depending on the spatially and temporally dependence of the defined region by a parameter determining unit ( 16 ). | 1. An apparatus for determining a parameter of a moving object, the apparatus comprising:
an adaptive model providing unit (12) for providing an adaptive model of the object, a user interface (13) for allowing a user to define a region of the adaptive model, an image data set providing unit (14) for providing a spatially and temporally dependent image data set of the moving object, an adaptation unit (15) for adapting at least a defined region of the adaptive model to the spatially and temporally dependent image data set for determining a spatially and temporally dependence of the defined region, a parameter determining unit (16) for determining the parameter of the moving object depending on the spatially and temporally dependence of the defined region. 2. The apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein the adaptive model providing unit is adapted for providing several adaptive models, on which different regions are defined, wherein the user interface is adapted for allowing a user to define a region of the adaptive model by allowing a user to select at least one of the several adaptive models. 3. The apparatus as defined in claim 2, wherein the several adaptive models, on which different regions are defined, are assigned to several conditions, wherein the user interface is adapted for allowing a user to define a region of the adaptive model by allowing a user to select one of the several conditions. 4. The apparatus as defined in claim 2, wherein the user interface is adapted for allowing a user to define a region of an adaptive model and to store the adaptive model together with the defined region in the adaptive model providing unit. 5. The apparatus as defined in claim 2, wherein the user interface is adapted for allowing a user to assign a condition to an adaptive model, on which a region has been defined, wherein the adaptive model providing unit is adapted for storing the assigned condition. 6. The apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein the adaptation unit is adapted for adapting the whole adaptive model to the spatially and temporally dependent image data set. 7. The apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein the adaptation unit is adapted for initially adapting at a point in time more than the defined region to the spatially and temporally dependent image data set and for adapting for a point in time of further points in time starting with an adaptive model, which has been adapted for a temporally adjacent point in time, only the defined region to the spatially and temporally dependent image data set. 8. The apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein the resolution of the adaptive model is larger in the defined region than in the remaining part of the adaptive model. 9. A method for determining a parameter of a moving object, the method comprising:
providing an adaptive model of the object by an adaptive model providing unit, providing a user interface for allowing a user to define a region of the adaptive model, providing a spatially and temporally dependent image data set of the moving object by an image data set providing unit, adapting at least a defined region of the adaptive model to the spatially and temporally dependent image data set for determining a spatially and temporally dependence of the defined region by an adaptation unit, determining the parameter of the moving object depending on the spatially and temporally dependence of the defined region by a parameter determining unit. 10. A computer program for determining a parameter of a moving object, the computer program comprising program code means for causing an apparatus as defined in claim 1 carry out the steps of the method for determining a parameter of a moving object, the method comprising:
providing an adaptive model of the object by an adaptive model providing unit, providing a user interface for allowing a user to define a region of the adaptive model, providing a spatially and temporally dependent image data set of the moving object by an image data set providing unit, adapting at least a defined region of the adaptive model to the spatially and temporally dependent image data set for determining a spatially and temporally dependence of the defined region by an adaptation unit, determining the parameter of the moving object depending on the spatially and temporally dependence of the defined region by a parameter determining unit, when the computer program is run on a computer controlling the apparatus. | The present invention relates to an apparatus for determining a parameter of a moving object, wherein the apparatus comprises an adaptive model providing unit ( 12 ) for providing an adaptive model of the object. The user can define the region of the adaptive model by a user interface ( 13 ). The apparatus further comprises an image data set providing unit ( 14 ) for providing a spatially and temporally dependent image data set of the moving object and an adaptation unit ( 15 ) for adapting at least a defined region of the adaptive model to the spatially and temporally dependent image data set for determining a spatially and temporally dependence of the defined region. The parameter of the moving object is determined depending on the spatially and temporally dependence of the defined region by a parameter determining unit ( 16 ).1. An apparatus for determining a parameter of a moving object, the apparatus comprising:
an adaptive model providing unit (12) for providing an adaptive model of the object, a user interface (13) for allowing a user to define a region of the adaptive model, an image data set providing unit (14) for providing a spatially and temporally dependent image data set of the moving object, an adaptation unit (15) for adapting at least a defined region of the adaptive model to the spatially and temporally dependent image data set for determining a spatially and temporally dependence of the defined region, a parameter determining unit (16) for determining the parameter of the moving object depending on the spatially and temporally dependence of the defined region. 2. The apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein the adaptive model providing unit is adapted for providing several adaptive models, on which different regions are defined, wherein the user interface is adapted for allowing a user to define a region of the adaptive model by allowing a user to select at least one of the several adaptive models. 3. The apparatus as defined in claim 2, wherein the several adaptive models, on which different regions are defined, are assigned to several conditions, wherein the user interface is adapted for allowing a user to define a region of the adaptive model by allowing a user to select one of the several conditions. 4. The apparatus as defined in claim 2, wherein the user interface is adapted for allowing a user to define a region of an adaptive model and to store the adaptive model together with the defined region in the adaptive model providing unit. 5. The apparatus as defined in claim 2, wherein the user interface is adapted for allowing a user to assign a condition to an adaptive model, on which a region has been defined, wherein the adaptive model providing unit is adapted for storing the assigned condition. 6. The apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein the adaptation unit is adapted for adapting the whole adaptive model to the spatially and temporally dependent image data set. 7. The apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein the adaptation unit is adapted for initially adapting at a point in time more than the defined region to the spatially and temporally dependent image data set and for adapting for a point in time of further points in time starting with an adaptive model, which has been adapted for a temporally adjacent point in time, only the defined region to the spatially and temporally dependent image data set. 8. The apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein the resolution of the adaptive model is larger in the defined region than in the remaining part of the adaptive model. 9. A method for determining a parameter of a moving object, the method comprising:
providing an adaptive model of the object by an adaptive model providing unit, providing a user interface for allowing a user to define a region of the adaptive model, providing a spatially and temporally dependent image data set of the moving object by an image data set providing unit, adapting at least a defined region of the adaptive model to the spatially and temporally dependent image data set for determining a spatially and temporally dependence of the defined region by an adaptation unit, determining the parameter of the moving object depending on the spatially and temporally dependence of the defined region by a parameter determining unit. 10. A computer program for determining a parameter of a moving object, the computer program comprising program code means for causing an apparatus as defined in claim 1 carry out the steps of the method for determining a parameter of a moving object, the method comprising:
providing an adaptive model of the object by an adaptive model providing unit, providing a user interface for allowing a user to define a region of the adaptive model, providing a spatially and temporally dependent image data set of the moving object by an image data set providing unit, adapting at least a defined region of the adaptive model to the spatially and temporally dependent image data set for determining a spatially and temporally dependence of the defined region by an adaptation unit, determining the parameter of the moving object depending on the spatially and temporally dependence of the defined region by a parameter determining unit, when the computer program is run on a computer controlling the apparatus. | 3,600 |
12,801 | 12,801 | 14,493,247 | 3,685 | Embodiments of the invention are directed to methods, apparatuses, computer-readable media, and systems for securely processing remote transactions. One embodiment is directed to a method of processing a remote transaction initiated by a communication device. The method comprising a server computer receiving a payment request including encrypted payment information that is encrypted using a first key. The encrypted payment information including security information. The method further comprises decrypting the encrypted payment information using a second key, obtaining an authentication response value for the remote transaction from an authentication computer associated with an issuer, updating the decrypted payment information to include the authentication response value, re-encrypting the decrypted payment information using a third key, and sending a payment response including the re-encrypted payment information to a transaction processor. The transaction processor decrypting the re-encrypted payment information using a fourth key and initiating a payment transaction using the decrypted payment information. | 1. A method of processing a remote transaction initiated by a communication device, the method comprising:
receiving, by a server computer, a payment request including encrypted payment information, wherein the encrypted payment information includes security information, and wherein the encrypted payment information is encrypted using a first encryption key; decrypting, by the server computer, the encrypted payment information using a second encryption key; obtaining, by the server computer, an authentication response value for the remote transaction from an authentication computer associated with an account issuer, wherein the authentication computer validates the security information before providing the authentication response value; updating, by the server computer, the decrypted payment information to include the authentication response value; re-encrypting, by the server computer, the decrypted payment information using a third encryption key; and sending, by the server computer, a payment response including the re-encrypted payment information to a transaction processor associated with the communication device, wherein the transaction processor decrypts the re-encrypted payment information using a fourth encryption key and initiates a payment transaction using the decrypted payment information. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein obtaining the authentication response value further comprises:
determining, by the server computer, the authentication computer associated with the decrypted payment information; sending, by the server computer, an authentication request including the security information to the authentication computer; and receiving, by the server computer, an authentication response including the authentication response value, the authentication response value indicating validation of the security information by an account issuer associated with account information in the decrypted payment information. 3. The method of claim 1, wherein obtaining the authentication response value further comprises:
sending, by the server computer, an authentication request including the security information to a payment processing network computer associated with the decrypted payment information, wherein the payment processing network computer determines the authentication computer associated with the decrypted payment information and forwards the authentication request to the authentication computer, wherein the authentication computer validates the security information and generates an authentication response including an authentication response value; and receiving, by the server computer, the authentication response including the authentication response value from the payment processing network computer. 4. The method of claim 2, wherein the authentication computer is operated by a payment processing network on-behalf-of the account issuer. 5. The method of claim 1, wherein the encrypted payment information is generated by a payment application of the communication device by accessing payment credentials stored in a secure memory of the communication device. 6. The method of claim 1, wherein the security information includes a security value generated by a payment application of the communication device. 7. The method of claim 6, wherein the security value is generated using a shared algorithm associated with an account issuer. 8. The method of claim 6, wherein the security information includes user authentication data input by a user of the communication device. 9. The method of claim 1, wherein the payment request message further comprises a transaction processor certificate, the method further comprising determining the third encryption key using the transaction processor certificate by:
validating that the transaction processor certificate is authentic; verifying the transaction processor certificate is currently valid with a certificate authority; and extracting the transaction processor public key from the transaction processor certificate. 10. The method of claim 1, wherein the transaction processor initiates the payment transaction by mapping the decrypted payment information to an authorization request message configured to be processed by a payment processing network. 11. The method of claim 1, wherein the authentication response value is validated by a payment processing network after initiation of the payment transaction during processing of the payment transaction. 12. The method of claim 1, wherein the first encryption key includes a public key of a third party public/private key pair, wherein the third party public/private key pair includes a third party public key and a third party private key, wherein the first encryption key includes the third party public key, and wherein the second encryption key includes the third party private key. 13. The method of claim 12, wherein the server computer, the third party public key, and the third party private key are associated with a payment processing network. 14. A server computer comprising:
a processor; and a computer-readable medium coupled to the processor, the computer-readable medium comprising code, executable by the processor, for performing a method of processing a remote transaction initiated by a communication device, the method comprising:
receiving a payment request including encrypted payment information, wherein the encrypted payment information includes a security information, and wherein the encrypted payment information is encrypted using a first encryption key;
decrypting the encrypted payment information using a second encryption key;
obtaining an authentication response value for the remote transaction from an authentication computer associated with an account issuer, wherein the authentication computer validates the security information before providing the authentication response value;
updating the decrypted payment information to include the authentication response value;
re-encrypting the decrypted payment information using a third encryption key; and
sending a payment response including the re-encrypted payment information to a transaction processor associated with the communication device, wherein the transaction processor decrypts the re-encrypted payment information using a fourth encryption key and initiates a payment transaction using the decrypted payment information. 15. The server computer of claim 14, wherein obtaining the authentication response value further comprises:
determining, by the server computer, the authentication computer associated with the decrypted payment information; sending, by the server computer, an authentication request including the security information to the authentication computer; and receiving, by the server computer, an authentication response including the authentication response value, the authentication response value indicating validation of the security information by an account issuer associated with account information in the decrypted payment information. 16. The server computer of claim 14, wherein obtaining the authentication response value further comprises:
sending, by the server computer, an authentication request including the security information to a payment processing network computer associated with the decrypted payment information, wherein the payment processing network computer determines the authentication computer associated with the decrypted payment information and forwards the authentication request to the authentication computer, wherein the authentication computer validates the security information and generates an authentication response including the authentication response value; and receiving, by the server computer, the authentication response including the authentication response value from the payment processing network computer. 17. The server computer of claim 14, wherein the security information includes a security value generated by a payment application of the communication device. 18. The server computer of claim 17, wherein the security information includes user authentication data input by a user of the communication device. 19. The server computer of claim 14, wherein the authentication response value is validated by a payment processing network after initiation of the payment transaction during processing of the payment transaction. 20. A system for processing a remote transaction, the system comprising:
the server computer of claim 14; the communication device configured to send the payment request including security information to the server computer; and the authentication computer configured to receive an authentication request from the server computer, validate the security information, generate an authentication response including the authentication response value, and send the authentication response to the server computer. | Embodiments of the invention are directed to methods, apparatuses, computer-readable media, and systems for securely processing remote transactions. One embodiment is directed to a method of processing a remote transaction initiated by a communication device. The method comprising a server computer receiving a payment request including encrypted payment information that is encrypted using a first key. The encrypted payment information including security information. The method further comprises decrypting the encrypted payment information using a second key, obtaining an authentication response value for the remote transaction from an authentication computer associated with an issuer, updating the decrypted payment information to include the authentication response value, re-encrypting the decrypted payment information using a third key, and sending a payment response including the re-encrypted payment information to a transaction processor. The transaction processor decrypting the re-encrypted payment information using a fourth key and initiating a payment transaction using the decrypted payment information.1. A method of processing a remote transaction initiated by a communication device, the method comprising:
receiving, by a server computer, a payment request including encrypted payment information, wherein the encrypted payment information includes security information, and wherein the encrypted payment information is encrypted using a first encryption key; decrypting, by the server computer, the encrypted payment information using a second encryption key; obtaining, by the server computer, an authentication response value for the remote transaction from an authentication computer associated with an account issuer, wherein the authentication computer validates the security information before providing the authentication response value; updating, by the server computer, the decrypted payment information to include the authentication response value; re-encrypting, by the server computer, the decrypted payment information using a third encryption key; and sending, by the server computer, a payment response including the re-encrypted payment information to a transaction processor associated with the communication device, wherein the transaction processor decrypts the re-encrypted payment information using a fourth encryption key and initiates a payment transaction using the decrypted payment information. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein obtaining the authentication response value further comprises:
determining, by the server computer, the authentication computer associated with the decrypted payment information; sending, by the server computer, an authentication request including the security information to the authentication computer; and receiving, by the server computer, an authentication response including the authentication response value, the authentication response value indicating validation of the security information by an account issuer associated with account information in the decrypted payment information. 3. The method of claim 1, wherein obtaining the authentication response value further comprises:
sending, by the server computer, an authentication request including the security information to a payment processing network computer associated with the decrypted payment information, wherein the payment processing network computer determines the authentication computer associated with the decrypted payment information and forwards the authentication request to the authentication computer, wherein the authentication computer validates the security information and generates an authentication response including an authentication response value; and receiving, by the server computer, the authentication response including the authentication response value from the payment processing network computer. 4. The method of claim 2, wherein the authentication computer is operated by a payment processing network on-behalf-of the account issuer. 5. The method of claim 1, wherein the encrypted payment information is generated by a payment application of the communication device by accessing payment credentials stored in a secure memory of the communication device. 6. The method of claim 1, wherein the security information includes a security value generated by a payment application of the communication device. 7. The method of claim 6, wherein the security value is generated using a shared algorithm associated with an account issuer. 8. The method of claim 6, wherein the security information includes user authentication data input by a user of the communication device. 9. The method of claim 1, wherein the payment request message further comprises a transaction processor certificate, the method further comprising determining the third encryption key using the transaction processor certificate by:
validating that the transaction processor certificate is authentic; verifying the transaction processor certificate is currently valid with a certificate authority; and extracting the transaction processor public key from the transaction processor certificate. 10. The method of claim 1, wherein the transaction processor initiates the payment transaction by mapping the decrypted payment information to an authorization request message configured to be processed by a payment processing network. 11. The method of claim 1, wherein the authentication response value is validated by a payment processing network after initiation of the payment transaction during processing of the payment transaction. 12. The method of claim 1, wherein the first encryption key includes a public key of a third party public/private key pair, wherein the third party public/private key pair includes a third party public key and a third party private key, wherein the first encryption key includes the third party public key, and wherein the second encryption key includes the third party private key. 13. The method of claim 12, wherein the server computer, the third party public key, and the third party private key are associated with a payment processing network. 14. A server computer comprising:
a processor; and a computer-readable medium coupled to the processor, the computer-readable medium comprising code, executable by the processor, for performing a method of processing a remote transaction initiated by a communication device, the method comprising:
receiving a payment request including encrypted payment information, wherein the encrypted payment information includes a security information, and wherein the encrypted payment information is encrypted using a first encryption key;
decrypting the encrypted payment information using a second encryption key;
obtaining an authentication response value for the remote transaction from an authentication computer associated with an account issuer, wherein the authentication computer validates the security information before providing the authentication response value;
updating the decrypted payment information to include the authentication response value;
re-encrypting the decrypted payment information using a third encryption key; and
sending a payment response including the re-encrypted payment information to a transaction processor associated with the communication device, wherein the transaction processor decrypts the re-encrypted payment information using a fourth encryption key and initiates a payment transaction using the decrypted payment information. 15. The server computer of claim 14, wherein obtaining the authentication response value further comprises:
determining, by the server computer, the authentication computer associated with the decrypted payment information; sending, by the server computer, an authentication request including the security information to the authentication computer; and receiving, by the server computer, an authentication response including the authentication response value, the authentication response value indicating validation of the security information by an account issuer associated with account information in the decrypted payment information. 16. The server computer of claim 14, wherein obtaining the authentication response value further comprises:
sending, by the server computer, an authentication request including the security information to a payment processing network computer associated with the decrypted payment information, wherein the payment processing network computer determines the authentication computer associated with the decrypted payment information and forwards the authentication request to the authentication computer, wherein the authentication computer validates the security information and generates an authentication response including the authentication response value; and receiving, by the server computer, the authentication response including the authentication response value from the payment processing network computer. 17. The server computer of claim 14, wherein the security information includes a security value generated by a payment application of the communication device. 18. The server computer of claim 17, wherein the security information includes user authentication data input by a user of the communication device. 19. The server computer of claim 14, wherein the authentication response value is validated by a payment processing network after initiation of the payment transaction during processing of the payment transaction. 20. A system for processing a remote transaction, the system comprising:
the server computer of claim 14; the communication device configured to send the payment request including security information to the server computer; and the authentication computer configured to receive an authentication request from the server computer, validate the security information, generate an authentication response including the authentication response value, and send the authentication response to the server computer. | 3,600 |
12,802 | 12,802 | 14,562,659 | 3,688 | Embodiments of the invention provide a method, system and computer program product for retail deployed CRM. A CRM method for retail environments includes sensing entry of a mobile device into a physical space and identifying a customer record for a customer in a CRM system associated with the detected mobile device. The method also includes thereafter detecting a proximity of the mobile device to a product stored in the physical space and creating an opportunity record in the CRM system in connection with the customer for the product. Finally, the method includes responding to sensing egress of the mobile device from the physical space, by marking the opportunity record as closed-won if the product has been purchased by the customer. | 1. A customer relationship management (CRM) method for retail environments, the method comprising:
sensing entry of a mobile device into a physical space; identifying a customer record for a customer in a CRM system associated with the detected mobile device; detecting a proximity of the mobile device to a product stored in the physical space; creating an opportunity record in the CRM system in connection with the customer for the product; and, responsive to sensing egress of the mobile device from the physical space, marking the opportunity record as closed-won if the product has been purchased by the customer. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the opportunity record is marked pending responsive to the sensing of the egress of the mobile device from the physical space if the product has not been purchased by the customer. 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the opportunity record is marked closed-lost responsive to the sensing of the egress of the mobile device from the physical space if the product has not been purchased by the customer. 4. The method of claim 1, further comprising triggering a CRM action for the opportunity record. 5. The method of claim 4, wherein the CRM action is transmitting product information for the product to the mobile device. 6. The method of claim 4, wherein the CRM action is transmitting related product information for the product to the mobile device. 7. The method of claim 4, wherein the CRM action is transmitting a coupon for the product to the mobile device. 8. The method of claim 4, wherein the CRM action is messaging a mobile device of a sales agent present within the physical space with information from the customer record and information from the opportunity record. 9. The method of claim 8, wherein the mobile device of the sales agent is smart eye-ware with an optical head-mounted display. 10. A computer program product for customer relationship management (CRM) for retail environments, the computer program product comprising a computer readable storage medium having program instructions embodied therewith, the program instructions executable by a device to cause the device to perform a method comprising:
sensing entry of a mobile device into a physical space; identifying a customer record for a customer in a CRM system associated with the detected mobile device; detecting a proximity of the mobile device to a product stored in the physical space; creating an opportunity record in the CRM system in connection with the customer for the product; and, responsive to sensing egress of the mobile device from the physical space, marking the opportunity record as closed-won if the product has been purchased by the customer. 11. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the opportunity record is marked pending responsive to the sensing of the egress of the mobile device from the physical space if the product has not been purchased by the customer. 12. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the opportunity record is marked closed-lost responsive to the sensing of the egress of the mobile device from the physical space if the product has not been purchased by the customer. 13. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the method further comprises triggering a CRM action for the opportunity record. 14. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the CRM action is transmitting product information for the product to the mobile device. 15. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the CRM action is transmitting related product information for the product to the mobile device. 16. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the CRM action is transmitting a coupon for the product to the mobile device. 17. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the CRM action is messaging a mobile device of a sales agent present within the physical space with information from the customer record and information from the opportunity record. 18. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the mobile device of the sales agent is smart eye-ware with an optical head-mounted display. | Embodiments of the invention provide a method, system and computer program product for retail deployed CRM. A CRM method for retail environments includes sensing entry of a mobile device into a physical space and identifying a customer record for a customer in a CRM system associated with the detected mobile device. The method also includes thereafter detecting a proximity of the mobile device to a product stored in the physical space and creating an opportunity record in the CRM system in connection with the customer for the product. Finally, the method includes responding to sensing egress of the mobile device from the physical space, by marking the opportunity record as closed-won if the product has been purchased by the customer.1. A customer relationship management (CRM) method for retail environments, the method comprising:
sensing entry of a mobile device into a physical space; identifying a customer record for a customer in a CRM system associated with the detected mobile device; detecting a proximity of the mobile device to a product stored in the physical space; creating an opportunity record in the CRM system in connection with the customer for the product; and, responsive to sensing egress of the mobile device from the physical space, marking the opportunity record as closed-won if the product has been purchased by the customer. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the opportunity record is marked pending responsive to the sensing of the egress of the mobile device from the physical space if the product has not been purchased by the customer. 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the opportunity record is marked closed-lost responsive to the sensing of the egress of the mobile device from the physical space if the product has not been purchased by the customer. 4. The method of claim 1, further comprising triggering a CRM action for the opportunity record. 5. The method of claim 4, wherein the CRM action is transmitting product information for the product to the mobile device. 6. The method of claim 4, wherein the CRM action is transmitting related product information for the product to the mobile device. 7. The method of claim 4, wherein the CRM action is transmitting a coupon for the product to the mobile device. 8. The method of claim 4, wherein the CRM action is messaging a mobile device of a sales agent present within the physical space with information from the customer record and information from the opportunity record. 9. The method of claim 8, wherein the mobile device of the sales agent is smart eye-ware with an optical head-mounted display. 10. A computer program product for customer relationship management (CRM) for retail environments, the computer program product comprising a computer readable storage medium having program instructions embodied therewith, the program instructions executable by a device to cause the device to perform a method comprising:
sensing entry of a mobile device into a physical space; identifying a customer record for a customer in a CRM system associated with the detected mobile device; detecting a proximity of the mobile device to a product stored in the physical space; creating an opportunity record in the CRM system in connection with the customer for the product; and, responsive to sensing egress of the mobile device from the physical space, marking the opportunity record as closed-won if the product has been purchased by the customer. 11. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the opportunity record is marked pending responsive to the sensing of the egress of the mobile device from the physical space if the product has not been purchased by the customer. 12. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the opportunity record is marked closed-lost responsive to the sensing of the egress of the mobile device from the physical space if the product has not been purchased by the customer. 13. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the method further comprises triggering a CRM action for the opportunity record. 14. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the CRM action is transmitting product information for the product to the mobile device. 15. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the CRM action is transmitting related product information for the product to the mobile device. 16. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the CRM action is transmitting a coupon for the product to the mobile device. 17. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the CRM action is messaging a mobile device of a sales agent present within the physical space with information from the customer record and information from the opportunity record. 18. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the mobile device of the sales agent is smart eye-ware with an optical head-mounted display. | 3,600 |
12,803 | 12,803 | 12,629,383 | 3,629 | A device wirelessly broadcasts branding information associated with a consumer product attached to the device. The branding information is sent to a receiver located remotely from the product. | 1. A system for wirelessly transmitting information comprising:
a transmitter that is located on one consumer product of a plurality of consumer products, and includes a memory that stores information about the plurality of consumer products, wherein the information includes brand information about the consumer products, the transmitter adapted for wirelessly sending the information to a receiver located remote from the one consumer product and operated by a potential consumer of another of the plurality of consumer products. 2. The system of claim 1, wherein the receiver is one of:
a cellular telephone, a smart phone, a handheld personal communication system unit, a personal data assistant, a portable music player, a portable game device, a point of sale device, a room monitor, a laptop, a mobile Internet device, a personal computer, a server, meter, a base station, and a security station. 3. The system of claim 1, wherein the information comprises at least one of:
a name of the manufacture of the products, a name of the brand owner of the products, a name of a seller of the one product, a name of an owner of the one product, a name of a user of the one product, a website address related to the products, information about a use of the one product, a status of the one product, a time of use of the one product, the length of use of the one product, a place of use of the one product; a performance metric of the one product; and an environmental metric for the one product. 4. The system of claim 1, wherein the transmitter continuously transmits the information for a period of time. 5. The system of claim 1, wherein the transmitter transmits the information in response to a query from the receiver. 6. The system of claim 1, wherein the information comprises a plurality of portions, the transmitter continuously transmits a first portion of information for a period of time, and the transmitter transmits a second portion of information after receiving a query from the receiver. 7. The system of claim 1, wherein the information comprises a plurality of portions, the transmitter transmits a first portion information after receiving a first query from the receiver, and the transmitter transmits a second portion of information after receiving a second query from the receiver. 8. The system of claim 1, wherein the information comprises a plurality of portions, and at least one portion is owned by one entity of a plurality of entities consisting of:
a brand owner of the products, a seller of the one product, and a user of the one product; wherein the portion owned by one entity cannot be changed by another entity. 9. The system of claim 1, wherein the information comprises a plurality of portions, and the transmitter is operative to send the portions to the receiver based on an identity of the receiver. 10. The system of claim 9, wherein a level of familiarity of a user of the receiver with respect to user of the transmitter is used to determine which portions of the information are provided to the receiver. 11. The system of claim 1, wherein a user of the transmitter controls the operation of the transmitter. 12. The system of claim 1, wherein the information is used to determine authenticity of the product. 13. The system of claim 1, wherein the transmitter comprises at least one of a power connection, a power storage device, and a power generating device. 14. The system of claim 13, wherein the power storage device is one of a battery and a capacitor. 15. The system of claim 13, wherein the power generating device is one of:
a solar panel, an infrared solar panel, a thermocouple, a kinetic generator, a piezoelectric device, a solar device, a thermocouple device, kinetic a device, an ambient RF device, a directed RF device, a piezoelectric device, and a chemical device. 16. A system for wirelessly transmitting information comprising:
a transmitter that is located on a consumer product, and includes a memory that stores information about the consumer product, the information including brand information about the consumer product, the transmitter adapted for wirelessly sending the information, which comprises a plurality of portions, the transmitter continuously transmitting a first portion of information for a period of time, the transmitter being adapted to transmit a second portion of information after receiving a query. 17. The system of claim 16, wherein the information comprises at least one of:
a name of the manufacture of the product, a name of the brand owner of the product, a name of a seller of the product, a name of an owner of the product, a name of a user of the product, a website address related to the product, information about a use of the product, a status of the product, a time of use of the product, the length of use of the product, a place of use of the product; a performance metric of the product; and an environmental metric for the product. 18. The system of claim 16, wherein the information is used to determine authenticity of the product. 19. A system for wirelessly transmitting information comprising:
a receiver, which is located remote from a consumer product, and selectively wirelessly receives information from a transmitter located on the consumer product, the transmitter including a memory that stores brand information about the consumer product, the information including a plurality of portions, a first portion of information being received in response to a first query from the receiver, and a second portion of information being received after a second query from the receiver. 20. The system of claim 19, wherein the receiver is one of:
a cellular telephone, a smart phone, a handheld personal communication system unit, a personal data assistant, a portable music player, a portable game device, a point of sale device, a room monitor, a laptop, a mobile Internet device, a personal computer, a server, meter, a base station, and a security station. 21. The system of claim 19, wherein the information comprises at least one of:
a name of the manufacture of the product, a name of the brand owner of the product, a name of a seller of the product, a name of an owner of the product, a name of a user of the product, a website address related to the product, information about a use of the product, a status of the product, a time of use of the product, the length of use of the product, a place of use of the product; a performance metric of the product; and an environmental metric for the product. 22. The system of claim 19, wherein the information is used to determine authenticity of the product. 23. The system of claim 19, wherein the receiver, after receiving the information, connects with another entity that is remote from the receiver, and provides acknowledgement of the information to the another entity. 24. A method for wirelessly transmitting information comprising:
storing in a memory, brand information about a consumer product, wherein the memory is located in the consumer product; transmitting the brand information from the consumer product, receiving a request for further information at the consumer product; and transmitting the further information from the consumer product after receiving the request. 25. The method of claim 24, further comprising:
receiving the further information by a receiver that is located remote from the consumer product; using, by the receiver, the information to access a website with other information related to the consumer product. 26. The method of claim 24, wherein the receiver is one of:
a cellular telephone, a smart phone, a handheld personal communication system unit, a personal data assistant, a portable music player, a portable game device, a point of sale device, a room monitor, a laptop, a mobile Internet device, a personal computer, a server, meter, a base station, and a security station. 27. A system for wirelessly transmitting information comprising:
means for wirelessly transmitting information to a remote receiver, the transmitter means located on one consumer product of a plurality of consumer products, and storage means that stores information about the plurality of consumer products, wherein the information includes brand information about the consumer products. 28. A computer program product having a computer readable medium having computer program logic recorded thereon for transmitting information, the computer readable medium comprising:
code for causing a computer to store the information, including brand information about a consumer product; code for causing a computer to transmit the information to a receiver located remote from the consumer product; and code for causing the computer to receive a request for further information from the receiver. 29. The computer program product of claim 28, wherein the further information comprises at least one of:
a name of the manufacture of the product, a name of the brand owner of the product, a name of a seller of the product, a name of an owner of the product, a name of a user of the product, a website address related to the product, information about a use of the product, a status of the product, a time of use of the product, the length of use of the product, a place of use of the product; a performance metric of the product; and an environmental metric for the product. | A device wirelessly broadcasts branding information associated with a consumer product attached to the device. The branding information is sent to a receiver located remotely from the product.1. A system for wirelessly transmitting information comprising:
a transmitter that is located on one consumer product of a plurality of consumer products, and includes a memory that stores information about the plurality of consumer products, wherein the information includes brand information about the consumer products, the transmitter adapted for wirelessly sending the information to a receiver located remote from the one consumer product and operated by a potential consumer of another of the plurality of consumer products. 2. The system of claim 1, wherein the receiver is one of:
a cellular telephone, a smart phone, a handheld personal communication system unit, a personal data assistant, a portable music player, a portable game device, a point of sale device, a room monitor, a laptop, a mobile Internet device, a personal computer, a server, meter, a base station, and a security station. 3. The system of claim 1, wherein the information comprises at least one of:
a name of the manufacture of the products, a name of the brand owner of the products, a name of a seller of the one product, a name of an owner of the one product, a name of a user of the one product, a website address related to the products, information about a use of the one product, a status of the one product, a time of use of the one product, the length of use of the one product, a place of use of the one product; a performance metric of the one product; and an environmental metric for the one product. 4. The system of claim 1, wherein the transmitter continuously transmits the information for a period of time. 5. The system of claim 1, wherein the transmitter transmits the information in response to a query from the receiver. 6. The system of claim 1, wherein the information comprises a plurality of portions, the transmitter continuously transmits a first portion of information for a period of time, and the transmitter transmits a second portion of information after receiving a query from the receiver. 7. The system of claim 1, wherein the information comprises a plurality of portions, the transmitter transmits a first portion information after receiving a first query from the receiver, and the transmitter transmits a second portion of information after receiving a second query from the receiver. 8. The system of claim 1, wherein the information comprises a plurality of portions, and at least one portion is owned by one entity of a plurality of entities consisting of:
a brand owner of the products, a seller of the one product, and a user of the one product; wherein the portion owned by one entity cannot be changed by another entity. 9. The system of claim 1, wherein the information comprises a plurality of portions, and the transmitter is operative to send the portions to the receiver based on an identity of the receiver. 10. The system of claim 9, wherein a level of familiarity of a user of the receiver with respect to user of the transmitter is used to determine which portions of the information are provided to the receiver. 11. The system of claim 1, wherein a user of the transmitter controls the operation of the transmitter. 12. The system of claim 1, wherein the information is used to determine authenticity of the product. 13. The system of claim 1, wherein the transmitter comprises at least one of a power connection, a power storage device, and a power generating device. 14. The system of claim 13, wherein the power storage device is one of a battery and a capacitor. 15. The system of claim 13, wherein the power generating device is one of:
a solar panel, an infrared solar panel, a thermocouple, a kinetic generator, a piezoelectric device, a solar device, a thermocouple device, kinetic a device, an ambient RF device, a directed RF device, a piezoelectric device, and a chemical device. 16. A system for wirelessly transmitting information comprising:
a transmitter that is located on a consumer product, and includes a memory that stores information about the consumer product, the information including brand information about the consumer product, the transmitter adapted for wirelessly sending the information, which comprises a plurality of portions, the transmitter continuously transmitting a first portion of information for a period of time, the transmitter being adapted to transmit a second portion of information after receiving a query. 17. The system of claim 16, wherein the information comprises at least one of:
a name of the manufacture of the product, a name of the brand owner of the product, a name of a seller of the product, a name of an owner of the product, a name of a user of the product, a website address related to the product, information about a use of the product, a status of the product, a time of use of the product, the length of use of the product, a place of use of the product; a performance metric of the product; and an environmental metric for the product. 18. The system of claim 16, wherein the information is used to determine authenticity of the product. 19. A system for wirelessly transmitting information comprising:
a receiver, which is located remote from a consumer product, and selectively wirelessly receives information from a transmitter located on the consumer product, the transmitter including a memory that stores brand information about the consumer product, the information including a plurality of portions, a first portion of information being received in response to a first query from the receiver, and a second portion of information being received after a second query from the receiver. 20. The system of claim 19, wherein the receiver is one of:
a cellular telephone, a smart phone, a handheld personal communication system unit, a personal data assistant, a portable music player, a portable game device, a point of sale device, a room monitor, a laptop, a mobile Internet device, a personal computer, a server, meter, a base station, and a security station. 21. The system of claim 19, wherein the information comprises at least one of:
a name of the manufacture of the product, a name of the brand owner of the product, a name of a seller of the product, a name of an owner of the product, a name of a user of the product, a website address related to the product, information about a use of the product, a status of the product, a time of use of the product, the length of use of the product, a place of use of the product; a performance metric of the product; and an environmental metric for the product. 22. The system of claim 19, wherein the information is used to determine authenticity of the product. 23. The system of claim 19, wherein the receiver, after receiving the information, connects with another entity that is remote from the receiver, and provides acknowledgement of the information to the another entity. 24. A method for wirelessly transmitting information comprising:
storing in a memory, brand information about a consumer product, wherein the memory is located in the consumer product; transmitting the brand information from the consumer product, receiving a request for further information at the consumer product; and transmitting the further information from the consumer product after receiving the request. 25. The method of claim 24, further comprising:
receiving the further information by a receiver that is located remote from the consumer product; using, by the receiver, the information to access a website with other information related to the consumer product. 26. The method of claim 24, wherein the receiver is one of:
a cellular telephone, a smart phone, a handheld personal communication system unit, a personal data assistant, a portable music player, a portable game device, a point of sale device, a room monitor, a laptop, a mobile Internet device, a personal computer, a server, meter, a base station, and a security station. 27. A system for wirelessly transmitting information comprising:
means for wirelessly transmitting information to a remote receiver, the transmitter means located on one consumer product of a plurality of consumer products, and storage means that stores information about the plurality of consumer products, wherein the information includes brand information about the consumer products. 28. A computer program product having a computer readable medium having computer program logic recorded thereon for transmitting information, the computer readable medium comprising:
code for causing a computer to store the information, including brand information about a consumer product; code for causing a computer to transmit the information to a receiver located remote from the consumer product; and code for causing the computer to receive a request for further information from the receiver. 29. The computer program product of claim 28, wherein the further information comprises at least one of:
a name of the manufacture of the product, a name of the brand owner of the product, a name of a seller of the product, a name of an owner of the product, a name of a user of the product, a website address related to the product, information about a use of the product, a status of the product, a time of use of the product, the length of use of the product, a place of use of the product; a performance metric of the product; and an environmental metric for the product. | 3,600 |
12,804 | 12,804 | 14,578,469 | 3,681 | A visual commercial advertising brokerage coordinates information about available advertising venues submitted by providers of tangible visual advertising display space. The venues may be unused space on tangible traditional structures or substrates, such as municipal signs and structures, on commercial packaging containers, on disposable personal use substrates or other available advertising display spaces. The advertising exchange transmits this data to potential advertisers seeking advertising display space opportunities to advertise goods or services. The data is matched and outputted and archived with cumulative display space requests so that the potential advertisers can access the available visual advertising display space. | 1. A method for facilitating visual commercial advertising brokerage comprising the steps of
a. using a computer having digital data processing means, digital data storage means, digital data input means, digital data output means and digital data display means; b. inputting into said computer digital storage means digital data regarding advertising venues, said digital venue data submitted by providers of visual advertising display space comprising availability, respectively, of a plurality of advertising venues which further comprise visual advertising display space opportunities; c. inputting into said computer digital storage means digital data comprising a plurality of bid requests for said advertising venues comprising available visual commercial advertising space submitted by bid requestors who are potential advertisers seeking to engage at least one of said venues advertising display space opportunities to advertise goods or services; d. concurrently withdrawing said digital data from said digital computer storage means and feeding it to said computer digital processing means; e. digitally matching within said computer digital processing means said input digital data comprising said plurality of available-venue visual advertising display space opportunities with said plurality of bid requests for said venues comprising visual commercial advertising space; f. digitally outputting the result of said matching of digital venue visual commercial advertising display space availability data with said commercial advertising visual display space bid request digital data so as to comprise a digitally-displayable and digitally storable resulting body of digital data comprising
(a) a plurality of commercial advertising visual display space bid requests for formatting and appropriate graphic display presentation to said providers of visual advertising display space as well as;
(b) a plurality of commercial advertising venue visual display space availabilities for formatting and appropriate graphic display presentation to said potential advertiser bid requestors who have submitted said bid requests for said available visual commercial advertising space. 2. The method of computer advertising brokerage of claim 1, wherein further,
a. said computer comprises at least one discrete digital data storage means for inputting and storing digital data relating to advertising buyers who are or who may become bid requestors for
(a) entire advertising campaigns;
(b) graphic design services;
(c) physical advertising copy providers;
(d) venue placement providers;
(e) combined providers of physical advertising copy and venue placement;
b. wherein further, said computer comprises at least one discrete digital data storage means for inputting and storing digital data relating to advertising venues, further comprising digital information regarding said advertising venues' respective
(a) advertising types;
(b) advertising copy size;
(c) advertising product compatibility
c. wherein further, said computer comprises at least one discrete digital data storage means for inputting and storing digital data relating to calculation of costs for said plurality of respective advertising venues; d. wherein further, said computer comprises at least one discrete digital data storage means for inputting and storing digital data relating to views per venue; e. wherein further, said computer comprises at least one discrete digital data storage means for inputting and storing digital data relating to advertising agency contact information; f. wherein ftirther, said computer comprises at least one discrete digital data storage means for inputting and storing digital data relating to talent provider contact information; g. wherein further, said computer comprises at least one discrete digital data storage means for inputting and storing digital data relating to graphic designer contact information; h. wherein further, said computer comprises at least one discrete digital data storage means for inputting and storing digital data relating to advertising placement agent contact information; i. wherein further, said computer comprises at least one discrete digital data storage means for inputting and storing digital data relating to advertising venue owner contact information; and j. wherein further, said computer comprises at least one discrete digital data storage means for inputting and storing digital data relating to advertising venue producers; and further wherein k. said computer comprises at least one discrete digital data processing means comprising at least one proprietary algorithm for accepting and processing and outputting a digital data result product that comprises a brokerage exchange displayable and communicable data product that results from manipulation by said at least one algorithm of said digital data from at least one of said stored data types comprising
(a) said entire advertising campaign bid requests;
(b) said graphic design bid requests;
(c) said physical advertising copy bid requests;
(d) said advertising venue placement bid requests;
(e) said combined physical advertising copy bid requests and said advertising venue placement bid requests;
(f) said digital data relating to advertising venues, further comprising digital information regarding said advertising venues' respective advertising types; said advertising venues' respective advertising copy size; said advertising venues' respective advertising product compatibility;
(g) data relating to calculation of costs for said plurality of respective advertising venues;
(h) data relating to calculation of views per venue
(i) data relating to talent supplier contact information;
(j) data relating to advertising agency contact information;
(k) data relating to graphic designer contact information;
(l) data relating to advertising placement agent contact information;
(m) data relating to advertising venue owner contact information; and
(n) data relating to advertising venue producer contact information; 3. The method of computer advertising brokerage of claim 2, wherein further,
said computer at least one discrete digital data processing means comprising at least one proprietary algorithm (first set forth in claim 2k, above) further comprises a bidding engine. 4. The method of computer advertising brokerage of claim 2, wherein further,
said digital data result product (originally set forth at claim 2k above) that comprises a brokerage exchange displayable and communicable data product further comprises at least one offer to at least one bid requestor for the purchase of advertising space; and wherein said digital data result product (originally set forth at claim 2k above) that comprises a brokerage exchange displayable and communicable data product further comprises at least one bid to at least one advertising venue provider for the purchase of advertising space. 5. The method of computer advertising brokerage of claim 2, wherein further,
said computer comprising at least one discrete digital data processing means comprising at least one proprietary algorithm wherein said algorithm incorporates a series of data manipulations comprising an auction-style bidding scheme capable of awarding offers to advertising bid requestors in order of largest to smallest bid request. | A visual commercial advertising brokerage coordinates information about available advertising venues submitted by providers of tangible visual advertising display space. The venues may be unused space on tangible traditional structures or substrates, such as municipal signs and structures, on commercial packaging containers, on disposable personal use substrates or other available advertising display spaces. The advertising exchange transmits this data to potential advertisers seeking advertising display space opportunities to advertise goods or services. The data is matched and outputted and archived with cumulative display space requests so that the potential advertisers can access the available visual advertising display space.1. A method for facilitating visual commercial advertising brokerage comprising the steps of
a. using a computer having digital data processing means, digital data storage means, digital data input means, digital data output means and digital data display means; b. inputting into said computer digital storage means digital data regarding advertising venues, said digital venue data submitted by providers of visual advertising display space comprising availability, respectively, of a plurality of advertising venues which further comprise visual advertising display space opportunities; c. inputting into said computer digital storage means digital data comprising a plurality of bid requests for said advertising venues comprising available visual commercial advertising space submitted by bid requestors who are potential advertisers seeking to engage at least one of said venues advertising display space opportunities to advertise goods or services; d. concurrently withdrawing said digital data from said digital computer storage means and feeding it to said computer digital processing means; e. digitally matching within said computer digital processing means said input digital data comprising said plurality of available-venue visual advertising display space opportunities with said plurality of bid requests for said venues comprising visual commercial advertising space; f. digitally outputting the result of said matching of digital venue visual commercial advertising display space availability data with said commercial advertising visual display space bid request digital data so as to comprise a digitally-displayable and digitally storable resulting body of digital data comprising
(a) a plurality of commercial advertising visual display space bid requests for formatting and appropriate graphic display presentation to said providers of visual advertising display space as well as;
(b) a plurality of commercial advertising venue visual display space availabilities for formatting and appropriate graphic display presentation to said potential advertiser bid requestors who have submitted said bid requests for said available visual commercial advertising space. 2. The method of computer advertising brokerage of claim 1, wherein further,
a. said computer comprises at least one discrete digital data storage means for inputting and storing digital data relating to advertising buyers who are or who may become bid requestors for
(a) entire advertising campaigns;
(b) graphic design services;
(c) physical advertising copy providers;
(d) venue placement providers;
(e) combined providers of physical advertising copy and venue placement;
b. wherein further, said computer comprises at least one discrete digital data storage means for inputting and storing digital data relating to advertising venues, further comprising digital information regarding said advertising venues' respective
(a) advertising types;
(b) advertising copy size;
(c) advertising product compatibility
c. wherein further, said computer comprises at least one discrete digital data storage means for inputting and storing digital data relating to calculation of costs for said plurality of respective advertising venues; d. wherein further, said computer comprises at least one discrete digital data storage means for inputting and storing digital data relating to views per venue; e. wherein further, said computer comprises at least one discrete digital data storage means for inputting and storing digital data relating to advertising agency contact information; f. wherein ftirther, said computer comprises at least one discrete digital data storage means for inputting and storing digital data relating to talent provider contact information; g. wherein further, said computer comprises at least one discrete digital data storage means for inputting and storing digital data relating to graphic designer contact information; h. wherein further, said computer comprises at least one discrete digital data storage means for inputting and storing digital data relating to advertising placement agent contact information; i. wherein further, said computer comprises at least one discrete digital data storage means for inputting and storing digital data relating to advertising venue owner contact information; and j. wherein further, said computer comprises at least one discrete digital data storage means for inputting and storing digital data relating to advertising venue producers; and further wherein k. said computer comprises at least one discrete digital data processing means comprising at least one proprietary algorithm for accepting and processing and outputting a digital data result product that comprises a brokerage exchange displayable and communicable data product that results from manipulation by said at least one algorithm of said digital data from at least one of said stored data types comprising
(a) said entire advertising campaign bid requests;
(b) said graphic design bid requests;
(c) said physical advertising copy bid requests;
(d) said advertising venue placement bid requests;
(e) said combined physical advertising copy bid requests and said advertising venue placement bid requests;
(f) said digital data relating to advertising venues, further comprising digital information regarding said advertising venues' respective advertising types; said advertising venues' respective advertising copy size; said advertising venues' respective advertising product compatibility;
(g) data relating to calculation of costs for said plurality of respective advertising venues;
(h) data relating to calculation of views per venue
(i) data relating to talent supplier contact information;
(j) data relating to advertising agency contact information;
(k) data relating to graphic designer contact information;
(l) data relating to advertising placement agent contact information;
(m) data relating to advertising venue owner contact information; and
(n) data relating to advertising venue producer contact information; 3. The method of computer advertising brokerage of claim 2, wherein further,
said computer at least one discrete digital data processing means comprising at least one proprietary algorithm (first set forth in claim 2k, above) further comprises a bidding engine. 4. The method of computer advertising brokerage of claim 2, wherein further,
said digital data result product (originally set forth at claim 2k above) that comprises a brokerage exchange displayable and communicable data product further comprises at least one offer to at least one bid requestor for the purchase of advertising space; and wherein said digital data result product (originally set forth at claim 2k above) that comprises a brokerage exchange displayable and communicable data product further comprises at least one bid to at least one advertising venue provider for the purchase of advertising space. 5. The method of computer advertising brokerage of claim 2, wherein further,
said computer comprising at least one discrete digital data processing means comprising at least one proprietary algorithm wherein said algorithm incorporates a series of data manipulations comprising an auction-style bidding scheme capable of awarding offers to advertising bid requestors in order of largest to smallest bid request. | 3,600 |
12,805 | 12,805 | 15,184,083 | 3,661 | A commodity purchase system is disclosed that allows a consumer to pre-purchase a commodity at a discounted price without taking delivery at the time of the purchase. The discount takes into account the unit regional wholesale gasoline price for the region at the time of purchase as well as local taxes and local fees which can vary in different locales. In this way, a wholesaler can offer a commodity purchase card with or without a discount that can be used in all regions of a geographical area, such as the US, even though the local taxes, local fees and the regional unit gasoline price varies. The commodity purchase system allows a purchaser to purchase a commodity that is attractive to wholesalers without any geographical constraints. | 1. In a system comprising a Point of Sale (POS) terminal and a server, a method for operating a said POS terminal in multiple geographic locations with a commodity card based upon a dollar value that enables gasoline to be purchased at a discounted retail price for later delivery at a price based upon a wholesale gas price existing at the location of the POS terminal at delivery at the time of purchase of the commodity card, the commodity card having an initial prepaid cash value in dollars for enabling a pump to be controlled by the a POS terminal up to the current cash value of the commodity card, the method comprising the steps of:
(a) enabling at least purchaser's account number data from said commodity card to be read at said POS terminal; (b) enabling POS data including at least the location of the POS terminal and the purchaser's account number as well as the current cash value in the purchaser's account, the undiscounted wholesale gas price, the undiscounted retail gas prices at the POS terminal at the time of delivery and the discounted wholesale gas price at the time of purchase of the gas card to be stored on a storage medium; (c) automatically determining the maximum number of units of gas that can be pumped at said POS terminal at the location where said POS terminal is located in response to said commodity card being read at said POS terminal by determining the discounted unit retail price at the time of delivery to be the undiscounted retail pump price at the location of delivery minus the undiscounted wholesale price at the time of delivery plus the discounted wholesale unit price at the location of delivery at a discount set at the time of purchase of the commodity card and using the discounted retail gas price and the current cash balance of the commodity card in order to determine the maximum number of units: (d) automatically enabling a pump at said POS terminal for said maximum number of units of said commodity determined in step (c) to allow gas to be pumped; and (e) automatically debiting the discounted retail gas price times the number of units pumped from the current cash value of purchaser's account in a single transaction. 2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein said predetermined commodity is an energy related commodity. 3. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein said predetermined commodity is a non-energy related commodity. 4. The method as recited in claim 2, wherein said predetermined commodity is gasoline. 5. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein step (a) includes the step of reading a magnetic strip or embedded chip at said point of sale (POS) terminals in a similar manner as a conventional credit card. 6. A computerized prepaid cash card system for use with a prepaid cash card having a cash value for enabling a commodity to be pumped and debited from said prepaid cash card at a discounted retail unit price at the time of delivery that is based upon a discounted wholesale unit gas price at the time said prepaid gas card is purchased, the prepaid cash card system configured to be used at POS terminals in multiple geographical regions, each POS terminal comprising:
a server for receiving data from said POS terminals when said prepaid cash card coded with at least the purchaser's account number is received at the POS terminal for pumping said commodity, said data including at least the purchaser's account number as well as the location of the POS terminal; a storage medium for storing at least purchaser account data including the purchaser's account number and, the current cash value in the account associated with the purchaser's prepaid cash card and a snap shot of a plurality of unit wholesale gas prices at the time of purchase of the commodity discount card in a plurality of locations in which the unit wholesale gas price varies including the wholesale price at the POS terminal where the gas is delivered at a time when the prepaid gas card is purchased as well as the undiscounted unit retail price and the undiscounted unit wholesale price at the time of delivery; wherein said server includes means for determining the discounted retail unit gas price at the location where the gas is being delivered based upon a the unit retail gas price at the time of delivery minus the unit wholesale gasoline price at the time of delivery plus the discounted wholesale price at a discount set at the time of purchase of the prepaid gas card and to use that price to determine the maximum number of discounted units of the commodity that can be pumped based upon a current cash value of the purchaser's account in a single transaction. 7. The computerized cash card system as recited in claim 6, wherein said server is configured to enable costs for items other than said predetermined commodity to be debited to purchaser's account and to take into account the cost of such items when determining the maximum amount of the commodity that can be purchased. 8-9. (canceled) | A commodity purchase system is disclosed that allows a consumer to pre-purchase a commodity at a discounted price without taking delivery at the time of the purchase. The discount takes into account the unit regional wholesale gasoline price for the region at the time of purchase as well as local taxes and local fees which can vary in different locales. In this way, a wholesaler can offer a commodity purchase card with or without a discount that can be used in all regions of a geographical area, such as the US, even though the local taxes, local fees and the regional unit gasoline price varies. The commodity purchase system allows a purchaser to purchase a commodity that is attractive to wholesalers without any geographical constraints.1. In a system comprising a Point of Sale (POS) terminal and a server, a method for operating a said POS terminal in multiple geographic locations with a commodity card based upon a dollar value that enables gasoline to be purchased at a discounted retail price for later delivery at a price based upon a wholesale gas price existing at the location of the POS terminal at delivery at the time of purchase of the commodity card, the commodity card having an initial prepaid cash value in dollars for enabling a pump to be controlled by the a POS terminal up to the current cash value of the commodity card, the method comprising the steps of:
(a) enabling at least purchaser's account number data from said commodity card to be read at said POS terminal; (b) enabling POS data including at least the location of the POS terminal and the purchaser's account number as well as the current cash value in the purchaser's account, the undiscounted wholesale gas price, the undiscounted retail gas prices at the POS terminal at the time of delivery and the discounted wholesale gas price at the time of purchase of the gas card to be stored on a storage medium; (c) automatically determining the maximum number of units of gas that can be pumped at said POS terminal at the location where said POS terminal is located in response to said commodity card being read at said POS terminal by determining the discounted unit retail price at the time of delivery to be the undiscounted retail pump price at the location of delivery minus the undiscounted wholesale price at the time of delivery plus the discounted wholesale unit price at the location of delivery at a discount set at the time of purchase of the commodity card and using the discounted retail gas price and the current cash balance of the commodity card in order to determine the maximum number of units: (d) automatically enabling a pump at said POS terminal for said maximum number of units of said commodity determined in step (c) to allow gas to be pumped; and (e) automatically debiting the discounted retail gas price times the number of units pumped from the current cash value of purchaser's account in a single transaction. 2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein said predetermined commodity is an energy related commodity. 3. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein said predetermined commodity is a non-energy related commodity. 4. The method as recited in claim 2, wherein said predetermined commodity is gasoline. 5. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein step (a) includes the step of reading a magnetic strip or embedded chip at said point of sale (POS) terminals in a similar manner as a conventional credit card. 6. A computerized prepaid cash card system for use with a prepaid cash card having a cash value for enabling a commodity to be pumped and debited from said prepaid cash card at a discounted retail unit price at the time of delivery that is based upon a discounted wholesale unit gas price at the time said prepaid gas card is purchased, the prepaid cash card system configured to be used at POS terminals in multiple geographical regions, each POS terminal comprising:
a server for receiving data from said POS terminals when said prepaid cash card coded with at least the purchaser's account number is received at the POS terminal for pumping said commodity, said data including at least the purchaser's account number as well as the location of the POS terminal; a storage medium for storing at least purchaser account data including the purchaser's account number and, the current cash value in the account associated with the purchaser's prepaid cash card and a snap shot of a plurality of unit wholesale gas prices at the time of purchase of the commodity discount card in a plurality of locations in which the unit wholesale gas price varies including the wholesale price at the POS terminal where the gas is delivered at a time when the prepaid gas card is purchased as well as the undiscounted unit retail price and the undiscounted unit wholesale price at the time of delivery; wherein said server includes means for determining the discounted retail unit gas price at the location where the gas is being delivered based upon a the unit retail gas price at the time of delivery minus the unit wholesale gasoline price at the time of delivery plus the discounted wholesale price at a discount set at the time of purchase of the prepaid gas card and to use that price to determine the maximum number of discounted units of the commodity that can be pumped based upon a current cash value of the purchaser's account in a single transaction. 7. The computerized cash card system as recited in claim 6, wherein said server is configured to enable costs for items other than said predetermined commodity to be debited to purchaser's account and to take into account the cost of such items when determining the maximum amount of the commodity that can be purchased. 8-9. (canceled) | 3,600 |
12,806 | 12,806 | 13,570,420 | 3,681 | A user can select a higher Quality of Service network connection that is at least partially subsidized by a sponsor. In response, an indicia of the sponsorship of the higher Quality of Service connection is provided to the user. The indicia of sponsorship can be provided as a result of a sponsored proactive search, wherein advertising and/or sponsored links may be repeatedly or continuously provided to the user based on analysis of the user's navigation of the network while using the higher Quality of Service connection. A sponsorship message (analogous to a “brought to you by” message in conventional radio or television programming) and/or a sponsored link also may be provided. Accordingly, higher Quality of Service network connections may be at least partially sponsored by third parties to provide revenue to the network provider that can at least partially subsidize the higher Quality of Service network connection. | 1. A network communication method comprising:
displaying on a user device a series of links to a plurality of sponsored Web sites of a plurality of sponsors that subsidize a higher quality of service Internet connection compared to a standard quality of service Internet connection in a persistent browser interface at the user device as the user device navigates the Internet to a plurality of Web pages and that supercede indicia of sponsorship that are associated with the plurality of Web pages, in response to user selection of the higher quality of service Internet connection at the user device; and linking to one of the sponsored Web sites of one of the plurality of sponsors of the higher quality of service Internet connection in response to user selection of a corresponding link at the user device. 2. A method according to claim 1 further comprising displaying a message at the user device that the higher quality of service Internet connection is subsidized by a sponsor. 3. A method according to claim 1 wherein the series of links to the plurality of sponsored sites are displayed on the user device in response to analysis of the user device navigation of the Internet. 4. A method according to claim 3 wherein the analysis of the user device navigation of the Internet is at least one of independent of and in addition to user entry of key words in a browser interface at the user device. 5. A method according to claim 1 wherein the plurality of links to the plurality of sponsored Web sites are displayed in the persistent browser interface at the user device as the user device navigates the Internet to the plurality of Web pages in response to analysis of the user device navigation of the Internet. 6. A method according to claim 1 wherein the user device includes a user interface display having a higher quality of service Internet connection launching interface thereon, and wherein user selection of the higher quality of service Internet connection is performed by the higher quality of service Internet connection launching interface on the user interface display of the user device. 7. A method according to claim 1 wherein the higher quality of service connection comprises an on demand broadband Internet connection. 8. A method according to claim 1 further comprising:
providing the higher quality of service Internet connection to the user device in response to the user selection of the higher quality of service Internet connection at the user device. 9. A method according to claim 1 wherein displaying is preceded by:
providing the standard quality of service Internet connection at the user device. 10. A method according to claim 1 wherein displaying is performed by an Internet connection provider and the user device. 11. A user device comprising:
a display that displays a series of links to a plurality of sponsored Web sites of a plurality of sponsors that subsidize a higher quality of service Internet connection compared to a standard quality of service Internet connection in a persistent browser interface at the user device as the user device navigates the Internet to a plurality of Web pages and that supercede indicia of sponsorship that are associated with the plurality of Web pages, in response to user selection of the higher quality of service Internet connection at the user device; the display further links to one of the sponsored Web sites of one of the plurality of sponsors of the higher quality of service Internet connection in response to user selection of a corresponding link at the user device. 12. A device according to claim 11 wherein the display further displays a message that the higher quality of service Internet connection is subsidized by a sponsor. 13. A device according to claim 11 wherein the user device includes a user interface display having a higher quality of service Internet connection launching interface thereon, and wherein user selection of the higher quality of service Internet connection is performed by the higher quality of service Internet connection launching interface on the user interface display of the user device. 14. A network connection provider device comprising:
a computing device that displays on selected user devices, a series of links to a plurality of sponsored Web sites of a plurality of sponsors that subsidize a higher quality of service Internet connection compared to a standard quality of service Internet connection in persistent browser interfaces at the selected user devices as the selected user devices navigate the Internet to a plurality of Web pages and that supercede indicia of sponsorship that are associated with the plurality of Web pages, in response to user selection of the higher quality of service Internet connection at the selected user devices; the computing device further links on the selected user devices, to the sponsored Web sites of one of the plurality of sponsors of the higher quality of service Internet connection in response to user selection of a corresponding link at the selected user devices. 15. A device according to claim 14 wherein the computing device further displays a message at the selected user devices that the higher quality of service Internet connection is subsidized by a sponsor. 16. A device according to claim 14 wherein the computing device further analyzes the selected user devices' navigation of the Internet and displays the series of links to the plurality of sponsored sites of the selected user devices in response to analyzing the selected user devices' navigation of the Internet. 17. A device according to claim 14 wherein the computing device further analyzes the selected user devices' navigation of the Internet at least one of independent of and in addition to user entry of key words in browser interfaces at the selected user devices. 18. A device according to claim 14 wherein the computing device provides a higher quality of service Internet connection launching interface for a user interface display to the plurality of user devices, and wherein user selection of the higher quality of service Internet connection is performed by the higher quality of service Internet connection launching interface on the user interface display of the user devices. 19. A device according to claim 14 wherein the computing device further selectively provides the higher quality of service Internet connection to the selected user devices in response to the user selection of the higher quality of service Internet connection at the selected user devices. | A user can select a higher Quality of Service network connection that is at least partially subsidized by a sponsor. In response, an indicia of the sponsorship of the higher Quality of Service connection is provided to the user. The indicia of sponsorship can be provided as a result of a sponsored proactive search, wherein advertising and/or sponsored links may be repeatedly or continuously provided to the user based on analysis of the user's navigation of the network while using the higher Quality of Service connection. A sponsorship message (analogous to a “brought to you by” message in conventional radio or television programming) and/or a sponsored link also may be provided. Accordingly, higher Quality of Service network connections may be at least partially sponsored by third parties to provide revenue to the network provider that can at least partially subsidize the higher Quality of Service network connection.1. A network communication method comprising:
displaying on a user device a series of links to a plurality of sponsored Web sites of a plurality of sponsors that subsidize a higher quality of service Internet connection compared to a standard quality of service Internet connection in a persistent browser interface at the user device as the user device navigates the Internet to a plurality of Web pages and that supercede indicia of sponsorship that are associated with the plurality of Web pages, in response to user selection of the higher quality of service Internet connection at the user device; and linking to one of the sponsored Web sites of one of the plurality of sponsors of the higher quality of service Internet connection in response to user selection of a corresponding link at the user device. 2. A method according to claim 1 further comprising displaying a message at the user device that the higher quality of service Internet connection is subsidized by a sponsor. 3. A method according to claim 1 wherein the series of links to the plurality of sponsored sites are displayed on the user device in response to analysis of the user device navigation of the Internet. 4. A method according to claim 3 wherein the analysis of the user device navigation of the Internet is at least one of independent of and in addition to user entry of key words in a browser interface at the user device. 5. A method according to claim 1 wherein the plurality of links to the plurality of sponsored Web sites are displayed in the persistent browser interface at the user device as the user device navigates the Internet to the plurality of Web pages in response to analysis of the user device navigation of the Internet. 6. A method according to claim 1 wherein the user device includes a user interface display having a higher quality of service Internet connection launching interface thereon, and wherein user selection of the higher quality of service Internet connection is performed by the higher quality of service Internet connection launching interface on the user interface display of the user device. 7. A method according to claim 1 wherein the higher quality of service connection comprises an on demand broadband Internet connection. 8. A method according to claim 1 further comprising:
providing the higher quality of service Internet connection to the user device in response to the user selection of the higher quality of service Internet connection at the user device. 9. A method according to claim 1 wherein displaying is preceded by:
providing the standard quality of service Internet connection at the user device. 10. A method according to claim 1 wherein displaying is performed by an Internet connection provider and the user device. 11. A user device comprising:
a display that displays a series of links to a plurality of sponsored Web sites of a plurality of sponsors that subsidize a higher quality of service Internet connection compared to a standard quality of service Internet connection in a persistent browser interface at the user device as the user device navigates the Internet to a plurality of Web pages and that supercede indicia of sponsorship that are associated with the plurality of Web pages, in response to user selection of the higher quality of service Internet connection at the user device; the display further links to one of the sponsored Web sites of one of the plurality of sponsors of the higher quality of service Internet connection in response to user selection of a corresponding link at the user device. 12. A device according to claim 11 wherein the display further displays a message that the higher quality of service Internet connection is subsidized by a sponsor. 13. A device according to claim 11 wherein the user device includes a user interface display having a higher quality of service Internet connection launching interface thereon, and wherein user selection of the higher quality of service Internet connection is performed by the higher quality of service Internet connection launching interface on the user interface display of the user device. 14. A network connection provider device comprising:
a computing device that displays on selected user devices, a series of links to a plurality of sponsored Web sites of a plurality of sponsors that subsidize a higher quality of service Internet connection compared to a standard quality of service Internet connection in persistent browser interfaces at the selected user devices as the selected user devices navigate the Internet to a plurality of Web pages and that supercede indicia of sponsorship that are associated with the plurality of Web pages, in response to user selection of the higher quality of service Internet connection at the selected user devices; the computing device further links on the selected user devices, to the sponsored Web sites of one of the plurality of sponsors of the higher quality of service Internet connection in response to user selection of a corresponding link at the selected user devices. 15. A device according to claim 14 wherein the computing device further displays a message at the selected user devices that the higher quality of service Internet connection is subsidized by a sponsor. 16. A device according to claim 14 wherein the computing device further analyzes the selected user devices' navigation of the Internet and displays the series of links to the plurality of sponsored sites of the selected user devices in response to analyzing the selected user devices' navigation of the Internet. 17. A device according to claim 14 wherein the computing device further analyzes the selected user devices' navigation of the Internet at least one of independent of and in addition to user entry of key words in browser interfaces at the selected user devices. 18. A device according to claim 14 wherein the computing device provides a higher quality of service Internet connection launching interface for a user interface display to the plurality of user devices, and wherein user selection of the higher quality of service Internet connection is performed by the higher quality of service Internet connection launching interface on the user interface display of the user devices. 19. A device according to claim 14 wherein the computing device further selectively provides the higher quality of service Internet connection to the selected user devices in response to the user selection of the higher quality of service Internet connection at the selected user devices. | 3,600 |
12,807 | 12,807 | 14,703,950 | 3,621 | A system includes a processor configured to receive a destination and advertiser selection criteria. Further, the processor is configured to determine an advertiser route, including an advertiser location, alternative to a fastest or shortest route, based on the advertiser selection criteria. The processor is additionally configured to present the advertiser route to a vehicle occupant. The processor is also configured to receive an occupant decision of either acceptance or avoidance of the advertiser route and augment an eventual trip cost based on whether the advertiser route was accepted or avoided. | 1. A system comprising:
a processor configured to: receive a destination; receive advertiser selection criteria; determine an advertiser route, including an advertiser location, alternative to a fastest or shortest route, based on the advertiser selection criteria; present the advertiser route to a vehicle occupant; receive an occupant decision of either acceptance or avoidance of the advertiser route; and augment an eventual trip cost based on whether the advertiser route was accepted or avoided. 2. The system of claim 1, wherein the advertiser selection criteria includes an acceptable distance deviance. 3. The system of claim 1, wherein the advertiser selection criteria includes an acceptable time deviance. 4. The system of claim 1, wherein the advertiser selection criteria includes driver or vehicle owner defined criteria. 5. The system of claim 1, wherein the advertiser selection criteria includes passenger defined criteria. 6. The system of claim 1, wherein the augmentation includes decreasing a trip cost if an advertiser route was accepted. 7. The system of claim 1, wherein the augmentation includes increasing a trip cost if an advertiser route was avoided. 8. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to:
determine if a vehicle is proximate to the advertiser location; and offer a stop at the advertiser location. 9. The system of claim 8, wherein the augmentation includes decreasing a trip cost based on a value associated with the stop at the advertiser location, if the stop at the advertiser location is accepted by the vehicle occupant. 10. A system comprising:
a processor configured to: receive a destination; calculate a direct route to the destination; find potential advertisers with a predefined proximity to the direct route; select an advertiser from the potential advertisers for inclusion in an advertiser route; present the advertiser route to a vehicle passenger with an option to opt-out of the advertiser route; and increase a travel cost if the passenger elects to opt-out of the advertiser route. 11. The system of claim 10, wherein the predefined proximity includes a distance proximity. 12. The system of claim 10, wherein the predefined proximity includes a temporal proximity. 13. The system of claim 10, wherein the processor is configured to select the advertiser based on a value associated with the advertiser. 14. The system of claim 13, wherein the processor is configured to increase the travel cost based on the value associated with the advertiser. 15. The system of claim 10, wherein the processor is configured to offer a stop at an advertiser location associated with the advertiser when a vehicle is in proximity to the advertiser location. 16. A system comprising:
a processor configured to: receive a destination; find advertisers with a predefined proximity to a direct route to the destination; select an advertiser from the found advertisers for inclusion in an advertiser route; present the advertiser route to a vehicle passenger with an option to elect the advertiser route; offer a stop at an advertiser associated location when a vehicle reaches the advertiser associated location; and decrease a travel cost if the passenger elects the advertiser route. 17. The system of claim 16, wherein the predefined proximity includes a distance proximity. 18. The system of claim 16, wherein the predefined proximity includes a temporal proximity. 19. The system of claim 16, wherein the processor is configured to select the advertiser based on a value associated with the advertiser and the processor is configured to decrease the travel cost based on the value associated with the advertiser. 20. The system of claim 16, wherein the processor is configured to further decrease the travel cost based on a value associated with the offered stop if the offered stop is accepted by the passenger. | A system includes a processor configured to receive a destination and advertiser selection criteria. Further, the processor is configured to determine an advertiser route, including an advertiser location, alternative to a fastest or shortest route, based on the advertiser selection criteria. The processor is additionally configured to present the advertiser route to a vehicle occupant. The processor is also configured to receive an occupant decision of either acceptance or avoidance of the advertiser route and augment an eventual trip cost based on whether the advertiser route was accepted or avoided.1. A system comprising:
a processor configured to: receive a destination; receive advertiser selection criteria; determine an advertiser route, including an advertiser location, alternative to a fastest or shortest route, based on the advertiser selection criteria; present the advertiser route to a vehicle occupant; receive an occupant decision of either acceptance or avoidance of the advertiser route; and augment an eventual trip cost based on whether the advertiser route was accepted or avoided. 2. The system of claim 1, wherein the advertiser selection criteria includes an acceptable distance deviance. 3. The system of claim 1, wherein the advertiser selection criteria includes an acceptable time deviance. 4. The system of claim 1, wherein the advertiser selection criteria includes driver or vehicle owner defined criteria. 5. The system of claim 1, wherein the advertiser selection criteria includes passenger defined criteria. 6. The system of claim 1, wherein the augmentation includes decreasing a trip cost if an advertiser route was accepted. 7. The system of claim 1, wherein the augmentation includes increasing a trip cost if an advertiser route was avoided. 8. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to:
determine if a vehicle is proximate to the advertiser location; and offer a stop at the advertiser location. 9. The system of claim 8, wherein the augmentation includes decreasing a trip cost based on a value associated with the stop at the advertiser location, if the stop at the advertiser location is accepted by the vehicle occupant. 10. A system comprising:
a processor configured to: receive a destination; calculate a direct route to the destination; find potential advertisers with a predefined proximity to the direct route; select an advertiser from the potential advertisers for inclusion in an advertiser route; present the advertiser route to a vehicle passenger with an option to opt-out of the advertiser route; and increase a travel cost if the passenger elects to opt-out of the advertiser route. 11. The system of claim 10, wherein the predefined proximity includes a distance proximity. 12. The system of claim 10, wherein the predefined proximity includes a temporal proximity. 13. The system of claim 10, wherein the processor is configured to select the advertiser based on a value associated with the advertiser. 14. The system of claim 13, wherein the processor is configured to increase the travel cost based on the value associated with the advertiser. 15. The system of claim 10, wherein the processor is configured to offer a stop at an advertiser location associated with the advertiser when a vehicle is in proximity to the advertiser location. 16. A system comprising:
a processor configured to: receive a destination; find advertisers with a predefined proximity to a direct route to the destination; select an advertiser from the found advertisers for inclusion in an advertiser route; present the advertiser route to a vehicle passenger with an option to elect the advertiser route; offer a stop at an advertiser associated location when a vehicle reaches the advertiser associated location; and decrease a travel cost if the passenger elects the advertiser route. 17. The system of claim 16, wherein the predefined proximity includes a distance proximity. 18. The system of claim 16, wherein the predefined proximity includes a temporal proximity. 19. The system of claim 16, wherein the processor is configured to select the advertiser based on a value associated with the advertiser and the processor is configured to decrease the travel cost based on the value associated with the advertiser. 20. The system of claim 16, wherein the processor is configured to further decrease the travel cost based on a value associated with the offered stop if the offered stop is accepted by the passenger. | 3,600 |
12,808 | 12,808 | 14,308,268 | 3,693 | The disclosed embodiments include methods, systems, and articles of manufacture for providing business ratings. The disclosed embodiments include, for example, a system that may be configured to access spending transaction data including at least a unique payor identifier, a payee description, a payee category code, and a postal code. The system may determine a payee identification for the spending transaction data by comparing the spending transaction data to a plurality of known payees having the same payee category code as the spending transaction data. Further, the system may access one or more historical spending transactions matching the payee category code, and generate a business rating score for a payee associated with the determined payee identification based on at least the determined one or more historical spending transactions. | 1. A system for providing business ratings, comprising:
one or more memory devices storing software instructions; and one or more processors configured to execute the software instructions to:
access spending transaction data, the spending transaction data comprising at least:
a unique payor identifier,
a payee description,
a payee category code, and
a postal code;
determine a payee identification for the spending transaction data by comparing the spending transaction data to a plurality of known payees having the same payee category code as the spending transaction data;
access one or more historical spending transactions matching the payee category code; and
generate a business rating score for a payee associated with the determined payee identification based on at least the determined one or more historical spending transactions. 2. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to execute the software instructions to determine the payee identification by filtering the spending transaction data by the payee category code and the postal code. 3. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to execute the software instructions to determine the business rating score by a least:
determining payor historical transactions from the one or more historical transactions based at least in part on the unique payor identification; determining payor historical transactions associated with the payee; determining payor historical transactions not associated with the payee; and comparing the payor historical transactions associated with the payee to the transactions not associated with the payee. 4. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to execute the software instructions to determine the business rating score by a least:
determining one or more historical transactions associated with the payee, determining one or more historical transactions matching the payee category code not associated with the payee; and comparing the one or more historical transactions associated with the payee to the one or more historical transactions not associated with the payee. 5. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to generate a user interface containing a representation of the business rating score. 6. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to generate the business rating score based at least in part on user survey data. 7. The system of claim 1, wherein the unique payor identifier is anonymous. 8. A computer-implemented method for determining a business rating, the method comprising:
accessing, by one or more processors, spending transaction data, the spending transaction data comprising: a unique payor identifier, a payee description, a payee category code, and a postal code; determining, by the one or more processors, a payee identification for the spending transaction data by comparing the spending transaction data to a plurality of known payees having the same payee category code as the spending transaction data; accessing, by the one or more processors, one or more historical spending transactions matching the payee category code; and generating, by the one or more processors, a business rating score for a payee associated with the determined payee identification, the business rating score being based at least in part on the determined one or more historical spending transactions. 9. The method of claim 8 wherein the payee identification is determined by filtering the spending transaction data by the payee category code and the postal code. 10. The method of claim 8 wherein the business rating score is determined by at least:
determining payor historical transactions from the one or more historical transactions based at least in part on the unique payor identification;
determining payor historical transactions associated with the payee;
determining payor historical transactions not associated with the payee; and
comparing the payor historical transactions associated with the payee to the transactions not associated with the payee. 11. The method of claim 8 wherein the business rating score is determined by at least:
determining one or more historical transactions associated with the payee;
determining one or more historical transactions matching the payee category code not associated with the payee; and
comparing the one or more historical transactions associated with the payee to the one or more historical transactions not associated with the payee. 12. The method of claim 8 further comprising generating a user interface containing a representation of the business rating score. 13. The method of claim 8 wherein the business rating score is generated based at least in part on user survey data. 14. The method of claim 8 wherein the unique payor identifier is anonymous. 15. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform operations comprising:
accessing spending transaction data, the spending transaction data comprising:
a unique payor identifier,
a payee description,
a payee category code, and
a postal code;
determining a payee identification for the spending transaction data by comparing the spending transaction data to a plurality of known payees having the same payee category code as the spending transaction data; accessing one or more historical spending transactions matching the payee category code; and generating a business rating score for a payee associated with the determined payee identification, the business rating score being based at least in part on the determined one or more historical spending transactions. 16. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the payee identification is determined by filtering the spending transaction data by the payee category code and the postal code. 17. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the instructions further cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising:
determining payor historical transactions from the one or more historical transactions based at least in part on the unique payor identification; determining payor historical transactions associated with the payee; determining payor historical transactions not associated with the payee; and comparing the payor historical transactions associated with the payee to the transactions not associated with the payee. 18. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the instructions further cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising:
determining one or more historical transactions associated with the payee; determining one or more historical transactions matching the payee category code not associated with the payee; and comparing the one or more historical transactions associated with the payee to the one or more historical transactions not associated with the payee. 19. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the instructions further cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising generating a user interface containing a representation of the business rating score. 20. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the business rating score is generated based at least in part on user survey data. | The disclosed embodiments include methods, systems, and articles of manufacture for providing business ratings. The disclosed embodiments include, for example, a system that may be configured to access spending transaction data including at least a unique payor identifier, a payee description, a payee category code, and a postal code. The system may determine a payee identification for the spending transaction data by comparing the spending transaction data to a plurality of known payees having the same payee category code as the spending transaction data. Further, the system may access one or more historical spending transactions matching the payee category code, and generate a business rating score for a payee associated with the determined payee identification based on at least the determined one or more historical spending transactions.1. A system for providing business ratings, comprising:
one or more memory devices storing software instructions; and one or more processors configured to execute the software instructions to:
access spending transaction data, the spending transaction data comprising at least:
a unique payor identifier,
a payee description,
a payee category code, and
a postal code;
determine a payee identification for the spending transaction data by comparing the spending transaction data to a plurality of known payees having the same payee category code as the spending transaction data;
access one or more historical spending transactions matching the payee category code; and
generate a business rating score for a payee associated with the determined payee identification based on at least the determined one or more historical spending transactions. 2. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to execute the software instructions to determine the payee identification by filtering the spending transaction data by the payee category code and the postal code. 3. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to execute the software instructions to determine the business rating score by a least:
determining payor historical transactions from the one or more historical transactions based at least in part on the unique payor identification; determining payor historical transactions associated with the payee; determining payor historical transactions not associated with the payee; and comparing the payor historical transactions associated with the payee to the transactions not associated with the payee. 4. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to execute the software instructions to determine the business rating score by a least:
determining one or more historical transactions associated with the payee, determining one or more historical transactions matching the payee category code not associated with the payee; and comparing the one or more historical transactions associated with the payee to the one or more historical transactions not associated with the payee. 5. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to generate a user interface containing a representation of the business rating score. 6. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to generate the business rating score based at least in part on user survey data. 7. The system of claim 1, wherein the unique payor identifier is anonymous. 8. A computer-implemented method for determining a business rating, the method comprising:
accessing, by one or more processors, spending transaction data, the spending transaction data comprising: a unique payor identifier, a payee description, a payee category code, and a postal code; determining, by the one or more processors, a payee identification for the spending transaction data by comparing the spending transaction data to a plurality of known payees having the same payee category code as the spending transaction data; accessing, by the one or more processors, one or more historical spending transactions matching the payee category code; and generating, by the one or more processors, a business rating score for a payee associated with the determined payee identification, the business rating score being based at least in part on the determined one or more historical spending transactions. 9. The method of claim 8 wherein the payee identification is determined by filtering the spending transaction data by the payee category code and the postal code. 10. The method of claim 8 wherein the business rating score is determined by at least:
determining payor historical transactions from the one or more historical transactions based at least in part on the unique payor identification;
determining payor historical transactions associated with the payee;
determining payor historical transactions not associated with the payee; and
comparing the payor historical transactions associated with the payee to the transactions not associated with the payee. 11. The method of claim 8 wherein the business rating score is determined by at least:
determining one or more historical transactions associated with the payee;
determining one or more historical transactions matching the payee category code not associated with the payee; and
comparing the one or more historical transactions associated with the payee to the one or more historical transactions not associated with the payee. 12. The method of claim 8 further comprising generating a user interface containing a representation of the business rating score. 13. The method of claim 8 wherein the business rating score is generated based at least in part on user survey data. 14. The method of claim 8 wherein the unique payor identifier is anonymous. 15. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform operations comprising:
accessing spending transaction data, the spending transaction data comprising:
a unique payor identifier,
a payee description,
a payee category code, and
a postal code;
determining a payee identification for the spending transaction data by comparing the spending transaction data to a plurality of known payees having the same payee category code as the spending transaction data; accessing one or more historical spending transactions matching the payee category code; and generating a business rating score for a payee associated with the determined payee identification, the business rating score being based at least in part on the determined one or more historical spending transactions. 16. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the payee identification is determined by filtering the spending transaction data by the payee category code and the postal code. 17. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the instructions further cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising:
determining payor historical transactions from the one or more historical transactions based at least in part on the unique payor identification; determining payor historical transactions associated with the payee; determining payor historical transactions not associated with the payee; and comparing the payor historical transactions associated with the payee to the transactions not associated with the payee. 18. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the instructions further cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising:
determining one or more historical transactions associated with the payee; determining one or more historical transactions matching the payee category code not associated with the payee; and comparing the one or more historical transactions associated with the payee to the one or more historical transactions not associated with the payee. 19. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the instructions further cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising generating a user interface containing a representation of the business rating score. 20. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the business rating score is generated based at least in part on user survey data. | 3,600 |
12,809 | 12,809 | 13,679,765 | 3,629 | A system may include a network interface, a user interface, and a recommendation engine. The user interface may be configured to receive a job characteristic of a job profile of a job posted to the social network and a job bid from an entity related to job to the social network. The recommendation engine may be configured to determine an aggregate job score for the user based on a relevance of the job characteristic to a user characteristic and the job bid. The network interface may be configured to transmit a message related to the job to the user based, at least in part, on the aggregate job score. | 1. A memory device, the memory device communicatively coupled to a processor and comprising instructions which, when performed on the processor, cause the processor to:
receive a user characteristic of a user of a social network; receive a job characteristic of a job profile of a job posted to the social network; receive a job bid from an entity related to job to the social network; determine an aggregate job score for the user based on:
a relevance of the job characteristic to the user characteristic; and
the job bid; and
present a message related to the job to the user based, at least in part, on the aggregate job score. 2. The memory device of claim 1, wherein the memory device further comprises instructions that further cause the processor to:
receive a job characteristic of a job profile of each of a plurality of jobs posted to the social network; receive a job bid for at least some of the plurality of jobs posted to the social network; determine the aggregate score for each of the plurality of jobs for the user based on:
the relevance of one of the plurality of job characteristics corresponding to each individual one of the plurality of jobs; and
the job bid corresponding to the one of the one of the plurality of jobs; and
present at least some of the plurality of jobs to the user based, at least in part, on the respective aggregate job score of each of the plurality of jobs. 3. The memory device of claim 2, wherein the memory device further comprises instructions that further cause the processor to determine the aggregate score by combining the relevance with the bid. 4. The memory device of claim 3, wherein the memory device further comprises instructions that further cause the processor to combine the relevance with the bid by multiplying the relevance with the bid. 5. The memory device of claim 3, wherein the user characteristic is one of a plurality of user characteristics and at least one of the plurality of jobs corresponds to a job profile that comprises a plurality of job characteristics, and wherein the aggregate job score is based on the relevance of the user characteristics to the job profile. 6. The memory device of claim 5, wherein the plurality of user characteristics and the plurality of job characteristics include at least one of a prior work history, an educational achievement, a citizenship status, a location, a profile characteristic, a behavior characteristic, and a social graph characteristic of the user. 7. The memory device of claim 6, wherein the memory device further comprises instructions that further cause the processor to determine the relevance based on a percentage of ones of the plurality of job characteristics that match ones of the plurality of user characteristics. 8. The memory device of claim 7, wherein the memory device further comprises instructions that further cause the processor to present only ones of the plurality of jobs that have a relevance with a magnitude greater than a predetermined threshold. 9. The memory device of claim 2, wherein the memory device further comprises instructions that further cause the processor to present to the user the one of the plurality of jobs corresponding to a largest one of the aggregate scores to a user relatively more prominently than other ones of the plurality of jobs. 10. The memory device of claim 9, wherein the memory device further comprises instructions that further cause the processor to present to the user multiple ones of the plurality of jobs to the user with relative prominence based on a magnitude of respective corresponding aggregate scores. 11. The memory device of claim 10, wherein the memory device further comprises instructions that further cause the processor to present to the user the multiple ones of the plurality of jobs are presented as an ordered list based on the magnitude of respective corresponding aggregate scores. 12. The memory device of claim 10, wherein the memory device further comprises instructions that further cause the processor present to the user a job of the plurality of jobs that does not have a corresponding bid relatively less prominently than ones of the plurality of jobs that have a corresponding bid. 13. A system, comprising:
a user interface configured to receive:
a job characteristic of a job profile of a job posted to the social network; and
a job bid from an entity related to job;
a recommendation engine configured to determine an aggregate job score for a user based on:
a relevance of the job characteristic to a user characteristic of the user; and
the job bid; and
a network interface configured to transmit a message related to the job to the user based, at least in part, on the aggregate job score. 14. The system of claim 13:
wherein the user interface is further configured to:
receive a job characteristic of a job profile of each of a plurality of jobs posted to the social network; and
receive a job bid for at least some of the plurality of jobs posted to the social network; and
wherein the recommendation engine is further configured to:
determine the aggregate score for each of the plurality of jobs for the user based on:
the relevance of one of the plurality of job characteristics corresponding to each individual one of the plurality of jobs; and
the job bid corresponding to the one of the one of the plurality of jobs; and
wherein the network interface is further configured to transmit at least some of the plurality of jobs to the user based, at least in part, on the respective aggregate job score of each of the plurality of jobs. 15. The system of claim 14, wherein the recommendation engine is further configured to determine the aggregate score by combining the relevance with the bid. 16. The memory device of claim 15, wherein the memory device further comprises instructions that further cause the processor to combine the relevance with the bid by multiplying the relevance with the bid. 17. The system of claim 15, wherein the user characteristic is one of a plurality of user characteristics and at least one of the plurality of jobs corresponds to a job profile that comprises a plurality of job characteristics, and wherein the aggregate job score is based on the relevance of the user characteristics to the job profile. 18. The system of claim 17, wherein the plurality of user characteristics and the plurality of job characteristics include at least one of a prior work history, an educational achievement, a citizenship status, a location, a profile characteristic, a behavior characteristic, and a social graph characteristic of the user. 19. The system of claim 18 wherein the recommendation engine is further configured to determine the relevance based on a percentage of ones of the plurality of job characteristics that match ones of the plurality of user characteristics. 20. The system of claim 19, wherein the network interface is configured to present only ones of the plurality of jobs that have a relevance with a magnitude greater than a predetermined threshold. 21. The system of claim 14, wherein the network interface is configured to present to the user the one of the plurality of jobs corresponding to a largest one of the aggregate scores to a user relatively more prominently than other ones of the plurality of jobs. 22. The system of claim 21, wherein the network interface is configured to present to the user multiple ones of the plurality of jobs to the user with relative prominence based on a magnitude of respective corresponding aggregate scores. 23. The system of claim 22, wherein the network interface is configured to present to the user the multiple ones of the plurality of jobs are presented as an ordered list based on the magnitude of respective corresponding aggregate scores. 24. The system of claim 22, wherein the network interface is configured to present to the user a job of the plurality of jobs that does not have a corresponding bid relatively less prominently than ones of the plurality of jobs that have a corresponding bid. | A system may include a network interface, a user interface, and a recommendation engine. The user interface may be configured to receive a job characteristic of a job profile of a job posted to the social network and a job bid from an entity related to job to the social network. The recommendation engine may be configured to determine an aggregate job score for the user based on a relevance of the job characteristic to a user characteristic and the job bid. The network interface may be configured to transmit a message related to the job to the user based, at least in part, on the aggregate job score.1. A memory device, the memory device communicatively coupled to a processor and comprising instructions which, when performed on the processor, cause the processor to:
receive a user characteristic of a user of a social network; receive a job characteristic of a job profile of a job posted to the social network; receive a job bid from an entity related to job to the social network; determine an aggregate job score for the user based on:
a relevance of the job characteristic to the user characteristic; and
the job bid; and
present a message related to the job to the user based, at least in part, on the aggregate job score. 2. The memory device of claim 1, wherein the memory device further comprises instructions that further cause the processor to:
receive a job characteristic of a job profile of each of a plurality of jobs posted to the social network; receive a job bid for at least some of the plurality of jobs posted to the social network; determine the aggregate score for each of the plurality of jobs for the user based on:
the relevance of one of the plurality of job characteristics corresponding to each individual one of the plurality of jobs; and
the job bid corresponding to the one of the one of the plurality of jobs; and
present at least some of the plurality of jobs to the user based, at least in part, on the respective aggregate job score of each of the plurality of jobs. 3. The memory device of claim 2, wherein the memory device further comprises instructions that further cause the processor to determine the aggregate score by combining the relevance with the bid. 4. The memory device of claim 3, wherein the memory device further comprises instructions that further cause the processor to combine the relevance with the bid by multiplying the relevance with the bid. 5. The memory device of claim 3, wherein the user characteristic is one of a plurality of user characteristics and at least one of the plurality of jobs corresponds to a job profile that comprises a plurality of job characteristics, and wherein the aggregate job score is based on the relevance of the user characteristics to the job profile. 6. The memory device of claim 5, wherein the plurality of user characteristics and the plurality of job characteristics include at least one of a prior work history, an educational achievement, a citizenship status, a location, a profile characteristic, a behavior characteristic, and a social graph characteristic of the user. 7. The memory device of claim 6, wherein the memory device further comprises instructions that further cause the processor to determine the relevance based on a percentage of ones of the plurality of job characteristics that match ones of the plurality of user characteristics. 8. The memory device of claim 7, wherein the memory device further comprises instructions that further cause the processor to present only ones of the plurality of jobs that have a relevance with a magnitude greater than a predetermined threshold. 9. The memory device of claim 2, wherein the memory device further comprises instructions that further cause the processor to present to the user the one of the plurality of jobs corresponding to a largest one of the aggregate scores to a user relatively more prominently than other ones of the plurality of jobs. 10. The memory device of claim 9, wherein the memory device further comprises instructions that further cause the processor to present to the user multiple ones of the plurality of jobs to the user with relative prominence based on a magnitude of respective corresponding aggregate scores. 11. The memory device of claim 10, wherein the memory device further comprises instructions that further cause the processor to present to the user the multiple ones of the plurality of jobs are presented as an ordered list based on the magnitude of respective corresponding aggregate scores. 12. The memory device of claim 10, wherein the memory device further comprises instructions that further cause the processor present to the user a job of the plurality of jobs that does not have a corresponding bid relatively less prominently than ones of the plurality of jobs that have a corresponding bid. 13. A system, comprising:
a user interface configured to receive:
a job characteristic of a job profile of a job posted to the social network; and
a job bid from an entity related to job;
a recommendation engine configured to determine an aggregate job score for a user based on:
a relevance of the job characteristic to a user characteristic of the user; and
the job bid; and
a network interface configured to transmit a message related to the job to the user based, at least in part, on the aggregate job score. 14. The system of claim 13:
wherein the user interface is further configured to:
receive a job characteristic of a job profile of each of a plurality of jobs posted to the social network; and
receive a job bid for at least some of the plurality of jobs posted to the social network; and
wherein the recommendation engine is further configured to:
determine the aggregate score for each of the plurality of jobs for the user based on:
the relevance of one of the plurality of job characteristics corresponding to each individual one of the plurality of jobs; and
the job bid corresponding to the one of the one of the plurality of jobs; and
wherein the network interface is further configured to transmit at least some of the plurality of jobs to the user based, at least in part, on the respective aggregate job score of each of the plurality of jobs. 15. The system of claim 14, wherein the recommendation engine is further configured to determine the aggregate score by combining the relevance with the bid. 16. The memory device of claim 15, wherein the memory device further comprises instructions that further cause the processor to combine the relevance with the bid by multiplying the relevance with the bid. 17. The system of claim 15, wherein the user characteristic is one of a plurality of user characteristics and at least one of the plurality of jobs corresponds to a job profile that comprises a plurality of job characteristics, and wherein the aggregate job score is based on the relevance of the user characteristics to the job profile. 18. The system of claim 17, wherein the plurality of user characteristics and the plurality of job characteristics include at least one of a prior work history, an educational achievement, a citizenship status, a location, a profile characteristic, a behavior characteristic, and a social graph characteristic of the user. 19. The system of claim 18 wherein the recommendation engine is further configured to determine the relevance based on a percentage of ones of the plurality of job characteristics that match ones of the plurality of user characteristics. 20. The system of claim 19, wherein the network interface is configured to present only ones of the plurality of jobs that have a relevance with a magnitude greater than a predetermined threshold. 21. The system of claim 14, wherein the network interface is configured to present to the user the one of the plurality of jobs corresponding to a largest one of the aggregate scores to a user relatively more prominently than other ones of the plurality of jobs. 22. The system of claim 21, wherein the network interface is configured to present to the user multiple ones of the plurality of jobs to the user with relative prominence based on a magnitude of respective corresponding aggregate scores. 23. The system of claim 22, wherein the network interface is configured to present to the user the multiple ones of the plurality of jobs are presented as an ordered list based on the magnitude of respective corresponding aggregate scores. 24. The system of claim 22, wherein the network interface is configured to present to the user a job of the plurality of jobs that does not have a corresponding bid relatively less prominently than ones of the plurality of jobs that have a corresponding bid. | 3,600 |
12,810 | 12,810 | 14,542,232 | 3,683 | A method and system that receives, as input data in a processor of a computer, an identification and location of a retail entity. Map data relevant for the retail entity is received and the retail entity is located on the map data. Data identifying at least one of a product, a product set, and a service or services is received as input data. A listing is received of one or more competitors that offer the product or one or more products of the product set or the service as a competitor of the retail entity for the product, product set or service. The one or more competitors are located on the map data. An affinity for consumers is calculated for the product, product set, or service for the retail entity and each of the one or more competitors. | 1. A method comprising:
receiving, as input data in a processor of a computer, an identification and a location of a retail entity; retrieving map data relevant for said retail entity and locating said retail entity on said map data; receiving, as input data, data identifying at least one of a product, a product set, and a service or services; retrieving a listing of one or more competitors that offer said product or one or more products of said product set or said service(s) as a competitor of said retail entity for said product, product set or service(s) and locating said one or more competitors on said map data; and calculating an affinity for consumers for said product, product set, or service(s) for said retail entity and each of said one or more competitors. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein said affinity comprises a calculation of one of:
a probability that a consumer will purchase said product or said service(s) or a product of said product set from said retail entity or from a competitor; and a probability that a consumer will visit said retail entity within a preset time period. 3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
receiving an identification of a specific consumer; generating at least one engagement zone for said specific consumer and said product, product set, or service(s) for said retail entity and said one or more competitors, said engagement zone comprising an area determined to warrant a marketing action directed to said specific consumer to attempt to persuade said specific consumer to visit said retail entity to possibly purchase an item at said retail entity rather than from a competitor; receiving input data indicative of a location of said specific consumer; and determining whether said specific consumer's location is within an engagement zone. 4. The method of claim 3, further comprising;
if a marketing action is determined as appropriate, generating a marketing message in a context of said product/product set/service(s) and of said contextual data; retrieving from a memory a transmission method to be used for transmitting a marketing action directed to said specific consumer; and transmitting said marketing action to said specific consumer using said transmission method. 5. The method of claim 4, further comprising;
monitoring whether said specific customer responds to said marketing action within a preset time period; and storing information indicative of said specific customer's response to said marketing action. 6. The method of claim 1, wherein said affinity comprises a calculation of a radius between said retail entity and each said competitor indicative of relative amounts of said product or product set or service(s) purchased at said retail entity and each said competitor;
wherein said radius is distorted based on one or more of:
features of said map data,
a measure of convenience to travel to said retail entity or each competitor, and
contextual data, said contextual data comprising data indicative of events or conditions that possibly would influence retail sales at said retail entity. 7. The method of claim 6, wherein said contextual data comprises one or more of:
data reflecting temporal conditions or events; data related to potential shoppers; and data related specifically to said each competitor. 8. The method of claim 6, further comprising:
calculating a probability function that a specific customer will visit said retail entity; and providing output data for displaying said probability function on a map display based on said map data. 9. The method of claim 1, wherein said calculating said affinity comprises:
retrieving data from a history of location traces of a specific customer to determine travel paths of said specific customer; superimposing said travel paths on said map data; using a history of previous visits of said specific customer to said retail entity to determine a likelihood that said specific customer will visit said retail entity within a specified time period based upon detecting a current location of said specific customer; and providing output data for displaying said likelihood on a map display based on said map data. 10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:
receiving updated contextual data associated with said specific customer, said contextual data comprising data indicative of events or conditions that possibly would influence a decision by said specific customer to purchase at said retail entity. 11. The method of claim 10, wherein said updated contextual data associated with said specific customer comprises a current location of said specific customer, said method further comprising:
determining whether said current location is within an engagement zone that warrants a marketing action directed to said specific customer; if a marketing action is determined to be appropriate, generating a marketing action in view of said updated contextual data; retrieving from a memory a transmission method to transmit said marketing action to said specific customer at said current location; monitoring whether said specific customer responds to said marketing action; and storing a response of said specific customer to said marketing action. 12. The method of claim 1, as embodied in a set of computer-readable instructions tangibly embodied in a non-transitive storage medium. 13. The method of claim 1, wherein said affinity is calculated for a specific consumer. 14. The method of claim 1, wherein said affinity is calculated as directed to:
a specific consumer or consumer group; a specific product or product set or service(s); a specific location of said consumer or consumer group; and a specific time or time interval. 15. A method, comprising:
receiving, as input data into a processor, an identification of a customer; retrieving map data for a retail entity in a location of said customer and locating said retail entity on said map data; retrieving a history of previous location traces for said customer, said location traces including an indication of a date and a time; determining at least one recurring travel route of said customer, based on said location traces; and superimposing said at least one recurring travel route of said customer on said map data. 16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:
receiving, as an input parameter, an identification of one of a product, a product set, and a service or services; retrieving data for one or more competitors for said identified product, product set, or service or services; and superimposing said one or more competitors on said map data. 17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:
receiving data indicating a current location of said customer; and determining whether said current location warrants a marketing action to be directed to said customer. 18. The method of claim 17, further comprising:
if a marketing event is determined as appropriate, generating said marketing event; retrieving from a memory a transmission method to be used for transmitting a marketing action directed to said specific customer at said current location; and transmitting said marketing action to said specific consumer using said transmission method. 19. The method of claim 18, further comprising;
monitoring whether said specific customer responds to said marketing action within a preset time period; and storing information indicative of said specific customer's response to said marketing action. 20. A system, comprising:
at least one database storing information for a retail entity, including information on customers, products, product sets, and service(s) offered by said retail entity, information on competitors, and contextual information relating to a store location and customers making purchases at said store location, said contextual information comprising at least one of:
information reflecting conditions or events that influence retail purchases at said store location; and
information of a personal nature associated with said customers making purchases at said store location and that provides a profile of personal aspects that influence retail purchases at the store location;
at least one input section to receive data from multiple data sources providing said contextual information; and at least one processor configured to:
filter said data from said multiple data sources and associate it with said store location or said customers;
store said associated data in said at least one database;
retrieve data from said database;
analyze said retrieved data; and
generate and transmit a marketing action to a customer determined to be in an engagement zone with one of said competitors. | A method and system that receives, as input data in a processor of a computer, an identification and location of a retail entity. Map data relevant for the retail entity is received and the retail entity is located on the map data. Data identifying at least one of a product, a product set, and a service or services is received as input data. A listing is received of one or more competitors that offer the product or one or more products of the product set or the service as a competitor of the retail entity for the product, product set or service. The one or more competitors are located on the map data. An affinity for consumers is calculated for the product, product set, or service for the retail entity and each of the one or more competitors.1. A method comprising:
receiving, as input data in a processor of a computer, an identification and a location of a retail entity; retrieving map data relevant for said retail entity and locating said retail entity on said map data; receiving, as input data, data identifying at least one of a product, a product set, and a service or services; retrieving a listing of one or more competitors that offer said product or one or more products of said product set or said service(s) as a competitor of said retail entity for said product, product set or service(s) and locating said one or more competitors on said map data; and calculating an affinity for consumers for said product, product set, or service(s) for said retail entity and each of said one or more competitors. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein said affinity comprises a calculation of one of:
a probability that a consumer will purchase said product or said service(s) or a product of said product set from said retail entity or from a competitor; and a probability that a consumer will visit said retail entity within a preset time period. 3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
receiving an identification of a specific consumer; generating at least one engagement zone for said specific consumer and said product, product set, or service(s) for said retail entity and said one or more competitors, said engagement zone comprising an area determined to warrant a marketing action directed to said specific consumer to attempt to persuade said specific consumer to visit said retail entity to possibly purchase an item at said retail entity rather than from a competitor; receiving input data indicative of a location of said specific consumer; and determining whether said specific consumer's location is within an engagement zone. 4. The method of claim 3, further comprising;
if a marketing action is determined as appropriate, generating a marketing message in a context of said product/product set/service(s) and of said contextual data; retrieving from a memory a transmission method to be used for transmitting a marketing action directed to said specific consumer; and transmitting said marketing action to said specific consumer using said transmission method. 5. The method of claim 4, further comprising;
monitoring whether said specific customer responds to said marketing action within a preset time period; and storing information indicative of said specific customer's response to said marketing action. 6. The method of claim 1, wherein said affinity comprises a calculation of a radius between said retail entity and each said competitor indicative of relative amounts of said product or product set or service(s) purchased at said retail entity and each said competitor;
wherein said radius is distorted based on one or more of:
features of said map data,
a measure of convenience to travel to said retail entity or each competitor, and
contextual data, said contextual data comprising data indicative of events or conditions that possibly would influence retail sales at said retail entity. 7. The method of claim 6, wherein said contextual data comprises one or more of:
data reflecting temporal conditions or events; data related to potential shoppers; and data related specifically to said each competitor. 8. The method of claim 6, further comprising:
calculating a probability function that a specific customer will visit said retail entity; and providing output data for displaying said probability function on a map display based on said map data. 9. The method of claim 1, wherein said calculating said affinity comprises:
retrieving data from a history of location traces of a specific customer to determine travel paths of said specific customer; superimposing said travel paths on said map data; using a history of previous visits of said specific customer to said retail entity to determine a likelihood that said specific customer will visit said retail entity within a specified time period based upon detecting a current location of said specific customer; and providing output data for displaying said likelihood on a map display based on said map data. 10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:
receiving updated contextual data associated with said specific customer, said contextual data comprising data indicative of events or conditions that possibly would influence a decision by said specific customer to purchase at said retail entity. 11. The method of claim 10, wherein said updated contextual data associated with said specific customer comprises a current location of said specific customer, said method further comprising:
determining whether said current location is within an engagement zone that warrants a marketing action directed to said specific customer; if a marketing action is determined to be appropriate, generating a marketing action in view of said updated contextual data; retrieving from a memory a transmission method to transmit said marketing action to said specific customer at said current location; monitoring whether said specific customer responds to said marketing action; and storing a response of said specific customer to said marketing action. 12. The method of claim 1, as embodied in a set of computer-readable instructions tangibly embodied in a non-transitive storage medium. 13. The method of claim 1, wherein said affinity is calculated for a specific consumer. 14. The method of claim 1, wherein said affinity is calculated as directed to:
a specific consumer or consumer group; a specific product or product set or service(s); a specific location of said consumer or consumer group; and a specific time or time interval. 15. A method, comprising:
receiving, as input data into a processor, an identification of a customer; retrieving map data for a retail entity in a location of said customer and locating said retail entity on said map data; retrieving a history of previous location traces for said customer, said location traces including an indication of a date and a time; determining at least one recurring travel route of said customer, based on said location traces; and superimposing said at least one recurring travel route of said customer on said map data. 16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:
receiving, as an input parameter, an identification of one of a product, a product set, and a service or services; retrieving data for one or more competitors for said identified product, product set, or service or services; and superimposing said one or more competitors on said map data. 17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:
receiving data indicating a current location of said customer; and determining whether said current location warrants a marketing action to be directed to said customer. 18. The method of claim 17, further comprising:
if a marketing event is determined as appropriate, generating said marketing event; retrieving from a memory a transmission method to be used for transmitting a marketing action directed to said specific customer at said current location; and transmitting said marketing action to said specific consumer using said transmission method. 19. The method of claim 18, further comprising;
monitoring whether said specific customer responds to said marketing action within a preset time period; and storing information indicative of said specific customer's response to said marketing action. 20. A system, comprising:
at least one database storing information for a retail entity, including information on customers, products, product sets, and service(s) offered by said retail entity, information on competitors, and contextual information relating to a store location and customers making purchases at said store location, said contextual information comprising at least one of:
information reflecting conditions or events that influence retail purchases at said store location; and
information of a personal nature associated with said customers making purchases at said store location and that provides a profile of personal aspects that influence retail purchases at the store location;
at least one input section to receive data from multiple data sources providing said contextual information; and at least one processor configured to:
filter said data from said multiple data sources and associate it with said store location or said customers;
store said associated data in said at least one database;
retrieve data from said database;
analyze said retrieved data; and
generate and transmit a marketing action to a customer determined to be in an engagement zone with one of said competitors. | 3,600 |
12,811 | 12,811 | 12,270,180 | 3,682 | An offeror offers a first plurality of payment device holders a first offer including a negotiated deal on a first ware, which is available for a first predetermined period of time. Those certain holders among the first plurality of payment device holders who wish to accept the first offer (“first offer accepting holders”) are registered. Registration includes obtaining at least personal identifying information and corresponding registered payment device account numbers for the first offer accepting holders. A first plurality of transactions are processed in accordance with the negotiated deal on the first ware. The first plurality of transactions are purchases of the first ware, by the first offer accepting holders, during the first predetermined period of time. In some circumstances, the offeror does not require purchase of any product or service other than the first ware for which the negotiated unit price is offered in order for the first offer accepting holders to obtain the negotiated unit price on the first ware. In some cases, monetary amounts of the first plurality of transactions are adjusted to reflect the negotiated deal, contemporaneously with the first plurality of transactions. | 1. A method comprising the steps of:
offering a first plurality of payment device holders a first offer comprising a negotiated deal on a first ware, said negotiated deal on said first ware being available for a first predetermined period of time; registering those certain holders among said first plurality of payment device holders who wish to accept said first offer, said certain holders among said first plurality of payment device holders comprising first offer accepting holders; said registering of said first offer accepting holders comprising obtaining at least personal identifying information and corresponding registered payment device account numbers for said first offer accepting holders; and processing a first plurality of transactions in accordance with said negotiated deal on said first ware, wherein said first plurality of transactions comprise purchases of said first ware, by said first offer accepting holders, during said first predetermined period of time; wherein said step of offering said first offer is carried out by an offeror and wherein said offeror does not require purchase of any product or service other than said first ware for which said negotiated deal is offered in order for said first offer accepting holders to obtain said negotiated deal on said first ware. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein said negotiated deal comprises a negotiated unit price fixed for said first predetermined period of time and independent of a market price for said first ware, further comprising negotiating said negotiated unit price for said first ware with a first merchant. 3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:
negotiating a negotiated unit price for a second ware with a second merchant; offering a second plurality of payment device holders a second offer comprising said negotiated unit price on said second ware, said negotiated unit price on said second ware being fixed, for a second predetermined period of time, independent of a market price for said second ware; registering those certain holders among said second plurality of payment device holders who wish to accept said second offer, said certain holders among said second plurality of payment device holders comprising second offer accepting holders, said registering of said second offer accepting holders comprising obtaining at least personal identifying information and corresponding registered payment device account numbers for said second offer accepting holders; and processing a second plurality of transactions in accordance with said negotiated unit price on said second ware, wherein said second plurality of transactions comprise purchases of said second ware, by said second offer accepting holders, during said second predetermined period of time; wherein said step of offering said second offer is carried out by said offeror and wherein said offeror does not require purchase of any product or service other than said second ware for which said negotiated unit price is offered in order for said second offer accepting holders to obtain said negotiated unit price on said second ware. 4. The method of claim 3, further comprising selecting said first and second wares based on at least consumer interest and merchant participation. 5. The method of claim 2, wherein said first ware comprises a good. 6. The method of claim 5, wherein said good comprises fuel. 7. The method of claim 2, said first ware comprises a service. 8. The method of claim 7, wherein said service comprises child care. 9. The method of claim 7, wherein said service comprises air travel. 10. The method of claim 2, wherein said negotiated unit price for said first ware is exclusive to a brand of payment device of said first plurality of payment device holders. 11. The method of claim 2, wherein said first offer accepting holders hold payment devices prior to said offering step and wherein said first plurality of transactions are carried out with said payment devices without requiring any supplemental payment devices. 12. The method of claim 2, wherein said first plurality of transactions are carried out by communication between said first merchant and issuers of given ones of said devices, via at least one acquirer and a payment network operating according to a payment system specification, substantially without third party involvement. 13. The method of claim 2, further comprising:
re-negotiating said negotiated unit price for said first ware with said first merchant to obtain a re-negotiated unit price for said first ware for a second predetermined time period; offering said first offer accepting holders an opportunity to renew said first offer at said re-negotiated unit price; renewing registration of those certain holders among said first offer accepting holders who wish to renew, said certain holders among said first offer accepting holders comprising renewing holders; and processing a second plurality of transactions in accordance with said re-negotiated unit price on said first ware, wherein said second plurality of transactions comprise purchases of said first ware, by said renewing holders, during said second predetermined time period. 14. The method of claim 2, wherein said step of processing said first plurality of transactions comprises applying a statement rebate. 15. The method of claim 2, wherein said step of processing said first plurality of transactions comprises adjusting monetary amounts of said first plurality of transactions to reflect said negotiated unit price, contemporaneously with said first plurality of transactions. 16. The method of claim 1, wherein said negotiated deal comprises a negotiated percent discount available for said first predetermined period of time, further comprising negotiating said negotiated percent discount for said first ware with a first merchant. 17. The method of claim 1, wherein said negotiated deal comprises a negotiated fixed discount available for said first predetermined period of time, further comprising negotiating said negotiated fixed discount for said first ware with a first merchant. 18. A method comprising the steps of:
offering a first plurality of payment device holders a first offer comprising a negotiated deal on a first ware, said negotiated deal on said first ware being available for a first predetermined period of time; registering those certain holders among said first plurality of payment device holders who wish to accept said first offer, said certain holders among said first plurality of payment device holders comprising first offer accepting holders; said registering of said first offer accepting holders comprising obtaining at least personal identifying information and corresponding registered payment device account numbers for said first offer accepting holders; and processing a first plurality of transactions in accordance with said negotiated deal on said first ware, wherein said first plurality of transactions comprise purchases of said first ware, by said first offer accepting holders, during said first predetermined period of time, and wherein said processing comprises adjusting monetary amounts of said first plurality of transactions to reflect said negotiated deal, contemporaneously with said first plurality of transactions. 19. The method of claim 18, wherein said negotiated deal comprises a negotiated unit price fixed for said first predetermined period of time and independent of a market price for said first ware. 20. An apparatus comprising:
means for facilitating offering a first plurality of payment device holders a first offer comprising a negotiated deal on a first ware, said negotiated deal on said first ware being available for a first predetermined period of time; means for facilitating registering those certain holders among said first plurality of payment device holders who wish to accept said first offer, said certain holders among said first plurality of payment device holders comprising first offer accepting holders; said registering of said first offer accepting holders comprising obtaining at least personal identifying information and corresponding registered payment device account numbers for said first offer accepting holders; and means for facilitating processing a first plurality of transactions in accordance with said negotiated deal on said first ware, wherein said first plurality of transactions comprise purchases of said first ware, by said first offer accepting holders, during said first predetermined period of time; wherein said means for facilitating offering are operated in association with an offeror that does not require purchase of any product or service other than said first ware for which said negotiated deal is offered in order for said first offer accepting holders to obtain said negotiated deal on said first ware. 21. An apparatus comprising:
means for facilitating offering a first plurality of payment device holders a first offer comprising a negotiated deal on a first ware, said negotiated deal on said first ware being available for a first predetermined period of time; means for facilitating registering those certain holders among said first plurality of payment device holders who wish to accept said first offer, said certain holders among said first plurality of payment device holders comprising first offer accepting holders; said registering of said first offer accepting holders comprising obtaining at least personal identifying information and corresponding registered payment device account numbers for said first offer accepting holders; and means for facilitating processing a first plurality of transactions in accordance with said negotiated deal on said first ware, wherein said first plurality of transactions comprise purchases of said first ware, by said first offer accepting holders, during said first predetermined period of time, and wherein said means for facilitating processing comprises means for facilitating adjusting monetary amounts of said first plurality of transactions to reflect said negotiated deal, contemporaneously with said first plurality of transactions. 22. A system comprising:
a memory; and at least one processor, coupled to said memory, and operative to:
facilitate offering a first plurality of payment device holders a first offer comprising a negotiated deal on a first ware, said negotiated deal on said first ware being available for a first predetermined period of time;
facilitate registering those certain holders among said first plurality of payment device holders who wish to accept said first offer, said certain holders among said first plurality of payment device holders comprising first offer accepting holders; said registering of said first offer accepting holders comprising obtaining at least personal identifying information and corresponding registered payment device account numbers for said first offer accepting holders; and
facilitate processing a first plurality of transactions in accordance with said negotiated deal on said first ware, wherein said first plurality of transactions comprise purchases of said first ware, by said first offer accepting holders, during said first predetermined period of time;
wherein said processor is operative to facilitate said offering in association with an offeror that does not require purchase of any product or service other than said first ware for which said negotiated deal is offered in order for said first offer accepting holders to obtain said negotiated deal on said first ware. 23. The system of claim 22, wherein said negotiated deal comprises a negotiated unit price fixed for said first predetermined period of time and independent of a market price for said first ware. 24. A system comprising:
a memory; and at least one processor, coupled to said memory, and operative to:
facilitate offering a first plurality of payment device holders a first offer comprising a negotiated deal on a first ware, said negotiated deal on said first ware being available for a first predetermined period of time;
facilitate registering those certain holders among said first plurality of payment device holders who wish to accept said first offer, said certain holders among said first plurality of payment device holders comprising first offer accepting holders; said registering of said first offer accepting holders comprising obtaining at least personal identifying information and corresponding registered payment device account numbers for said first offer accepting holders; and
facilitate processing a first plurality of transactions in accordance with said negotiated deal on said first ware, wherein said first plurality of transactions comprise purchases of said first ware, by said first offer accepting holders, during said first predetermined period of time, and wherein said processing comprises adjusting monetary amounts of said first plurality of transactions to reflect said negotiated deal, contemporaneously with said first plurality of transactions. 25. The system of claim 24, wherein said negotiated deal comprises a negotiated unit price fixed for said first predetermined period of time and independent of a market price for said first ware, and wherein said at least one processor comprises at least a front end communications processor associated with a file structure listing said registered payment device account numbers for said first offer accepting holders. | An offeror offers a first plurality of payment device holders a first offer including a negotiated deal on a first ware, which is available for a first predetermined period of time. Those certain holders among the first plurality of payment device holders who wish to accept the first offer (“first offer accepting holders”) are registered. Registration includes obtaining at least personal identifying information and corresponding registered payment device account numbers for the first offer accepting holders. A first plurality of transactions are processed in accordance with the negotiated deal on the first ware. The first plurality of transactions are purchases of the first ware, by the first offer accepting holders, during the first predetermined period of time. In some circumstances, the offeror does not require purchase of any product or service other than the first ware for which the negotiated unit price is offered in order for the first offer accepting holders to obtain the negotiated unit price on the first ware. In some cases, monetary amounts of the first plurality of transactions are adjusted to reflect the negotiated deal, contemporaneously with the first plurality of transactions.1. A method comprising the steps of:
offering a first plurality of payment device holders a first offer comprising a negotiated deal on a first ware, said negotiated deal on said first ware being available for a first predetermined period of time; registering those certain holders among said first plurality of payment device holders who wish to accept said first offer, said certain holders among said first plurality of payment device holders comprising first offer accepting holders; said registering of said first offer accepting holders comprising obtaining at least personal identifying information and corresponding registered payment device account numbers for said first offer accepting holders; and processing a first plurality of transactions in accordance with said negotiated deal on said first ware, wherein said first plurality of transactions comprise purchases of said first ware, by said first offer accepting holders, during said first predetermined period of time; wherein said step of offering said first offer is carried out by an offeror and wherein said offeror does not require purchase of any product or service other than said first ware for which said negotiated deal is offered in order for said first offer accepting holders to obtain said negotiated deal on said first ware. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein said negotiated deal comprises a negotiated unit price fixed for said first predetermined period of time and independent of a market price for said first ware, further comprising negotiating said negotiated unit price for said first ware with a first merchant. 3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:
negotiating a negotiated unit price for a second ware with a second merchant; offering a second plurality of payment device holders a second offer comprising said negotiated unit price on said second ware, said negotiated unit price on said second ware being fixed, for a second predetermined period of time, independent of a market price for said second ware; registering those certain holders among said second plurality of payment device holders who wish to accept said second offer, said certain holders among said second plurality of payment device holders comprising second offer accepting holders, said registering of said second offer accepting holders comprising obtaining at least personal identifying information and corresponding registered payment device account numbers for said second offer accepting holders; and processing a second plurality of transactions in accordance with said negotiated unit price on said second ware, wherein said second plurality of transactions comprise purchases of said second ware, by said second offer accepting holders, during said second predetermined period of time; wherein said step of offering said second offer is carried out by said offeror and wherein said offeror does not require purchase of any product or service other than said second ware for which said negotiated unit price is offered in order for said second offer accepting holders to obtain said negotiated unit price on said second ware. 4. The method of claim 3, further comprising selecting said first and second wares based on at least consumer interest and merchant participation. 5. The method of claim 2, wherein said first ware comprises a good. 6. The method of claim 5, wherein said good comprises fuel. 7. The method of claim 2, said first ware comprises a service. 8. The method of claim 7, wherein said service comprises child care. 9. The method of claim 7, wherein said service comprises air travel. 10. The method of claim 2, wherein said negotiated unit price for said first ware is exclusive to a brand of payment device of said first plurality of payment device holders. 11. The method of claim 2, wherein said first offer accepting holders hold payment devices prior to said offering step and wherein said first plurality of transactions are carried out with said payment devices without requiring any supplemental payment devices. 12. The method of claim 2, wherein said first plurality of transactions are carried out by communication between said first merchant and issuers of given ones of said devices, via at least one acquirer and a payment network operating according to a payment system specification, substantially without third party involvement. 13. The method of claim 2, further comprising:
re-negotiating said negotiated unit price for said first ware with said first merchant to obtain a re-negotiated unit price for said first ware for a second predetermined time period; offering said first offer accepting holders an opportunity to renew said first offer at said re-negotiated unit price; renewing registration of those certain holders among said first offer accepting holders who wish to renew, said certain holders among said first offer accepting holders comprising renewing holders; and processing a second plurality of transactions in accordance with said re-negotiated unit price on said first ware, wherein said second plurality of transactions comprise purchases of said first ware, by said renewing holders, during said second predetermined time period. 14. The method of claim 2, wherein said step of processing said first plurality of transactions comprises applying a statement rebate. 15. The method of claim 2, wherein said step of processing said first plurality of transactions comprises adjusting monetary amounts of said first plurality of transactions to reflect said negotiated unit price, contemporaneously with said first plurality of transactions. 16. The method of claim 1, wherein said negotiated deal comprises a negotiated percent discount available for said first predetermined period of time, further comprising negotiating said negotiated percent discount for said first ware with a first merchant. 17. The method of claim 1, wherein said negotiated deal comprises a negotiated fixed discount available for said first predetermined period of time, further comprising negotiating said negotiated fixed discount for said first ware with a first merchant. 18. A method comprising the steps of:
offering a first plurality of payment device holders a first offer comprising a negotiated deal on a first ware, said negotiated deal on said first ware being available for a first predetermined period of time; registering those certain holders among said first plurality of payment device holders who wish to accept said first offer, said certain holders among said first plurality of payment device holders comprising first offer accepting holders; said registering of said first offer accepting holders comprising obtaining at least personal identifying information and corresponding registered payment device account numbers for said first offer accepting holders; and processing a first plurality of transactions in accordance with said negotiated deal on said first ware, wherein said first plurality of transactions comprise purchases of said first ware, by said first offer accepting holders, during said first predetermined period of time, and wherein said processing comprises adjusting monetary amounts of said first plurality of transactions to reflect said negotiated deal, contemporaneously with said first plurality of transactions. 19. The method of claim 18, wherein said negotiated deal comprises a negotiated unit price fixed for said first predetermined period of time and independent of a market price for said first ware. 20. An apparatus comprising:
means for facilitating offering a first plurality of payment device holders a first offer comprising a negotiated deal on a first ware, said negotiated deal on said first ware being available for a first predetermined period of time; means for facilitating registering those certain holders among said first plurality of payment device holders who wish to accept said first offer, said certain holders among said first plurality of payment device holders comprising first offer accepting holders; said registering of said first offer accepting holders comprising obtaining at least personal identifying information and corresponding registered payment device account numbers for said first offer accepting holders; and means for facilitating processing a first plurality of transactions in accordance with said negotiated deal on said first ware, wherein said first plurality of transactions comprise purchases of said first ware, by said first offer accepting holders, during said first predetermined period of time; wherein said means for facilitating offering are operated in association with an offeror that does not require purchase of any product or service other than said first ware for which said negotiated deal is offered in order for said first offer accepting holders to obtain said negotiated deal on said first ware. 21. An apparatus comprising:
means for facilitating offering a first plurality of payment device holders a first offer comprising a negotiated deal on a first ware, said negotiated deal on said first ware being available for a first predetermined period of time; means for facilitating registering those certain holders among said first plurality of payment device holders who wish to accept said first offer, said certain holders among said first plurality of payment device holders comprising first offer accepting holders; said registering of said first offer accepting holders comprising obtaining at least personal identifying information and corresponding registered payment device account numbers for said first offer accepting holders; and means for facilitating processing a first plurality of transactions in accordance with said negotiated deal on said first ware, wherein said first plurality of transactions comprise purchases of said first ware, by said first offer accepting holders, during said first predetermined period of time, and wherein said means for facilitating processing comprises means for facilitating adjusting monetary amounts of said first plurality of transactions to reflect said negotiated deal, contemporaneously with said first plurality of transactions. 22. A system comprising:
a memory; and at least one processor, coupled to said memory, and operative to:
facilitate offering a first plurality of payment device holders a first offer comprising a negotiated deal on a first ware, said negotiated deal on said first ware being available for a first predetermined period of time;
facilitate registering those certain holders among said first plurality of payment device holders who wish to accept said first offer, said certain holders among said first plurality of payment device holders comprising first offer accepting holders; said registering of said first offer accepting holders comprising obtaining at least personal identifying information and corresponding registered payment device account numbers for said first offer accepting holders; and
facilitate processing a first plurality of transactions in accordance with said negotiated deal on said first ware, wherein said first plurality of transactions comprise purchases of said first ware, by said first offer accepting holders, during said first predetermined period of time;
wherein said processor is operative to facilitate said offering in association with an offeror that does not require purchase of any product or service other than said first ware for which said negotiated deal is offered in order for said first offer accepting holders to obtain said negotiated deal on said first ware. 23. The system of claim 22, wherein said negotiated deal comprises a negotiated unit price fixed for said first predetermined period of time and independent of a market price for said first ware. 24. A system comprising:
a memory; and at least one processor, coupled to said memory, and operative to:
facilitate offering a first plurality of payment device holders a first offer comprising a negotiated deal on a first ware, said negotiated deal on said first ware being available for a first predetermined period of time;
facilitate registering those certain holders among said first plurality of payment device holders who wish to accept said first offer, said certain holders among said first plurality of payment device holders comprising first offer accepting holders; said registering of said first offer accepting holders comprising obtaining at least personal identifying information and corresponding registered payment device account numbers for said first offer accepting holders; and
facilitate processing a first plurality of transactions in accordance with said negotiated deal on said first ware, wherein said first plurality of transactions comprise purchases of said first ware, by said first offer accepting holders, during said first predetermined period of time, and wherein said processing comprises adjusting monetary amounts of said first plurality of transactions to reflect said negotiated deal, contemporaneously with said first plurality of transactions. 25. The system of claim 24, wherein said negotiated deal comprises a negotiated unit price fixed for said first predetermined period of time and independent of a market price for said first ware, and wherein said at least one processor comprises at least a front end communications processor associated with a file structure listing said registered payment device account numbers for said first offer accepting holders. | 3,600 |
12,812 | 12,812 | 11,150,447 | 3,685 | The present invention provides systems and methods for reducing false positives during the process of identity verification. A host computer is configured to receive an association between a name and personal information, and an analysis is performed related to invalid, inconsistent or unusual elements of person's identity. A determination is made whether there is a heightened risk that the association is invalid in light of mitigating factors which diminish the risk. The association is designated within one of a number of certainty levels related to the risk. | 1. A method for reducing false warnings during identity verification, comprising:
providing a host computer, including at least one associated database; receiving, at the host computer, data correlated to an association between a name and personal information; analyzing the data correlated to the association with the host computer to determine whether there is a heightened risk of an invalid association; designating the association within one of a plurality of certainty levels related to the risk of an invalid association; and analyzing the data correlated to the association with the host computer, if the association falls within specified certainty levels, to determine whether mitigating factors diminish the risk of an invalid association. 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:
changing the certainty level designation if the mitigating factors diminish the risk accordingly. 3. The method of claim 1, wherein an invalid association is a fraudulent association. 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the personal information is selected from the group consisting of: an address, a driver's license number, a phone number, a fax number, an email address, a social security number, a date of birth; a bank account number, a credit card number, a PIN, a portion of at least one of the foregoing pieces of information, and combinations of the foregoing pieces of information. 5. The method of claim 1, wherein the certainty levels comprise numbers corresponding to different probabilities that the association between the name and the personal information is invalid. 6. The method of claim 1, wherein the certainty levels include at least one warning level which requires additional research into whether the association is invalid. 7. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for performing the computer-implementable method for reducing false warnings during identity checks of claim 1. 8. The method of claim 1, wherein,
the receiving step comprises receiving data correlated to an association between a name and a social security number; the first analyzing step comprises the determination of whether a heightened risk of an invalid association exists because the name does not correlate to the social security number; and the second analyzing step comprises the determination of whether the risk is diminished if the name is inverted. 9. The method of claim 1, wherein,
the receiving step comprises receiving data correlated to an association between a name and a date of birth and social security number; the first analyzing step comprises the determination of whether a heightened risk of an invalid association exists because of the date that the social security number was issued; and the second analyzing step comprises the determination of whether the risk is diminished because of the date of birth. 10. The method of claim 1, wherein,
the receiving step comprises receiving data correlated to an association between a name and an address and phone number; the first analyzing step comprises the determination of whether a heightened risk of an invalid association exists because the phone number is not assigned to the geographic area associated with the address; and the second analyzing step comprises the determination of whether the risk is diminished because the phone number is related to a cell phone. 11. The method of claim 1, wherein,
the receiving step comprises receiving data correlated to an association between a name and an address; the first analyzing step comprises the determination of whether a heightened risk of an invalid association exists because of the address change history of the name or address; and the second analyzing step comprises the determination of whether the risk is diminished because the address change relates to different people with the same last name, same account number, or same previous address. 12. A method for reducing false warnings during identity verification, comprising:
providing a host computer, including at least one associated database; receiving, at the host computer, data correlated to an association between a name and personal information; analyzing the data correlated to the association with the host computer to determine whether mitigating factors exist which diminish the potential risk of an invalid association; analyzing the data correlated to the association with the host computer to determine whether there is a heightened risk of an invalid association, wherein the analysis of issues corresponding to the existing mitigating factors is eliminated; and designating the association within one of a plurality of certainty levels related to the risk of an inaccurate association. 13. The method of claim 12, wherein an invalid association is a fraudulent association. 14. The method of claim 12, wherein the personal information is selected from the group consisting of: an address, a driver's license number, a phone number, a fax number, an email address, a social security number, a date of birth; a bank account number, a credit card number, a PIN, a portion of at least one of the foregoing pieces of information, and combinations of the foregoing pieces of information. 15. The method of claim 12, wherein the certainty levels comprise numbers corresponding to different probabilities that the association between the name and the personal information is invalid. 16. The method of claim 12, wherein the certainty levels include at least one warning level which requires additional research into whether the association is invalid. 17. The method of claim 12, wherein,
the receiving step comprises receiving data correlated to an association between a name and a date of birth and social security number; the first analyzing step comprises the determination of whether the date of birth constitutes a mitigating factor which diminishes the potential risk related to the date that the social security number was issued; and the second analyzing step comprises the determination of whether there is a heightened risk of an invalid association, wherein the analysis related to the date of issue of the social security number is eliminated. 18. The method of claim 12, wherein,
the receiving step comprises receiving data correlated to an association between a name and an address and phone number; the first analyzing step comprises the determination of whether the phone number is assigned to a cell phone and thus constitutes a mitigating factor which diminishes the potential risk related to the geographic correlation of the address and phone number; and the second analyzing step comprises the determination of whether there is a heightened risk of an invalid association, wherein the analysis related to the geographic correlation of the address and phone number is eliminated. 19. A system to reduce false warnings during identity checks, comprising
a host computer; and at least one database associated with the host computer, the database having information related to names, personal information, and potentially invalid associations between names and personal information; wherein the host computer is configured to receive an association between a name and personal information and to determine whether there is a heightened risk that the association is invalid in light of mitigating factors which diminish the risk, and to designate the association within one of a plurality of certainty levels related to the risk. 20. The system of claim 19, wherein an invalid association is a fraudulent association. 21. The system of claim 19, wherein the personal information is selected from the group consisting of: an address, a driver's license number, a phone number, a fax number, an email address, a social security number, a date of birth; a bank account number, a credit card number, a PIN, a portion of at least one of the foregoing pieces of information, and combinations of the foregoing pieces of information. 22. The system of claim 19, wherein the certainty levels comprise numbers corresponding to different probabilities that the association between the name and the personal information is invalid. 23. The system of claim 19, wherein the certainty levels include at least one warning level which requires additional research into whether the association is invalid. 24. The system of claim 19, wherein,
the personal information comprises a name and a Social Security number; and the host computer determines whether there is a heightened risk that the association is invalid because the name does not correlate the Social Security number, in light of whether there is a correlation if the name is inverted. 25. The system of claim 19, wherein,
the personal information comprises a date of birth and Social Security number; and the host computer determines whether there is a heightened risk that the association is invalid because of the date that the Social Security number was issued, in light of the date of birth. 26. The method of claim 19, wherein,
the personal information comprises an address and phone number; the host computer determines whether there is a heightened risk that the association is invalid because the phone number is not assigned to the geographic area associated with the address, in light of whether phone number is related to a cell phone. 27. The system of claim 19, wherein,
the personal information comprises an address; the host computer determines whether there is a heightened risk that the association is invalid because of the address change history of the name or address, in light of whether the address changes relate to different people with the same last name, same account number, or same previous address. | The present invention provides systems and methods for reducing false positives during the process of identity verification. A host computer is configured to receive an association between a name and personal information, and an analysis is performed related to invalid, inconsistent or unusual elements of person's identity. A determination is made whether there is a heightened risk that the association is invalid in light of mitigating factors which diminish the risk. The association is designated within one of a number of certainty levels related to the risk.1. A method for reducing false warnings during identity verification, comprising:
providing a host computer, including at least one associated database; receiving, at the host computer, data correlated to an association between a name and personal information; analyzing the data correlated to the association with the host computer to determine whether there is a heightened risk of an invalid association; designating the association within one of a plurality of certainty levels related to the risk of an invalid association; and analyzing the data correlated to the association with the host computer, if the association falls within specified certainty levels, to determine whether mitigating factors diminish the risk of an invalid association. 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:
changing the certainty level designation if the mitigating factors diminish the risk accordingly. 3. The method of claim 1, wherein an invalid association is a fraudulent association. 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the personal information is selected from the group consisting of: an address, a driver's license number, a phone number, a fax number, an email address, a social security number, a date of birth; a bank account number, a credit card number, a PIN, a portion of at least one of the foregoing pieces of information, and combinations of the foregoing pieces of information. 5. The method of claim 1, wherein the certainty levels comprise numbers corresponding to different probabilities that the association between the name and the personal information is invalid. 6. The method of claim 1, wherein the certainty levels include at least one warning level which requires additional research into whether the association is invalid. 7. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for performing the computer-implementable method for reducing false warnings during identity checks of claim 1. 8. The method of claim 1, wherein,
the receiving step comprises receiving data correlated to an association between a name and a social security number; the first analyzing step comprises the determination of whether a heightened risk of an invalid association exists because the name does not correlate to the social security number; and the second analyzing step comprises the determination of whether the risk is diminished if the name is inverted. 9. The method of claim 1, wherein,
the receiving step comprises receiving data correlated to an association between a name and a date of birth and social security number; the first analyzing step comprises the determination of whether a heightened risk of an invalid association exists because of the date that the social security number was issued; and the second analyzing step comprises the determination of whether the risk is diminished because of the date of birth. 10. The method of claim 1, wherein,
the receiving step comprises receiving data correlated to an association between a name and an address and phone number; the first analyzing step comprises the determination of whether a heightened risk of an invalid association exists because the phone number is not assigned to the geographic area associated with the address; and the second analyzing step comprises the determination of whether the risk is diminished because the phone number is related to a cell phone. 11. The method of claim 1, wherein,
the receiving step comprises receiving data correlated to an association between a name and an address; the first analyzing step comprises the determination of whether a heightened risk of an invalid association exists because of the address change history of the name or address; and the second analyzing step comprises the determination of whether the risk is diminished because the address change relates to different people with the same last name, same account number, or same previous address. 12. A method for reducing false warnings during identity verification, comprising:
providing a host computer, including at least one associated database; receiving, at the host computer, data correlated to an association between a name and personal information; analyzing the data correlated to the association with the host computer to determine whether mitigating factors exist which diminish the potential risk of an invalid association; analyzing the data correlated to the association with the host computer to determine whether there is a heightened risk of an invalid association, wherein the analysis of issues corresponding to the existing mitigating factors is eliminated; and designating the association within one of a plurality of certainty levels related to the risk of an inaccurate association. 13. The method of claim 12, wherein an invalid association is a fraudulent association. 14. The method of claim 12, wherein the personal information is selected from the group consisting of: an address, a driver's license number, a phone number, a fax number, an email address, a social security number, a date of birth; a bank account number, a credit card number, a PIN, a portion of at least one of the foregoing pieces of information, and combinations of the foregoing pieces of information. 15. The method of claim 12, wherein the certainty levels comprise numbers corresponding to different probabilities that the association between the name and the personal information is invalid. 16. The method of claim 12, wherein the certainty levels include at least one warning level which requires additional research into whether the association is invalid. 17. The method of claim 12, wherein,
the receiving step comprises receiving data correlated to an association between a name and a date of birth and social security number; the first analyzing step comprises the determination of whether the date of birth constitutes a mitigating factor which diminishes the potential risk related to the date that the social security number was issued; and the second analyzing step comprises the determination of whether there is a heightened risk of an invalid association, wherein the analysis related to the date of issue of the social security number is eliminated. 18. The method of claim 12, wherein,
the receiving step comprises receiving data correlated to an association between a name and an address and phone number; the first analyzing step comprises the determination of whether the phone number is assigned to a cell phone and thus constitutes a mitigating factor which diminishes the potential risk related to the geographic correlation of the address and phone number; and the second analyzing step comprises the determination of whether there is a heightened risk of an invalid association, wherein the analysis related to the geographic correlation of the address and phone number is eliminated. 19. A system to reduce false warnings during identity checks, comprising
a host computer; and at least one database associated with the host computer, the database having information related to names, personal information, and potentially invalid associations between names and personal information; wherein the host computer is configured to receive an association between a name and personal information and to determine whether there is a heightened risk that the association is invalid in light of mitigating factors which diminish the risk, and to designate the association within one of a plurality of certainty levels related to the risk. 20. The system of claim 19, wherein an invalid association is a fraudulent association. 21. The system of claim 19, wherein the personal information is selected from the group consisting of: an address, a driver's license number, a phone number, a fax number, an email address, a social security number, a date of birth; a bank account number, a credit card number, a PIN, a portion of at least one of the foregoing pieces of information, and combinations of the foregoing pieces of information. 22. The system of claim 19, wherein the certainty levels comprise numbers corresponding to different probabilities that the association between the name and the personal information is invalid. 23. The system of claim 19, wherein the certainty levels include at least one warning level which requires additional research into whether the association is invalid. 24. The system of claim 19, wherein,
the personal information comprises a name and a Social Security number; and the host computer determines whether there is a heightened risk that the association is invalid because the name does not correlate the Social Security number, in light of whether there is a correlation if the name is inverted. 25. The system of claim 19, wherein,
the personal information comprises a date of birth and Social Security number; and the host computer determines whether there is a heightened risk that the association is invalid because of the date that the Social Security number was issued, in light of the date of birth. 26. The method of claim 19, wherein,
the personal information comprises an address and phone number; the host computer determines whether there is a heightened risk that the association is invalid because the phone number is not assigned to the geographic area associated with the address, in light of whether phone number is related to a cell phone. 27. The system of claim 19, wherein,
the personal information comprises an address; the host computer determines whether there is a heightened risk that the association is invalid because of the address change history of the name or address, in light of whether the address changes relate to different people with the same last name, same account number, or same previous address. | 3,600 |
12,813 | 12,813 | 13,273,288 | 3,679 | In various embodiments, a connector system may include at least two connectors and a collar configured to detachably align the at least two connectors for coupling to a mating collar with at least two mating connectors. The collar may also be configured to at least partially disengage from the at least two connectors to allow movement of the connectors relative to each other. The relative movement may allow the connectors to couple to mating connectors that are in different configurations (than the mating collar configurations). In some embodiments, the connectors and/or mating connectors may include complimentary male/female connectors. In some embodiments, the collar/mating collar may circumscribe their respective connectors and/or a perimeter of the other of the collar/mating collar. In some embodiments, the collar/mating collar may include interfacing features. | 1. An apparatus, comprising:
a first connector; a second connector; a collar configured to align the first connector and the second connector for coupling to an aligned third connector and fourth connector; wherein the collar is further configured to disengage the first connector and second connector to allow movement of the first connector relative to the second connector. 2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the collar is configured to engage a mating collar, wherein the mating collar aligns the third and fourth connector. 3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the mating collar circumscribes the third and fourth connector and wherein the mating collar is configured to circumscribe a perimeter of the collar when the collar is received in the mating collar. 4. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the collar circumscribes the first and second connector and wherein the collar is configured to circumscribe a perimeter of the mating collar when the mating collar is received in the collar. 5. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the mating collar is comprised in an aspiration/irrigation handpiece and wherein the third connector and fourth connector are irrigation and aspiration connectors, respectively. 6. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the collar comprises a feature and wherein the mating collar comprises a complimentary feature for coupling to the collar engagement feature. 7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein at least one of the feature and complimentary feature comprises a projection and wherein the other of the feature and complimentary feature comprises an aperture for receiving the projection. 8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first connector and the second connector is a male connector and wherein at least one of the third connector and the fourth connector is a female connector configured to receive the at least one male first or second connector. 9. A method, comprising:
coupling a first and second connector with a collar; engaging the first and second connector with a third and fourth connector; disengaging the first and second connector from the third and fourth connector; and decoupling the collar from the first and second connector to allow movement of the first connector relative to the second connector. 10. The method of claim 9, wherein the collar is configured to engage a mating collar, wherein the mating collar aligns the third and fourth connector. 11. The method of claim 10, wherein the mating collar circumscribes the third and fourth connector and wherein the mating collar is configured to circumscribe a perimeter of the collar when the collar is received in the mating collar. 12. The method of claim 10, wherein the collar circumscribes the first and second connector and wherein the collar is configured to circumscribe a perimeter of the mating collar when the mating collar is received in the collar. 13. The method of claim 11, wherein the mating collar is comprised in an aspiration/irrigation handpiece and wherein the third connector and fourth connector are irrigation and aspiration connectors, respectively. 14. The method of claim 10, wherein the collar comprises a feature and wherein the mating collar comprises a complimentary feature for coupling to the collar engagement feature. 15. The method of claim 14, wherein at least one of the feature and complimentary feature comprises a projection and wherein the other of the feature and complimentary feature comprises an aperture for receiving the projection. 16. The method of claim 9, wherein at least one of the first connector and the second connector is a male connector and wherein at least one of the third connector and the fourth connector is a female connector configured to receive the at least one male first or second connector. 17. A tubing set, comprising:
an aspiration connector; an irrigation connector; a collar configured to align the aspiration connector and the irrigation connector for receiving an aligned aspiration and irrigation connector of a mating collar on a handpiece; wherein the aspiration and irrigation connector are aligned relative to the collar and wherein the received aspiration and irrigation connectors of the mating collar are aligned relative to the collar such that mating the collar and mating collar couples their respective irrigation and aspiration connectors. 18. The tubing set of claim 17, wherein the collar is further configured to disengage the aspiration connector and the irrigation connector to allow movement of the aspiration connector relative to the irrigation connector. 19. The tubing set of claim 17, wherein the collar comprises a feature and wherein the mating collar comprises a complimentary feature for coupling to the collar engagement feature. 20. The tubing set of claim 19, wherein at least one of the feature and complimentary feature comprises a projection and wherein the other of the feature and complimentary feature comprises an aperture for receiving the projection. | In various embodiments, a connector system may include at least two connectors and a collar configured to detachably align the at least two connectors for coupling to a mating collar with at least two mating connectors. The collar may also be configured to at least partially disengage from the at least two connectors to allow movement of the connectors relative to each other. The relative movement may allow the connectors to couple to mating connectors that are in different configurations (than the mating collar configurations). In some embodiments, the connectors and/or mating connectors may include complimentary male/female connectors. In some embodiments, the collar/mating collar may circumscribe their respective connectors and/or a perimeter of the other of the collar/mating collar. In some embodiments, the collar/mating collar may include interfacing features.1. An apparatus, comprising:
a first connector; a second connector; a collar configured to align the first connector and the second connector for coupling to an aligned third connector and fourth connector; wherein the collar is further configured to disengage the first connector and second connector to allow movement of the first connector relative to the second connector. 2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the collar is configured to engage a mating collar, wherein the mating collar aligns the third and fourth connector. 3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the mating collar circumscribes the third and fourth connector and wherein the mating collar is configured to circumscribe a perimeter of the collar when the collar is received in the mating collar. 4. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the collar circumscribes the first and second connector and wherein the collar is configured to circumscribe a perimeter of the mating collar when the mating collar is received in the collar. 5. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the mating collar is comprised in an aspiration/irrigation handpiece and wherein the third connector and fourth connector are irrigation and aspiration connectors, respectively. 6. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the collar comprises a feature and wherein the mating collar comprises a complimentary feature for coupling to the collar engagement feature. 7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein at least one of the feature and complimentary feature comprises a projection and wherein the other of the feature and complimentary feature comprises an aperture for receiving the projection. 8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first connector and the second connector is a male connector and wherein at least one of the third connector and the fourth connector is a female connector configured to receive the at least one male first or second connector. 9. A method, comprising:
coupling a first and second connector with a collar; engaging the first and second connector with a third and fourth connector; disengaging the first and second connector from the third and fourth connector; and decoupling the collar from the first and second connector to allow movement of the first connector relative to the second connector. 10. The method of claim 9, wherein the collar is configured to engage a mating collar, wherein the mating collar aligns the third and fourth connector. 11. The method of claim 10, wherein the mating collar circumscribes the third and fourth connector and wherein the mating collar is configured to circumscribe a perimeter of the collar when the collar is received in the mating collar. 12. The method of claim 10, wherein the collar circumscribes the first and second connector and wherein the collar is configured to circumscribe a perimeter of the mating collar when the mating collar is received in the collar. 13. The method of claim 11, wherein the mating collar is comprised in an aspiration/irrigation handpiece and wherein the third connector and fourth connector are irrigation and aspiration connectors, respectively. 14. The method of claim 10, wherein the collar comprises a feature and wherein the mating collar comprises a complimentary feature for coupling to the collar engagement feature. 15. The method of claim 14, wherein at least one of the feature and complimentary feature comprises a projection and wherein the other of the feature and complimentary feature comprises an aperture for receiving the projection. 16. The method of claim 9, wherein at least one of the first connector and the second connector is a male connector and wherein at least one of the third connector and the fourth connector is a female connector configured to receive the at least one male first or second connector. 17. A tubing set, comprising:
an aspiration connector; an irrigation connector; a collar configured to align the aspiration connector and the irrigation connector for receiving an aligned aspiration and irrigation connector of a mating collar on a handpiece; wherein the aspiration and irrigation connector are aligned relative to the collar and wherein the received aspiration and irrigation connectors of the mating collar are aligned relative to the collar such that mating the collar and mating collar couples their respective irrigation and aspiration connectors. 18. The tubing set of claim 17, wherein the collar is further configured to disengage the aspiration connector and the irrigation connector to allow movement of the aspiration connector relative to the irrigation connector. 19. The tubing set of claim 17, wherein the collar comprises a feature and wherein the mating collar comprises a complimentary feature for coupling to the collar engagement feature. 20. The tubing set of claim 19, wherein at least one of the feature and complimentary feature comprises a projection and wherein the other of the feature and complimentary feature comprises an aperture for receiving the projection. | 3,600 |
12,814 | 12,814 | 14,199,830 | 3,628 | A computer system for suggesting attended delivery/pickup locations to individuals (e.g., other than the individual's home and/or office) is disclosed. In various embodiments, the computer system receives location information associated with the individual (e.g., the individual's home, office, etc.) and the locations of various attended delivery/pickup locations (e.g., attended retail stores that have signed up to receive deliveries for individuals). The system determines which (if any) attended delivery/pickup locations are located near the location associated with the individual (e.g., near the individual's home) and which (if any) attended delivery/pickup locations are available to accept parcels for the user. The system then suggests attended delivery/pickup locations to the individual. In various embodiments, the system is configured to enable the user to select a default attended delivery/pickup location and/or an alternative attended delivery/pickup location. | 1. A computer system comprising:
at least one processor, wherein the computer system is configured for:
(A) receiving location information associated with a first attended delivery/pickup location;
(B) receiving location information associated with a user, the location information comprising at least one particular location associated with the user;
(C) receiving a specified distance for determining one or more suitable attended delivery/pickup locations for a delivery of one or more parcels associated with the user;
(E) determining, at least partially based on the location information associated with the first attended delivery/pickup location, that the first attended delivery/pickup location is located about within the specified distance of the at least one particular location associated with the user;
(F) displaying, to the user:
i) an indication of the at least one particular location associated with the user; and
ii) an indication of a location of the first attended delivery/pickup location;
(G) recommending that the user select the first attended delivery/pickup location as a particular attended delivery/pickup location for the delivery of the one or more parcels associated with the user at least partially based on:
i) the location information associated with the first attended delivery/pickup location; and
ii) the location information associated with the user; and
(H) enabling the user to select the first attended delivery/pickup location as the particular attended delivery/pickup location for receiving the delivery of one or more parcels associated with the user; and
(I) at least partially in response to the user selecting the first attended delivery/pickup location as the particular location for receiving the delivery of one or more parcels, facilitating the delivery of at least one parcel to the first attended delivery/pickup location. 2. The computer system of claim 1, wherein:
(A) the first attended delivery/pickup location selected by the user is a default attended delivery/pickup location; and (B) the default attended delivery/pickup location comprises a particular attended delivery/pickup location where the system is configured to substantially automatically route at least one parcel associated with the user. 3. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the computer system is further configured for:
(A) receiving availability information associated with the first attended delivery/pickup location, wherein the availability information comprises information indicating when the first attended delivery/pickup location is available to receive the one or more parcels associated with the user; and (B) receiving delivery information associated with the one or more parcels associated with the user, wherein the delivery information associated with the delivery of the one or more parcels comprises an estimated time of delivery of the one or more parcels. 4. The computer system of claim 3, wherein recommending that the user select the first attended delivery/pickup location as the particular attended delivery/pickup location is further at least partially based on determining that the first attended delivery/pickup location is available to receive the delivery of the one or more parcels associated with the user based at least in part on:
(A) the availability information associated with the first attended delivery/pickup location; and (B) the delivery information associated with the one or more parcels. 5. The computer system of claim 4, wherein the availability information further comprises availability information indicating when the first attended delivery/pickup location will be closed for one or more holidays. 6. The computer system of claim 4, wherein the received availability information further comprises availability information associated with a capacity level of the first attended delivery/pickup location, wherein the capacity level is based at least in part on a predetermined volume for storing at least one parcel. 7. The computer system of claim 1, wherein:
(A) the location information associated with the first attended delivery/pickup location comprises at least one location associated with the first attended delivery/pickup location; (B) the computer system is further configured for determining an approximate distance between the at least one location associated with the first attended delivery/pickup location and the at least one particular location associated with the user; and (C) recommending the attended delivery/pickup location to the user comprises recommending that the user select the first attended delivery/pickup location as the particular attended delivery/pickup location based at least in part on determining the approximate distance between the at least one location associated with the first attended delivery/pickup location and the at least one location associated with the user. 8. The computer system of claim 7, wherein:
(A) the computer is system is further configured for receiving survey information associated with the first attended delivery/pickup location; and (B) recommending the user select the first attended delivery/pickup location as the particular attended delivery/pickup location is further based at least in part on the survey information associated with the first attended delivery/pickup location. 9. The computer system of claim 8, wherein the survey information associated with the first attended delivery/pickup location comprises at least one rating of the first attended delivery/pickup location, wherein the rating is from one or more customers of the first attended delivery/pickup location. 10. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the computer system is further configured for:
(A) receiving location information associated with a second attended delivery/pickup location; (B) determining, at least partially based on the location information associated with the second attended delivery/pickup location, that the second attended delivery/pickup location is located about within the received distance; (C) displaying, to the user, an indication of the second attended delivery/pickup location; and (D) enabling the user to select the second attended delivery/pickup location as the particular attended delivery/pickup location. 11. The computer system of claim 10, wherein the computer system is further configured for enabling the user to select an alternative attended delivery/pickup location, wherein the alternative attended delivery/pickup location is a location where one or more parcels associated with the user may be delivered if the particular attended delivery/pickup location selected by the user is unavailable to receive the one or more parcels. 12. The computer system of claim 11, wherein the computer system is further configured for recommending that the user select the second attended delivery/pickup location as the alternate attended delivery/pickup location. 13. The computer system of claim 12, wherein:
(A) the particular attended delivery/pickup location selected by the user is the first attended delivery/pickup location; and (B) the alternative attended delivery/pickup location selected by the user is the second attended delivery/pickup location. 14. The computer system of claim 11, wherein the computer system is further configured for:
(A) receiving availability information associated with the second attended delivery/pickup location, wherein the availability information comprises information associated with when the second attended delivery/pickup location is not available to receive the one or more parcels associated with the user; and (B) receiving delivery information associated with the one or more parcels associated with the user, wherein the delivery information associated with the delivery of the one or more parcels comprises an estimated time of delivery of the one or more parcels. 15. The computer system of claim 14, wherein the computer system is further configured for:
(A) determining whether the second attended delivery/pickup location is unavailable to receive the delivery of the one or more parcels associated with the user based at least in part on:
i) the availability information associated with the second attended delivery/pickup location; and
ii) the delivery information associated with the one or more parcels; and
(B) in response to determining that the second attended delivery/pickup location is unavailable to receive the delivery of the one or more parcels:
i) displaying an indication of the unavailability of the second attended delivery/pickup location; and
ii) recommending that the user select a third attended delivery/pickup location as the alternate attended delivery/pickup location. 16. The computer system of claim 15, wherein displaying the indication of the unavailability of the second attended delivery/pickup location comprises changing the way in which the location indication of the second attended delivery/pickup location is displayed to the user. 17. The computer system of claim 16, wherein:
(A) the location indication of the second attended delivery/pickup location comprises an indication that is a particular color; and (B) changing how the location indication of the second attended delivery/pickup location is displayed to the user comprises changing the particular color of the location indication of the second attended delivery/pickup location. 18. The computer system of claim 17, wherein changing the color of the location indication of the second attended delivery/pickup location comprises changing the particular color of the location indication of the second attended delivery/pickup location to gray. 19. The computer system of claim 15, wherein the received availability information comprises availability information indicating when the second attended delivery/pickup location will be closed for one or more holidays. 20. The computer system of claim 15, wherein the received availability information comprises availability information associated with a capacity level of the second attended delivery/pickup location, wherein the capacity level of the second attended delivery/pickup location is based at least in part on a predetermined volume for storing at least one parcel. 21. A computer-implemented method comprising:
(A) receiving, by at least one processor, location information associated with a first attended delivery/pickup location; (B) receiving, by at least one processor, location information associated with a user, wherein the location information associated with the user comprises at least one location associated with the user; (C) receiving, by at least one processor, a distance for determining that one or more attended delivery/pickup locations are located near the user; (D) receiving, by at least one processor, availability information associated with the first attended delivery/pickup location, wherein the availability information comprises information associated with when the first attended delivery/pickup location will not be available to accept deliveries for the user; and (E) determining, by at least one processor, a zone for locating one or more attended delivery/pickup locations near the user based at least partially on:
i) the location information associated with the user; and
ii) the received distance;
(F) determining at least partially based on the location information associated with the first attended delivery/pickup location, that the first attended delivery/pickup location is located within the zone for locating one or more attended delivery/pickup locations near the user; (G) determining that the first attended delivery/pickup location is available to receive a delivery of a particular one or more parcels associated with the user based at least in part on the availability information associated with the first attended delivery/pickup location; (H) suggesting the user select the first attended delivery/pickup location as a default attended delivery/pickup location based at least partially based on:
i) determining that the first attended delivery/pickup location is located within the zone; and
ii) determining that the first attended delivery/pickup location is available to receive the delivery of the particular one or more parcels associated with the user;
(I) displaying, to the user:
i) an indication of the at least one location associated with the user;
ii) a location indication of the first attended delivery/pickup location within the zone; and
(J) enabling the user to select the first attended delivery/pickup location as the default attended delivery/pickup location for the delivery of the one or more parcels associated with the user. 22. The computer-implemented method of claim 21, wherein the computer-implemented method further comprising:
(A) receiving, by at least one processor, location information associated with a second attended delivery/pickup location; (B) receiving, by at least one processor, availability information associated with the second attended delivery/pickup location, wherein the availability information comprises information associated with when the second attended delivery/pickup location will not be available to accept deliveries for the user; (C) determining, by at least one processor, at least partially based on the location information associated with the second attended delivery/pickup location, that the second attended delivery/pickup location is located within the zone for locating one or more attended delivery/pickup locations near the user; (D) displaying, by at least one processor, to the user, an indication of the second attended delivery/pickup location within the zone for locating one or more attended delivery/pickup locations near the user; and (E) enabling the user to select the second attended delivery/pickup location as the default attended delivery/pickup location. 23. The computer-implemented method of claim 22, wherein the computer-implemented method further comprising enabling the user to select an alternative attended delivery/pickup location, wherein the alternative attended delivery/pickup location is a location where the one or more parcels associated with the user may be delivered if the default attended delivery/pickup location selected by the user is unavailable to receive the one or more parcels. 24. The computer-implemented method of claim 21, wherein the computer-implemented method further comprising:
(A) receiving, by at least one processor, delivery information associated with a particular one or more parcels associated with the user, wherein the delivery information associated with the delivery of the particular one or more parcels associated with the user comprises an estimated time of delivery of the one or more parcels; (B) determining that the second attended delivery/pickup location is unavailable to receive the delivery of the one or more parcels associated with the user based at least in part on:
i) the availability information associated with the second attended delivery/pickup location; and
ii) the delivery information associated with the one or more parcels; and
(C) at least partially based on determining that the second attended delivery/pickup location is unavailable to receive the delivery of the one or more parcels, displaying, by at least one processor, an indication of the unavailability of the second attended delivery/pickup location. 25. The computer-implemented method of claim 24, wherein displaying the indication of the unavailability of the second attended delivery/pickup location comprises changing, by at least one processor, the way in which the location indication of the second attended delivery/pickup location is displayed to the user. 26. The computer-implemented method of claim 25, wherein:
(A) the computer-implemented method further comprising receiving, by at least one processor, survey information associated with the first attended delivery/pickup location; and (B) suggesting the user select the first attended delivery/pickup location as the default attended delivery/pickup location is further based at least in part on the survey information associated with the first attended delivery/pickup location. 27. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer executable instructions for:
(A) receiving location information associated with each of a plurality of attended delivery/pickup locations; (B) receiving a location associated with a user; (C) receiving availability information associated with each of the plurality of attended delivery/pickup locations, wherein the availability information comprises information associated with when each of the attended delivery/pickup locations will not be available to accept deliveries for the user; (D) receiving capacity information associated with each of the plurality of attended delivery/pickup locations, wherein the capacity information comprises information associated with the number of parcels each attended delivery/pickup location will accept; (E) receiving delivery information associated with a particular one or more parcels associated with the user, wherein the delivery information associated with the delivery of the particular one or more parcels associated with the user comprises an estimated time of delivery of the one or more parcels; (E) receiving a distance for defining a zone for locating one or more attended delivery/pickup locations near the user; (F) determining the zone based at least partially on:
i) the location information associated with the user; and
ii) the received distance;
(G) determining that at least one attended delivery/pickup location of the plurality of attended delivery/pickup locations is located within the zone based at least in part on the location information associated with each of the attended delivery/pickup locations; (H) determining that the at least one attended delivery/pickup location is available to receive the delivery of the particular one or more parcels associated with the user based at least in part on:
i) the availability information associated with the at least one attended delivery/pickup location; and
ii) the delivery information associated with the particular one or more parcels associated with the user;
iii) the capacity information associated with the at least one attended delivery/pickup location;
(I) displaying, to the user:
i) an indication of the location associated with the user;
ii) an indication defining the zone;
iii) an indication of each of the attended delivery/pickup locations of the plurality of attended delivery/pickup locations located within the zone; and
vi) a location indication of the at least one attended delivery/pickup location;
(J) enabling the user to select a default attended delivery/pickup location of the plurality of attended delivery/pickup locations as the default attended delivery/pickup location for the delivery of the one or more parcels associated with the user; (K) recommending the user select the at least one attended delivery/pickup location as a default attended delivery/pickup location, based at least in part on determining that the at least one attended delivery/pickup location is available to receive the delivery of the particular one or more parcels; and (L) enabling the user to select an alternative attended delivery/pickup location of the plurality of attended delivery/pickup locations for the delivery of the one or more parcels associated with the user if the default attended delivery/pickup location is unavailable to receive the one or more parcels. | A computer system for suggesting attended delivery/pickup locations to individuals (e.g., other than the individual's home and/or office) is disclosed. In various embodiments, the computer system receives location information associated with the individual (e.g., the individual's home, office, etc.) and the locations of various attended delivery/pickup locations (e.g., attended retail stores that have signed up to receive deliveries for individuals). The system determines which (if any) attended delivery/pickup locations are located near the location associated with the individual (e.g., near the individual's home) and which (if any) attended delivery/pickup locations are available to accept parcels for the user. The system then suggests attended delivery/pickup locations to the individual. In various embodiments, the system is configured to enable the user to select a default attended delivery/pickup location and/or an alternative attended delivery/pickup location.1. A computer system comprising:
at least one processor, wherein the computer system is configured for:
(A) receiving location information associated with a first attended delivery/pickup location;
(B) receiving location information associated with a user, the location information comprising at least one particular location associated with the user;
(C) receiving a specified distance for determining one or more suitable attended delivery/pickup locations for a delivery of one or more parcels associated with the user;
(E) determining, at least partially based on the location information associated with the first attended delivery/pickup location, that the first attended delivery/pickup location is located about within the specified distance of the at least one particular location associated with the user;
(F) displaying, to the user:
i) an indication of the at least one particular location associated with the user; and
ii) an indication of a location of the first attended delivery/pickup location;
(G) recommending that the user select the first attended delivery/pickup location as a particular attended delivery/pickup location for the delivery of the one or more parcels associated with the user at least partially based on:
i) the location information associated with the first attended delivery/pickup location; and
ii) the location information associated with the user; and
(H) enabling the user to select the first attended delivery/pickup location as the particular attended delivery/pickup location for receiving the delivery of one or more parcels associated with the user; and
(I) at least partially in response to the user selecting the first attended delivery/pickup location as the particular location for receiving the delivery of one or more parcels, facilitating the delivery of at least one parcel to the first attended delivery/pickup location. 2. The computer system of claim 1, wherein:
(A) the first attended delivery/pickup location selected by the user is a default attended delivery/pickup location; and (B) the default attended delivery/pickup location comprises a particular attended delivery/pickup location where the system is configured to substantially automatically route at least one parcel associated with the user. 3. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the computer system is further configured for:
(A) receiving availability information associated with the first attended delivery/pickup location, wherein the availability information comprises information indicating when the first attended delivery/pickup location is available to receive the one or more parcels associated with the user; and (B) receiving delivery information associated with the one or more parcels associated with the user, wherein the delivery information associated with the delivery of the one or more parcels comprises an estimated time of delivery of the one or more parcels. 4. The computer system of claim 3, wherein recommending that the user select the first attended delivery/pickup location as the particular attended delivery/pickup location is further at least partially based on determining that the first attended delivery/pickup location is available to receive the delivery of the one or more parcels associated with the user based at least in part on:
(A) the availability information associated with the first attended delivery/pickup location; and (B) the delivery information associated with the one or more parcels. 5. The computer system of claim 4, wherein the availability information further comprises availability information indicating when the first attended delivery/pickup location will be closed for one or more holidays. 6. The computer system of claim 4, wherein the received availability information further comprises availability information associated with a capacity level of the first attended delivery/pickup location, wherein the capacity level is based at least in part on a predetermined volume for storing at least one parcel. 7. The computer system of claim 1, wherein:
(A) the location information associated with the first attended delivery/pickup location comprises at least one location associated with the first attended delivery/pickup location; (B) the computer system is further configured for determining an approximate distance between the at least one location associated with the first attended delivery/pickup location and the at least one particular location associated with the user; and (C) recommending the attended delivery/pickup location to the user comprises recommending that the user select the first attended delivery/pickup location as the particular attended delivery/pickup location based at least in part on determining the approximate distance between the at least one location associated with the first attended delivery/pickup location and the at least one location associated with the user. 8. The computer system of claim 7, wherein:
(A) the computer is system is further configured for receiving survey information associated with the first attended delivery/pickup location; and (B) recommending the user select the first attended delivery/pickup location as the particular attended delivery/pickup location is further based at least in part on the survey information associated with the first attended delivery/pickup location. 9. The computer system of claim 8, wherein the survey information associated with the first attended delivery/pickup location comprises at least one rating of the first attended delivery/pickup location, wherein the rating is from one or more customers of the first attended delivery/pickup location. 10. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the computer system is further configured for:
(A) receiving location information associated with a second attended delivery/pickup location; (B) determining, at least partially based on the location information associated with the second attended delivery/pickup location, that the second attended delivery/pickup location is located about within the received distance; (C) displaying, to the user, an indication of the second attended delivery/pickup location; and (D) enabling the user to select the second attended delivery/pickup location as the particular attended delivery/pickup location. 11. The computer system of claim 10, wherein the computer system is further configured for enabling the user to select an alternative attended delivery/pickup location, wherein the alternative attended delivery/pickup location is a location where one or more parcels associated with the user may be delivered if the particular attended delivery/pickup location selected by the user is unavailable to receive the one or more parcels. 12. The computer system of claim 11, wherein the computer system is further configured for recommending that the user select the second attended delivery/pickup location as the alternate attended delivery/pickup location. 13. The computer system of claim 12, wherein:
(A) the particular attended delivery/pickup location selected by the user is the first attended delivery/pickup location; and (B) the alternative attended delivery/pickup location selected by the user is the second attended delivery/pickup location. 14. The computer system of claim 11, wherein the computer system is further configured for:
(A) receiving availability information associated with the second attended delivery/pickup location, wherein the availability information comprises information associated with when the second attended delivery/pickup location is not available to receive the one or more parcels associated with the user; and (B) receiving delivery information associated with the one or more parcels associated with the user, wherein the delivery information associated with the delivery of the one or more parcels comprises an estimated time of delivery of the one or more parcels. 15. The computer system of claim 14, wherein the computer system is further configured for:
(A) determining whether the second attended delivery/pickup location is unavailable to receive the delivery of the one or more parcels associated with the user based at least in part on:
i) the availability information associated with the second attended delivery/pickup location; and
ii) the delivery information associated with the one or more parcels; and
(B) in response to determining that the second attended delivery/pickup location is unavailable to receive the delivery of the one or more parcels:
i) displaying an indication of the unavailability of the second attended delivery/pickup location; and
ii) recommending that the user select a third attended delivery/pickup location as the alternate attended delivery/pickup location. 16. The computer system of claim 15, wherein displaying the indication of the unavailability of the second attended delivery/pickup location comprises changing the way in which the location indication of the second attended delivery/pickup location is displayed to the user. 17. The computer system of claim 16, wherein:
(A) the location indication of the second attended delivery/pickup location comprises an indication that is a particular color; and (B) changing how the location indication of the second attended delivery/pickup location is displayed to the user comprises changing the particular color of the location indication of the second attended delivery/pickup location. 18. The computer system of claim 17, wherein changing the color of the location indication of the second attended delivery/pickup location comprises changing the particular color of the location indication of the second attended delivery/pickup location to gray. 19. The computer system of claim 15, wherein the received availability information comprises availability information indicating when the second attended delivery/pickup location will be closed for one or more holidays. 20. The computer system of claim 15, wherein the received availability information comprises availability information associated with a capacity level of the second attended delivery/pickup location, wherein the capacity level of the second attended delivery/pickup location is based at least in part on a predetermined volume for storing at least one parcel. 21. A computer-implemented method comprising:
(A) receiving, by at least one processor, location information associated with a first attended delivery/pickup location; (B) receiving, by at least one processor, location information associated with a user, wherein the location information associated with the user comprises at least one location associated with the user; (C) receiving, by at least one processor, a distance for determining that one or more attended delivery/pickup locations are located near the user; (D) receiving, by at least one processor, availability information associated with the first attended delivery/pickup location, wherein the availability information comprises information associated with when the first attended delivery/pickup location will not be available to accept deliveries for the user; and (E) determining, by at least one processor, a zone for locating one or more attended delivery/pickup locations near the user based at least partially on:
i) the location information associated with the user; and
ii) the received distance;
(F) determining at least partially based on the location information associated with the first attended delivery/pickup location, that the first attended delivery/pickup location is located within the zone for locating one or more attended delivery/pickup locations near the user; (G) determining that the first attended delivery/pickup location is available to receive a delivery of a particular one or more parcels associated with the user based at least in part on the availability information associated with the first attended delivery/pickup location; (H) suggesting the user select the first attended delivery/pickup location as a default attended delivery/pickup location based at least partially based on:
i) determining that the first attended delivery/pickup location is located within the zone; and
ii) determining that the first attended delivery/pickup location is available to receive the delivery of the particular one or more parcels associated with the user;
(I) displaying, to the user:
i) an indication of the at least one location associated with the user;
ii) a location indication of the first attended delivery/pickup location within the zone; and
(J) enabling the user to select the first attended delivery/pickup location as the default attended delivery/pickup location for the delivery of the one or more parcels associated with the user. 22. The computer-implemented method of claim 21, wherein the computer-implemented method further comprising:
(A) receiving, by at least one processor, location information associated with a second attended delivery/pickup location; (B) receiving, by at least one processor, availability information associated with the second attended delivery/pickup location, wherein the availability information comprises information associated with when the second attended delivery/pickup location will not be available to accept deliveries for the user; (C) determining, by at least one processor, at least partially based on the location information associated with the second attended delivery/pickup location, that the second attended delivery/pickup location is located within the zone for locating one or more attended delivery/pickup locations near the user; (D) displaying, by at least one processor, to the user, an indication of the second attended delivery/pickup location within the zone for locating one or more attended delivery/pickup locations near the user; and (E) enabling the user to select the second attended delivery/pickup location as the default attended delivery/pickup location. 23. The computer-implemented method of claim 22, wherein the computer-implemented method further comprising enabling the user to select an alternative attended delivery/pickup location, wherein the alternative attended delivery/pickup location is a location where the one or more parcels associated with the user may be delivered if the default attended delivery/pickup location selected by the user is unavailable to receive the one or more parcels. 24. The computer-implemented method of claim 21, wherein the computer-implemented method further comprising:
(A) receiving, by at least one processor, delivery information associated with a particular one or more parcels associated with the user, wherein the delivery information associated with the delivery of the particular one or more parcels associated with the user comprises an estimated time of delivery of the one or more parcels; (B) determining that the second attended delivery/pickup location is unavailable to receive the delivery of the one or more parcels associated with the user based at least in part on:
i) the availability information associated with the second attended delivery/pickup location; and
ii) the delivery information associated with the one or more parcels; and
(C) at least partially based on determining that the second attended delivery/pickup location is unavailable to receive the delivery of the one or more parcels, displaying, by at least one processor, an indication of the unavailability of the second attended delivery/pickup location. 25. The computer-implemented method of claim 24, wherein displaying the indication of the unavailability of the second attended delivery/pickup location comprises changing, by at least one processor, the way in which the location indication of the second attended delivery/pickup location is displayed to the user. 26. The computer-implemented method of claim 25, wherein:
(A) the computer-implemented method further comprising receiving, by at least one processor, survey information associated with the first attended delivery/pickup location; and (B) suggesting the user select the first attended delivery/pickup location as the default attended delivery/pickup location is further based at least in part on the survey information associated with the first attended delivery/pickup location. 27. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer executable instructions for:
(A) receiving location information associated with each of a plurality of attended delivery/pickup locations; (B) receiving a location associated with a user; (C) receiving availability information associated with each of the plurality of attended delivery/pickup locations, wherein the availability information comprises information associated with when each of the attended delivery/pickup locations will not be available to accept deliveries for the user; (D) receiving capacity information associated with each of the plurality of attended delivery/pickup locations, wherein the capacity information comprises information associated with the number of parcels each attended delivery/pickup location will accept; (E) receiving delivery information associated with a particular one or more parcels associated with the user, wherein the delivery information associated with the delivery of the particular one or more parcels associated with the user comprises an estimated time of delivery of the one or more parcels; (E) receiving a distance for defining a zone for locating one or more attended delivery/pickup locations near the user; (F) determining the zone based at least partially on:
i) the location information associated with the user; and
ii) the received distance;
(G) determining that at least one attended delivery/pickup location of the plurality of attended delivery/pickup locations is located within the zone based at least in part on the location information associated with each of the attended delivery/pickup locations; (H) determining that the at least one attended delivery/pickup location is available to receive the delivery of the particular one or more parcels associated with the user based at least in part on:
i) the availability information associated with the at least one attended delivery/pickup location; and
ii) the delivery information associated with the particular one or more parcels associated with the user;
iii) the capacity information associated with the at least one attended delivery/pickup location;
(I) displaying, to the user:
i) an indication of the location associated with the user;
ii) an indication defining the zone;
iii) an indication of each of the attended delivery/pickup locations of the plurality of attended delivery/pickup locations located within the zone; and
vi) a location indication of the at least one attended delivery/pickup location;
(J) enabling the user to select a default attended delivery/pickup location of the plurality of attended delivery/pickup locations as the default attended delivery/pickup location for the delivery of the one or more parcels associated with the user; (K) recommending the user select the at least one attended delivery/pickup location as a default attended delivery/pickup location, based at least in part on determining that the at least one attended delivery/pickup location is available to receive the delivery of the particular one or more parcels; and (L) enabling the user to select an alternative attended delivery/pickup location of the plurality of attended delivery/pickup locations for the delivery of the one or more parcels associated with the user if the default attended delivery/pickup location is unavailable to receive the one or more parcels. | 3,600 |
12,815 | 12,815 | 13,792,995 | 3,626 | Configuration software implements techniques for customizing names of insulin delivery profiles with improved patient safety. The techniques include: receiving a string of characters which serve as a name for a given insulin delivery profile, where the insulin delivery profile includes at least one parameter pertaining to insulin delivery by an insulin pump and is one of a plurality of insulin delivery profiles associated with a given patient; normalizing the string of characters in accordance with a rule set; comparing the normalized string of characters with names for each of the plurality of insulin delivery profiles; and updating the name of the given insulin delivery profile in a pump configuration file residing on the configuration device when the normalized string of characters is unique in relation to the names of the plurality of insulin delivery profiles. | 1. A computer-implemented method for customizing names of insulin delivery profiles for improved patient safety, comprising:
receiving, by a configuration device, a string of characters to serve as a name for a given insulin delivery profile, where the insulin delivery profile includes at least one parameter pertaining to insulin delivery by an insulin pump and is one of a plurality of insulin delivery profiles associated with a given patient; normalizing, by the configuration device, the string of characters by changing one or more of the characters in the string of characters in accordance with a rule set; comparing, by the configuration device, the normalized string of characters with names for each of the plurality of insulin delivery profiles; and updating, by the configuration device, the name of the given insulin delivery profile in a pump configuration file residing on the configuration device, wherein the name of the given insulin delivery profile differs from name of the pump configuration file and updating occurs when the normalized string of characters is unique in relation to the names of the plurality of insulin delivery profiles and in response to the comparison step; and downloading the pump configuration file from the configuration device to an insulin pump. 2. The method of claim 1 further comprises prompting, by the configuration device, a user to change the string of characters when the normalized string of characters matches a name of one of the plurality of insulin delivery profiles. 3. The method of claim 1 further comprises replacing the normalized string of character with a default name and updating the name of the given insulin delivery profile in the pump configuration file with the default name when the normalized string of characters matches a name of one of the plurality of insulin delivery profiles. 4. The method of claim 1 wherein normalizing the string of characters further comprises removing any spaces from the string of characters. 5. The method of claim 1 wherein normalizing the string of characters further comprises converting each character in the string of characters to lower case. 6. The method of claim 1 further comprises
storing, by the configuration device, a set of predefined insulin delivery profiles, each of the predefined insulin delivery profiles having a default name; and
comparing, by the configuration device, the normalized string of names to each of the default names in the set of predefined insulin delivery profiles. 7. The method of claim 1 further comprises delivering insulin, by an insulin pump, to the given patient in accordance with the parameter in the updated given insulin delivery profile. 8. A computer readable medium tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by a computing device to perform method steps for customizing names of insulin delivery profiles in a configuration file for improved patient safety, the method steps including:
receiving a string of characters from a user to serve as a name for a given insulin delivery profile, where the insulin delivery profile includes at least one parameter pertaining to insulin delivery by an insulin pump and is one of a plurality of insulin delivery profiles associated with a given patient; normalizing the string of characters from the user in accordance with a rule set; comparing the normalized string of characters with names for each of the plurality of insulin delivery profiles; and updating the name of the given insulin delivery profile in a pump configuration file residing on the configuration device when the normalized string of characters is unique in relation to the names of the plurality of insulin delivery profiles. 9. The medium of claim 8 wherein the method steps further include prompting a user to change the string of characters when the normalized string of characters matches a name of one of the plurality of insulin delivery profiles. 10. The medium of claim 8 wherein the method steps further include replacing the normalized string of character with a default name and updating the name of the given insulin delivery profile in the pump configuration file with the default name when the normalized string of characters matches a name of one of the plurality of insulin delivery profiles. 11. The medium of claim 8 wherein the method steps further include normalizing the string of characters further comprises removing any spaces from the string of characters. 12. The medium of claim 8 wherein the method steps further include normalizing the string of characters further comprises converting each character in the string of characters to lower case. 13. The medium of claim 8 wherein the method steps further include storing a set of predefined insulin delivery profiles, each of the predefined insulin delivery profiles having a default name; and comparing the normalized string of names to each of the default names in the set of predefined insulin delivery profiles. 14. A computer-implemented method for customizing names of insulin delivery profiles for improved patient safety, comprising:
receiving, by a configuration device, a string of characters to serve as a name for a given insulin delivery profile, where the insulin delivery profile includes at least one parameter pertaining to insulin delivery by an insulin pump and is one of a plurality of insulin delivery profiles associated with a given patient; normalizing, by the configuration device, the string of characters by at least one of removing any spaces from the string of characters and converting each character in the string of characters to low case; comparing, by the configuration device, the normalized string of characters with names for each of the plurality of insulin delivery profiles; replacing, by the configuration device, the normalized string of characters with a default name and updating the name of the given insulin delivery profile in the pump configuration file with the default name when the normalized string of characters matches a name of one of the plurality of insulin delivery profiles; updating, by the configuration device, the name of the given insulin delivery profile in a pump configuration file residing on the configuration device when the normalized string of characters is unique in relation to the names of the plurality of insulin delivery profiles, wherein the steps of replacing and updating are performed in response to the comparison step; presenting, by an insulin pump, names for each of the plurality of insulin delivery profiles in the pump configuration file on a display of the insulin pump; and receiving, by the insulin pump, a selection of one of the insulin delivery profiles; and delivering insulin, by the insulin pump, to the given patient in accordance with a parameter in the selected insulin delivery profile. | Configuration software implements techniques for customizing names of insulin delivery profiles with improved patient safety. The techniques include: receiving a string of characters which serve as a name for a given insulin delivery profile, where the insulin delivery profile includes at least one parameter pertaining to insulin delivery by an insulin pump and is one of a plurality of insulin delivery profiles associated with a given patient; normalizing the string of characters in accordance with a rule set; comparing the normalized string of characters with names for each of the plurality of insulin delivery profiles; and updating the name of the given insulin delivery profile in a pump configuration file residing on the configuration device when the normalized string of characters is unique in relation to the names of the plurality of insulin delivery profiles.1. A computer-implemented method for customizing names of insulin delivery profiles for improved patient safety, comprising:
receiving, by a configuration device, a string of characters to serve as a name for a given insulin delivery profile, where the insulin delivery profile includes at least one parameter pertaining to insulin delivery by an insulin pump and is one of a plurality of insulin delivery profiles associated with a given patient; normalizing, by the configuration device, the string of characters by changing one or more of the characters in the string of characters in accordance with a rule set; comparing, by the configuration device, the normalized string of characters with names for each of the plurality of insulin delivery profiles; and updating, by the configuration device, the name of the given insulin delivery profile in a pump configuration file residing on the configuration device, wherein the name of the given insulin delivery profile differs from name of the pump configuration file and updating occurs when the normalized string of characters is unique in relation to the names of the plurality of insulin delivery profiles and in response to the comparison step; and downloading the pump configuration file from the configuration device to an insulin pump. 2. The method of claim 1 further comprises prompting, by the configuration device, a user to change the string of characters when the normalized string of characters matches a name of one of the plurality of insulin delivery profiles. 3. The method of claim 1 further comprises replacing the normalized string of character with a default name and updating the name of the given insulin delivery profile in the pump configuration file with the default name when the normalized string of characters matches a name of one of the plurality of insulin delivery profiles. 4. The method of claim 1 wherein normalizing the string of characters further comprises removing any spaces from the string of characters. 5. The method of claim 1 wherein normalizing the string of characters further comprises converting each character in the string of characters to lower case. 6. The method of claim 1 further comprises
storing, by the configuration device, a set of predefined insulin delivery profiles, each of the predefined insulin delivery profiles having a default name; and
comparing, by the configuration device, the normalized string of names to each of the default names in the set of predefined insulin delivery profiles. 7. The method of claim 1 further comprises delivering insulin, by an insulin pump, to the given patient in accordance with the parameter in the updated given insulin delivery profile. 8. A computer readable medium tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by a computing device to perform method steps for customizing names of insulin delivery profiles in a configuration file for improved patient safety, the method steps including:
receiving a string of characters from a user to serve as a name for a given insulin delivery profile, where the insulin delivery profile includes at least one parameter pertaining to insulin delivery by an insulin pump and is one of a plurality of insulin delivery profiles associated with a given patient; normalizing the string of characters from the user in accordance with a rule set; comparing the normalized string of characters with names for each of the plurality of insulin delivery profiles; and updating the name of the given insulin delivery profile in a pump configuration file residing on the configuration device when the normalized string of characters is unique in relation to the names of the plurality of insulin delivery profiles. 9. The medium of claim 8 wherein the method steps further include prompting a user to change the string of characters when the normalized string of characters matches a name of one of the plurality of insulin delivery profiles. 10. The medium of claim 8 wherein the method steps further include replacing the normalized string of character with a default name and updating the name of the given insulin delivery profile in the pump configuration file with the default name when the normalized string of characters matches a name of one of the plurality of insulin delivery profiles. 11. The medium of claim 8 wherein the method steps further include normalizing the string of characters further comprises removing any spaces from the string of characters. 12. The medium of claim 8 wherein the method steps further include normalizing the string of characters further comprises converting each character in the string of characters to lower case. 13. The medium of claim 8 wherein the method steps further include storing a set of predefined insulin delivery profiles, each of the predefined insulin delivery profiles having a default name; and comparing the normalized string of names to each of the default names in the set of predefined insulin delivery profiles. 14. A computer-implemented method for customizing names of insulin delivery profiles for improved patient safety, comprising:
receiving, by a configuration device, a string of characters to serve as a name for a given insulin delivery profile, where the insulin delivery profile includes at least one parameter pertaining to insulin delivery by an insulin pump and is one of a plurality of insulin delivery profiles associated with a given patient; normalizing, by the configuration device, the string of characters by at least one of removing any spaces from the string of characters and converting each character in the string of characters to low case; comparing, by the configuration device, the normalized string of characters with names for each of the plurality of insulin delivery profiles; replacing, by the configuration device, the normalized string of characters with a default name and updating the name of the given insulin delivery profile in the pump configuration file with the default name when the normalized string of characters matches a name of one of the plurality of insulin delivery profiles; updating, by the configuration device, the name of the given insulin delivery profile in a pump configuration file residing on the configuration device when the normalized string of characters is unique in relation to the names of the plurality of insulin delivery profiles, wherein the steps of replacing and updating are performed in response to the comparison step; presenting, by an insulin pump, names for each of the plurality of insulin delivery profiles in the pump configuration file on a display of the insulin pump; and receiving, by the insulin pump, a selection of one of the insulin delivery profiles; and delivering insulin, by the insulin pump, to the given patient in accordance with a parameter in the selected insulin delivery profile. | 3,600 |
12,816 | 12,816 | 12,539,885 | 3,683 | Audience response to broadcast content can be gauged by determining how many audience members switched stations while particular programs were broadcast. Data indicating audience members' media consumption can be analyzed to determine the number of times audience members tuned to a station or tuned away from the station. Data related to media content broadcast on particular stations can be analyzed to determine what content was being broadcast at times corresponding to the times audience members switched stations. Performance factors can be assigned to particular programs based on this analysis. Determining how many audience members switched during any one program may include retrieving event records, each of which can represent an audience member that was tuned to a particular media station during a time a particular program was being aired. | 1. A method comprising:
receiving audience data indicating how many audience members were tuned to a station at different times; receiving content data indicating broadcast times during which each of a plurality of content items was broadcast on the station; determining a number of content-switches, wherein the number of content switches corresponds to a number of audience members who tuned away from a station during a first broadcast of a first content item; determining how many audience members were expected to tune away from the station during the first broadcast of the first content item; and assigning a performance factor to the first content item based on a relationship between how many audience members tuned away and how many audience members were expected to tune away. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining how many audience members were expected to tune away comprises:
determining a station-average for each minute of a day, each station-average corresponding to an average number of audience members who tuned away from the station during each respective minute of the day. 3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:
determining an average number of audience members of the station for each minute of the day; determining a station switch average for a first group of times, wherein the station-switch average corresponds to an average of the station averages, and the first group of times includes a period of time during the first broadcast of the first content item; and determining a switch percent for the first group of times, wherein determining the switch percent includes subtracting the station switch average from the number of content switches, and dividing the result by the average number of audience members. 4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:
determining a plurality of additional switch percentages for a plurality of second groups of times, wherein each of the plurality of second groups of times corresponds to additional broadcasts of the first content item; and determining a periodic switch percentage based on an average of the plurality of additional switch percentages. 5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:
determining a plurality of periodic switch percentages; and determining a rolling average of the plurality of periodic switch percentages over a designated interval. 6. The method of claim 1, wherein the number of audience members who tuned away from the station is a net-number of audience members who tuned away, the method further comprising:
determining a raw number of audience members who tuned into the station during a first broadcast of a first content item; determining a raw number of audience members who tuned away from the station during a first broadcast of a first content item; and determining the net-number of audience members who tuned away. 7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
determining a number of content-switches for a plurality of stations; determining how many audience members were expected to tune away from the plurality of stations during the first broadcast of the first content item; and assigning a performance factor to the first content item based on a relationship between how many audience members tuned away and how many audience members were expected to tune away. 8. A method comprising:
receiving audience data indicating how many audience members were tuned to each of a plurality of media stations at different times; receiving content data indicating times during which each of a plurality of programs was aired on each of the plurality of media stations; determining, based on the audience data and the content data, a number of audience members who tuned-in to each of the plurality of media stations during times particular programs were aired; and determining, based on the audience data and the content data, a number of audience members who tuned-away from each of the plurality of media stations during times the particular programs were aired. 9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:
retrieving a plurality of event records that match specified criteria, wherein each of the plurality of event records represents an audience member that was tuned to one of the plurality of media stations during a time one of the plurality of programs was aired. 10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:
determining a number of audience members who tuned away from a station, based on the presence of a retrieved event record for a first period of time, and the lack of a retrieved event record for a second period of time. 11. The method of claim 9, further comprising:
determining a number of audience members who tuned in to a station, based on the lack of a retrieved event record for a first period of time, and the presence of an event record for a second period of time. 12. The method of claim 9, further comprising eliminating overlapping event records prior to determining a number of switching events for a program, wherein a switching event indicates one of a tune-in event or a tune-away event. 13. The method of claim 12, wherein eliminating overlapping event records comprises:
for multiple event records associated with a single audience member and a single a period of time, ignoring at least one event record associated with stations not airing the program. 14. A system comprising:
a processor; memory operably associated with the processor; a communications interface coupled to the memory and the processor, the communications interface to receive audience data indicating how many audience members were tuned to a station at different times, and content data indicating broadcast times during which each of a plurality of content items was broadcast on the station; a program of instructions configured to be stored in the memory and executed by the processor, the program of instructions comprising:
at least one instruction to determine a number of content-switches corresponding to a number of audience members who tuned away from a station during a first broadcast of a first content item;
at least one instruction to determine how many audience members were expected to tune away from the station during the first broadcast of the first content item; and
at least one instruction to assign a performance factor to the first content item based on a relationship between how many audience members tuned away and how many audience members were expected to tune away. 15. The system of claim 14, wherein the at least one instruction to determine how many audience members were expected to tune away comprises:
at least one instruction to determine a station-average for each minute of a day, each station-average corresponding to an average number of audience members who tuned away from the station during each respective minute of the day. 16. The system of claim 15, wherein the program of instructions further comprises:
at least one instruction to determine an average number of audience members of the station for each minute of the day; at least one instruction to determine a station switch average for a first group of times, wherein the station-switch average corresponds to an average of the station averages, and the first group of times includes a period of time during the first broadcast of the first content item; and at least one instruction to determine a switch percent for the first group of times, wherein determining the switch percentage includes subtracting the station switch average from the number of content switches, and dividing the result by the average number of audience members. 17. The system of claim 16, wherein the program of instructions further comprises:
at least one instruction to determine a plurality of additional switch percentages for a plurality of second groups of times, wherein each of the plurality of second groups of times corresponds to additional broadcasts of the first content item; at least one instruction to determine a periodic switch percentage based on an average of the plurality of additional switch percentages. at least one instruction to determine a plurality of periodic switch percentages; and at least one instruction to determine a rolling average of the plurality of periodic switch percentages over a designated interval. 18. The system of claim 14, wherein the number of audience members who tuned away from the station is a net-number of audience members who tuned away, the program of instructions further comprising:
at least one instruction to determine a raw number of audience members who tuned into the station during a first broadcast of a first content item; at least one instruction to determine a raw number of audience members who tuned away from the station during a first broadcast of a first content item; and at least one instruction to determine the net-number of audience members who tuned away. 19. A system comprising:
a processor; memory operably associated with the processor; a communications interface coupled to the memory and the processor, the communications interface configured to receive audience data indicating how many audience members were tuned to each of a plurality of media stations at different times, and content data indicating times during which each of a plurality of programs was aired on each of the plurality of media stations; a program of instructions configured to be stored in the memory and executed by the processor, the program of instructions comprising:
at least one instruction to determine, based on the audience data and the content data, a number of audience members who tuned-in to each of the plurality of media stations during times particular programs were aired; and
at least one instruction to determine, based on the audience data and the content data, a number of audience members who tuned-away from each of the plurality of media stations during times the particular programs were aired. 20. The system of claim 19, wherein the program of instructions further comprises:
at least one instruction to retrieve a plurality of event records that match specified criteria, wherein each of the plurality of event records represents an audience member that was tuned to one of the plurality of media stations during a time one of the plurality of programs was aired. 21. The system of claim 19, wherein the program of instructions further comprises:
at least one instruction to eliminate overlapping event records prior to determining a number of switching events for a program, wherein a switching event indicates one of a tune-in event or a tune-away event. | Audience response to broadcast content can be gauged by determining how many audience members switched stations while particular programs were broadcast. Data indicating audience members' media consumption can be analyzed to determine the number of times audience members tuned to a station or tuned away from the station. Data related to media content broadcast on particular stations can be analyzed to determine what content was being broadcast at times corresponding to the times audience members switched stations. Performance factors can be assigned to particular programs based on this analysis. Determining how many audience members switched during any one program may include retrieving event records, each of which can represent an audience member that was tuned to a particular media station during a time a particular program was being aired.1. A method comprising:
receiving audience data indicating how many audience members were tuned to a station at different times; receiving content data indicating broadcast times during which each of a plurality of content items was broadcast on the station; determining a number of content-switches, wherein the number of content switches corresponds to a number of audience members who tuned away from a station during a first broadcast of a first content item; determining how many audience members were expected to tune away from the station during the first broadcast of the first content item; and assigning a performance factor to the first content item based on a relationship between how many audience members tuned away and how many audience members were expected to tune away. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining how many audience members were expected to tune away comprises:
determining a station-average for each minute of a day, each station-average corresponding to an average number of audience members who tuned away from the station during each respective minute of the day. 3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:
determining an average number of audience members of the station for each minute of the day; determining a station switch average for a first group of times, wherein the station-switch average corresponds to an average of the station averages, and the first group of times includes a period of time during the first broadcast of the first content item; and determining a switch percent for the first group of times, wherein determining the switch percent includes subtracting the station switch average from the number of content switches, and dividing the result by the average number of audience members. 4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:
determining a plurality of additional switch percentages for a plurality of second groups of times, wherein each of the plurality of second groups of times corresponds to additional broadcasts of the first content item; and determining a periodic switch percentage based on an average of the plurality of additional switch percentages. 5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:
determining a plurality of periodic switch percentages; and determining a rolling average of the plurality of periodic switch percentages over a designated interval. 6. The method of claim 1, wherein the number of audience members who tuned away from the station is a net-number of audience members who tuned away, the method further comprising:
determining a raw number of audience members who tuned into the station during a first broadcast of a first content item; determining a raw number of audience members who tuned away from the station during a first broadcast of a first content item; and determining the net-number of audience members who tuned away. 7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
determining a number of content-switches for a plurality of stations; determining how many audience members were expected to tune away from the plurality of stations during the first broadcast of the first content item; and assigning a performance factor to the first content item based on a relationship between how many audience members tuned away and how many audience members were expected to tune away. 8. A method comprising:
receiving audience data indicating how many audience members were tuned to each of a plurality of media stations at different times; receiving content data indicating times during which each of a plurality of programs was aired on each of the plurality of media stations; determining, based on the audience data and the content data, a number of audience members who tuned-in to each of the plurality of media stations during times particular programs were aired; and determining, based on the audience data and the content data, a number of audience members who tuned-away from each of the plurality of media stations during times the particular programs were aired. 9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:
retrieving a plurality of event records that match specified criteria, wherein each of the plurality of event records represents an audience member that was tuned to one of the plurality of media stations during a time one of the plurality of programs was aired. 10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:
determining a number of audience members who tuned away from a station, based on the presence of a retrieved event record for a first period of time, and the lack of a retrieved event record for a second period of time. 11. The method of claim 9, further comprising:
determining a number of audience members who tuned in to a station, based on the lack of a retrieved event record for a first period of time, and the presence of an event record for a second period of time. 12. The method of claim 9, further comprising eliminating overlapping event records prior to determining a number of switching events for a program, wherein a switching event indicates one of a tune-in event or a tune-away event. 13. The method of claim 12, wherein eliminating overlapping event records comprises:
for multiple event records associated with a single audience member and a single a period of time, ignoring at least one event record associated with stations not airing the program. 14. A system comprising:
a processor; memory operably associated with the processor; a communications interface coupled to the memory and the processor, the communications interface to receive audience data indicating how many audience members were tuned to a station at different times, and content data indicating broadcast times during which each of a plurality of content items was broadcast on the station; a program of instructions configured to be stored in the memory and executed by the processor, the program of instructions comprising:
at least one instruction to determine a number of content-switches corresponding to a number of audience members who tuned away from a station during a first broadcast of a first content item;
at least one instruction to determine how many audience members were expected to tune away from the station during the first broadcast of the first content item; and
at least one instruction to assign a performance factor to the first content item based on a relationship between how many audience members tuned away and how many audience members were expected to tune away. 15. The system of claim 14, wherein the at least one instruction to determine how many audience members were expected to tune away comprises:
at least one instruction to determine a station-average for each minute of a day, each station-average corresponding to an average number of audience members who tuned away from the station during each respective minute of the day. 16. The system of claim 15, wherein the program of instructions further comprises:
at least one instruction to determine an average number of audience members of the station for each minute of the day; at least one instruction to determine a station switch average for a first group of times, wherein the station-switch average corresponds to an average of the station averages, and the first group of times includes a period of time during the first broadcast of the first content item; and at least one instruction to determine a switch percent for the first group of times, wherein determining the switch percentage includes subtracting the station switch average from the number of content switches, and dividing the result by the average number of audience members. 17. The system of claim 16, wherein the program of instructions further comprises:
at least one instruction to determine a plurality of additional switch percentages for a plurality of second groups of times, wherein each of the plurality of second groups of times corresponds to additional broadcasts of the first content item; at least one instruction to determine a periodic switch percentage based on an average of the plurality of additional switch percentages. at least one instruction to determine a plurality of periodic switch percentages; and at least one instruction to determine a rolling average of the plurality of periodic switch percentages over a designated interval. 18. The system of claim 14, wherein the number of audience members who tuned away from the station is a net-number of audience members who tuned away, the program of instructions further comprising:
at least one instruction to determine a raw number of audience members who tuned into the station during a first broadcast of a first content item; at least one instruction to determine a raw number of audience members who tuned away from the station during a first broadcast of a first content item; and at least one instruction to determine the net-number of audience members who tuned away. 19. A system comprising:
a processor; memory operably associated with the processor; a communications interface coupled to the memory and the processor, the communications interface configured to receive audience data indicating how many audience members were tuned to each of a plurality of media stations at different times, and content data indicating times during which each of a plurality of programs was aired on each of the plurality of media stations; a program of instructions configured to be stored in the memory and executed by the processor, the program of instructions comprising:
at least one instruction to determine, based on the audience data and the content data, a number of audience members who tuned-in to each of the plurality of media stations during times particular programs were aired; and
at least one instruction to determine, based on the audience data and the content data, a number of audience members who tuned-away from each of the plurality of media stations during times the particular programs were aired. 20. The system of claim 19, wherein the program of instructions further comprises:
at least one instruction to retrieve a plurality of event records that match specified criteria, wherein each of the plurality of event records represents an audience member that was tuned to one of the plurality of media stations during a time one of the plurality of programs was aired. 21. The system of claim 19, wherein the program of instructions further comprises:
at least one instruction to eliminate overlapping event records prior to determining a number of switching events for a program, wherein a switching event indicates one of a tune-in event or a tune-away event. | 3,600 |
12,817 | 12,817 | 12,012,452 | 3,621 | A process for selecting personalized non-competitive electronic advertising from a plurality of competitive and non-competitive advertisements includes the steps of generating a selection model based on product data and user-specific data, generating a user model using the user-specific data and selecting non-competitive personalized electronic advertising from the plurality of advertisements using the selection model and user model to identify relevant advertisements and using a rule set for identifying advertisements not competitive to the specific retailer. An arrangement for selecting personalized non-competitive electronic advertising from a plurality of competitive and non-competitive advertisements includes memory for storing at least one selection model and at least one user model and a controller that selects non-competitive personalized electronic advertising from the plurality of advertisements using the selection model and user model to identify relevant advertisements and using a rule set for identifying advertisements not competitive to the specific retailer. | 1. A process of selecting personalized non-competitive electronic advertising from a plurality of competitive and non-competitive advertisements comprising the steps of:
generating a selection model based on product data and user-specific data, wherein the selection model includes a plurality of data sets identifying relationships between products and a rule set for identifying non-competitive advertisements; generating a user model using the user-specific data including user specific identification data and user specific activity data where such data includes at least data related to a specific retailer; and selecting non-competitive personalized electronic advertising from the plurality of advertisements using the selection model and user model to identify relevant advertisements and using the rule set for identifying advertisements not competitive to the specific retailer. 2. The process of claim 1 wherein user specific activity data is user behavior for a specific user and includes data regarding purchases, product views, searches and user lists. 3. The process of claim 1 wherein the data sets identifying relationships between products include data sets identifying similar products. 4. The process of claim 1 wherein the data sets identifying relationships between products include data sets identifying popular products. 5. The process of claim 1 wherein relevant advertisements are identified by a weighted scoring system identifying correlations between user behavior data as provided by the user models. 6. The process of claim 1 wherein the step of selecting non-competitive personalized electronic advertising occurs in real time. 7. The process of claim 1 wherein data related to a specific retailer includes data regarding the user's activity with respect to the specific retailer. 8. An arrangement for selecting personalized non-competitive electronic advertising from a plurality of competitive and non-competitive advertisements comprising:
memory for storing at least one selection model based on product data and user-specific data, wherein the selection model includes a plurality of data sets identifying relationships between products and a rule set for identifying non-competitive advertisements and at least one user model including user-specific identification data and user-specific activity data where such data includes at least data related to a specific retailer; and a controller that selects non-competitive personalized electronic advertising from the plurality of advertisements using the selection model and user model to identify relevant advertisements and using the rule set for identifying advertisements not competitive to the specific retailer. 9. The arrangement of claim 8 wherein user-specific activity data is user behavior for a specific user and includes data regarding purchases, product views, searches and user lists. 10. The arrangement of claim 8 wherein relevant advertisements are identified by a weighted scoring system identifying correlations between user behavior data as provided by the user models. 11. The arrangement of claim 8 wherein relevant advertisements are identified by a weighted scoring system identifying correlations between user behavior data as provided by the user models. 12. The arrangement of claim 8 wherein the step of selecting non-competitive personalized electronic advertising occurs in real time. 13. The arrangement of claim 8 wherein the non-competitive personalized electronic advertising is selected in real time. 14. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for selecting personalized non-competitive electronic advertising from a plurality of competitive and non-competitive advertisements, the computer-executable instructions causing the arrangement to perform the steps of:
generating a selection model based on product data and user-specific data, wherein the selection model includes a plurality of data sets identifying relationships between products and a rule set for identifying non-competitive advertisements; generating a user model using the user-specific data including user specific identification data and user specific activity data where such data includes at least data related to a specific retailer; and selecting non-competitive personalized electronic advertising from the plurality of advertisements using the selection model and user model to identify relevant advertisements and using the rule set for identifying advertisements not competitive to the specific retailer. 15. The computer readable medium of claim 14 wherein user-specific activity data is user behavior for a specific user and includes data regarding purchases, product views, searches and user lists. 16. The computer readable medium of claim 14 wherein the data sets identifying relationships between products include data sets identifying similar products. 17. The computer readable medium of claim 14 wherein the data sets identifying relationships between products include data sets identifying popular products. 18. The computer readable medium of claim 14 wherein relevant advertisements are identified by a weighted scoring system identifying correlations between user behavior data as provided by the user models. 19. The computer readable medium of claim 14 wherein the step of selecting non-competitive personalized electronic advertising occurs in real time. 20. The computer readable medium of claim 14 wherein data related to a specific retailer includes data regarding the user's activity with respect to the specific retailer. | A process for selecting personalized non-competitive electronic advertising from a plurality of competitive and non-competitive advertisements includes the steps of generating a selection model based on product data and user-specific data, generating a user model using the user-specific data and selecting non-competitive personalized electronic advertising from the plurality of advertisements using the selection model and user model to identify relevant advertisements and using a rule set for identifying advertisements not competitive to the specific retailer. An arrangement for selecting personalized non-competitive electronic advertising from a plurality of competitive and non-competitive advertisements includes memory for storing at least one selection model and at least one user model and a controller that selects non-competitive personalized electronic advertising from the plurality of advertisements using the selection model and user model to identify relevant advertisements and using a rule set for identifying advertisements not competitive to the specific retailer.1. A process of selecting personalized non-competitive electronic advertising from a plurality of competitive and non-competitive advertisements comprising the steps of:
generating a selection model based on product data and user-specific data, wherein the selection model includes a plurality of data sets identifying relationships between products and a rule set for identifying non-competitive advertisements; generating a user model using the user-specific data including user specific identification data and user specific activity data where such data includes at least data related to a specific retailer; and selecting non-competitive personalized electronic advertising from the plurality of advertisements using the selection model and user model to identify relevant advertisements and using the rule set for identifying advertisements not competitive to the specific retailer. 2. The process of claim 1 wherein user specific activity data is user behavior for a specific user and includes data regarding purchases, product views, searches and user lists. 3. The process of claim 1 wherein the data sets identifying relationships between products include data sets identifying similar products. 4. The process of claim 1 wherein the data sets identifying relationships between products include data sets identifying popular products. 5. The process of claim 1 wherein relevant advertisements are identified by a weighted scoring system identifying correlations between user behavior data as provided by the user models. 6. The process of claim 1 wherein the step of selecting non-competitive personalized electronic advertising occurs in real time. 7. The process of claim 1 wherein data related to a specific retailer includes data regarding the user's activity with respect to the specific retailer. 8. An arrangement for selecting personalized non-competitive electronic advertising from a plurality of competitive and non-competitive advertisements comprising:
memory for storing at least one selection model based on product data and user-specific data, wherein the selection model includes a plurality of data sets identifying relationships between products and a rule set for identifying non-competitive advertisements and at least one user model including user-specific identification data and user-specific activity data where such data includes at least data related to a specific retailer; and a controller that selects non-competitive personalized electronic advertising from the plurality of advertisements using the selection model and user model to identify relevant advertisements and using the rule set for identifying advertisements not competitive to the specific retailer. 9. The arrangement of claim 8 wherein user-specific activity data is user behavior for a specific user and includes data regarding purchases, product views, searches and user lists. 10. The arrangement of claim 8 wherein relevant advertisements are identified by a weighted scoring system identifying correlations between user behavior data as provided by the user models. 11. The arrangement of claim 8 wherein relevant advertisements are identified by a weighted scoring system identifying correlations between user behavior data as provided by the user models. 12. The arrangement of claim 8 wherein the step of selecting non-competitive personalized electronic advertising occurs in real time. 13. The arrangement of claim 8 wherein the non-competitive personalized electronic advertising is selected in real time. 14. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for selecting personalized non-competitive electronic advertising from a plurality of competitive and non-competitive advertisements, the computer-executable instructions causing the arrangement to perform the steps of:
generating a selection model based on product data and user-specific data, wherein the selection model includes a plurality of data sets identifying relationships between products and a rule set for identifying non-competitive advertisements; generating a user model using the user-specific data including user specific identification data and user specific activity data where such data includes at least data related to a specific retailer; and selecting non-competitive personalized electronic advertising from the plurality of advertisements using the selection model and user model to identify relevant advertisements and using the rule set for identifying advertisements not competitive to the specific retailer. 15. The computer readable medium of claim 14 wherein user-specific activity data is user behavior for a specific user and includes data regarding purchases, product views, searches and user lists. 16. The computer readable medium of claim 14 wherein the data sets identifying relationships between products include data sets identifying similar products. 17. The computer readable medium of claim 14 wherein the data sets identifying relationships between products include data sets identifying popular products. 18. The computer readable medium of claim 14 wherein relevant advertisements are identified by a weighted scoring system identifying correlations between user behavior data as provided by the user models. 19. The computer readable medium of claim 14 wherein the step of selecting non-competitive personalized electronic advertising occurs in real time. 20. The computer readable medium of claim 14 wherein data related to a specific retailer includes data regarding the user's activity with respect to the specific retailer. | 3,600 |
12,818 | 12,818 | 13,192,565 | 3,623 | Methods and arrangements for dynamically facilitating project assembly. A project plan with a chosen set of plan components is submitted and a cloud portal is queried for information on chosen plan components. Information on the chosen plan components is received from the cloud portal. Plan recommendations are generated based on the received information, and a recommended plan is selected. | 1.-13. (canceled) 14. An apparatus comprising:
at least one processor; and a computer readable storage medium having computer readable program code embodied therewith and executable by the at least one processor, the computer readable program code comprising: computer readable program code configured to facilitate submission of a project plan with a chosen set of plan components; computer readable program code configured to query a cloud portal for information on the chosen plan components; computer readable program code configured to receive from the cloud portal information on the chosen plan components; computer readable program code configured to generate plan recommendations based on the received information; and computer readable program code configured to facilitate selection of a recommended plan. 15. A 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 configured to facilitate submission of a project plan with a chosen set of plan components; computer readable program code configured to query a cloud portal for information on the chosen plan components; computer readable program code configured to receive from the cloud portal information on the chosen plan components; computer readable program code configured to generate plan recommendations based on the received information; and computer readable program code configured to facilitate selection of a recommended plan. 16. The computer program product according to claim 15, wherein said computer readable program code is further configured to book plan resources corresponding to the recommended plan. 17. The computer program product according to claim 15, wherein said computer readable program code is further configured to:
facilitate choosing of alternative plan components; and adjust the recommended plan based on the alternative plan components. 18. The computer program product according to claim 14, wherein the chosen plan components include a project schedule. 19. The computer program product according to claim 15, wherein the information on plan components includes information on available resources. 20. The computer program product according to claim 15, wherein the information on plan components includes information on at least one image used in an application development project. 21. The computer program product according to claim 15, wherein the received information includes information received from a cloud infrastructure. 22. The computer program, product according to claim 15, wherein said computer readable program code is further configured to:
execute the selected plan; review actual resource utilization during execution; and selectably readjust the plan during execution. 23. The computer program product according to claim 22, wherein said computer readable program code is configured to readjust via at least one taken from the group consisting of: reducing a usage pattern; deprovisioning at least one resource. 24. The computer program product according to claim 15, wherein said computer readable program code is configured to facilitate acceptance of a recommended plan outright, and to facilitate the prompting thereupon of a resource booking for a duration specified in the accepted plan. 25. The computer program product according to claim 15, wherein said computer readable program code is configured to:
facilitate rejection of the recommended plans; and facilitate at least one taken from the group consisting of: choosing of alternative plan components; submission of constraints on plan components. | Methods and arrangements for dynamically facilitating project assembly. A project plan with a chosen set of plan components is submitted and a cloud portal is queried for information on chosen plan components. Information on the chosen plan components is received from the cloud portal. Plan recommendations are generated based on the received information, and a recommended plan is selected.1.-13. (canceled) 14. An apparatus comprising:
at least one processor; and a computer readable storage medium having computer readable program code embodied therewith and executable by the at least one processor, the computer readable program code comprising: computer readable program code configured to facilitate submission of a project plan with a chosen set of plan components; computer readable program code configured to query a cloud portal for information on the chosen plan components; computer readable program code configured to receive from the cloud portal information on the chosen plan components; computer readable program code configured to generate plan recommendations based on the received information; and computer readable program code configured to facilitate selection of a recommended plan. 15. A 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 configured to facilitate submission of a project plan with a chosen set of plan components; computer readable program code configured to query a cloud portal for information on the chosen plan components; computer readable program code configured to receive from the cloud portal information on the chosen plan components; computer readable program code configured to generate plan recommendations based on the received information; and computer readable program code configured to facilitate selection of a recommended plan. 16. The computer program product according to claim 15, wherein said computer readable program code is further configured to book plan resources corresponding to the recommended plan. 17. The computer program product according to claim 15, wherein said computer readable program code is further configured to:
facilitate choosing of alternative plan components; and adjust the recommended plan based on the alternative plan components. 18. The computer program product according to claim 14, wherein the chosen plan components include a project schedule. 19. The computer program product according to claim 15, wherein the information on plan components includes information on available resources. 20. The computer program product according to claim 15, wherein the information on plan components includes information on at least one image used in an application development project. 21. The computer program product according to claim 15, wherein the received information includes information received from a cloud infrastructure. 22. The computer program, product according to claim 15, wherein said computer readable program code is further configured to:
execute the selected plan; review actual resource utilization during execution; and selectably readjust the plan during execution. 23. The computer program product according to claim 22, wherein said computer readable program code is configured to readjust via at least one taken from the group consisting of: reducing a usage pattern; deprovisioning at least one resource. 24. The computer program product according to claim 15, wherein said computer readable program code is configured to facilitate acceptance of a recommended plan outright, and to facilitate the prompting thereupon of a resource booking for a duration specified in the accepted plan. 25. The computer program product according to claim 15, wherein said computer readable program code is configured to:
facilitate rejection of the recommended plans; and facilitate at least one taken from the group consisting of: choosing of alternative plan components; submission of constraints on plan components. | 3,600 |
12,819 | 12,819 | 14,097,995 | 3,626 | A system and method for patient stratification include determining a first set of patient groups from patients in a patient similarity graph based on a similarity structure of the patient similarity graph. A second set of patient groups is identified based on expert domain knowledge associated with the patients. Patients in the first set and the second set are aligned using a processor to stratify patients. | 1. A method for patient stratification, comprising:
determining a first set of patient groups from patients in a patient similarity graph based on a similarity structure of the patient similarity graph; identifying a second set of patient groups based on expert domain knowledge associated with the patients; and aligning patients in the first set and the second set using a processor to stratify patients. 2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein aligning patients includes identifying additional patient groups that are not associated with the expert domain knowledge. 3. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein aligning patients includes maximizing an agreement between patients assigned to the first set and patients assigned to the second set. 4. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the expert domain knowledge includes known risk factors associated with the patients. 5. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the second set of patient groups is incomplete. 6. The method as recited in claim 5, wherein the second set of patient groups includes unseen classes. 7. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the patient similarity graph includes nodes representing patients and edges representing a similarity between patients. 8. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein determining, identifying, and aligning include formulating an objective function and iteratively minimizing the objective function until convergence. 9. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the patient groups include patient risk groups for a medical condition. 10. A computer readable storage medium comprising a computer readable program for patient stratification, wherein the computer readable program when executed on a computer causes the computer to perform the steps of:
determining a first set of patient groups from patients in a patient similarity graph based on a similarity structure of the patient similarity graph; identifying a second set of patient groups based on expert domain knowledge associated with the patients; and aligning patients in the first set and the second set to stratify patients. 11. The computer readable storage medium as recited in claim 10, wherein aligning patients includes identifying additional patient groups that are not associated with the expert domain knowledge. 12. A system for patient stratification, comprising:
a data driven identification module configured to determine a first set of patient groups from patients in a patient similarity graph based on a similarity structure of the patient similarity graph; a knowledge driven identification module configured to identify a second set of patient groups based on expert domain knowledge associated with the patients; and a matching module configured to align patients in the first set and the second set using a processor to stratify patients. 13. The system as recited in claim 12, wherein the matching module is further configured to identify additional patient groups that are not associated with the expert domain knowledge. 14. The system as recited in claim 12, wherein the matching module is further configured to maximize an agreement between patients assigned to the first set and patients assigned to the second set. 15. The system as recited in claim 12, wherein the expert domain knowledge includes known risk factors associated with the patients. 16. The system as recited in claim 12, wherein the first set of patient groups is incomplete. 17. The system as recited in claim 16, wherein the first set of patient groups includes unseen classes. 18. The system as recited in claim 12, wherein the patient similarity graph includes nodes representing patients and edges representing a similarity between patients. 19. The system as recited in claim 12, wherein the data driven identification module, the knowledge driven identification module, and the matching module are configured to formulate an objective function and a solving module is configured to iteratively minimize the objective function until convergence. 20. The system as recited in claim 12, wherein the patient groups include patient risk groups for a medical condition. | A system and method for patient stratification include determining a first set of patient groups from patients in a patient similarity graph based on a similarity structure of the patient similarity graph. A second set of patient groups is identified based on expert domain knowledge associated with the patients. Patients in the first set and the second set are aligned using a processor to stratify patients.1. A method for patient stratification, comprising:
determining a first set of patient groups from patients in a patient similarity graph based on a similarity structure of the patient similarity graph; identifying a second set of patient groups based on expert domain knowledge associated with the patients; and aligning patients in the first set and the second set using a processor to stratify patients. 2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein aligning patients includes identifying additional patient groups that are not associated with the expert domain knowledge. 3. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein aligning patients includes maximizing an agreement between patients assigned to the first set and patients assigned to the second set. 4. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the expert domain knowledge includes known risk factors associated with the patients. 5. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the second set of patient groups is incomplete. 6. The method as recited in claim 5, wherein the second set of patient groups includes unseen classes. 7. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the patient similarity graph includes nodes representing patients and edges representing a similarity between patients. 8. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein determining, identifying, and aligning include formulating an objective function and iteratively minimizing the objective function until convergence. 9. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the patient groups include patient risk groups for a medical condition. 10. A computer readable storage medium comprising a computer readable program for patient stratification, wherein the computer readable program when executed on a computer causes the computer to perform the steps of:
determining a first set of patient groups from patients in a patient similarity graph based on a similarity structure of the patient similarity graph; identifying a second set of patient groups based on expert domain knowledge associated with the patients; and aligning patients in the first set and the second set to stratify patients. 11. The computer readable storage medium as recited in claim 10, wherein aligning patients includes identifying additional patient groups that are not associated with the expert domain knowledge. 12. A system for patient stratification, comprising:
a data driven identification module configured to determine a first set of patient groups from patients in a patient similarity graph based on a similarity structure of the patient similarity graph; a knowledge driven identification module configured to identify a second set of patient groups based on expert domain knowledge associated with the patients; and a matching module configured to align patients in the first set and the second set using a processor to stratify patients. 13. The system as recited in claim 12, wherein the matching module is further configured to identify additional patient groups that are not associated with the expert domain knowledge. 14. The system as recited in claim 12, wherein the matching module is further configured to maximize an agreement between patients assigned to the first set and patients assigned to the second set. 15. The system as recited in claim 12, wherein the expert domain knowledge includes known risk factors associated with the patients. 16. The system as recited in claim 12, wherein the first set of patient groups is incomplete. 17. The system as recited in claim 16, wherein the first set of patient groups includes unseen classes. 18. The system as recited in claim 12, wherein the patient similarity graph includes nodes representing patients and edges representing a similarity between patients. 19. The system as recited in claim 12, wherein the data driven identification module, the knowledge driven identification module, and the matching module are configured to formulate an objective function and a solving module is configured to iteratively minimize the objective function until convergence. 20. The system as recited in claim 12, wherein the patient groups include patient risk groups for a medical condition. | 3,600 |
12,820 | 12,820 | 13,177,133 | 3,694 | In one aspect, a system includes an interchange with a data storage facility. The interchange includes a common format processor and a plurality of converters to interface with a plurality of different controllers of mobile communications. The converters are configured to communicate with the common format processor in a common format and to communicate with the controllers in different formats. The interchange is to receive a request identifying a source phone number and a destination phone number, use a first converter to communicate with a mobile phone at the source phone number to obtain a confirmation of the request, obtain an amount of funds from a funding source associated with the source phone number, and use a second converter to transmit a message to a mobile phone at the destination phone number to indicate the availability of the amount of funds. | 1. A method, comprising:
receiving, in a computing device, a request identifying a source phone number and a destination phone number; identifying, by the computing device, a funding source associated with the source phone number; obtaining, by the computing device, an amount of funds from the funding source, in accordance with the request; storing data representing an amount provided from the source phone number to the destination phone number; and transmitting, from the computing device, a message to a mobile phone at the destination phone number, the message indicating availability of the amount of funds. 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
communicating, by the computing device, with a mobile phone at the source phone number to confirm the request. 3. The method of claim 2, wherein the communicating comprises receiving an indication of the funding source from the mobile phone at the source phone number. 4. The method of claim 2, wherein the communicating comprises receiving an indication of the amount from the mobile phone at the source phone number. 5. The method of claim 4, wherein the request identifies the amount; and the method further comprises:
confirming the request based at least in part on matching the indication of the amount received in the mobile phone and the amount identified in the request. 6. The method of claim 2, further comprising:
determining whether the request is received from a device separate from the mobile phone at the source phone number; wherein the communicating is in response to a determination that the request is received from a device separate from the mobile phone at the source phone number. 7. The method of claim 2, wherein the request is received from a mobile phone at the destination phone number via one of: a short message service (SMS), a mobile application, a web browser, and a voice portal. 8. The method of claim 1, wherein the request is received from a mobile phone at the source phone number via one of: a short message service (SMS), a mobile application, a web browser, and a voice portal. 9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
receiving a payment request identifying the destination phone number; communicating with the mobile phone at the destination phone number to confirm the payment request; and applying at least a portion of the amount of funds towards the payment request after the payment request is confirmed via the mobile phone at the destination phone number. 10. The method of claim 1, wherein the funding source is a telecommunications carrier of a mobile phone at the source phone number; and the obtaining comprises transmitting one or more premium messages to the mobile phone at the source phone number to cause the telecommunications carrier to charge the mobile phone and provide the amount of funds to the computing device. 11. The method of claim 1, wherein the funding source is an account selected from the group consisting of: a credit card account, a debit card account, a prepaid card account, a bank account, a checking account, and a stored value account. 12. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
receiving a reply to the message; and sending one or more premium messages from the computing device to the mobile phone at the destination phone number to provide funds to a user of the mobile phone via a telecommunications carrier of the mobile phone. 13. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
receiving a reply to the message; and providing the amount of funds to a destination account associated with the destination phone number. 14. The method of claim 13, wherein the destination account is an account selected from the group consisting of: a credit card account, a debit card account, a prepaid card account, a bank account, a checking account, and a stored value account identified by an email address. 15. The method of claim 13, wherein the destination account is specified via the reply to the message; and the method further comprises:
storing data associating the destination account with the destination phone number in response to the reply to the message. 16. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
generating a code to represent the amount of funds, wherein the message to the mobile phone at the destination phone number includes the code. 17. The method of claim 16, wherein the amount of funds is transferable to a user of a third mobile phone via communicating the code to the third mobile phone. 18. The method of claim 17, further comprising:
receiving a payment request from the third mobile phone, the payment request containing the code; and fulfilling the payment request on behalf of the user of the third mobile phone using at least a portion of funds represented by the code. 19. A computer-readable storage medium storing instructions, the instructions causing a computer to perform a method, the method comprising:
receiving a request identifying a source phone number and a destination phone number; identifying a funding source associated with the source phone number; obtaining an amount of funds from the funding source, in accordance with the request; generating a code to represent the amount of funds; and transmitting a message to a mobile phone at the destination phone number, the message including the code to provide the amount of funds. 20. A system, comprising:
a data storage facility; and an interchange coupled with the data storage facility, the interchange including a common format processor and a plurality of converters to interface with a plurality of controllers, the converters configured to communicate with the controllers in different formats, the converters to communicate with the common format processor in a common format; wherein in response to a request identifying a source phone number and a destination phone number, the interchange is to
use a first converter of the plurality of converters to communicate with a mobile phone at the source phone number to obtain a confirmation of the request,
obtain an amount of funds from a funding source associated with the source phone number in accordance with the request upon the confirmation of the request, and
use a second converter of the plurality of converters to transmit a message to a mobile phone at the destination phone number to indicate the availability of the amount of funds. | In one aspect, a system includes an interchange with a data storage facility. The interchange includes a common format processor and a plurality of converters to interface with a plurality of different controllers of mobile communications. The converters are configured to communicate with the common format processor in a common format and to communicate with the controllers in different formats. The interchange is to receive a request identifying a source phone number and a destination phone number, use a first converter to communicate with a mobile phone at the source phone number to obtain a confirmation of the request, obtain an amount of funds from a funding source associated with the source phone number, and use a second converter to transmit a message to a mobile phone at the destination phone number to indicate the availability of the amount of funds.1. A method, comprising:
receiving, in a computing device, a request identifying a source phone number and a destination phone number; identifying, by the computing device, a funding source associated with the source phone number; obtaining, by the computing device, an amount of funds from the funding source, in accordance with the request; storing data representing an amount provided from the source phone number to the destination phone number; and transmitting, from the computing device, a message to a mobile phone at the destination phone number, the message indicating availability of the amount of funds. 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
communicating, by the computing device, with a mobile phone at the source phone number to confirm the request. 3. The method of claim 2, wherein the communicating comprises receiving an indication of the funding source from the mobile phone at the source phone number. 4. The method of claim 2, wherein the communicating comprises receiving an indication of the amount from the mobile phone at the source phone number. 5. The method of claim 4, wherein the request identifies the amount; and the method further comprises:
confirming the request based at least in part on matching the indication of the amount received in the mobile phone and the amount identified in the request. 6. The method of claim 2, further comprising:
determining whether the request is received from a device separate from the mobile phone at the source phone number; wherein the communicating is in response to a determination that the request is received from a device separate from the mobile phone at the source phone number. 7. The method of claim 2, wherein the request is received from a mobile phone at the destination phone number via one of: a short message service (SMS), a mobile application, a web browser, and a voice portal. 8. The method of claim 1, wherein the request is received from a mobile phone at the source phone number via one of: a short message service (SMS), a mobile application, a web browser, and a voice portal. 9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
receiving a payment request identifying the destination phone number; communicating with the mobile phone at the destination phone number to confirm the payment request; and applying at least a portion of the amount of funds towards the payment request after the payment request is confirmed via the mobile phone at the destination phone number. 10. The method of claim 1, wherein the funding source is a telecommunications carrier of a mobile phone at the source phone number; and the obtaining comprises transmitting one or more premium messages to the mobile phone at the source phone number to cause the telecommunications carrier to charge the mobile phone and provide the amount of funds to the computing device. 11. The method of claim 1, wherein the funding source is an account selected from the group consisting of: a credit card account, a debit card account, a prepaid card account, a bank account, a checking account, and a stored value account. 12. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
receiving a reply to the message; and sending one or more premium messages from the computing device to the mobile phone at the destination phone number to provide funds to a user of the mobile phone via a telecommunications carrier of the mobile phone. 13. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
receiving a reply to the message; and providing the amount of funds to a destination account associated with the destination phone number. 14. The method of claim 13, wherein the destination account is an account selected from the group consisting of: a credit card account, a debit card account, a prepaid card account, a bank account, a checking account, and a stored value account identified by an email address. 15. The method of claim 13, wherein the destination account is specified via the reply to the message; and the method further comprises:
storing data associating the destination account with the destination phone number in response to the reply to the message. 16. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
generating a code to represent the amount of funds, wherein the message to the mobile phone at the destination phone number includes the code. 17. The method of claim 16, wherein the amount of funds is transferable to a user of a third mobile phone via communicating the code to the third mobile phone. 18. The method of claim 17, further comprising:
receiving a payment request from the third mobile phone, the payment request containing the code; and fulfilling the payment request on behalf of the user of the third mobile phone using at least a portion of funds represented by the code. 19. A computer-readable storage medium storing instructions, the instructions causing a computer to perform a method, the method comprising:
receiving a request identifying a source phone number and a destination phone number; identifying a funding source associated with the source phone number; obtaining an amount of funds from the funding source, in accordance with the request; generating a code to represent the amount of funds; and transmitting a message to a mobile phone at the destination phone number, the message including the code to provide the amount of funds. 20. A system, comprising:
a data storage facility; and an interchange coupled with the data storage facility, the interchange including a common format processor and a plurality of converters to interface with a plurality of controllers, the converters configured to communicate with the controllers in different formats, the converters to communicate with the common format processor in a common format; wherein in response to a request identifying a source phone number and a destination phone number, the interchange is to
use a first converter of the plurality of converters to communicate with a mobile phone at the source phone number to obtain a confirmation of the request,
obtain an amount of funds from a funding source associated with the source phone number in accordance with the request upon the confirmation of the request, and
use a second converter of the plurality of converters to transmit a message to a mobile phone at the destination phone number to indicate the availability of the amount of funds. | 3,600 |
12,821 | 12,821 | 14,968,227 | 3,692 | A computer-implemented method is presented to generate an index by determining price information associated with at least one of an equity and an equity-option of a first company, using the price information to estimate a volatility of an equity price of the first company, calculating a default probability based on the estimated volatility and calculating an index level using the calculated default probability. | 1. A computer-implemented method executed by one or more computing devices for manipulating a plurality of data sets to generate a final data set, the final data set comprising data representing an index and the plurality of data sets comprising a first data set, a second data set and third data set, the method comprising:
determining the first data set, the first data set comprising price information associated with at least one of an equity and an equity-option of a first company; using the first data set to generate the second data set, wherein generating the second data set comprises reading the price information from the first data set, estimating a volatility of an equity price of the first company based on the read price information, and writing the estimated volatility to the second data set; using the second data set to generate the third data set, wherein generating the third data set comprises reading the estimated volatility from the second data set, calculating a default probability based on the estimated volatility, the default probability being a probability that the equity becomes worthless over a defined time horizon, and writing the default probability to the third data set; and using the third data set to generate the final data set, wherein generating the final data set comprises reading the default probability from the third data set, calculating an index level using the calculated default probability and storing the calculated index level to the data representing the index. 2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein:
determining the first data set comprises determining the equity price of the first company, determining prices of a first equity-option of the first company, determining a dividend yield of the first company, determining a current market interest rate and storing the determined equity price, the determined prices of the first equity-option, the determined dividend yield and the determined current market interest rate as the price information; and estimating the volatility of the equity price of the first company comprises estimating the volatility based on the determined equity price and the determined prices of the first equity-option. 3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein:
determining the first data set further comprises determining prices of a second equity-option of the first company and storing the determined prices of the second equity-option in the price information; and estimating the volatility comprises estimating the volatility based on the determined equity price, the determined prices of the first equity-option and the determined prices of the second equity-option; 4. The computer-implemented method of claim 3, wherein:
generating the second data set further comprises estimating an elasticity parameter based on the determined equity price, the determined prices of the first equity-option and the determined prices of the second equity-option, and writing the elasticity parameter to the second data set; and generating the third data set further comprises reading the elasticity parameter from the second data set and calculating the default probability based on the estimated volatility and the estimated elasticity parameter. 5. The computer-implemented method of claim 4, wherein estimating the volatility and estimating the elasticity parameter comprises:
estimating an initial volatility of the equity price; estimating an initial elasticity parameter; calculating a price of the first equity-option using the estimated initial volatility and the estimated initial elasticity; calculating a price of the second equity-option using the estimated initial volatility and the estimated initial elasticity; computing a sum of squared differences between the calculated prices and the determined prices of the equity-options; and iteratively selecting new values for the volatility and the elasticity parameter to reduce the sum of differences until a minimum sum is found. 6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein:
generating the third data set further comprises determining a recovery rate and writing the recovery rate to the third data set; and generating the final data set comprises reading the recovery rate from the third data set and calculating the index level using the calculated default probability and the determined recovery rate. 7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein:
the price information is associated with equities and equity-options of a plurality of companies, the plurality of companies comprising the first company, generating the second data set further comprises estimating a volatility of a equity price for each company of the plurality of companies, and writing the estimated volatilities to the second data set, generating the third data set comprises reading the volatilities from the second data set, calculating default probabilities based on the estimated volatilities and writing the default probabilities to the third data set, and generating the final data set comprises reading the default probabilities from the third data set, calculating an index level using the calculated default probabilities and storing the index level to the final data set. 8. The computer-implemented method of claim 7, wherein generating the third data set comprises calculating one of a credit spread over a given time horizon per company, expected loss over a given time horizon per company and a value at risk over a given time horizon per company and wherein calculating the index level comprises weighting one of the default probability, the credit spread, the expected loss and the value at risk using a weighting scheme, the weighting scheme being one of simple averaging, weighting with a market capitalization of the equities and weighting with the default probabilities of the equities over a given time horizon. 9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the index is used to link both credit and equity markets. 10. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the index is constructed to represent a gauge for a tail risk. 11. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the index is constructed to represent a gauge for a credit and default risk. 12. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:
establishing a listed single name credit derivatives market; and settling the single name credit derivatives against the index. 13. The computer-implemented method of claim 7, further comprising:
establishing a listed multiple names credit derivatives market; and settling the multiple names credit derivatives against the index 14. A tangible, non-transitory, computer-readable storage medium that stores a set of executable instructions for manipulating a plurality of data sets to generate a final data set, the final data set comprising data representing an index and the plurality of data sets comprising a first data set, a second data set and third data set, the instructions when executed causing a computer to perform operations comprising:
determining the first data set, the first data set comprising price information associated with at least one of an equity and an equity-option of a first company; using the first data set to generate the second data set, wherein generating the second data set comprises reading the price information from the first data set, estimating a volatility of an equity price of the first company based on the read price information, and writing the estimated volatility to the second data set; using the second data set to generate the third data set, wherein generating the third data set comprises reading the estimated volatility from the second data set, calculating a default probability based on the estimated volatility, the default probability being a probability that the equity becomes worthless over a defined time horizon, and writing the default probability to the third data set; and using the third data set to generate the final data set, wherein generating the final data set comprises reading the default probability from the third data set, calculating an index level using the calculated default probability and storing the calculated index level to the data representing the index. 15. A computer system comprising a memory and one or more processors, the computer system being configured to manipulate a plurality of data sets to generate a final data set, the final data set comprising data representing an index and the plurality of data sets comprising a first data set, a second data set and third data set, the computer system comprising:
a market price input unit configured to determine the first data set, the first data set comprising price information associated with at least one of an equity and an equity-option of a first company; a parameter estimator configured to use the first data set to generate the second data set, wherein generating the second data set comprises reading the price information from the first data set, estimating a volatility of an equity price of the first company based on the read price information, and writing the estimated volatility to the second data set; a default probability calculator configured to use the second data set to generate the third data set, wherein generating the third data set comprises reading the estimated volatility from the second data set, calculating a default probability based on the estimated volatility, the default probability being a probability that the equity becomes worthless over a defined time horizon, and writing the default probability to the third data set; and an index generator configured to use the third data set to generate the final data set, wherein generating the final data set comprises reading the default probability from the third data set, calculating an index level using the calculated default probability and storing the calculated index level to the data representing the index. | A computer-implemented method is presented to generate an index by determining price information associated with at least one of an equity and an equity-option of a first company, using the price information to estimate a volatility of an equity price of the first company, calculating a default probability based on the estimated volatility and calculating an index level using the calculated default probability.1. A computer-implemented method executed by one or more computing devices for manipulating a plurality of data sets to generate a final data set, the final data set comprising data representing an index and the plurality of data sets comprising a first data set, a second data set and third data set, the method comprising:
determining the first data set, the first data set comprising price information associated with at least one of an equity and an equity-option of a first company; using the first data set to generate the second data set, wherein generating the second data set comprises reading the price information from the first data set, estimating a volatility of an equity price of the first company based on the read price information, and writing the estimated volatility to the second data set; using the second data set to generate the third data set, wherein generating the third data set comprises reading the estimated volatility from the second data set, calculating a default probability based on the estimated volatility, the default probability being a probability that the equity becomes worthless over a defined time horizon, and writing the default probability to the third data set; and using the third data set to generate the final data set, wherein generating the final data set comprises reading the default probability from the third data set, calculating an index level using the calculated default probability and storing the calculated index level to the data representing the index. 2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein:
determining the first data set comprises determining the equity price of the first company, determining prices of a first equity-option of the first company, determining a dividend yield of the first company, determining a current market interest rate and storing the determined equity price, the determined prices of the first equity-option, the determined dividend yield and the determined current market interest rate as the price information; and estimating the volatility of the equity price of the first company comprises estimating the volatility based on the determined equity price and the determined prices of the first equity-option. 3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein:
determining the first data set further comprises determining prices of a second equity-option of the first company and storing the determined prices of the second equity-option in the price information; and estimating the volatility comprises estimating the volatility based on the determined equity price, the determined prices of the first equity-option and the determined prices of the second equity-option; 4. The computer-implemented method of claim 3, wherein:
generating the second data set further comprises estimating an elasticity parameter based on the determined equity price, the determined prices of the first equity-option and the determined prices of the second equity-option, and writing the elasticity parameter to the second data set; and generating the third data set further comprises reading the elasticity parameter from the second data set and calculating the default probability based on the estimated volatility and the estimated elasticity parameter. 5. The computer-implemented method of claim 4, wherein estimating the volatility and estimating the elasticity parameter comprises:
estimating an initial volatility of the equity price; estimating an initial elasticity parameter; calculating a price of the first equity-option using the estimated initial volatility and the estimated initial elasticity; calculating a price of the second equity-option using the estimated initial volatility and the estimated initial elasticity; computing a sum of squared differences between the calculated prices and the determined prices of the equity-options; and iteratively selecting new values for the volatility and the elasticity parameter to reduce the sum of differences until a minimum sum is found. 6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein:
generating the third data set further comprises determining a recovery rate and writing the recovery rate to the third data set; and generating the final data set comprises reading the recovery rate from the third data set and calculating the index level using the calculated default probability and the determined recovery rate. 7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein:
the price information is associated with equities and equity-options of a plurality of companies, the plurality of companies comprising the first company, generating the second data set further comprises estimating a volatility of a equity price for each company of the plurality of companies, and writing the estimated volatilities to the second data set, generating the third data set comprises reading the volatilities from the second data set, calculating default probabilities based on the estimated volatilities and writing the default probabilities to the third data set, and generating the final data set comprises reading the default probabilities from the third data set, calculating an index level using the calculated default probabilities and storing the index level to the final data set. 8. The computer-implemented method of claim 7, wherein generating the third data set comprises calculating one of a credit spread over a given time horizon per company, expected loss over a given time horizon per company and a value at risk over a given time horizon per company and wherein calculating the index level comprises weighting one of the default probability, the credit spread, the expected loss and the value at risk using a weighting scheme, the weighting scheme being one of simple averaging, weighting with a market capitalization of the equities and weighting with the default probabilities of the equities over a given time horizon. 9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the index is used to link both credit and equity markets. 10. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the index is constructed to represent a gauge for a tail risk. 11. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the index is constructed to represent a gauge for a credit and default risk. 12. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:
establishing a listed single name credit derivatives market; and settling the single name credit derivatives against the index. 13. The computer-implemented method of claim 7, further comprising:
establishing a listed multiple names credit derivatives market; and settling the multiple names credit derivatives against the index 14. A tangible, non-transitory, computer-readable storage medium that stores a set of executable instructions for manipulating a plurality of data sets to generate a final data set, the final data set comprising data representing an index and the plurality of data sets comprising a first data set, a second data set and third data set, the instructions when executed causing a computer to perform operations comprising:
determining the first data set, the first data set comprising price information associated with at least one of an equity and an equity-option of a first company; using the first data set to generate the second data set, wherein generating the second data set comprises reading the price information from the first data set, estimating a volatility of an equity price of the first company based on the read price information, and writing the estimated volatility to the second data set; using the second data set to generate the third data set, wherein generating the third data set comprises reading the estimated volatility from the second data set, calculating a default probability based on the estimated volatility, the default probability being a probability that the equity becomes worthless over a defined time horizon, and writing the default probability to the third data set; and using the third data set to generate the final data set, wherein generating the final data set comprises reading the default probability from the third data set, calculating an index level using the calculated default probability and storing the calculated index level to the data representing the index. 15. A computer system comprising a memory and one or more processors, the computer system being configured to manipulate a plurality of data sets to generate a final data set, the final data set comprising data representing an index and the plurality of data sets comprising a first data set, a second data set and third data set, the computer system comprising:
a market price input unit configured to determine the first data set, the first data set comprising price information associated with at least one of an equity and an equity-option of a first company; a parameter estimator configured to use the first data set to generate the second data set, wherein generating the second data set comprises reading the price information from the first data set, estimating a volatility of an equity price of the first company based on the read price information, and writing the estimated volatility to the second data set; a default probability calculator configured to use the second data set to generate the third data set, wherein generating the third data set comprises reading the estimated volatility from the second data set, calculating a default probability based on the estimated volatility, the default probability being a probability that the equity becomes worthless over a defined time horizon, and writing the default probability to the third data set; and an index generator configured to use the third data set to generate the final data set, wherein generating the final data set comprises reading the default probability from the third data set, calculating an index level using the calculated default probability and storing the calculated index level to the data representing the index. | 3,600 |
12,822 | 12,822 | 11,344,917 | 3,685 | Systems and methods for delivering digital content from a central location to one or more remote locations are described. The systems contain a centrally-located device where the digital content is stored, a remotely-located device for delivering the digital content to an end user, and means for transferring the digital content from the central location to the remote location at either scheduled times or in real time. At the remote location(s), the digital content may be previewed, viewed, or purchased by the end user. Security information may be delivered along with the digital content to reduce or eliminate unauthorized duplication or distribution of the digital content. | 1. A system for transferring digital content, comprising:
a first device for storing digital content in a first location a second device for distributing the digital content in a second location; and means for semi-dynamically transferring the digital content from the first device to the second device. 2. The system of claim 1, wherein the second device also transfers data to the first device. 3. The system of claim 2, wherein the data comprises demographic data or sales transaction data. 4. The system of claim 1, wherein the digital content further comprises digital rights management information, advertising data, or both. 5. The system of claim 1, wherein the digital content is encrypted. 6. The system of claim 1, wherein the digital content is transferred according to content selection parameters. 7. A kiosk for distributing digital content to a user, comprising:
means for storing digital content; means for receiving the digital content that is capable of receiving the digital content in a semi-dynamic manner; and means for distributing the digital content to a user. 8. The kiosk of claim 7, further comprising means for collecting demographic data from the user. 9. The kiosk of claim 7, wherein the digital content further comprises digital rights management information, advertising data, or both. 10. The kiosk of claim 7, wherein the digital content is encrypted during distribution to the user. 11. A method for transferring digital content, the method comprising:
providing a system containing a first device for storing the digital content and a second device for distributing the digital content; and semi-dynamically transferring the digital content from the first device to the second device. 12. The method of claim 11, further comprising collecting demographic data from a user. 13. The method of claim 11, wherein the digital content further comprises digital rights management information, advertising data, or both. 14. The method of claim 11, wherein the digital content is encrypted. 15. A method for making a system for transferring digital content, the method comprising:
providing a first device for storing the digital content; providing a second device for distributing the digital content; and providing means for semi-dynamically transferring the digital content from the first device to the second device. 16. The method of claim 16, wherein the digital content further comprises digital rights management information, advertising data, or both. 17. The method of claim 16, wherein the digital content is encrypted. 18. A method for distributing digital content to a user, comprising:
providing a kiosk for distributing digital content to a user, comprising
means for storing digital content;
means for receiving the digital content that is capable of receiving the digital content in a semi-dynamic manner; and
means for distributing the digital content to a user; and
distributing digital content from the kiosk to a user. 19. The method of claim 18, further comprising collecting demographic data from the user. 20. The method of claim 18, wherein the digital content further comprises digital rights management information, advertising data, or both. 21. The method of claim 20, including presenting the advertising data to the user. 22. The method of claim 21, wherein the advertising message data is presented to the user after being selected according to advertising selection parameters. 23. The method of claim 18, further comprising means for encrypting the digital content. 24. A system for transferring digital content, the system containing a kiosk for distributing digital content to a user that comprises means for storing digital content, means for receiving the digital content, and means for distributing the digital content to a user; wherein the receiving means is capable of receiving the digital content in a semi-dynamic manner. 25. A method for making a kiosk for distributing digital content to a user, the method comprising:
providing means for storing digital content; providing means for receiving the digital content that is capable of receiving the digital content in a semi-dynamic manner; and providing means for distributing the digital content to a user. | Systems and methods for delivering digital content from a central location to one or more remote locations are described. The systems contain a centrally-located device where the digital content is stored, a remotely-located device for delivering the digital content to an end user, and means for transferring the digital content from the central location to the remote location at either scheduled times or in real time. At the remote location(s), the digital content may be previewed, viewed, or purchased by the end user. Security information may be delivered along with the digital content to reduce or eliminate unauthorized duplication or distribution of the digital content.1. A system for transferring digital content, comprising:
a first device for storing digital content in a first location a second device for distributing the digital content in a second location; and means for semi-dynamically transferring the digital content from the first device to the second device. 2. The system of claim 1, wherein the second device also transfers data to the first device. 3. The system of claim 2, wherein the data comprises demographic data or sales transaction data. 4. The system of claim 1, wherein the digital content further comprises digital rights management information, advertising data, or both. 5. The system of claim 1, wherein the digital content is encrypted. 6. The system of claim 1, wherein the digital content is transferred according to content selection parameters. 7. A kiosk for distributing digital content to a user, comprising:
means for storing digital content; means for receiving the digital content that is capable of receiving the digital content in a semi-dynamic manner; and means for distributing the digital content to a user. 8. The kiosk of claim 7, further comprising means for collecting demographic data from the user. 9. The kiosk of claim 7, wherein the digital content further comprises digital rights management information, advertising data, or both. 10. The kiosk of claim 7, wherein the digital content is encrypted during distribution to the user. 11. A method for transferring digital content, the method comprising:
providing a system containing a first device for storing the digital content and a second device for distributing the digital content; and semi-dynamically transferring the digital content from the first device to the second device. 12. The method of claim 11, further comprising collecting demographic data from a user. 13. The method of claim 11, wherein the digital content further comprises digital rights management information, advertising data, or both. 14. The method of claim 11, wherein the digital content is encrypted. 15. A method for making a system for transferring digital content, the method comprising:
providing a first device for storing the digital content; providing a second device for distributing the digital content; and providing means for semi-dynamically transferring the digital content from the first device to the second device. 16. The method of claim 16, wherein the digital content further comprises digital rights management information, advertising data, or both. 17. The method of claim 16, wherein the digital content is encrypted. 18. A method for distributing digital content to a user, comprising:
providing a kiosk for distributing digital content to a user, comprising
means for storing digital content;
means for receiving the digital content that is capable of receiving the digital content in a semi-dynamic manner; and
means for distributing the digital content to a user; and
distributing digital content from the kiosk to a user. 19. The method of claim 18, further comprising collecting demographic data from the user. 20. The method of claim 18, wherein the digital content further comprises digital rights management information, advertising data, or both. 21. The method of claim 20, including presenting the advertising data to the user. 22. The method of claim 21, wherein the advertising message data is presented to the user after being selected according to advertising selection parameters. 23. The method of claim 18, further comprising means for encrypting the digital content. 24. A system for transferring digital content, the system containing a kiosk for distributing digital content to a user that comprises means for storing digital content, means for receiving the digital content, and means for distributing the digital content to a user; wherein the receiving means is capable of receiving the digital content in a semi-dynamic manner. 25. A method for making a kiosk for distributing digital content to a user, the method comprising:
providing means for storing digital content; providing means for receiving the digital content that is capable of receiving the digital content in a semi-dynamic manner; and providing means for distributing the digital content to a user. | 3,600 |
12,823 | 12,823 | 15,223,894 | 3,661 | A vehicle immobilization system includes a detection element operable to detect a level of an intoxicant in a user's breath. A control module is operable to receive a signal from the detection element indicating the level of intoxicant in the user's breath, and to selectively restrict operation of a vehicle based on the level of intoxicant in the user's breath exceeding a threshold by selectively sending a signal via a connection between the control module and the vehicle using a data link connection such as an Onboard Diagnostic (OBD) port of the vehicle. | 1. A vehicle immobilization system, comprising:
a detection element operable to detect a level of an intoxicant in a user's breath; a control module operable to receive a signal from the detection element indicating the level of intoxicant in the user's breath, and to selectively restrict operation of the vehicle based on the level of intoxicant in the user's breath exceeding a threshold by selectively sending a signal via a connection between the control module and the vehicle using data link connector (DLC) of the vehicle. 2. The vehicle immobilization system of claim 1, wherein selectively sending a signal comprises disrupting at least one communications bus within the vehicle via the data link connector (DLC) of the vehicle to selectively restrict operation of the vehicle. 3. The vehicle immobilization system of claim 1, wherein selectively sending a signal comprises rewriting firmware via the data link connector (DLC) of the vehicle to selectively restrict operation of the vehicle. 4. The vehicle immobilization system of claim 3, wherein rewriting firmware further comprises encrypting at least a portion of the firmware to selectively restrict operation of the vehicle. 5. The vehicle immobilization system of claim 1, wherein selectively sending a signal comprises selectively controlling operation of one or more vehicle systems or components via the data link connector (DLC) of the vehicle to selectively restrict operation of the vehicle. 6. The vehicle immobilization system of claim 5, wherein the one or more vehicle systems or components comprise at least one of a fuel pump, starter relay, ignition, parking brake, and vehicle security system. 7. The vehicle immobilization system of claim 1, further comprising a vehicle interface operable to couple the control module to the vehicle through a data link connector (DLC) of the vehicle, the vehicle interface further operable to provide communication between the control module and the vehicle. 8. The vehicle immobilization system of claim 1, wherein the control module is further operable to perform at least one of honking a horn, flashing hazard lights, and turning down volume of a radio via the data link connector (DLC) of the vehicle if a user reverification is missed. 9. The vehicle immobilization system of claim 1, wherein the control module is further operable to monitor at least one of the vehicle's engine revolutions per minute (RPM), the vehicle's speed, and the vehicle's mileage via the data link connector (DLC) of the vehicle to verify continuous use of the vehicle immobilization system after installation in the vehicle. 10. The vehicle immobilization system of claim 1, wherein the control module is powered by a power signal received via the data link connector (DLC) of the vehicle. 11. The vehicle immobilization system of claim 1, wherein the control module comprises a smartphone in wireless communication with the vehicle interface, the vehicle interface coupled to the vehicle through the data link connector (DLC) of the vehicle. 12. The vehicle immobilization system of claim 1, wherein the connection between the control module and the vehicle using a data link connector (DLC) of the vehicle comprises a locking connection comprising a locking retention element operable to secure an OBD connector in communication with the control module to an OBD connector of the vehicle. 13. A method of selectively immobilizing a vehicle, comprising:
detecting a level of an intoxicant in a user's breath via a detection element; receiving a signal from the detection element indicating the level of intoxicant in the user's breath in a control module; and selectively restricting operation of the vehicle based on the level of intoxicant in the user's breath exceeding a threshold by selectively sending a signal via a connection between the control module and the vehicle using a data link connector (DLC) of the vehicle. 14. The method of selectively immobilizing a vehicle of claim 13, wherein selectively sending a signal comprises disrupting at least one communications bus within the vehicle via the data link connector (DLC) of the vehicle to selectively restrict operation of the vehicle. 15. The method of selectively immobilizing a vehicle of claim 13, wherein selectively sending a signal comprises rewriting firmware via the data link connector (DLC) of the vehicle to selectively restrict operation of the vehicle. 16. The method of selectively immobilizing a vehicle of claim 13, wherein rewriting firmware comprises encrypting at least a portion of the firmware. 17. The method of selectively immobilizing a vehicle of claim 13, wherein selectively sending a signal comprises selectively controlling operation of one or more vehicle systems or components via the data link connector (DLC) of the vehicle to selectively restrict operation of the vehicle. 18. The method of selectively immobilizing a vehicle of claim 17, wherein the one or more vehicle systems or components comprise at least one of a fuel pump, starter relay, ignition, parking brake, and vehicle security system. 19. The method of selectively immobilizing a vehicle of claim 13, further comprising coupling the control module to the vehicle through a data link connector (DLC) of the vehicle to provide communication between the control module and the vehicle. 20. The method of selectively immobilizing a vehicle of claim 13, further comprising at least one of honking a horn, flashing hazard lights, and turning down volume of a radio via the data link connector (DLC) of the vehicle if a user reverification is missed. 21. The method of selectively immobilizing a vehicle of claim 13, further comprising monitoring at least one of the vehicle's engine revolutions per minute (RPM), the vehicle's speed, and the vehicle's mileage via the data link connector (DLC) of the vehicle to verify continuous use of the vehicle immobilization system after installation in the vehicle. 22. The method of selectively immobilizing a vehicle of claim 13, further comprising powering the control module using a power signal received through the Onboard Diagnostic (OBD) port of the vehicle from the data link connector (DLC) of the vehicle. 23. The method of selectively immobilizing a vehicle of claim 13, wherein the control module comprises a smartphone in wireless communication with the vehicle interface, the vehicle interface coupled to the vehicle through the data link connector (DLC) of the vehicle. 24. The method of selectively immobilizing a vehicle of claim 13, further comprising locking the connection between the control module and the vehicle using a locking retention element to secure an OBD connector in communication with the control module to an OBD connector of the vehicle. | A vehicle immobilization system includes a detection element operable to detect a level of an intoxicant in a user's breath. A control module is operable to receive a signal from the detection element indicating the level of intoxicant in the user's breath, and to selectively restrict operation of a vehicle based on the level of intoxicant in the user's breath exceeding a threshold by selectively sending a signal via a connection between the control module and the vehicle using a data link connection such as an Onboard Diagnostic (OBD) port of the vehicle.1. A vehicle immobilization system, comprising:
a detection element operable to detect a level of an intoxicant in a user's breath; a control module operable to receive a signal from the detection element indicating the level of intoxicant in the user's breath, and to selectively restrict operation of the vehicle based on the level of intoxicant in the user's breath exceeding a threshold by selectively sending a signal via a connection between the control module and the vehicle using data link connector (DLC) of the vehicle. 2. The vehicle immobilization system of claim 1, wherein selectively sending a signal comprises disrupting at least one communications bus within the vehicle via the data link connector (DLC) of the vehicle to selectively restrict operation of the vehicle. 3. The vehicle immobilization system of claim 1, wherein selectively sending a signal comprises rewriting firmware via the data link connector (DLC) of the vehicle to selectively restrict operation of the vehicle. 4. The vehicle immobilization system of claim 3, wherein rewriting firmware further comprises encrypting at least a portion of the firmware to selectively restrict operation of the vehicle. 5. The vehicle immobilization system of claim 1, wherein selectively sending a signal comprises selectively controlling operation of one or more vehicle systems or components via the data link connector (DLC) of the vehicle to selectively restrict operation of the vehicle. 6. The vehicle immobilization system of claim 5, wherein the one or more vehicle systems or components comprise at least one of a fuel pump, starter relay, ignition, parking brake, and vehicle security system. 7. The vehicle immobilization system of claim 1, further comprising a vehicle interface operable to couple the control module to the vehicle through a data link connector (DLC) of the vehicle, the vehicle interface further operable to provide communication between the control module and the vehicle. 8. The vehicle immobilization system of claim 1, wherein the control module is further operable to perform at least one of honking a horn, flashing hazard lights, and turning down volume of a radio via the data link connector (DLC) of the vehicle if a user reverification is missed. 9. The vehicle immobilization system of claim 1, wherein the control module is further operable to monitor at least one of the vehicle's engine revolutions per minute (RPM), the vehicle's speed, and the vehicle's mileage via the data link connector (DLC) of the vehicle to verify continuous use of the vehicle immobilization system after installation in the vehicle. 10. The vehicle immobilization system of claim 1, wherein the control module is powered by a power signal received via the data link connector (DLC) of the vehicle. 11. The vehicle immobilization system of claim 1, wherein the control module comprises a smartphone in wireless communication with the vehicle interface, the vehicle interface coupled to the vehicle through the data link connector (DLC) of the vehicle. 12. The vehicle immobilization system of claim 1, wherein the connection between the control module and the vehicle using a data link connector (DLC) of the vehicle comprises a locking connection comprising a locking retention element operable to secure an OBD connector in communication with the control module to an OBD connector of the vehicle. 13. A method of selectively immobilizing a vehicle, comprising:
detecting a level of an intoxicant in a user's breath via a detection element; receiving a signal from the detection element indicating the level of intoxicant in the user's breath in a control module; and selectively restricting operation of the vehicle based on the level of intoxicant in the user's breath exceeding a threshold by selectively sending a signal via a connection between the control module and the vehicle using a data link connector (DLC) of the vehicle. 14. The method of selectively immobilizing a vehicle of claim 13, wherein selectively sending a signal comprises disrupting at least one communications bus within the vehicle via the data link connector (DLC) of the vehicle to selectively restrict operation of the vehicle. 15. The method of selectively immobilizing a vehicle of claim 13, wherein selectively sending a signal comprises rewriting firmware via the data link connector (DLC) of the vehicle to selectively restrict operation of the vehicle. 16. The method of selectively immobilizing a vehicle of claim 13, wherein rewriting firmware comprises encrypting at least a portion of the firmware. 17. The method of selectively immobilizing a vehicle of claim 13, wherein selectively sending a signal comprises selectively controlling operation of one or more vehicle systems or components via the data link connector (DLC) of the vehicle to selectively restrict operation of the vehicle. 18. The method of selectively immobilizing a vehicle of claim 17, wherein the one or more vehicle systems or components comprise at least one of a fuel pump, starter relay, ignition, parking brake, and vehicle security system. 19. The method of selectively immobilizing a vehicle of claim 13, further comprising coupling the control module to the vehicle through a data link connector (DLC) of the vehicle to provide communication between the control module and the vehicle. 20. The method of selectively immobilizing a vehicle of claim 13, further comprising at least one of honking a horn, flashing hazard lights, and turning down volume of a radio via the data link connector (DLC) of the vehicle if a user reverification is missed. 21. The method of selectively immobilizing a vehicle of claim 13, further comprising monitoring at least one of the vehicle's engine revolutions per minute (RPM), the vehicle's speed, and the vehicle's mileage via the data link connector (DLC) of the vehicle to verify continuous use of the vehicle immobilization system after installation in the vehicle. 22. The method of selectively immobilizing a vehicle of claim 13, further comprising powering the control module using a power signal received through the Onboard Diagnostic (OBD) port of the vehicle from the data link connector (DLC) of the vehicle. 23. The method of selectively immobilizing a vehicle of claim 13, wherein the control module comprises a smartphone in wireless communication with the vehicle interface, the vehicle interface coupled to the vehicle through the data link connector (DLC) of the vehicle. 24. The method of selectively immobilizing a vehicle of claim 13, further comprising locking the connection between the control module and the vehicle using a locking retention element to secure an OBD connector in communication with the control module to an OBD connector of the vehicle. | 3,600 |
12,824 | 12,824 | 14,132,786 | 3,622 | An incentive rewards program that enables an initiating participant entity to dynamically specify incentive rewards point values with respect to defined activities that may be variously performed by other participant entities and by consumers. These entities are nominally associated with vertically aligned business tiers including a retail operator tier. The initiating participant entity is nominally only indirectly associated with retail participant entities associated with the retail operator tier. Retail participant entities record transactions that associate incentive program account identifiers with identified defined activities. These transactions are largely autonomously retrieved, parsed and qualified against the defined activities specified by the initiating participant entity. Corresponding sets of reward points are allocated from an account corresponding to the initiating participant entity to accounts corresponding to the account identifiers recorded in the transaction records. | 1. A computer system implementing an incentive rewards allocation program among vertically positioned entities operating for the delivery of a defined product to a consumer, said computer system comprising:
a) a first computer subsystem operative to implement a designed instance of an incentive awards program establishing a specification of defined point grants to be issued to reward accounts in response to defined activities performed in furtherance of said designed instance; b) a second computer subsystem, coupled to said first computer subsystem, operative to communicate via a communications network with first and second classes of users, said first class of users including campaign initiators and retail tier operators, wherein a campaign initiator communicates through said second computer subsystem with said first computer subsystem to create said designed instance including said specification, said second class of users including consumers, wherein a consumer communicates with said second computer system to identify said defined activities as specified in relation to said designed instance, wherein said consumer performs a chosen one of said defined activities; and c) a third computer subsystem, coupled to said first and second computer subsystems, operative to communicate said retail tier operator to retrieve predetermined sales data including a record of said chosen one of said defined activities, said record including an account identifier uniquely associable by said third computer subsystem with said consumer, said third computer system being further operative to perform a point grant to an account identified by said account identifier according to said specification with respect to said chosen one of said defined activities. 2. A computer system operative to execute instructions implementing an incentive rewards program comprising the steps of:
a) first enabling an initiating participant entity to dynamically specify incentive rewards point values with respect to a plurality of defined activities that may be performed by other participant entities and consumers, said initiating participant entity being associated with a predetermined business tier that is one of a plurality of vertically associated business tiers including a retail operator tier, wherein a retail participant entity is associated with said retail operator tier, wherein said retail participant entity is indirectly affiliated with said initiating participant entity; b) second enabling said retail participant entity to associate an account identifier with a transaction reflecting performance an identified one of said plurality of defined activities, wherein said account number is further associated with one of said other participant entities and said consumers; c) retrieving from said retail participant entity a record of said transaction including said account identifier; d) first determining, from said record, said one of said plurality of defined activities and said account identifier; e) second determining the incentive rewards point value specified with respect to said one of said plurality of defined activities; f) crediting to an account identified by said account identifier the incentive rewards point value as determined in said second determining step; and g) debiting an account associated with said initiating participant entity the incentive rewards point value as determined in said second determining step. | An incentive rewards program that enables an initiating participant entity to dynamically specify incentive rewards point values with respect to defined activities that may be variously performed by other participant entities and by consumers. These entities are nominally associated with vertically aligned business tiers including a retail operator tier. The initiating participant entity is nominally only indirectly associated with retail participant entities associated with the retail operator tier. Retail participant entities record transactions that associate incentive program account identifiers with identified defined activities. These transactions are largely autonomously retrieved, parsed and qualified against the defined activities specified by the initiating participant entity. Corresponding sets of reward points are allocated from an account corresponding to the initiating participant entity to accounts corresponding to the account identifiers recorded in the transaction records.1. A computer system implementing an incentive rewards allocation program among vertically positioned entities operating for the delivery of a defined product to a consumer, said computer system comprising:
a) a first computer subsystem operative to implement a designed instance of an incentive awards program establishing a specification of defined point grants to be issued to reward accounts in response to defined activities performed in furtherance of said designed instance; b) a second computer subsystem, coupled to said first computer subsystem, operative to communicate via a communications network with first and second classes of users, said first class of users including campaign initiators and retail tier operators, wherein a campaign initiator communicates through said second computer subsystem with said first computer subsystem to create said designed instance including said specification, said second class of users including consumers, wherein a consumer communicates with said second computer system to identify said defined activities as specified in relation to said designed instance, wherein said consumer performs a chosen one of said defined activities; and c) a third computer subsystem, coupled to said first and second computer subsystems, operative to communicate said retail tier operator to retrieve predetermined sales data including a record of said chosen one of said defined activities, said record including an account identifier uniquely associable by said third computer subsystem with said consumer, said third computer system being further operative to perform a point grant to an account identified by said account identifier according to said specification with respect to said chosen one of said defined activities. 2. A computer system operative to execute instructions implementing an incentive rewards program comprising the steps of:
a) first enabling an initiating participant entity to dynamically specify incentive rewards point values with respect to a plurality of defined activities that may be performed by other participant entities and consumers, said initiating participant entity being associated with a predetermined business tier that is one of a plurality of vertically associated business tiers including a retail operator tier, wherein a retail participant entity is associated with said retail operator tier, wherein said retail participant entity is indirectly affiliated with said initiating participant entity; b) second enabling said retail participant entity to associate an account identifier with a transaction reflecting performance an identified one of said plurality of defined activities, wherein said account number is further associated with one of said other participant entities and said consumers; c) retrieving from said retail participant entity a record of said transaction including said account identifier; d) first determining, from said record, said one of said plurality of defined activities and said account identifier; e) second determining the incentive rewards point value specified with respect to said one of said plurality of defined activities; f) crediting to an account identified by said account identifier the incentive rewards point value as determined in said second determining step; and g) debiting an account associated with said initiating participant entity the incentive rewards point value as determined in said second determining step. | 3,600 |
12,825 | 12,825 | 13,949,616 | 3,626 | Embodiments of the invention relate to methods of optimizing the collection of specimens, e.g., of blood, when multiple laboratory tests have been prescribed at one time for a patient. Laboratory tests may use specimens such as blood, drawn, e.g., through venipuncture, and patients may experience greater discomfort, inconvenience, and/or anxiety as more and more blood is collected, and at greater expense. Embodiments of the invention include computer systems configured to optimize the collection of specimens for laboratory tests to reduce the number of specimens that must be collected from a patient for any given set of laboratory tests. | 1. A computerized method of optimizing collection of biological samples for a plurality of laboratory tests to be performed on a patient, the method using a computer system that comprises one or more processors, one or more interfaces operatively coupled to at least one of the processors, and one or more computer-readable storage media operatively coupled to at least one of the processors, and the method comprising:
receiving through one of the interfaces a requisition for the laboratory tests, each of the tests being associated with respective collection requirements including a required number of containers; for each of the requisitioned tests, retrieving the associated collection requirements from at least one of the computer-readable storage media; at least one of the processors executing instructions to compute the total number of containers to be collected; at least one of the processors executing instructions to determine that the number exceeds a collection limit; and at least one of the processors executing instructions to apply one or more optimizations until the collection cannot be further optimized or the optimized number of containers no longer exceeds the collection limit. 2. The computerized method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the optimizations depends on a rule that depends on the age of the patient. 3. The computerized method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the optimizations depends on a rule that depends on a diagnosed medical condition of the patient. 4. The computerized method of claim 1, wherein:
the laboratory tests comprise a first tests that require collection of blood samples and second tests that require collection of urine samples; applying optimizations comprises applying at least one first optimization to blood collection and at least one second optimization to urine collection; and at least one first optimization is not one of the second optimizations. 5. The computerized method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the optimizations depends on one or more rules from a group that consists of:
a rule that depends on sharing of laboratory samples; a rule that depends on assigning laboratory tests; a rule that depends on specimen handing logic; a rule that depends on determining the order of laboratory rests; a rule that depends on the nature of an apparatus involved in the test; a rule that depends on the location of an apparatus involved in the test; a rule that depends on preference samples of laboratory tests; a rule that depends on substituting aliquot from a first laboratory sample for a second laboratory sample; and a rule that depends on sharing of backup laboratory samples. 6. A computer system for optimizing the collection of specimens for laboratory tests, the computer system comprising:
one or more processors; one or more interfaces operatively coupled to at least one of the processors; and one or more computer-readable storage media, operatively coupled to at least one of the processors and encoded with instructions that, when executed by one or more of the processors, cause the computer system at least to
receive through one of the interfaces a requisition for the laboratory tests, each of the tests being associated with respective collection requirements including a required number of containers;
for each of the requisitioned tests, retrieve the associated collection requirements from at least one of the computer-readable storage media;
compute the total number of containers to be collected;
determine that the number exceeds a collection limit; and
apply one or more optimizations until the collection cannot be further optimized or the optimized number of containers no longer exceeds the collection limit. 7. The computer system of claim 6, wherein at least one of the optimizations depends on a rule that depends on the age of the patient. 8. The computer system of claim 6, wherein at least one of the optimizations depends on a rule that depends on a diagnosed medical condition of the patient. 9. The computer system of claim 6, wherein:
the laboratory tests comprise a first tests that require collection of blood samples and second tests that require collection of urine samples; applying optimizations comprises applying at least one first optimization to blood collection and at least one second optimization to urine collection; and at least one first optimization is not one of the second optimizations. 10. The computer system of claim 6, wherein at least one of the optimizations depends on one or more rules from a group that consists of:
a rule that depends on sharing of laboratory samples; a rule that depends on assigning laboratory tests; a rule that depends on specimen handing logic; a rule that depends on determining the order of laboratory tests; a rule that depends on the nature of an apparatus involved in the test; a rule that depends on the location of an apparatus involved in the test; a rule that depends on preference samples of laboratory tests; a rule that depends on substituting aliquot from a first laboratory sample for a second laboratory sample; and a rule that depends on sharing of backup laboratory samples. 11. A computer-readable storage medium encoded with instructions that, when executed by one or more processors comprised by a computer system that comprises one or more interfaces operatively coupled to at least one of the processors and one or more computer-readable storage media operatively coupled to at least one of the processors, cause the computer system to carry out a method of optimizing collection of biological samples for a plurality of laboratory tests to be performed on a patient, the method comprising:
receiving through one of the interfaces a requisition for the laboratory tests, each of the tests being associated with respective collection requirements including a required number of containers; for each of the requisitioned tests, retrieving the associated collection requirements from at least one of the computer-readable storage media; at least one of the processors executing instructions to compute the total number of containers to be collected; at least one of the processors executing instructions to determine that the number exceeds a collection limit; and at least one of the processors executing instructions to apply one or more optimizations until the collection cannot be further optimized or the optimized number of containers no longer exceeds the collection limit; wherein the computer-readable storage medium is not a transitory propagating signal. 12. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein at least one of the optimizations depends on a rule that depends on the age of the patient. 13. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein at least one of the optimizations depends on a rule that depends on a diagnosed medical condition of the patient. 14. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein:
the laboratory tests comprise a first tests that require collection of blood samples and second tests that require collection of urine samples; applying optimizations comprises applying at least one first optimization to blood collection and at least one second optimization to urine collection; and at least one first optimization is not one of the second optimizations. 15. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein at least one of the optimizations depends on one or more rules from a group that consists of:
a rule that depends on sharing of laboratory samples; a rule that depends on assigning laboratory tests; a rule that depends on specimen handing logic; a rule that depends on determining the order of laboratory tests; a rule that depends on the nature of an apparatus involved in the test; a rule that depends on the location of an apparatus involved in the test; a rule that depends on preference samples of laboratory tests; a rule that depends on substituting aliquot from a first laboratory sample for a second laboratory sample; and a rule that depends on sharing of backup laboratory samples. | Embodiments of the invention relate to methods of optimizing the collection of specimens, e.g., of blood, when multiple laboratory tests have been prescribed at one time for a patient. Laboratory tests may use specimens such as blood, drawn, e.g., through venipuncture, and patients may experience greater discomfort, inconvenience, and/or anxiety as more and more blood is collected, and at greater expense. Embodiments of the invention include computer systems configured to optimize the collection of specimens for laboratory tests to reduce the number of specimens that must be collected from a patient for any given set of laboratory tests.1. A computerized method of optimizing collection of biological samples for a plurality of laboratory tests to be performed on a patient, the method using a computer system that comprises one or more processors, one or more interfaces operatively coupled to at least one of the processors, and one or more computer-readable storage media operatively coupled to at least one of the processors, and the method comprising:
receiving through one of the interfaces a requisition for the laboratory tests, each of the tests being associated with respective collection requirements including a required number of containers; for each of the requisitioned tests, retrieving the associated collection requirements from at least one of the computer-readable storage media; at least one of the processors executing instructions to compute the total number of containers to be collected; at least one of the processors executing instructions to determine that the number exceeds a collection limit; and at least one of the processors executing instructions to apply one or more optimizations until the collection cannot be further optimized or the optimized number of containers no longer exceeds the collection limit. 2. The computerized method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the optimizations depends on a rule that depends on the age of the patient. 3. The computerized method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the optimizations depends on a rule that depends on a diagnosed medical condition of the patient. 4. The computerized method of claim 1, wherein:
the laboratory tests comprise a first tests that require collection of blood samples and second tests that require collection of urine samples; applying optimizations comprises applying at least one first optimization to blood collection and at least one second optimization to urine collection; and at least one first optimization is not one of the second optimizations. 5. The computerized method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the optimizations depends on one or more rules from a group that consists of:
a rule that depends on sharing of laboratory samples; a rule that depends on assigning laboratory tests; a rule that depends on specimen handing logic; a rule that depends on determining the order of laboratory rests; a rule that depends on the nature of an apparatus involved in the test; a rule that depends on the location of an apparatus involved in the test; a rule that depends on preference samples of laboratory tests; a rule that depends on substituting aliquot from a first laboratory sample for a second laboratory sample; and a rule that depends on sharing of backup laboratory samples. 6. A computer system for optimizing the collection of specimens for laboratory tests, the computer system comprising:
one or more processors; one or more interfaces operatively coupled to at least one of the processors; and one or more computer-readable storage media, operatively coupled to at least one of the processors and encoded with instructions that, when executed by one or more of the processors, cause the computer system at least to
receive through one of the interfaces a requisition for the laboratory tests, each of the tests being associated with respective collection requirements including a required number of containers;
for each of the requisitioned tests, retrieve the associated collection requirements from at least one of the computer-readable storage media;
compute the total number of containers to be collected;
determine that the number exceeds a collection limit; and
apply one or more optimizations until the collection cannot be further optimized or the optimized number of containers no longer exceeds the collection limit. 7. The computer system of claim 6, wherein at least one of the optimizations depends on a rule that depends on the age of the patient. 8. The computer system of claim 6, wherein at least one of the optimizations depends on a rule that depends on a diagnosed medical condition of the patient. 9. The computer system of claim 6, wherein:
the laboratory tests comprise a first tests that require collection of blood samples and second tests that require collection of urine samples; applying optimizations comprises applying at least one first optimization to blood collection and at least one second optimization to urine collection; and at least one first optimization is not one of the second optimizations. 10. The computer system of claim 6, wherein at least one of the optimizations depends on one or more rules from a group that consists of:
a rule that depends on sharing of laboratory samples; a rule that depends on assigning laboratory tests; a rule that depends on specimen handing logic; a rule that depends on determining the order of laboratory tests; a rule that depends on the nature of an apparatus involved in the test; a rule that depends on the location of an apparatus involved in the test; a rule that depends on preference samples of laboratory tests; a rule that depends on substituting aliquot from a first laboratory sample for a second laboratory sample; and a rule that depends on sharing of backup laboratory samples. 11. A computer-readable storage medium encoded with instructions that, when executed by one or more processors comprised by a computer system that comprises one or more interfaces operatively coupled to at least one of the processors and one or more computer-readable storage media operatively coupled to at least one of the processors, cause the computer system to carry out a method of optimizing collection of biological samples for a plurality of laboratory tests to be performed on a patient, the method comprising:
receiving through one of the interfaces a requisition for the laboratory tests, each of the tests being associated with respective collection requirements including a required number of containers; for each of the requisitioned tests, retrieving the associated collection requirements from at least one of the computer-readable storage media; at least one of the processors executing instructions to compute the total number of containers to be collected; at least one of the processors executing instructions to determine that the number exceeds a collection limit; and at least one of the processors executing instructions to apply one or more optimizations until the collection cannot be further optimized or the optimized number of containers no longer exceeds the collection limit; wherein the computer-readable storage medium is not a transitory propagating signal. 12. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein at least one of the optimizations depends on a rule that depends on the age of the patient. 13. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein at least one of the optimizations depends on a rule that depends on a diagnosed medical condition of the patient. 14. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein:
the laboratory tests comprise a first tests that require collection of blood samples and second tests that require collection of urine samples; applying optimizations comprises applying at least one first optimization to blood collection and at least one second optimization to urine collection; and at least one first optimization is not one of the second optimizations. 15. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein at least one of the optimizations depends on one or more rules from a group that consists of:
a rule that depends on sharing of laboratory samples; a rule that depends on assigning laboratory tests; a rule that depends on specimen handing logic; a rule that depends on determining the order of laboratory tests; a rule that depends on the nature of an apparatus involved in the test; a rule that depends on the location of an apparatus involved in the test; a rule that depends on preference samples of laboratory tests; a rule that depends on substituting aliquot from a first laboratory sample for a second laboratory sample; and a rule that depends on sharing of backup laboratory samples. | 3,600 |
12,826 | 12,826 | 13,758,553 | 3,621 | A social networking system presents recommendation units to its users. The recommendation units suggest actions for the users to increase their engagement with the social networking system or otherwise interact with other users. The social networking system establishes internal goals and associates bids for recommendation units with different goals. The bids reflect the value to the goal of a user interacting with a recommendation unit. Based on bids for recommendation units associated with one or more goals, expected values of the recommendation units arid determined. The recommendation units are ranked based on the expected values and one or more recommendation units are selected based on the ranking. | 1. A computer-implemented method comprising:
receiving a request for content from a viewing user of a social networking system; receiving a plurality of candidate recommendation units for the viewing user, each candidate recommendation unit including a recommendation that the viewing user perform an action in the social networking system identified by the recommendation unit; determining a plurality of bid amounts for each candidate recommendation unit, each bid amount associated with a goal of the social networking system and based on a value to the goal of the viewing user performing the action identified by the candidate recommendation unit; determining a combined bid amount for each candidate recommendation unit based on the plurality of bid amounts associated with a candidate recommendation unit; determining an expected value for each candidate recommendation unit based on the combined bid amount associated with the candidate recommendation unit; ranking the candidate recommendation units using the expected value; selecting content for presentation to the viewing user including a recommendation unit selected from the candidate recommendation units based at least in part on the ranking; and sending the selected content for display to the viewing user. 2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the combined bid amount for the candidate recommendation unit is a sum of the plurality of bid amounts for the candidate recommendation unit. 3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the expected value of the candidate recommendation unit is based on the combined bid amount associated with the candidate recommendation unit and a likelihood the viewing user interacts with the candidate recommendation unit. 4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the expected value of the candidate recommendation unit is the combined bid amount associated with the candidate recommendation unit. 5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the bid amount associated with a goal is based on social networking information associated with the viewing user. 6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the combined bid amount is measured in currency. 7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:
reducing a budget associated with a goal associated the recommendation unit selected from the candidate recommendation units by the bid amount for the recommendation unit selected from the candidate recommendation units associated with the goal. 8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising
retrieving a plurality of candidate advertisements for the viewing user, each candidate advertisement associated with a bid amount; determining an expected value for each of the plurality of candidate advertisements; ranking the candidate recommendation units and the candidate advertisements based on the expected values; and selecting at least one candidate recommendation unit and at least on candidate advertisement based on the ranking. 8. A computer-implemented method comprising:
storing a budget for each of a plurality of goals of a social networking system; receiving a request for content from a viewing user of the social networking system; receiving a plurality of candidate recommendation units for the viewing user, each candidate recommendation unit including a recommendation that the viewing user perform an action in the social networking system identified by the recommendation unit; determining a plurality of bid amounts for each candidate recommendation unit, each bid amount associated with a goal of the social networking system and based on a value to the goal of the viewing user performing the action identified by the candidate recommendation unit; determining an expected value for each candidate recommendation unit based on the plurality of bid amounts associated with a candidate recommendation unit; ranking the candidate recommendation units using the expected value; selecting a recommendation unit from the candidate recommendation units based at least in part on the ranking, the selected recommendation unit associated with bid amounts associated with one or more goals; reducing a budget associated with a goal associated with a bid amount associated with the selected recommendation unit by the bid amount associated with the selected recommendation unit; and sending content including the selected recommendation unit for display to the viewing user. 9. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, wherein an expected value of a candidate recommendation unit is a sum of the plurality of bid amounts associated with the candidate recommendation unit. 10. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, wherein an expected value of a candidate recommendation unit based on a sum of the plurality of bid amounts associated with the candidate recommendation unit and a likelihood the viewing user interacts with the candidate recommendation unit. 11. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, wherein an expected value of a candidate recommendation unit is a sum of the plurality of bid amounts associated with the candidate recommendation unit modified by an increment. 12. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein a bid amount associated with a goal is based on social networking information associated with the viewing user. | A social networking system presents recommendation units to its users. The recommendation units suggest actions for the users to increase their engagement with the social networking system or otherwise interact with other users. The social networking system establishes internal goals and associates bids for recommendation units with different goals. The bids reflect the value to the goal of a user interacting with a recommendation unit. Based on bids for recommendation units associated with one or more goals, expected values of the recommendation units arid determined. The recommendation units are ranked based on the expected values and one or more recommendation units are selected based on the ranking.1. A computer-implemented method comprising:
receiving a request for content from a viewing user of a social networking system; receiving a plurality of candidate recommendation units for the viewing user, each candidate recommendation unit including a recommendation that the viewing user perform an action in the social networking system identified by the recommendation unit; determining a plurality of bid amounts for each candidate recommendation unit, each bid amount associated with a goal of the social networking system and based on a value to the goal of the viewing user performing the action identified by the candidate recommendation unit; determining a combined bid amount for each candidate recommendation unit based on the plurality of bid amounts associated with a candidate recommendation unit; determining an expected value for each candidate recommendation unit based on the combined bid amount associated with the candidate recommendation unit; ranking the candidate recommendation units using the expected value; selecting content for presentation to the viewing user including a recommendation unit selected from the candidate recommendation units based at least in part on the ranking; and sending the selected content for display to the viewing user. 2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the combined bid amount for the candidate recommendation unit is a sum of the plurality of bid amounts for the candidate recommendation unit. 3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the expected value of the candidate recommendation unit is based on the combined bid amount associated with the candidate recommendation unit and a likelihood the viewing user interacts with the candidate recommendation unit. 4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the expected value of the candidate recommendation unit is the combined bid amount associated with the candidate recommendation unit. 5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the bid amount associated with a goal is based on social networking information associated with the viewing user. 6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the combined bid amount is measured in currency. 7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:
reducing a budget associated with a goal associated the recommendation unit selected from the candidate recommendation units by the bid amount for the recommendation unit selected from the candidate recommendation units associated with the goal. 8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising
retrieving a plurality of candidate advertisements for the viewing user, each candidate advertisement associated with a bid amount; determining an expected value for each of the plurality of candidate advertisements; ranking the candidate recommendation units and the candidate advertisements based on the expected values; and selecting at least one candidate recommendation unit and at least on candidate advertisement based on the ranking. 8. A computer-implemented method comprising:
storing a budget for each of a plurality of goals of a social networking system; receiving a request for content from a viewing user of the social networking system; receiving a plurality of candidate recommendation units for the viewing user, each candidate recommendation unit including a recommendation that the viewing user perform an action in the social networking system identified by the recommendation unit; determining a plurality of bid amounts for each candidate recommendation unit, each bid amount associated with a goal of the social networking system and based on a value to the goal of the viewing user performing the action identified by the candidate recommendation unit; determining an expected value for each candidate recommendation unit based on the plurality of bid amounts associated with a candidate recommendation unit; ranking the candidate recommendation units using the expected value; selecting a recommendation unit from the candidate recommendation units based at least in part on the ranking, the selected recommendation unit associated with bid amounts associated with one or more goals; reducing a budget associated with a goal associated with a bid amount associated with the selected recommendation unit by the bid amount associated with the selected recommendation unit; and sending content including the selected recommendation unit for display to the viewing user. 9. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, wherein an expected value of a candidate recommendation unit is a sum of the plurality of bid amounts associated with the candidate recommendation unit. 10. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, wherein an expected value of a candidate recommendation unit based on a sum of the plurality of bid amounts associated with the candidate recommendation unit and a likelihood the viewing user interacts with the candidate recommendation unit. 11. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, wherein an expected value of a candidate recommendation unit is a sum of the plurality of bid amounts associated with the candidate recommendation unit modified by an increment. 12. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein a bid amount associated with a goal is based on social networking information associated with the viewing user. | 3,600 |
12,827 | 12,827 | 12,245,964 | 3,685 | Hardware mechanisms are provided for performing hardware based access control of instructions to data. These hardware mechanisms associate an instruction access policy label with an instruction to be processed by a processor and associate an operand access policy label with data to be processed by the processor. The instruction access policy label is passed along with the instruction through one or more hardware functional units of the processor. The operand access policy label is passed along with the data through the one or more hardware functional units of the processor. One or more hardware implemented policy engines associated with the one or more hardware functional units of the processor are utilized to control access by the instruction to the data based on the instruction access policy label and the operand access policy label. | 1. A method, in a data processing system, for performing hardware based access control, comprising:
associating, in hardware of the data processing system, an instruction access policy label with an instruction to be processed by a processor of the data processing system; associating, in hardware of the data processing system, an operand access policy label with data in the data processing system; passing the instruction access policy label along with the instruction through one or more hardware functional units of the processor; passing the operand access policy label along with the data through the one or more hardware functional units of the processor; and utilizing one or more hardware implemented policy engines associated with the one or more hardware functional units of the processor to control access by the instruction to the data based on the instruction access policy label and the operand access policy label. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more hardware functional units comprises an execute unit, a load/store unit, and a branch unit, and wherein each of the execute unit, the load/store unit, and the branch unit has a corresponding hardware implemented policy engine. 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the data processing system comprises a hardware implemented access policy label cache that stores an extended access control matrix specifying access controls for a plurality of access policy labels. 4. The method of claim 3, wherein the extended access control matrix comprises one or more lookup tables for each instruction type, the instruction type being decoded by the processor from the instruction as an instruction identifier. 5. The method of claim 4, wherein each of the lookup tables specifies, based on an input operand label for data, an input instruction label for an instruction, and a context label for a process associated with the instruction, the access rights and transition rules which govern the execution of the instruction. 6. The method of claim 5, wherein the transition rules specify additional operations to be performed when executing the instruction. 7. The method of claim 6, wherein the additional operations comprise at least one of a trap operation for trapping the instruction and causing a software trap handler to execute on the instruction or a transition operation for transitioning the context label from a current value to a context label value associated with an output of a policy label lookup operation in the extended access control matrix. 8. The method of claim 3, wherein the one or more hardware implemented policy engines access the extended access control matrix stored in the hardware implemented access policy label cache to enforce an access control policy to control access to data by instructions processed by the data processing system. 9. The method of claim 3, wherein passing the first access policy and passing the second access policy comprises:
receiving the instruction and the instruction access policy label in a first hardware implemented policy engine associated with a first hardware functional unit of the processor; receiving, in the first hardware implemented policy engine, a current process context label associated with the instruction; and receiving, in the first hardware implemented policy engine, one or more operand labels corresponding to one or more operands of the instruction, and wherein utilizing the one or more hardware implemented policy engines to control access by the instruction to the data based on the instruction access policy label and the operand access policy label comprises performing a policy lookup operation on the extended access control matrix based on the instruction label, current process context label, and the one or more operand labels to identify an output label for a result of the execution of the instruction. 10. The method of claim 9, wherein utilizing the one or more hardware implemented policy engines to control access by the instruction to the data based on the instruction access policy label and the operand access policy label further comprises:
determining if the output label is a trap label; and executing a trap by executing a software interrupt to transfer control to a privileged software handler in response to a determination that the output label is a trap label; and executing the instruction and setting a label associated with result data of the execution of the instruction to the output label, if the output label is determined to not be a trap label. 11. The method of claim 10, wherein utilizing the one or more hardware implemented policy engines to control access by the instruction to the data based on the instruction access policy label and the operand access policy label further comprises:
determining if the output label indicates a context transition; and setting the current process context label to the output label value if the output label indicates a context transition. 12. A processor, comprising:
one or more hardware functional units; and one or more hardware implemented policy engines associated with the one or more hardware functional units, wherein: an instruction access policy label is associated, in hardware of the processor, with an instruction to be processed by the processor, an operand access policy label is associated, in hardware of the processor, with data processed by the processor, the instruction access policy label is passed along with the instruction through the one or more hardware functional units of the processor, the operand access policy label is passed along with the data through the one or more hardware functional units of the processor, and the one or more hardware implemented policy engines operate to control access by the instruction to the data based on the instruction access policy label and the operand access policy label. 13. The processor of claim 12, wherein the one or more hardware functional units comprises an execute unit, a load/store unit, and a branch unit, and wherein each of the execute unit, the load/store unit, and the branch unit has a corresponding hardware implemented policy engine. 14. The processor of claim 12, wherein the processor comprises a hardware implemented access policy label cache that stores an extended access control matrix specifying access controls for a plurality of access policy labels. 15. The processor of claim 14, wherein the extended access control matrix comprises one or more lookup tables for each instruction type, the instruction type being decoded by the processor from the instruction as an instruction identifier. 16. The processor of claim 15, wherein each of the lookup tables specifies, based on an input operand label for data, an input instruction label for an instruction, and a context label for a process associated with the instruction, the access rights and transition rules which govern the execution of the instruction. 17. The processor of claim 16, wherein the transition rules specify additional operations to be performed when executing the instruction. 18. The processor of claim 17, wherein the additional operations comprise at least one of a trap operation for trapping the instruction and causing a software trap handler to execute on the instruction or a transition operation for transitioning the context label from a current value to a context label value associated with an output of a policy label lookup operation in the extended access control matrix. 19. The processor of claim 14, wherein the one or more hardware implemented policy engines access the extended access control matrix stored in the hardware implemented access policy label cache to enforce an access control policy to control access to data by instructions processed by the processor. 20. The processor of claim 14, wherein the first access policy and the second access policy are passed through the one or more hardware functional units by:
receiving the instruction and the instruction access policy label in a first hardware implemented policy engine associated with a first hardware functional unit of the processor; receiving, in the first hardware implemented policy engine, a current process context label associated with the instruction; and receiving, in the first hardware implemented policy engine, one or more operand labels corresponding to one or more operands of the instruction, and wherein the one or more hardware implemented policy engines operate to control access by the instruction to the data based on the instruction access policy label and the operand access policy label by performing a policy lookup operation on the extended access control matrix based on the instruction label, current process context label, and the one or more operand labels to identify an output label for a result of the execution of the instruction. 21. The processor of claim 20, wherein the one or more hardware implemented policy engines operate to control access by the instruction to the data based on the instruction access policy label and the operand access policy label further by:
determining if the output label is a trap label; and executing a trap by executing a software interrupt to transfer control to a privileged software handler in response to a determination that the output label is a trap label; and executing the instruction and setting a label associated with result data of the execution of the instruction to the output label, if the output label is determined to not be a trap label. 22. The processor of claim 21, wherein the one or more hardware implemented policy engines operate to control access by the instruction to the data based on the instruction access policy label and the operand access policy label further by:
determining if the output label indicates a context transition; and setting the current process context label to the output label value if the output label indicates a context transition. | Hardware mechanisms are provided for performing hardware based access control of instructions to data. These hardware mechanisms associate an instruction access policy label with an instruction to be processed by a processor and associate an operand access policy label with data to be processed by the processor. The instruction access policy label is passed along with the instruction through one or more hardware functional units of the processor. The operand access policy label is passed along with the data through the one or more hardware functional units of the processor. One or more hardware implemented policy engines associated with the one or more hardware functional units of the processor are utilized to control access by the instruction to the data based on the instruction access policy label and the operand access policy label.1. A method, in a data processing system, for performing hardware based access control, comprising:
associating, in hardware of the data processing system, an instruction access policy label with an instruction to be processed by a processor of the data processing system; associating, in hardware of the data processing system, an operand access policy label with data in the data processing system; passing the instruction access policy label along with the instruction through one or more hardware functional units of the processor; passing the operand access policy label along with the data through the one or more hardware functional units of the processor; and utilizing one or more hardware implemented policy engines associated with the one or more hardware functional units of the processor to control access by the instruction to the data based on the instruction access policy label and the operand access policy label. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more hardware functional units comprises an execute unit, a load/store unit, and a branch unit, and wherein each of the execute unit, the load/store unit, and the branch unit has a corresponding hardware implemented policy engine. 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the data processing system comprises a hardware implemented access policy label cache that stores an extended access control matrix specifying access controls for a plurality of access policy labels. 4. The method of claim 3, wherein the extended access control matrix comprises one or more lookup tables for each instruction type, the instruction type being decoded by the processor from the instruction as an instruction identifier. 5. The method of claim 4, wherein each of the lookup tables specifies, based on an input operand label for data, an input instruction label for an instruction, and a context label for a process associated with the instruction, the access rights and transition rules which govern the execution of the instruction. 6. The method of claim 5, wherein the transition rules specify additional operations to be performed when executing the instruction. 7. The method of claim 6, wherein the additional operations comprise at least one of a trap operation for trapping the instruction and causing a software trap handler to execute on the instruction or a transition operation for transitioning the context label from a current value to a context label value associated with an output of a policy label lookup operation in the extended access control matrix. 8. The method of claim 3, wherein the one or more hardware implemented policy engines access the extended access control matrix stored in the hardware implemented access policy label cache to enforce an access control policy to control access to data by instructions processed by the data processing system. 9. The method of claim 3, wherein passing the first access policy and passing the second access policy comprises:
receiving the instruction and the instruction access policy label in a first hardware implemented policy engine associated with a first hardware functional unit of the processor; receiving, in the first hardware implemented policy engine, a current process context label associated with the instruction; and receiving, in the first hardware implemented policy engine, one or more operand labels corresponding to one or more operands of the instruction, and wherein utilizing the one or more hardware implemented policy engines to control access by the instruction to the data based on the instruction access policy label and the operand access policy label comprises performing a policy lookup operation on the extended access control matrix based on the instruction label, current process context label, and the one or more operand labels to identify an output label for a result of the execution of the instruction. 10. The method of claim 9, wherein utilizing the one or more hardware implemented policy engines to control access by the instruction to the data based on the instruction access policy label and the operand access policy label further comprises:
determining if the output label is a trap label; and executing a trap by executing a software interrupt to transfer control to a privileged software handler in response to a determination that the output label is a trap label; and executing the instruction and setting a label associated with result data of the execution of the instruction to the output label, if the output label is determined to not be a trap label. 11. The method of claim 10, wherein utilizing the one or more hardware implemented policy engines to control access by the instruction to the data based on the instruction access policy label and the operand access policy label further comprises:
determining if the output label indicates a context transition; and setting the current process context label to the output label value if the output label indicates a context transition. 12. A processor, comprising:
one or more hardware functional units; and one or more hardware implemented policy engines associated with the one or more hardware functional units, wherein: an instruction access policy label is associated, in hardware of the processor, with an instruction to be processed by the processor, an operand access policy label is associated, in hardware of the processor, with data processed by the processor, the instruction access policy label is passed along with the instruction through the one or more hardware functional units of the processor, the operand access policy label is passed along with the data through the one or more hardware functional units of the processor, and the one or more hardware implemented policy engines operate to control access by the instruction to the data based on the instruction access policy label and the operand access policy label. 13. The processor of claim 12, wherein the one or more hardware functional units comprises an execute unit, a load/store unit, and a branch unit, and wherein each of the execute unit, the load/store unit, and the branch unit has a corresponding hardware implemented policy engine. 14. The processor of claim 12, wherein the processor comprises a hardware implemented access policy label cache that stores an extended access control matrix specifying access controls for a plurality of access policy labels. 15. The processor of claim 14, wherein the extended access control matrix comprises one or more lookup tables for each instruction type, the instruction type being decoded by the processor from the instruction as an instruction identifier. 16. The processor of claim 15, wherein each of the lookup tables specifies, based on an input operand label for data, an input instruction label for an instruction, and a context label for a process associated with the instruction, the access rights and transition rules which govern the execution of the instruction. 17. The processor of claim 16, wherein the transition rules specify additional operations to be performed when executing the instruction. 18. The processor of claim 17, wherein the additional operations comprise at least one of a trap operation for trapping the instruction and causing a software trap handler to execute on the instruction or a transition operation for transitioning the context label from a current value to a context label value associated with an output of a policy label lookup operation in the extended access control matrix. 19. The processor of claim 14, wherein the one or more hardware implemented policy engines access the extended access control matrix stored in the hardware implemented access policy label cache to enforce an access control policy to control access to data by instructions processed by the processor. 20. The processor of claim 14, wherein the first access policy and the second access policy are passed through the one or more hardware functional units by:
receiving the instruction and the instruction access policy label in a first hardware implemented policy engine associated with a first hardware functional unit of the processor; receiving, in the first hardware implemented policy engine, a current process context label associated with the instruction; and receiving, in the first hardware implemented policy engine, one or more operand labels corresponding to one or more operands of the instruction, and wherein the one or more hardware implemented policy engines operate to control access by the instruction to the data based on the instruction access policy label and the operand access policy label by performing a policy lookup operation on the extended access control matrix based on the instruction label, current process context label, and the one or more operand labels to identify an output label for a result of the execution of the instruction. 21. The processor of claim 20, wherein the one or more hardware implemented policy engines operate to control access by the instruction to the data based on the instruction access policy label and the operand access policy label further by:
determining if the output label is a trap label; and executing a trap by executing a software interrupt to transfer control to a privileged software handler in response to a determination that the output label is a trap label; and executing the instruction and setting a label associated with result data of the execution of the instruction to the output label, if the output label is determined to not be a trap label. 22. The processor of claim 21, wherein the one or more hardware implemented policy engines operate to control access by the instruction to the data based on the instruction access policy label and the operand access policy label further by:
determining if the output label indicates a context transition; and setting the current process context label to the output label value if the output label indicates a context transition. | 3,600 |
12,828 | 12,828 | 14,512,279 | 3,689 | Review data associated with a guest experience at an event, such as a vacation rental, for example, is transmitted over a communications network to one or more networked computing devices for processing the review data into a review data file for publication. The review data may be generated by an application executing on a processor of a client device such as a smartphone, tablet or pad. The review data may include access credentials and location data that may be processed to validate that the review data is legitimate. The review data may include media content captured in-situ at the event while the guest is experiencing the event. Prior to publishing a review data file, an owner may receive a notice and/or a copy of the pending review data file and the owner may take action to cure a less than stellar review and/or amend the review prior to publication. | 1. A method, comprising:
receiving via a communications link between a networked computing device and a client device, review data transmitted by the client device, the review data generated by an application executed on the client device; extracting credential data and location data from the review data; validating at the networked computing device, the credential data to determine if the credential data matches access credentials in a data storage resource, and the location data to determine if the location data is within a locus of an event in the data storage resource; formatting at the networked computing device, text content included in the review data, and media content, if any, included in the review data, into a review data file; queuing the review data file for publication; communicating a notice of a pending publication of the review data file to an owner device via another communications link between the networked computing device and the owner device; and publishing the review data file after communicating the notice. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving the review data occurs at a time while the client device is in-situ with a duration of the event that is a subject of the review data. 3. The method of claim 1 and further comprising:
transmitting via the communications link, a prompt received by the client device and processed by the application, and the prompt comprises a message operative to initiate capture of the media content by the client device. 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the text content includes free text, structured text or both. 5. The method of claim 1, wherein the formatting includes formatting the review data into device specific review data files configured for different devices that receive the device specific review data files after the publishing. 6. The method of claim 1 and further comprising:
communicating via the another communications link, the review data file to the owner device. 7. The method of claim 6 and further comprising:
receiving at the networked computing device, an amended review data file transmitted by the client device via the another communications link. 8. The method of claim 1 and further comprising:
receiving at the networked computing device, an amended review data file transmitted by the client device via the another communications link responsive to a request message transmitted by the owner device requesting amendment to the review. 9. The method of claim 1, wherein metadata included in the review data includes location data used for the validating of the location data. 10. The method of claim 9, wherein metadata is included in the media content. 11. A system, comprising:
a computing resource; a data storage resource; and a communications interface in communication with the computing resource and the data storage resource, the computing resource configured to execute instructions embodied in a non-transitory computer readable medium to:
receive review data via the communications interface,
validate credential data included in the review data to determine if the credential data matches an access credential in the data storage resource,
validate location data included in the review data to determine if the location data is within a locus of an event in the data storage resource,
format text content, and media content, if any, included in the review data, into a review data file,
queue the review data file for publication,
communicate via the communications interface, a notice of a pending publication of the review data file,
amend the review data file at the computing resource if data representing a response to a request to revise the review data file is received via the communications interface after communicating the notice, and
publish the review data file. 12. The system of claim 11, wherein the text content that is formatted includes free text, structured text or both. 13. The system of claim 11, wherein the review data includes media content and formatting of the media content includes converting the media content from one file type to another file type. 14. The system of claim 11, wherein the review data includes media content and formatting of the media content includes converting the media content from one aspect ratio to another aspect ratio. 15. The system of claim 11, wherein the instructions are configured to
receive amended review data via the communications interface, validate credential data included in the amended review data by determining if the credential data matches an access credential in the data storage resource, validate location data included in the amended review data by determining if the location data is within a first locus of an owner location in the data storage resource, format the amended review data into an amended review data file, and queue the amended review data file for publication. 16. The system of claim 11, wherein the instructions are included in an application program interface. 17. The system of claim 11, wherein the instructions are configured to
generate a push message, the push message configured to be received by an application, and to transmit the push message via the communications interface to an external device in communications with the communications interface via a wireless communications link. 18. The system of claim 17, wherein the application is executed on a processor of the external device. 19. The system of claim 11, wherein the instructions are configured to
receive via the communications interface a confirmation of receipt of a push message by an application executing on a processor of an external device in communications with the communications interface via a wireless communications link. 20. The system of claim 11, wherein the review data that is received is generated by an application executing on a processor of an external device in communications with the communications interface via a wireless communications link. | Review data associated with a guest experience at an event, such as a vacation rental, for example, is transmitted over a communications network to one or more networked computing devices for processing the review data into a review data file for publication. The review data may be generated by an application executing on a processor of a client device such as a smartphone, tablet or pad. The review data may include access credentials and location data that may be processed to validate that the review data is legitimate. The review data may include media content captured in-situ at the event while the guest is experiencing the event. Prior to publishing a review data file, an owner may receive a notice and/or a copy of the pending review data file and the owner may take action to cure a less than stellar review and/or amend the review prior to publication.1. A method, comprising:
receiving via a communications link between a networked computing device and a client device, review data transmitted by the client device, the review data generated by an application executed on the client device; extracting credential data and location data from the review data; validating at the networked computing device, the credential data to determine if the credential data matches access credentials in a data storage resource, and the location data to determine if the location data is within a locus of an event in the data storage resource; formatting at the networked computing device, text content included in the review data, and media content, if any, included in the review data, into a review data file; queuing the review data file for publication; communicating a notice of a pending publication of the review data file to an owner device via another communications link between the networked computing device and the owner device; and publishing the review data file after communicating the notice. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving the review data occurs at a time while the client device is in-situ with a duration of the event that is a subject of the review data. 3. The method of claim 1 and further comprising:
transmitting via the communications link, a prompt received by the client device and processed by the application, and the prompt comprises a message operative to initiate capture of the media content by the client device. 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the text content includes free text, structured text or both. 5. The method of claim 1, wherein the formatting includes formatting the review data into device specific review data files configured for different devices that receive the device specific review data files after the publishing. 6. The method of claim 1 and further comprising:
communicating via the another communications link, the review data file to the owner device. 7. The method of claim 6 and further comprising:
receiving at the networked computing device, an amended review data file transmitted by the client device via the another communications link. 8. The method of claim 1 and further comprising:
receiving at the networked computing device, an amended review data file transmitted by the client device via the another communications link responsive to a request message transmitted by the owner device requesting amendment to the review. 9. The method of claim 1, wherein metadata included in the review data includes location data used for the validating of the location data. 10. The method of claim 9, wherein metadata is included in the media content. 11. A system, comprising:
a computing resource; a data storage resource; and a communications interface in communication with the computing resource and the data storage resource, the computing resource configured to execute instructions embodied in a non-transitory computer readable medium to:
receive review data via the communications interface,
validate credential data included in the review data to determine if the credential data matches an access credential in the data storage resource,
validate location data included in the review data to determine if the location data is within a locus of an event in the data storage resource,
format text content, and media content, if any, included in the review data, into a review data file,
queue the review data file for publication,
communicate via the communications interface, a notice of a pending publication of the review data file,
amend the review data file at the computing resource if data representing a response to a request to revise the review data file is received via the communications interface after communicating the notice, and
publish the review data file. 12. The system of claim 11, wherein the text content that is formatted includes free text, structured text or both. 13. The system of claim 11, wherein the review data includes media content and formatting of the media content includes converting the media content from one file type to another file type. 14. The system of claim 11, wherein the review data includes media content and formatting of the media content includes converting the media content from one aspect ratio to another aspect ratio. 15. The system of claim 11, wherein the instructions are configured to
receive amended review data via the communications interface, validate credential data included in the amended review data by determining if the credential data matches an access credential in the data storage resource, validate location data included in the amended review data by determining if the location data is within a first locus of an owner location in the data storage resource, format the amended review data into an amended review data file, and queue the amended review data file for publication. 16. The system of claim 11, wherein the instructions are included in an application program interface. 17. The system of claim 11, wherein the instructions are configured to
generate a push message, the push message configured to be received by an application, and to transmit the push message via the communications interface to an external device in communications with the communications interface via a wireless communications link. 18. The system of claim 17, wherein the application is executed on a processor of the external device. 19. The system of claim 11, wherein the instructions are configured to
receive via the communications interface a confirmation of receipt of a push message by an application executing on a processor of an external device in communications with the communications interface via a wireless communications link. 20. The system of claim 11, wherein the review data that is received is generated by an application executing on a processor of an external device in communications with the communications interface via a wireless communications link. | 3,600 |
12,829 | 12,829 | 13,163,673 | 3,628 | A production system includes an information handling system (IHS) having a carrier capacity prediction tool that receives a customer order that may include packaging and carrier requirements. The carrier capacity prediction tool partitions the customer order into work units. The carrier capacity tool determines work unit carrier capacity requirements from historical data that a volumetric weight database stores. If the volumetric weight database does not include sufficient historical information to determine carrier capacity requirements, the carrier capacity tool predicts carrier capacity requirements from best fit or actual packaging data during final packaging of customer goods for shipment. The carrier capacity tool sums all work unit packaging and volumetric weight data for each customer order to generate an aggregate of the total carrier capacity needs for a particular time period for production system shipping. | 1. A method, comprising:
receiving, by a carrier capacity prediction tool, a first order for configurable customer goods at a first order time; determining at approximately the first order time, by the carrier capacity prediction tool, if the first order exhibits a first complexity level for which the carrier capacity prediction tool already includes sufficient order characteristic information and sufficient packaging history information to make a carrier capacity prediction for the configurable customer goods corresponding to the first order, and otherwise determining that the first order exhibits a second complexity level for which the carrier capacity prediction tool does not already have sufficient packaging history information and sufficient order characteristic information to make a carrier capacity prediction; predicting at approximately the first order time, by the carrier capacity prediction tool, the carrier capacity in response to the determining that the first order exhibits the first complexity level; and determining at time of packaging of the configurable customer goods, by the carrier capacity prediction tool, the carrier capacity in response to the determining that the first order exhibits the second complexity level. 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
partitioning at approximately the first order time, by the carrier capacity tool, the first order into a plurality of work units; testing at approximately the first order time, by the carrier capacity prediction tool, the work units of the plurality of work units to determine respective complexity levels of the work units, each work unit exhibiting one of the first and second complexity levels; predicting at approximately the first order time, by the carrier capacity prediction tool, respective carrier capacities for those work units of the plurality of units that exhibit the first complexity level; and determining at time of packaging of the configurable customer goods, by the carrier capacity prediction tool, the respective carrier capacities of those work units of the plurality of work units that exhibit the second complexity level. 3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:
summing, by the carrier capacity prediction tool, the respective carrier capacities of the work units that exhibit the first complexity level with the respective carrier capacities of the work units that exhibit the second complexity level to determine the total carrier capacity required for the first order. 4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
storing at the time of packaging, by the carrier capacity prediction tool, respective carrier capacities for work units that exhibit the second complexity level so that the carrier capacity tool learns the carrier capacities of work units not previously encountered by the carrier capacity tool before the first order time. 5. The method of claim 2, further comprising:
receiving, by the carrier capacity prediction tool, a second order for configurable customer goods at a second order time; partitioning at approximately the second order time, by the carrier capacity tool, the second order into a plurality of work units; determining, by the carrier capacity prediction tool, the respective carrier capacities of the work units associated with the second order; and combining, by the carrier capacity prediction tool, carrier capacities associated with the work units of the first and second orders to determine a total carrier capacity for the first and second orders. 6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:
combining, by the carrier capacity prediction tool, carrier capacities associated with the work units of the first and second orders and other orders processed by the carrier capacity tool over a predetermined time period to determine total carrier capacity needed to transport the first, second and other orders. 7. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining at approximately the first order time and the predicting at approximately the first order time occur in real time. 8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
storing, by the carrier capacity prediction tool, respective carrier capacities of work units in a volumetric weight database. 9. An information handling system (IHS), comprising:
a processor; a memory coupled to the processor, the memory being configured with a carrier capacity prediction tool to: receive a first order for configurable customer goods at a first order time; determine at approximately the first order time if the first order exhibits a first complexity level for which the carrier capacity prediction tool already includes sufficient order characteristic information and sufficient packaging history information to make a carrier capacity prediction for the configurable customer goods corresponding to the first order, and otherwise determine that the first order exhibits a second complexity level for which the carrier capacity prediction tool does not already have sufficient packaging history information and sufficient order characteristic information to make a carrier capacity prediction; predict at approximately the first order time the carrier capacity in response to determining that the first order exhibits the first complexity level; and determine at time of packaging of the configurable customer goods the carrier capacity in response to determining that the first order exhibits the second complexity level. 10. The IHS of claim 9, wherein the memory is further configured to:
partition at approximately the first order time, by the carrier capacity tool, the first order into a plurality of work units; test at approximately the first order time the work units of the plurality of work units to determine respective complexity levels of the work units, each work unit exhibiting one of the first and second complexity levels; predict at approximately the first order time respective carrier capacities for those work units of the plurality of units that exhibit the first complexity level; and determine at time of packaging of the configurable customer goods the respective carrier capacities of those work units of the plurality of work units that exhibit the second complexity level. 11. The IHS of claim 10, wherein the memory is further configured to:
sum the respective carrier capacities of the work units that exhibit the first complexity level with the respective carrier capacities of the work units that exhibit the second complexity level to determine the total carrier capacity required for the first order. 12. The IHS of claim 9, wherein the memory is further configured to:
store respective carrier capacities for work units that exhibit the second complexity level so that the carrier capacity tool learns the carrier capacities of work units not previously encountered by the carrier capacity tool before the first order time. 13. The IHS of claim 10, wherein the memory is further configured to:
receive a second order for configurable customer goods at a second order time; partition at approximately the second order time the second order into a plurality of work units; determine the respective carrier capacities of the work units associated with the second order; and combine the carrier capacities associated with the work units of the first and second orders to determine a total carrier capacity for the first and second orders. 14. The IHS of claim 13, wherein the memory is further configured to:
combine carrier capacities associated with the work units of the first and second orders and other orders processed by the carrier capacity tool over a predetermined time period to determine total carrier capacity needed to transport the first, second and other orders. 15. The IHS of claim 9, wherein carrier capacity prediction tool determines in real time if the first order exhibits the first complexity level and wherein the carrier capacity prediction tool predicts in real time the carrier capacity in response to determining that the first order exhibits the first complexity level. 16. The IHS of claim 9, further comprising a volumetric database in which the carrier capacity prediction tool stores respective carrier capacities of work units. 17. A carrier capacity prediction tool computer program product, comprising:
a non-transitory computer readable storage medium; first instructions that receive a first order for configurable customer goods at a first order time; second instructions that determine at approximately the first order time if the first order exhibits a first complexity level for which the carrier capacity prediction tool computer program product already includes sufficient order characteristic information and sufficient packaging history information to make a carrier capacity prediction for the configurable customer goods corresponding to the first order, and that otherwise determine that the first order exhibits a second complexity level for which the carrier capacity prediction tool computer program product, does not already have sufficient packaging history information and sufficient order characteristic information to make a carrier capacity prediction; third instructions that predict at approximately the first order time the carrier capacity in response to determining that the first order exhibits the first complexity level; fourth instructions that determine at time of packaging of the configurable customer goods the carrier capacity in response to determining that the first order exhibits the second complexity level; wherein the first, second, third and fourth program instructions are stored on the non-transitory computer readable storage medium. 18. The carrier capacity prediction tool computer program product of claim 16, further comprising:
fifth instructions that partition at approximately the first order time the first order into a plurality of work units; sixth instructions that test at approximately the first order time the work units of the plurality of work units to determine respective complexity levels of the work units, each work unit exhibiting one of the first and second complexity levels; seventh instructions that predict at approximately the first order time respective carrier capacities for those work units of the plurality of units that exhibit the first complexity level; and eighth instructions that determine at time of packaging of the configurable customer goods the respective carrier capacities of those work units of the plurality of work units that exhibit the second complexity level. 19. The carrier capacity prediction tool computer program product of claim 18, further comprising:
ninth instructions that sum the respective carrier capacities of the work units that exhibit the first complexity level with the respective carrier capacities of the work units that exhibit the second complexity level to determine the total carrier capacity required for the first order. 20. The carrier capacity prediction tool computer program product of claim 17, further comprising:
tenth instructions that store respective carrier capacities for work units that exhibit the second complexity level so that the carrier capacity prediction tool computer program product learns the carrier capacities of work units not previously encountered by the carrier capacity prediction tool computer program product before the first order time. | A production system includes an information handling system (IHS) having a carrier capacity prediction tool that receives a customer order that may include packaging and carrier requirements. The carrier capacity prediction tool partitions the customer order into work units. The carrier capacity tool determines work unit carrier capacity requirements from historical data that a volumetric weight database stores. If the volumetric weight database does not include sufficient historical information to determine carrier capacity requirements, the carrier capacity tool predicts carrier capacity requirements from best fit or actual packaging data during final packaging of customer goods for shipment. The carrier capacity tool sums all work unit packaging and volumetric weight data for each customer order to generate an aggregate of the total carrier capacity needs for a particular time period for production system shipping.1. A method, comprising:
receiving, by a carrier capacity prediction tool, a first order for configurable customer goods at a first order time; determining at approximately the first order time, by the carrier capacity prediction tool, if the first order exhibits a first complexity level for which the carrier capacity prediction tool already includes sufficient order characteristic information and sufficient packaging history information to make a carrier capacity prediction for the configurable customer goods corresponding to the first order, and otherwise determining that the first order exhibits a second complexity level for which the carrier capacity prediction tool does not already have sufficient packaging history information and sufficient order characteristic information to make a carrier capacity prediction; predicting at approximately the first order time, by the carrier capacity prediction tool, the carrier capacity in response to the determining that the first order exhibits the first complexity level; and determining at time of packaging of the configurable customer goods, by the carrier capacity prediction tool, the carrier capacity in response to the determining that the first order exhibits the second complexity level. 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
partitioning at approximately the first order time, by the carrier capacity tool, the first order into a plurality of work units; testing at approximately the first order time, by the carrier capacity prediction tool, the work units of the plurality of work units to determine respective complexity levels of the work units, each work unit exhibiting one of the first and second complexity levels; predicting at approximately the first order time, by the carrier capacity prediction tool, respective carrier capacities for those work units of the plurality of units that exhibit the first complexity level; and determining at time of packaging of the configurable customer goods, by the carrier capacity prediction tool, the respective carrier capacities of those work units of the plurality of work units that exhibit the second complexity level. 3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:
summing, by the carrier capacity prediction tool, the respective carrier capacities of the work units that exhibit the first complexity level with the respective carrier capacities of the work units that exhibit the second complexity level to determine the total carrier capacity required for the first order. 4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
storing at the time of packaging, by the carrier capacity prediction tool, respective carrier capacities for work units that exhibit the second complexity level so that the carrier capacity tool learns the carrier capacities of work units not previously encountered by the carrier capacity tool before the first order time. 5. The method of claim 2, further comprising:
receiving, by the carrier capacity prediction tool, a second order for configurable customer goods at a second order time; partitioning at approximately the second order time, by the carrier capacity tool, the second order into a plurality of work units; determining, by the carrier capacity prediction tool, the respective carrier capacities of the work units associated with the second order; and combining, by the carrier capacity prediction tool, carrier capacities associated with the work units of the first and second orders to determine a total carrier capacity for the first and second orders. 6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:
combining, by the carrier capacity prediction tool, carrier capacities associated with the work units of the first and second orders and other orders processed by the carrier capacity tool over a predetermined time period to determine total carrier capacity needed to transport the first, second and other orders. 7. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining at approximately the first order time and the predicting at approximately the first order time occur in real time. 8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
storing, by the carrier capacity prediction tool, respective carrier capacities of work units in a volumetric weight database. 9. An information handling system (IHS), comprising:
a processor; a memory coupled to the processor, the memory being configured with a carrier capacity prediction tool to: receive a first order for configurable customer goods at a first order time; determine at approximately the first order time if the first order exhibits a first complexity level for which the carrier capacity prediction tool already includes sufficient order characteristic information and sufficient packaging history information to make a carrier capacity prediction for the configurable customer goods corresponding to the first order, and otherwise determine that the first order exhibits a second complexity level for which the carrier capacity prediction tool does not already have sufficient packaging history information and sufficient order characteristic information to make a carrier capacity prediction; predict at approximately the first order time the carrier capacity in response to determining that the first order exhibits the first complexity level; and determine at time of packaging of the configurable customer goods the carrier capacity in response to determining that the first order exhibits the second complexity level. 10. The IHS of claim 9, wherein the memory is further configured to:
partition at approximately the first order time, by the carrier capacity tool, the first order into a plurality of work units; test at approximately the first order time the work units of the plurality of work units to determine respective complexity levels of the work units, each work unit exhibiting one of the first and second complexity levels; predict at approximately the first order time respective carrier capacities for those work units of the plurality of units that exhibit the first complexity level; and determine at time of packaging of the configurable customer goods the respective carrier capacities of those work units of the plurality of work units that exhibit the second complexity level. 11. The IHS of claim 10, wherein the memory is further configured to:
sum the respective carrier capacities of the work units that exhibit the first complexity level with the respective carrier capacities of the work units that exhibit the second complexity level to determine the total carrier capacity required for the first order. 12. The IHS of claim 9, wherein the memory is further configured to:
store respective carrier capacities for work units that exhibit the second complexity level so that the carrier capacity tool learns the carrier capacities of work units not previously encountered by the carrier capacity tool before the first order time. 13. The IHS of claim 10, wherein the memory is further configured to:
receive a second order for configurable customer goods at a second order time; partition at approximately the second order time the second order into a plurality of work units; determine the respective carrier capacities of the work units associated with the second order; and combine the carrier capacities associated with the work units of the first and second orders to determine a total carrier capacity for the first and second orders. 14. The IHS of claim 13, wherein the memory is further configured to:
combine carrier capacities associated with the work units of the first and second orders and other orders processed by the carrier capacity tool over a predetermined time period to determine total carrier capacity needed to transport the first, second and other orders. 15. The IHS of claim 9, wherein carrier capacity prediction tool determines in real time if the first order exhibits the first complexity level and wherein the carrier capacity prediction tool predicts in real time the carrier capacity in response to determining that the first order exhibits the first complexity level. 16. The IHS of claim 9, further comprising a volumetric database in which the carrier capacity prediction tool stores respective carrier capacities of work units. 17. A carrier capacity prediction tool computer program product, comprising:
a non-transitory computer readable storage medium; first instructions that receive a first order for configurable customer goods at a first order time; second instructions that determine at approximately the first order time if the first order exhibits a first complexity level for which the carrier capacity prediction tool computer program product already includes sufficient order characteristic information and sufficient packaging history information to make a carrier capacity prediction for the configurable customer goods corresponding to the first order, and that otherwise determine that the first order exhibits a second complexity level for which the carrier capacity prediction tool computer program product, does not already have sufficient packaging history information and sufficient order characteristic information to make a carrier capacity prediction; third instructions that predict at approximately the first order time the carrier capacity in response to determining that the first order exhibits the first complexity level; fourth instructions that determine at time of packaging of the configurable customer goods the carrier capacity in response to determining that the first order exhibits the second complexity level; wherein the first, second, third and fourth program instructions are stored on the non-transitory computer readable storage medium. 18. The carrier capacity prediction tool computer program product of claim 16, further comprising:
fifth instructions that partition at approximately the first order time the first order into a plurality of work units; sixth instructions that test at approximately the first order time the work units of the plurality of work units to determine respective complexity levels of the work units, each work unit exhibiting one of the first and second complexity levels; seventh instructions that predict at approximately the first order time respective carrier capacities for those work units of the plurality of units that exhibit the first complexity level; and eighth instructions that determine at time of packaging of the configurable customer goods the respective carrier capacities of those work units of the plurality of work units that exhibit the second complexity level. 19. The carrier capacity prediction tool computer program product of claim 18, further comprising:
ninth instructions that sum the respective carrier capacities of the work units that exhibit the first complexity level with the respective carrier capacities of the work units that exhibit the second complexity level to determine the total carrier capacity required for the first order. 20. The carrier capacity prediction tool computer program product of claim 17, further comprising:
tenth instructions that store respective carrier capacities for work units that exhibit the second complexity level so that the carrier capacity prediction tool computer program product learns the carrier capacities of work units not previously encountered by the carrier capacity prediction tool computer program product before the first order time. | 3,600 |
12,830 | 12,830 | 14,033,497 | 3,624 | Based on a time series history of a random variable representing demand for at least one of a good and a service as a function of at least one controllable demand driver, obtain a quantile regression function that estimates a quantile of a demand distribution function; obtain a mixed- and/or super-quantile regression function that estimates conditional value at risk; and obtain a regression function that estimates mean of the demand distribution function. Joint optimization of: inventory of the at least one of a good and a service, and the at least one controllable demand driver, is undertaken based on the quantile regression function and the mixed- and/or super-quantile regression function, to obtain an optimal value for the at least one controllable demand driver and an implied optimal value for a stocking level. One or more exogenous demand drivers can optionally be taken into account. | 1. A method comprising:
obtaining access to a time series history of a random variable representing demand for at least one of a good and a service as a function of at least one controllable demand driver; carrying out quantile regression based on said time series history to obtain a quantile regression function that estimates a quantile of a demand distribution function as a function of said at least one controllable demand driver; carrying out at least one of mixed-quantile regression and super-quantile regression based on said time series history to obtain at least a corresponding one of a mixed-quantile regression function and a super-quantile regression function that estimates conditional value at risk corresponding to said quantile of said demand distribution function, as a function of said at least one controllable demand driver; carrying out mean regression based on said time series history to obtain a regression function that estimates mean of said demand distribution function as a function of said at least one controllable demand driver; and carrying out joint optimization of:
inventory of said at least one of a good and a service, and
said at least one controllable demand driver,
based on said quantile regression function, and said at least corresponding one of a mixed-quantile regression function and a super-quantile regression function, to obtain an optimal value for said at least one controllable demand driver and an implied optimal value for a stocking level for said at least one of a good and a service. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein:
in said obtaining step, said random variable is further a function of at least one exogenous demand driver; in said step of carrying out said quantile regression, said quantile regression function that estimates said quantile of said demand distribution function further estimates same as a function of said at least one exogenous demand driver; in said step of carrying out said at least one of mixed-quantile regression and super-quantile regression, said corresponding one of a mixed-quantile regression function and a super-quantile regression function that estimates said conditional value at risk further estimates same as a function of said at least one exogenous demand driver; in said step of carrying out said mean regression, said regression function that estimates said mean further estimates same as a function of said at least one exogenous demand driver; and in said step of carrying out said joint optimization, same is further based on a forecast of said at least one exogenous demand driver 3. The method of claim 2, wherein said quantile regression, said at least one of mixed-quantile regression and super-quantile regression, and said mean regression are carried out independently. 4. The method of claim 3, wherein said quantile regression, said at least one of mixed-quantile regression and super-quantile regression, and said mean regression are carried out in parallel. 5. The method of claim 2, further comprising obtaining access to an estimate for critical quantile, wherein:
said quantile regression, said at least one of mixed-quantile regression and super-quantile regression, and said joint optimization are further based on unit cost, unit overage cost, and salvage; and said quantile of said demand distribution function comprises a critical quantile. 6. The method of claim 2, further comprising specifying said stocking level for said at least one of a good and a service, and said at least one controllable demand driver, for a time period corresponding to said forecast, in accordance with said optimal value for said at least one controllable demand driver and said implied optimal value for said stocking level for said at least one of a good and a service. 7. The method of claim 2, wherein said at least one of a good and a service comprises electrical power, said at least one controllable demand driver comprises price for said electrical power, and said at least one exogenous demand driver comprises ambient temperature in a region served by a provider of said electrical power. 8. The method of claim 2, wherein said at least one of a good and a service comprises at least one of a time-bound retail commodity and a perishable retail commodity, said at least one controllable demand driver comprises price for said at least one of a time-bound retail commodity and a perishable retail commodity, and said at least one exogenous demand driver comprises at least one of advertising and weather effects which modify demand for said at least one of a time-bound retail commodity and a perishable retail commodity. 9. The method of claim 2, further comprising providing a system, wherein the system comprises distinct software modules, each of the distinct software modules being embodied on a computer-readable storage medium, and wherein the distinct software modules comprise a data access module, a quantile regression module, a mixed-super-quantile regression module, a mean regression module, and a joint optimization module;
wherein: said obtaining of said access to said time series history is carried out by said data access module executing on at least one hardware processor said quantile regression is carried out by said quantile regression module executing on said at least one hardware processor; said at least one of mixed-quantile regression and super-quantile regression is carried out by said mixed-super-quantile regression module executing on said at least one hardware processor; said mean regression is carried out by said mean regression module executing on said at least one hardware processor; and said joint optimization is carried out by said joint optimization module executing on said at least one hardware processor. 10. An apparatus comprising:
a memory; and at least one processor, coupled to said memory, and operative to:
obtain access to a time series history of a random variable representing demand for at least one of a good and a service as a function of at least one controllable demand driver;
carry out quantile regression based on said time series history to obtain a quantile regression function that estimates a quantile of a demand distribution function as a function of said at least one controllable demand driver;
carry out at least one of mixed-quantile regression and super-quantile regression based on said time series history to obtain at least a corresponding one of a mixed-quantile regression function and a super-quantile regression function that estimates conditional value at risk corresponding to said quantile of said demand distribution function, as a function of said at least one controllable demand driver;
carry out mean regression based on said time series history to obtain a regression function that estimates mean of said demand distribution function as a function of said at least one controllable demand driver; and
carry out joint optimization of:
inventory of said at least one of a good and a service, and
said at least one controllable demand driver,
based on said quantile regression function, and said at least corresponding one of a mixed-quantile regression function and a super-quantile regression function, to obtain an optimal value for said at least one controllable demand driver and an implied optimal value for a stocking level for said at least one of a good and a service. 11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein:
said random variable is further a function of at least one exogenous demand driver; said quantile regression function that estimates said quantile of said demand distribution function further estimates same as a function of said at least one exogenous demand driver; said corresponding one of a mixed-quantile regression function and a super-quantile regression function that estimates said conditional value at risk further estimates same as a function of said at least one exogenous demand driver; said regression function that estimates said mean further estimates same as a function of said at least one exogenous demand driver; and said joint optimization is further based on a forecast of said at least one exogenous demand driver. 12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein said quantile regression, said at least one of mixed-quantile regression and super-quantile regression, and said mean regression are carried out independently. 13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein said quantile regression, said at least one of mixed-quantile regression and super-quantile regression, and said mean regression are carried out in parallel. 14. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein said at least one processor is further operative to obtain access to an estimate for critical quantile, wherein:
said quantile regression, said at least one of mixed-quantile regression and super-quantile regression, and said joint optimization are further based on unit cost, unit overage cost, and salvage; and said quantile of said demand distribution function comprises a critical quantile. 15. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein said at least one processor is further operative to specify said stocking level for said at least one of a good and a service, and said at least one controllable demand driver, for a time period corresponding to said forecast, in accordance with said optimal value for said at least one controllable demand driver and said implied optimal value for said stocking level for said at least one of a good and a service. 16. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein said at least one of a good and a service comprises electrical power, said at least one controllable demand driver comprises price for said electrical power, and said at least one exogenous demand driver comprises ambient temperature in a region served by a provider of said electrical power. 17. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein said at least one of a good and a service comprises at least one of a time-bound retail commodity and a perishable retail commodity, said at least one controllable demand driver comprises price for said at least one of a time-bound retail commodity and a perishable retail commodity, and said at least one exogenous demand driver comprises at least one of advertising and weather effects which modify demand for said at least one of a time-bound retail commodity and a perishable retail commodity. 18. The apparatus of claim 11, further comprising a plurality of distinct software modules, each of the distinct software modules being embodied on a computer-readable storage medium, and wherein the distinct software modules comprise a data access module, a quantile regression module, a mixed-super-quantile regression module, a mean regression module, and a joint optimization module;
wherein: said at least one processor is operative to obtain said access to said time series history by executing said data access module; said at least one processor is operative to carry out said quantile regression by executing said quantile regression module; said at least one processor is operative to carry out said at least one of mixed-quantile regression and super-quantile regression by executing said mixed-super-quantile regression module; said at least one processor is operative to carry out said mean regression by executing said mean regression module; and said at least one processor is operative to carry out said joint optimization by executing said joint optimization module. 19. A computer program product comprising a computer readable storage medium having computer readable program code embodied therewith, said computer readable program code comprising:
computer readable program code configured to obtain access to a time series history of a random variable representing demand for at least one of a good and a service as a function of at least one controllable demand driver; computer readable program code configured to carry out quantile regression based on said time series history to obtain a quantile regression function that estimates a quantile of a demand distribution function as a function of said at least one controllable demand driver; computer readable program code configured to carry out at least one of mixed-quantile regression and super-quantile regression based on said time series history to obtain at least a corresponding one of a mixed-quantile regression function and a super-quantile regression function that estimates conditional value at risk corresponding to said quantile of said demand distribution function, as a function of said at least one controllable demand driver; computer readable program code configured to carry out mean regression based on said time series history to obtain a regression function that estimates mean of said demand distribution function as a function of said at least one controllable demand driver; and computer readable program code configured to carry out joint optimization of:
inventory of said at least one of a good and a service, and
said at least one controllable demand driver,
based on said quantile regression function, and said at least corresponding one of a mixed-quantile regression function and a super-quantile regression function, to obtain an optimal value for said at least one controllable demand driver and an implied optimal value for a stocking level for said at least one of a good and a service. 20. The computer program product of claim 19, wherein:
said random variable is further a function of at least one exogenous demand driver; said quantile regression function that estimates said quantile of said demand distribution function further estimates same as a function of said at least one exogenous demand driver; said corresponding one of a mixed-quantile regression function and a super-quantile regression function that estimates said conditional value at risk further estimates same as a function of said at least one exogenous demand driver; said regression function that estimates said mean further estimates same as a function of said at least one exogenous demand driver; and said joint optimization is further based on a forecast of said at least one exogenous demand driver. | Based on a time series history of a random variable representing demand for at least one of a good and a service as a function of at least one controllable demand driver, obtain a quantile regression function that estimates a quantile of a demand distribution function; obtain a mixed- and/or super-quantile regression function that estimates conditional value at risk; and obtain a regression function that estimates mean of the demand distribution function. Joint optimization of: inventory of the at least one of a good and a service, and the at least one controllable demand driver, is undertaken based on the quantile regression function and the mixed- and/or super-quantile regression function, to obtain an optimal value for the at least one controllable demand driver and an implied optimal value for a stocking level. One or more exogenous demand drivers can optionally be taken into account.1. A method comprising:
obtaining access to a time series history of a random variable representing demand for at least one of a good and a service as a function of at least one controllable demand driver; carrying out quantile regression based on said time series history to obtain a quantile regression function that estimates a quantile of a demand distribution function as a function of said at least one controllable demand driver; carrying out at least one of mixed-quantile regression and super-quantile regression based on said time series history to obtain at least a corresponding one of a mixed-quantile regression function and a super-quantile regression function that estimates conditional value at risk corresponding to said quantile of said demand distribution function, as a function of said at least one controllable demand driver; carrying out mean regression based on said time series history to obtain a regression function that estimates mean of said demand distribution function as a function of said at least one controllable demand driver; and carrying out joint optimization of:
inventory of said at least one of a good and a service, and
said at least one controllable demand driver,
based on said quantile regression function, and said at least corresponding one of a mixed-quantile regression function and a super-quantile regression function, to obtain an optimal value for said at least one controllable demand driver and an implied optimal value for a stocking level for said at least one of a good and a service. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein:
in said obtaining step, said random variable is further a function of at least one exogenous demand driver; in said step of carrying out said quantile regression, said quantile regression function that estimates said quantile of said demand distribution function further estimates same as a function of said at least one exogenous demand driver; in said step of carrying out said at least one of mixed-quantile regression and super-quantile regression, said corresponding one of a mixed-quantile regression function and a super-quantile regression function that estimates said conditional value at risk further estimates same as a function of said at least one exogenous demand driver; in said step of carrying out said mean regression, said regression function that estimates said mean further estimates same as a function of said at least one exogenous demand driver; and in said step of carrying out said joint optimization, same is further based on a forecast of said at least one exogenous demand driver 3. The method of claim 2, wherein said quantile regression, said at least one of mixed-quantile regression and super-quantile regression, and said mean regression are carried out independently. 4. The method of claim 3, wherein said quantile regression, said at least one of mixed-quantile regression and super-quantile regression, and said mean regression are carried out in parallel. 5. The method of claim 2, further comprising obtaining access to an estimate for critical quantile, wherein:
said quantile regression, said at least one of mixed-quantile regression and super-quantile regression, and said joint optimization are further based on unit cost, unit overage cost, and salvage; and said quantile of said demand distribution function comprises a critical quantile. 6. The method of claim 2, further comprising specifying said stocking level for said at least one of a good and a service, and said at least one controllable demand driver, for a time period corresponding to said forecast, in accordance with said optimal value for said at least one controllable demand driver and said implied optimal value for said stocking level for said at least one of a good and a service. 7. The method of claim 2, wherein said at least one of a good and a service comprises electrical power, said at least one controllable demand driver comprises price for said electrical power, and said at least one exogenous demand driver comprises ambient temperature in a region served by a provider of said electrical power. 8. The method of claim 2, wherein said at least one of a good and a service comprises at least one of a time-bound retail commodity and a perishable retail commodity, said at least one controllable demand driver comprises price for said at least one of a time-bound retail commodity and a perishable retail commodity, and said at least one exogenous demand driver comprises at least one of advertising and weather effects which modify demand for said at least one of a time-bound retail commodity and a perishable retail commodity. 9. The method of claim 2, further comprising providing a system, wherein the system comprises distinct software modules, each of the distinct software modules being embodied on a computer-readable storage medium, and wherein the distinct software modules comprise a data access module, a quantile regression module, a mixed-super-quantile regression module, a mean regression module, and a joint optimization module;
wherein: said obtaining of said access to said time series history is carried out by said data access module executing on at least one hardware processor said quantile regression is carried out by said quantile regression module executing on said at least one hardware processor; said at least one of mixed-quantile regression and super-quantile regression is carried out by said mixed-super-quantile regression module executing on said at least one hardware processor; said mean regression is carried out by said mean regression module executing on said at least one hardware processor; and said joint optimization is carried out by said joint optimization module executing on said at least one hardware processor. 10. An apparatus comprising:
a memory; and at least one processor, coupled to said memory, and operative to:
obtain access to a time series history of a random variable representing demand for at least one of a good and a service as a function of at least one controllable demand driver;
carry out quantile regression based on said time series history to obtain a quantile regression function that estimates a quantile of a demand distribution function as a function of said at least one controllable demand driver;
carry out at least one of mixed-quantile regression and super-quantile regression based on said time series history to obtain at least a corresponding one of a mixed-quantile regression function and a super-quantile regression function that estimates conditional value at risk corresponding to said quantile of said demand distribution function, as a function of said at least one controllable demand driver;
carry out mean regression based on said time series history to obtain a regression function that estimates mean of said demand distribution function as a function of said at least one controllable demand driver; and
carry out joint optimization of:
inventory of said at least one of a good and a service, and
said at least one controllable demand driver,
based on said quantile regression function, and said at least corresponding one of a mixed-quantile regression function and a super-quantile regression function, to obtain an optimal value for said at least one controllable demand driver and an implied optimal value for a stocking level for said at least one of a good and a service. 11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein:
said random variable is further a function of at least one exogenous demand driver; said quantile regression function that estimates said quantile of said demand distribution function further estimates same as a function of said at least one exogenous demand driver; said corresponding one of a mixed-quantile regression function and a super-quantile regression function that estimates said conditional value at risk further estimates same as a function of said at least one exogenous demand driver; said regression function that estimates said mean further estimates same as a function of said at least one exogenous demand driver; and said joint optimization is further based on a forecast of said at least one exogenous demand driver. 12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein said quantile regression, said at least one of mixed-quantile regression and super-quantile regression, and said mean regression are carried out independently. 13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein said quantile regression, said at least one of mixed-quantile regression and super-quantile regression, and said mean regression are carried out in parallel. 14. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein said at least one processor is further operative to obtain access to an estimate for critical quantile, wherein:
said quantile regression, said at least one of mixed-quantile regression and super-quantile regression, and said joint optimization are further based on unit cost, unit overage cost, and salvage; and said quantile of said demand distribution function comprises a critical quantile. 15. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein said at least one processor is further operative to specify said stocking level for said at least one of a good and a service, and said at least one controllable demand driver, for a time period corresponding to said forecast, in accordance with said optimal value for said at least one controllable demand driver and said implied optimal value for said stocking level for said at least one of a good and a service. 16. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein said at least one of a good and a service comprises electrical power, said at least one controllable demand driver comprises price for said electrical power, and said at least one exogenous demand driver comprises ambient temperature in a region served by a provider of said electrical power. 17. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein said at least one of a good and a service comprises at least one of a time-bound retail commodity and a perishable retail commodity, said at least one controllable demand driver comprises price for said at least one of a time-bound retail commodity and a perishable retail commodity, and said at least one exogenous demand driver comprises at least one of advertising and weather effects which modify demand for said at least one of a time-bound retail commodity and a perishable retail commodity. 18. The apparatus of claim 11, further comprising a plurality of distinct software modules, each of the distinct software modules being embodied on a computer-readable storage medium, and wherein the distinct software modules comprise a data access module, a quantile regression module, a mixed-super-quantile regression module, a mean regression module, and a joint optimization module;
wherein: said at least one processor is operative to obtain said access to said time series history by executing said data access module; said at least one processor is operative to carry out said quantile regression by executing said quantile regression module; said at least one processor is operative to carry out said at least one of mixed-quantile regression and super-quantile regression by executing said mixed-super-quantile regression module; said at least one processor is operative to carry out said mean regression by executing said mean regression module; and said at least one processor is operative to carry out said joint optimization by executing said joint optimization module. 19. A computer program product comprising a computer readable storage medium having computer readable program code embodied therewith, said computer readable program code comprising:
computer readable program code configured to obtain access to a time series history of a random variable representing demand for at least one of a good and a service as a function of at least one controllable demand driver; computer readable program code configured to carry out quantile regression based on said time series history to obtain a quantile regression function that estimates a quantile of a demand distribution function as a function of said at least one controllable demand driver; computer readable program code configured to carry out at least one of mixed-quantile regression and super-quantile regression based on said time series history to obtain at least a corresponding one of a mixed-quantile regression function and a super-quantile regression function that estimates conditional value at risk corresponding to said quantile of said demand distribution function, as a function of said at least one controllable demand driver; computer readable program code configured to carry out mean regression based on said time series history to obtain a regression function that estimates mean of said demand distribution function as a function of said at least one controllable demand driver; and computer readable program code configured to carry out joint optimization of:
inventory of said at least one of a good and a service, and
said at least one controllable demand driver,
based on said quantile regression function, and said at least corresponding one of a mixed-quantile regression function and a super-quantile regression function, to obtain an optimal value for said at least one controllable demand driver and an implied optimal value for a stocking level for said at least one of a good and a service. 20. The computer program product of claim 19, wherein:
said random variable is further a function of at least one exogenous demand driver; said quantile regression function that estimates said quantile of said demand distribution function further estimates same as a function of said at least one exogenous demand driver; said corresponding one of a mixed-quantile regression function and a super-quantile regression function that estimates said conditional value at risk further estimates same as a function of said at least one exogenous demand driver; said regression function that estimates said mean further estimates same as a function of said at least one exogenous demand driver; and said joint optimization is further based on a forecast of said at least one exogenous demand driver. | 3,600 |
12,831 | 12,831 | 11,746,782 | 3,624 | A method, system and program product for determining an optimal information technology refresh solution and associated costs for implementing the information technology refresh solution in a business. The method includes deploying on a computer system an information technology refresh solution tool that is configured to determine an optimal information technology refresh solution based on business-technical data and/or business rules stored in a data repository. The method further includes updating the stored business-technical data and/or business rules based on one or more business-technical requirements, including any existing business constraints and any prospective business constraints and prioritizing the business-technical data updated to determine the optimal information technology refresh solution, such that, the optimal information technology refresh solution determined can be implemented in the business. Further, the method includes calculating, using the information technology refresh solution tool, an estimation of operational costs for implementing the optimal information technology refresh solution determined. | 1. A method of using a computing system to determine an optimal upgrade to an information technology infrastructure for implementation in a business, said method comprising the steps of:
storing, in a data repository within a computing system, a plurality of business rules and a plurality of business-technical data that are inputted into said computing system for an information technology infrastructure used in a business; updating one or more of said plurality of business rules and said plurality of business-technical data stored in said data repository within said computing system to determine an optimal upgrade to said information technology infrastructure; prioritizing one or more of said plurality of business-technical data updated in said data repository based on one or more business-technical requirements, including any existing business constraints and any prospective business constraints; determining said optimal upgrade to said information technology infrastructure, using said plurality of business rules updated in said data repository and using said plurality of business-technical data updated in said data repository, wherein said optimal upgrade to said information technology infrastructure determined can be implemented in said business. 2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of:
calculating, using said computer system, an estimation of operational costs for implementing said optimal upgrade to said information technology infrastructure determined. 3. The method according to claim 2, further comprising the step of:
generating one or more operational cost estimation reports based on said estimation of operational costs calculated for implementing said optimal upgrade to said information technology infrastructure determined for said business. 4. The method according to claim 3, wherein said storing step further comprises the steps of:
deploying on said computer system an information technology upgrade analysis tool configured to determine said optimal upgrade to said information technology infrastructure, said information technology upgrade analysis tool including said data repository; and inputting into said data repository said plurality of business rules and said plurality of business-technical data for said information technology infrastructure used in said business. 5. The method according to claim 4, wherein said determining step further comprises the steps of:
loading said plurality of business-technical data updated and said plurality of business rules updated into a first analysis component of said information technology upgrade analysis tool deployed on said computing system for determining said optimal information technology upgrade to said information technology infrastructure; and running an analysis, using said first analysis component of said information technology upgrade analysis tool deployed on said computing system for determining said optimal upgrade to said information technology infrastructure for implementation in said business. 6. The method according to claim 5, wherein said determining step further comprises the steps of:
re-prioritizing said one or more of said plurality of business-technical data updated in said data repository; and re-running an alternate analysis, using said first analysis component of said information technology upgrade analysis tool deployed on said computing system for determining an alternative optimal upgrade to said information technology infrastructure for implementation in said business. 7. The method according to claim 6, wherein said calculating step further comprises the steps of:
inputting, into a second analysis component of said information technology upgrade analysis tool deployed on said computing system, cost estimation data for said information technology infrastructure used in said business; inputting, into said second analysis component of said information technology upgrade analysis tool deployed on said computing system, any additional cost estimation data for said optimal upgrade to said information technology infrastructure determined for said business; and using said cost estimation data and said any additional cost estimation data for calculating said estimation of operational costs for implementing said optimal upgrade to said information technology infrastructure for implementation in said business. 8. The method according to claim 7, wherein said plurality of business-technical data comprises at least one of: cost, performance, network bandwidth, length of equipment lease streams, license costs, transaction volumes, input/output requirements, CPU and processing requirements, floor space requirements, power requirements, server consolidation requirements, and ability to effectively execute said optimal upgrade to said information technology infrastructure; and wherein said business-technical requirements comprises at least one of: current server CPU, current memory, current disk storage, current network interface configuration, current test environment, current production environment, minimal server CPU, optimal server CPU, minimal memory, optimal memory, minimal disk storage, optimal disk storage, minimal network interface configuration, optimal network interface configuration, application software configuration on a server, middleware package configuration on said server, system software configuration on said server, version, release and license type for operating system on said server, version, release and license type for each application software package, version, release and license type for each middleware package, version, release and license type for each system software package; anticipated application usage peak hours, anticipated application usage peak days, anticipated application usage special pattern, anticipated application usage peak to average ratio of application usage, criticality of application, population of users, location of users, type of network connection used by users to access said application, anticipated growth of application usage at different times, location of data center where said server will be placed, type of service offerings to be used, type of infrastructure models that an application will use, desired date that said optimal upgrade to said information technology infrastructure needs to be implemented and desired formats for said operational cost estimation reports. 9. A system for determining an optimal upgrade to an information technology infrastructure for implementation in a business, comprising:
an information technology upgrade analysis tool configured to determine an optimal upgrade to an information technology infrastructure for implementation in a business, said information technology upgrade analysis tool comprising:
a user interface component configured to receive input from an end user as to a plurality of business-technical data associated with said business, one or more of said plurality of business-technical data inputted being prioritized by said end user based on one or more business-technical requirements, including any existing business constraints and any prospective business constraints, said user interface component being further configured to receive input as to a plurality of business rules used in said business;
a data repository component configured to store said plurality of business-technical data received from said end user, said data repository component being further configured to store said plurality of business rules used in said business;
a first analysis component configured to determine said optimal upgrade to said information technology infrastructure for implementation in said business using said business-technical data inputted and prioritized by said end user and using said business-technical requirements inputted for said business; and
a second analysis component configured to calculate corresponding operational costs for said optimal upgrade to said information technology infrastructure determined by said first analysis component using said business-technical data and said business rules stored in said data repository component; wherein said information technology upgrade analysis tool is configured to provide a controlled and a secure programming interface between each of said user interface component, said data repository component, said first analysis component, said second analysis component and one or more external systems. 10. The system according to claim 9, wherein said first analysis component is further configured to utilize an assumption based truth maintenance system for determining said optimal upgrade to said information technology infrastructure that can be implemented in said business, said first analysis component being configured to backtrack an initial set of assertions used in determining said optimal upgrade to said information technology infrastructure for determining an alternate optimal upgrade to said information technology infrastructure. 11. The system according to claim 10, wherein said first analysis component is further configured to identify criticality for one or more of said plurality of business-technical data inputted by said end user based on said one or more business-technical requirements used to prioritize said one or more of said plurality of business-technical data in order to determine said optimal upgrade to said information technology infrastructure for implementation in said business. 12. The system according to claim 11, wherein said data repository component is further configured to receive updates for said plurality of business-technical data and for said business rules stored therein. 13. The system according to claim 12, wherein said second analysis component is further configured to calculate said corresponding operational costs using functions and formulas that calculate transition costs and steady state costs associated with said optimal upgrade to said information technology infrastructure for implementation in said business. 14. The system according to claim 13, wherein said plurality of business-technical data comprises at least one of: cost, performance, network bandwidth, length of equipment lease streams, license costs, transaction volumes, input/output requirements, CPU and processing requirements, floor space requirements, power requirements, server consolidation requirements, and ability to effectively execute said optimal upgrade to said information technology infrastructure; and wherein said business-technical requirements comprises at least one of, current server CPU, current memory, current disk storage, current network interface configuration, current test environment, current production environment, minimal server CPU, optimal server CPU, minimal memory, optimal memory, minimal disk storage, optimal disk storage, minimal network interface configuration, optimal network interface configuration, application software configuration on a server, middleware package configuration on said server, system software configuration on said server, version, release and license type for operating system on said server, version, release and license type for each application software package, version, release and license type for each middleware package, version, release and license type for each system software package; anticipated application usage peak hours, anticipated application usage peak days, anticipated application usage special pattern, anticipated application usage peak to average ratio of application usage, criticality of application, population of users, location of users, type of network connection used by users to access said application, anticipated growth of application usage at different times, location of data center where said server will be placed, type of service offerings to be used, type of infrastructure models that an application will use, desired date that said optimal upgrade to said information technology infrastructure needs to be implemented and desired formats for said operational cost estimation reports. 15. A computer program product for determining an optimal upgrade to an information technology infrastructure for implementation in a business, said computer program product comprising:
a computer readable medium; first program instructions to store input data into a data repository within a computing system, said input data including a plurality of business-technical data and business rules; second program instructions to select a priority rating for one or more of said plurality of business-technical data based on one or more business-technical requirements for said business, including any existing business constraints and any prospective business constraints; third program instructions to determine an optimal upgrade to an information technology infrastructure using said priority rating selected for said one or more of said plurality of business-technical data and using said plurality of business rules updated in said data repository and to calculate an estimation of operational costs for implementing in said business said optimal upgrade to said information technology infrastructure determined; and wherein said first, second and third program instructions are recorded on said computer readable medium. 16. The computer program product according to claim 15, further comprising:
fourth program instructions to generate reports to an end user itemizing said optimal upgrade to said information technology infrastructure determined and to generate reports for said estimation of operational costs calculated for implementing said optimal upgrade to said information technology infrastructure determined in said business; said fourth program instructions being recorded on said computer readable medium. 17. The computer program product according to claim 16, wherein said first program instructions include instructions to update said plurality of business rules stored in said data repository; and wherein said first program instructions include instructions to update one or more of said plurality of business-technical data stored in said data repository. 18. The computer program product according to claim 17, wherein said second program instructions include instructions to automate adjustments to said priority ratings selected when any inconsistencies are detected among said priority rating selected for said one or more of said plurality of business-technical data for determining said optimal upgrade to said information technology infrastructure for implementation in said business. 19. The computer program product according to claim 18, wherein said third program instructions include instructions to backtrack an initial set of assertions used in determining said optimal upgrade to said information technology infrastructure and to re-determine an alternate optimal upgrade to said information technology infrastructure for implementation in said business when any adjustments are made to said priority ratings selected for said one or more of said plurality of business-technical data and to re-calculate a corresponding alternate estimation of operational costs for implementation of said alternate optimal upgrade to said information technology infrastructure in said business. 20. The computer program product according to claim 19, wherein said plurality of business-technical data comprises at least one of: cost, performance, network bandwidth, length of equipment lease streams, license costs, transaction volumes, input/output requirements, CPU and processing requirements, floor space requirements, power requirements, server consolidation requirements, and ability to effectively execute said optimal upgrade to said information technology infrastructure; and wherein said business-technical requirements comprises at least one of: current server CPU, current memory, current disk storage, current network interface configuration, current test environment, current production environment, minimal server CPU, optimal server CPU, minimal memory, optimal memory, minimal disk storage, optimal disk storage, minimal network interface configuration, optimal network interface configuration, application software configuration on a server, middleware package configuration on said server, system software configuration on said server, version, release and license type for operating system on said server, version, release and license type for each application software package, version, release and license type for each middleware package, version, release and license type for each system software package; anticipated application usage peak hours, anticipated application usage peak days, anticipated application usage special pattern, anticipated application usage peak to average ratio of application usage, criticality of application, population of users, location of users, type of network connection used by users to access said application, anticipated growth of application usage at different times, location of data center where said server will be placed, type of service offerings to be used, type of infrastructure models that an application will use, desired date that said optimal upgrade to said information technology infrastructure needs to be implemented and desired formats for said operational cost estimation reports. | A method, system and program product for determining an optimal information technology refresh solution and associated costs for implementing the information technology refresh solution in a business. The method includes deploying on a computer system an information technology refresh solution tool that is configured to determine an optimal information technology refresh solution based on business-technical data and/or business rules stored in a data repository. The method further includes updating the stored business-technical data and/or business rules based on one or more business-technical requirements, including any existing business constraints and any prospective business constraints and prioritizing the business-technical data updated to determine the optimal information technology refresh solution, such that, the optimal information technology refresh solution determined can be implemented in the business. Further, the method includes calculating, using the information technology refresh solution tool, an estimation of operational costs for implementing the optimal information technology refresh solution determined.1. A method of using a computing system to determine an optimal upgrade to an information technology infrastructure for implementation in a business, said method comprising the steps of:
storing, in a data repository within a computing system, a plurality of business rules and a plurality of business-technical data that are inputted into said computing system for an information technology infrastructure used in a business; updating one or more of said plurality of business rules and said plurality of business-technical data stored in said data repository within said computing system to determine an optimal upgrade to said information technology infrastructure; prioritizing one or more of said plurality of business-technical data updated in said data repository based on one or more business-technical requirements, including any existing business constraints and any prospective business constraints; determining said optimal upgrade to said information technology infrastructure, using said plurality of business rules updated in said data repository and using said plurality of business-technical data updated in said data repository, wherein said optimal upgrade to said information technology infrastructure determined can be implemented in said business. 2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of:
calculating, using said computer system, an estimation of operational costs for implementing said optimal upgrade to said information technology infrastructure determined. 3. The method according to claim 2, further comprising the step of:
generating one or more operational cost estimation reports based on said estimation of operational costs calculated for implementing said optimal upgrade to said information technology infrastructure determined for said business. 4. The method according to claim 3, wherein said storing step further comprises the steps of:
deploying on said computer system an information technology upgrade analysis tool configured to determine said optimal upgrade to said information technology infrastructure, said information technology upgrade analysis tool including said data repository; and inputting into said data repository said plurality of business rules and said plurality of business-technical data for said information technology infrastructure used in said business. 5. The method according to claim 4, wherein said determining step further comprises the steps of:
loading said plurality of business-technical data updated and said plurality of business rules updated into a first analysis component of said information technology upgrade analysis tool deployed on said computing system for determining said optimal information technology upgrade to said information technology infrastructure; and running an analysis, using said first analysis component of said information technology upgrade analysis tool deployed on said computing system for determining said optimal upgrade to said information technology infrastructure for implementation in said business. 6. The method according to claim 5, wherein said determining step further comprises the steps of:
re-prioritizing said one or more of said plurality of business-technical data updated in said data repository; and re-running an alternate analysis, using said first analysis component of said information technology upgrade analysis tool deployed on said computing system for determining an alternative optimal upgrade to said information technology infrastructure for implementation in said business. 7. The method according to claim 6, wherein said calculating step further comprises the steps of:
inputting, into a second analysis component of said information technology upgrade analysis tool deployed on said computing system, cost estimation data for said information technology infrastructure used in said business; inputting, into said second analysis component of said information technology upgrade analysis tool deployed on said computing system, any additional cost estimation data for said optimal upgrade to said information technology infrastructure determined for said business; and using said cost estimation data and said any additional cost estimation data for calculating said estimation of operational costs for implementing said optimal upgrade to said information technology infrastructure for implementation in said business. 8. The method according to claim 7, wherein said plurality of business-technical data comprises at least one of: cost, performance, network bandwidth, length of equipment lease streams, license costs, transaction volumes, input/output requirements, CPU and processing requirements, floor space requirements, power requirements, server consolidation requirements, and ability to effectively execute said optimal upgrade to said information technology infrastructure; and wherein said business-technical requirements comprises at least one of: current server CPU, current memory, current disk storage, current network interface configuration, current test environment, current production environment, minimal server CPU, optimal server CPU, minimal memory, optimal memory, minimal disk storage, optimal disk storage, minimal network interface configuration, optimal network interface configuration, application software configuration on a server, middleware package configuration on said server, system software configuration on said server, version, release and license type for operating system on said server, version, release and license type for each application software package, version, release and license type for each middleware package, version, release and license type for each system software package; anticipated application usage peak hours, anticipated application usage peak days, anticipated application usage special pattern, anticipated application usage peak to average ratio of application usage, criticality of application, population of users, location of users, type of network connection used by users to access said application, anticipated growth of application usage at different times, location of data center where said server will be placed, type of service offerings to be used, type of infrastructure models that an application will use, desired date that said optimal upgrade to said information technology infrastructure needs to be implemented and desired formats for said operational cost estimation reports. 9. A system for determining an optimal upgrade to an information technology infrastructure for implementation in a business, comprising:
an information technology upgrade analysis tool configured to determine an optimal upgrade to an information technology infrastructure for implementation in a business, said information technology upgrade analysis tool comprising:
a user interface component configured to receive input from an end user as to a plurality of business-technical data associated with said business, one or more of said plurality of business-technical data inputted being prioritized by said end user based on one or more business-technical requirements, including any existing business constraints and any prospective business constraints, said user interface component being further configured to receive input as to a plurality of business rules used in said business;
a data repository component configured to store said plurality of business-technical data received from said end user, said data repository component being further configured to store said plurality of business rules used in said business;
a first analysis component configured to determine said optimal upgrade to said information technology infrastructure for implementation in said business using said business-technical data inputted and prioritized by said end user and using said business-technical requirements inputted for said business; and
a second analysis component configured to calculate corresponding operational costs for said optimal upgrade to said information technology infrastructure determined by said first analysis component using said business-technical data and said business rules stored in said data repository component; wherein said information technology upgrade analysis tool is configured to provide a controlled and a secure programming interface between each of said user interface component, said data repository component, said first analysis component, said second analysis component and one or more external systems. 10. The system according to claim 9, wherein said first analysis component is further configured to utilize an assumption based truth maintenance system for determining said optimal upgrade to said information technology infrastructure that can be implemented in said business, said first analysis component being configured to backtrack an initial set of assertions used in determining said optimal upgrade to said information technology infrastructure for determining an alternate optimal upgrade to said information technology infrastructure. 11. The system according to claim 10, wherein said first analysis component is further configured to identify criticality for one or more of said plurality of business-technical data inputted by said end user based on said one or more business-technical requirements used to prioritize said one or more of said plurality of business-technical data in order to determine said optimal upgrade to said information technology infrastructure for implementation in said business. 12. The system according to claim 11, wherein said data repository component is further configured to receive updates for said plurality of business-technical data and for said business rules stored therein. 13. The system according to claim 12, wherein said second analysis component is further configured to calculate said corresponding operational costs using functions and formulas that calculate transition costs and steady state costs associated with said optimal upgrade to said information technology infrastructure for implementation in said business. 14. The system according to claim 13, wherein said plurality of business-technical data comprises at least one of: cost, performance, network bandwidth, length of equipment lease streams, license costs, transaction volumes, input/output requirements, CPU and processing requirements, floor space requirements, power requirements, server consolidation requirements, and ability to effectively execute said optimal upgrade to said information technology infrastructure; and wherein said business-technical requirements comprises at least one of, current server CPU, current memory, current disk storage, current network interface configuration, current test environment, current production environment, minimal server CPU, optimal server CPU, minimal memory, optimal memory, minimal disk storage, optimal disk storage, minimal network interface configuration, optimal network interface configuration, application software configuration on a server, middleware package configuration on said server, system software configuration on said server, version, release and license type for operating system on said server, version, release and license type for each application software package, version, release and license type for each middleware package, version, release and license type for each system software package; anticipated application usage peak hours, anticipated application usage peak days, anticipated application usage special pattern, anticipated application usage peak to average ratio of application usage, criticality of application, population of users, location of users, type of network connection used by users to access said application, anticipated growth of application usage at different times, location of data center where said server will be placed, type of service offerings to be used, type of infrastructure models that an application will use, desired date that said optimal upgrade to said information technology infrastructure needs to be implemented and desired formats for said operational cost estimation reports. 15. A computer program product for determining an optimal upgrade to an information technology infrastructure for implementation in a business, said computer program product comprising:
a computer readable medium; first program instructions to store input data into a data repository within a computing system, said input data including a plurality of business-technical data and business rules; second program instructions to select a priority rating for one or more of said plurality of business-technical data based on one or more business-technical requirements for said business, including any existing business constraints and any prospective business constraints; third program instructions to determine an optimal upgrade to an information technology infrastructure using said priority rating selected for said one or more of said plurality of business-technical data and using said plurality of business rules updated in said data repository and to calculate an estimation of operational costs for implementing in said business said optimal upgrade to said information technology infrastructure determined; and wherein said first, second and third program instructions are recorded on said computer readable medium. 16. The computer program product according to claim 15, further comprising:
fourth program instructions to generate reports to an end user itemizing said optimal upgrade to said information technology infrastructure determined and to generate reports for said estimation of operational costs calculated for implementing said optimal upgrade to said information technology infrastructure determined in said business; said fourth program instructions being recorded on said computer readable medium. 17. The computer program product according to claim 16, wherein said first program instructions include instructions to update said plurality of business rules stored in said data repository; and wherein said first program instructions include instructions to update one or more of said plurality of business-technical data stored in said data repository. 18. The computer program product according to claim 17, wherein said second program instructions include instructions to automate adjustments to said priority ratings selected when any inconsistencies are detected among said priority rating selected for said one or more of said plurality of business-technical data for determining said optimal upgrade to said information technology infrastructure for implementation in said business. 19. The computer program product according to claim 18, wherein said third program instructions include instructions to backtrack an initial set of assertions used in determining said optimal upgrade to said information technology infrastructure and to re-determine an alternate optimal upgrade to said information technology infrastructure for implementation in said business when any adjustments are made to said priority ratings selected for said one or more of said plurality of business-technical data and to re-calculate a corresponding alternate estimation of operational costs for implementation of said alternate optimal upgrade to said information technology infrastructure in said business. 20. The computer program product according to claim 19, wherein said plurality of business-technical data comprises at least one of: cost, performance, network bandwidth, length of equipment lease streams, license costs, transaction volumes, input/output requirements, CPU and processing requirements, floor space requirements, power requirements, server consolidation requirements, and ability to effectively execute said optimal upgrade to said information technology infrastructure; and wherein said business-technical requirements comprises at least one of: current server CPU, current memory, current disk storage, current network interface configuration, current test environment, current production environment, minimal server CPU, optimal server CPU, minimal memory, optimal memory, minimal disk storage, optimal disk storage, minimal network interface configuration, optimal network interface configuration, application software configuration on a server, middleware package configuration on said server, system software configuration on said server, version, release and license type for operating system on said server, version, release and license type for each application software package, version, release and license type for each middleware package, version, release and license type for each system software package; anticipated application usage peak hours, anticipated application usage peak days, anticipated application usage special pattern, anticipated application usage peak to average ratio of application usage, criticality of application, population of users, location of users, type of network connection used by users to access said application, anticipated growth of application usage at different times, location of data center where said server will be placed, type of service offerings to be used, type of infrastructure models that an application will use, desired date that said optimal upgrade to said information technology infrastructure needs to be implemented and desired formats for said operational cost estimation reports. | 3,600 |
12,832 | 12,832 | 12,985,894 | 3,693 | Disclosed are systems and methods for placing and processing test orders and real orders. | 1. A computerized method for trading instruments and processing test orders comprising:
receiving, in a trading and processing computer system, real orders and test orders for an instrument; matching a test order with a real order in said trading and processing computer system; responsive to said matching said test order with said real order, (1) automatically executing said test order so that said trading and processing computer system reduces a value for a quantity of said instrument associated with said test order and (2) not executing said real order so that a value for a quantity of said instrument associated with said real order remains unchanged. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein said automatically executing in response to said matching comprises updating an electronic order book to indicate changes in said electronic order book to said test order as a result of said executing. 3. The method of claim 1, wherein said executing comprises reducing a test order quantity of said test order by a real order quantity of said real order if said test order quantity exceeds said real order quantity, and removing said test order from said order book if said real order quantity equals or exceeds said test order quantity. 4. The method of claim 3, further comprising logging changes to said test order in a log file in said trading and processing computer system. 5. The method of claim 1, wherein said receiving said real orders and said test orders for an instrument comprises entering said real orders and said test orders for said instrument in an electronic order book for said instrument, wherein read and write access to said electronic order book is controlled by said trading and processing computer system. 6. The method of claim 5, wherein said electronic order book comprises a table for bid orders and a table for offer orders. 7. The method of claim 6, wherein said table for bid orders comprises at least one field indicating whether each bid order is a test bid order or a real bid order. 8. The method of claim 7, wherein said table for offer orders comprises at least one field indicating whether each offer order is a test offer order or a real offer order. 9. The method of claim 1, wherein each one of said test orders and each one of said real orders includes information defining rank, price, quantity, and UID. 10. The method of claim 1, wherein each one of said test orders and each one of said real orders includes information defining order type being at least one of real or test. 11. The method of claim 2, wherein said real order stored in said electronic order book includes information defining whether said real order was matched. 12. The method of claim 2 wherein said test order stored in said electronic order book includes information defining identifications of orders to which said test order was matched. 13. The method of claim 1 further comprising said trading and processing computer system matching a certain test order to a certain other order, determining if said certain other order contains a parameter value defined in said test order as an order execution prevention value, and if so, not executing said certain test order. 14. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting one of said test orders for said instrument from an order originating computer system to said trading and processing computer system. 15. The method of claim 14, further comprising a person manually entering order information defining said one of said test orders into said order originating computer system via a data input device of said order originating computer system. 16. The method of claim 14, further comprising a computer program programmatically generating in said order originating computer system information defining said one of said test orders, and programmatically instructing said order originating computer system to transmit said one of said test orders from said order originating computer system to said trading and processing computer system. 17. The method of claim 1, further comprising matching said test order with said real order in said trading and processing computer system. 18. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
matching a second test order with a second real order in said trading and processing computer system; and
responsive to said matching said second test order with said second real order, (1) automatically executing said second test order so that said trading and processing computer system reduces a value for a quantity of said instrument associated with said test order and (2) automatically executing said real order so that a value for a quantity of said instrument associated with said real order changes. 19. A computerized method for trading instruments and processing test orders comprising:
receiving, in a trading and processing computer system, real orders and test orders for an instrument; entering said real orders for said instrument in an electronic real order book, wherein read and write access to said electronic real order book is controlled by said trading and processing computer system, and wherein said electronic real order book contains a bid table containing only real bid orders and an offer table containing only real offer orders; copying said electronic real order book to generate an electronic test order book containing a bid table containing said real bid orders and an offer table containing said real offer orders; and entering into said electronic test order book a test order. 20. The method of claim 19 further comprising matching said test order to a real order, and as a result of said matching, executing both said test order and said real order in said electronic test order book. 21. The method of claim 20 further comprising, in response to said executing said test order and said real order in said electronic test order book, transmitting a response to an originator of said test order, and not transmitting a response to an originator of said real order. 22. The method of claim 19 further comprising entering orders received by said trading and processing computer system, after said copying, into both said electronic real order book and said electronic test order book. 23. The method of claim 19 further comprising determining differences in said electronic real order book and said electronic test order book. 24. The method of claim 23 further comprising transmitting a response to an originator of said test order indicating at least one of said differences in said electronic real order book and said electronic test order book. 25. The method of claim 19, wherein trading and processing computer system copies said electronic real order book to generate said electronic test order book in response to receipt of said test order. 26. The method of claim 19 further comprising generating a plurality of electronic test order books, each one of said plurality of electronic test order books generated in response to receipt by said trading and processing computer system of different test orders. 27. The method of claim 19 further comprising matching said test order to another test order in said electronic test order book, and as a result of said matching, executing said test order and said another test order in said electronic test order book. | Disclosed are systems and methods for placing and processing test orders and real orders.1. A computerized method for trading instruments and processing test orders comprising:
receiving, in a trading and processing computer system, real orders and test orders for an instrument; matching a test order with a real order in said trading and processing computer system; responsive to said matching said test order with said real order, (1) automatically executing said test order so that said trading and processing computer system reduces a value for a quantity of said instrument associated with said test order and (2) not executing said real order so that a value for a quantity of said instrument associated with said real order remains unchanged. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein said automatically executing in response to said matching comprises updating an electronic order book to indicate changes in said electronic order book to said test order as a result of said executing. 3. The method of claim 1, wherein said executing comprises reducing a test order quantity of said test order by a real order quantity of said real order if said test order quantity exceeds said real order quantity, and removing said test order from said order book if said real order quantity equals or exceeds said test order quantity. 4. The method of claim 3, further comprising logging changes to said test order in a log file in said trading and processing computer system. 5. The method of claim 1, wherein said receiving said real orders and said test orders for an instrument comprises entering said real orders and said test orders for said instrument in an electronic order book for said instrument, wherein read and write access to said electronic order book is controlled by said trading and processing computer system. 6. The method of claim 5, wherein said electronic order book comprises a table for bid orders and a table for offer orders. 7. The method of claim 6, wherein said table for bid orders comprises at least one field indicating whether each bid order is a test bid order or a real bid order. 8. The method of claim 7, wherein said table for offer orders comprises at least one field indicating whether each offer order is a test offer order or a real offer order. 9. The method of claim 1, wherein each one of said test orders and each one of said real orders includes information defining rank, price, quantity, and UID. 10. The method of claim 1, wherein each one of said test orders and each one of said real orders includes information defining order type being at least one of real or test. 11. The method of claim 2, wherein said real order stored in said electronic order book includes information defining whether said real order was matched. 12. The method of claim 2 wherein said test order stored in said electronic order book includes information defining identifications of orders to which said test order was matched. 13. The method of claim 1 further comprising said trading and processing computer system matching a certain test order to a certain other order, determining if said certain other order contains a parameter value defined in said test order as an order execution prevention value, and if so, not executing said certain test order. 14. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting one of said test orders for said instrument from an order originating computer system to said trading and processing computer system. 15. The method of claim 14, further comprising a person manually entering order information defining said one of said test orders into said order originating computer system via a data input device of said order originating computer system. 16. The method of claim 14, further comprising a computer program programmatically generating in said order originating computer system information defining said one of said test orders, and programmatically instructing said order originating computer system to transmit said one of said test orders from said order originating computer system to said trading and processing computer system. 17. The method of claim 1, further comprising matching said test order with said real order in said trading and processing computer system. 18. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
matching a second test order with a second real order in said trading and processing computer system; and
responsive to said matching said second test order with said second real order, (1) automatically executing said second test order so that said trading and processing computer system reduces a value for a quantity of said instrument associated with said test order and (2) automatically executing said real order so that a value for a quantity of said instrument associated with said real order changes. 19. A computerized method for trading instruments and processing test orders comprising:
receiving, in a trading and processing computer system, real orders and test orders for an instrument; entering said real orders for said instrument in an electronic real order book, wherein read and write access to said electronic real order book is controlled by said trading and processing computer system, and wherein said electronic real order book contains a bid table containing only real bid orders and an offer table containing only real offer orders; copying said electronic real order book to generate an electronic test order book containing a bid table containing said real bid orders and an offer table containing said real offer orders; and entering into said electronic test order book a test order. 20. The method of claim 19 further comprising matching said test order to a real order, and as a result of said matching, executing both said test order and said real order in said electronic test order book. 21. The method of claim 20 further comprising, in response to said executing said test order and said real order in said electronic test order book, transmitting a response to an originator of said test order, and not transmitting a response to an originator of said real order. 22. The method of claim 19 further comprising entering orders received by said trading and processing computer system, after said copying, into both said electronic real order book and said electronic test order book. 23. The method of claim 19 further comprising determining differences in said electronic real order book and said electronic test order book. 24. The method of claim 23 further comprising transmitting a response to an originator of said test order indicating at least one of said differences in said electronic real order book and said electronic test order book. 25. The method of claim 19, wherein trading and processing computer system copies said electronic real order book to generate said electronic test order book in response to receipt of said test order. 26. The method of claim 19 further comprising generating a plurality of electronic test order books, each one of said plurality of electronic test order books generated in response to receipt by said trading and processing computer system of different test orders. 27. The method of claim 19 further comprising matching said test order to another test order in said electronic test order book, and as a result of said matching, executing said test order and said another test order in said electronic test order book. | 3,600 |
12,833 | 12,833 | 15,479,697 | 3,677 | The present invention is an ergonomic silicone wedding ring comprising of 3 bands which are designed not to separate easily and are thinner, more ergonomic and comfortable than prior silicone tri-band rings. | 1. A method of manufacturing a triband silicone ring comprising:
a) forming by compression molding a first and second outer band of a silicone ring, each outer band having a curved outer edge and an inner edge having a channel formed therein; b) selecting a first compression mold having a spacer plate positioned over the first compression mold wherein the compression mold has a first ring cavity with a first platform whose upper portion is leveled with an upper portion of the spacer plate; c) placing the first outer band in the first compression mold with the channel facing up; d) placing the second outer band in a second compression mold with the channel facing down, the second compression mold having a second ring cavity and a second platform; e) placing a piece of silicone rubber on the first platform of the first compression mold; f) positioning the second compression mold over the spacer plate such that first and second platforms are facing each other; and g) positioning the first compression mold, spacer plate, and second compression mold assembly in a compression molding device to form a silicone ring having two outer and one inner band. 2. The method according to claim 1 wherein at least one of the bands is of a color different than the other two bands. 3. The method according to claim 1 which further comprises removing the excess silicone from the compression molded ring. 4. The method according to claim 1 wherein at least one of the bands is a different grade of silicone than the other two bands. 5. The method according to claim 1 wherein the bands have a thickness at the widest part of the band of about 1.25 mm to less than about 2.0 mm. 6. A three-band silicone ring comprising:
a first outer band and a second outer band, each outer band having a curved outer edge and a channel in a circumferential inner edge,
wherein each outer band is tapered such that the curved outer edge is narrower than the circumferential inner edge, and
wherein an opening of the channel at the surface of the circumferential inner edge of each outer band is a widest part of the channel; and
a middle band having a first ridge portion and a second ridge portion on opposite circumferential inner edges of the middle band, each ridge portion extending from the circumferential inner edge such that each ridge portion is substantially the same shape as the channel in each of the outer bands; wherein the first ridge portion of the middle band is fused to the channel in the first outer band and the second ridge portion of the middle band is fused to the channel in the second outer band, with each channel and each corresponding ridge portion providing additional surface area for contact for the fusing between the middle band and each outer band; and wherein the first and second outer bands and the middle band are made of silicone. 7. The ring according to claim 6 wherein the bands have a thickness at a widest part of the band of about 1.8 mm. 8. The ring according to claim 6 wherein a cross-section of each channel is in a shape of a rounded arc. 9. (canceled) 10. (canceled) | The present invention is an ergonomic silicone wedding ring comprising of 3 bands which are designed not to separate easily and are thinner, more ergonomic and comfortable than prior silicone tri-band rings.1. A method of manufacturing a triband silicone ring comprising:
a) forming by compression molding a first and second outer band of a silicone ring, each outer band having a curved outer edge and an inner edge having a channel formed therein; b) selecting a first compression mold having a spacer plate positioned over the first compression mold wherein the compression mold has a first ring cavity with a first platform whose upper portion is leveled with an upper portion of the spacer plate; c) placing the first outer band in the first compression mold with the channel facing up; d) placing the second outer band in a second compression mold with the channel facing down, the second compression mold having a second ring cavity and a second platform; e) placing a piece of silicone rubber on the first platform of the first compression mold; f) positioning the second compression mold over the spacer plate such that first and second platforms are facing each other; and g) positioning the first compression mold, spacer plate, and second compression mold assembly in a compression molding device to form a silicone ring having two outer and one inner band. 2. The method according to claim 1 wherein at least one of the bands is of a color different than the other two bands. 3. The method according to claim 1 which further comprises removing the excess silicone from the compression molded ring. 4. The method according to claim 1 wherein at least one of the bands is a different grade of silicone than the other two bands. 5. The method according to claim 1 wherein the bands have a thickness at the widest part of the band of about 1.25 mm to less than about 2.0 mm. 6. A three-band silicone ring comprising:
a first outer band and a second outer band, each outer band having a curved outer edge and a channel in a circumferential inner edge,
wherein each outer band is tapered such that the curved outer edge is narrower than the circumferential inner edge, and
wherein an opening of the channel at the surface of the circumferential inner edge of each outer band is a widest part of the channel; and
a middle band having a first ridge portion and a second ridge portion on opposite circumferential inner edges of the middle band, each ridge portion extending from the circumferential inner edge such that each ridge portion is substantially the same shape as the channel in each of the outer bands; wherein the first ridge portion of the middle band is fused to the channel in the first outer band and the second ridge portion of the middle band is fused to the channel in the second outer band, with each channel and each corresponding ridge portion providing additional surface area for contact for the fusing between the middle band and each outer band; and wherein the first and second outer bands and the middle band are made of silicone. 7. The ring according to claim 6 wherein the bands have a thickness at a widest part of the band of about 1.8 mm. 8. The ring according to claim 6 wherein a cross-section of each channel is in a shape of a rounded arc. 9. (canceled) 10. (canceled) | 3,600 |
12,834 | 12,834 | 14,887,867 | 3,662 | A vehicle includes a traction battery and a controller. The controller is programmed to output an age value of the traction battery based on a ratio of a reference capacity value to an initial reference capacity. The reference capacity value is derived from a mean and a standard deviation of a plurality of historical battery capacity values and has a predetermined probability of being less than an actual battery capacity. The controller is programmed to adjust a battery control strategy based on the age value. The vehicle includes an instrument cluster that is configured to display the age value. | 1. A vehicle comprising:
a traction battery; and a controller programmed to output a traction battery age that is based on a ratio of a reference amp-hour value having a predetermined probability of being less than an actual amp-hour value to a beginning-of-life amp-hour value, wherein the reference amp-hour value is derived from a mean and standard deviation of a plurality of historical amp-hour values of the traction battery. 2. The vehicle of claim 1 wherein the historical amp-hour values are normally distributed. 3. The vehicle of claim 1 wherein the predetermined probability is a value between 0.5 and 1.0, inclusive. 4. The vehicle of claim 1 further comprising an instrument cluster configured to display the traction battery age. 5. The vehicle of claim 4 wherein the traction battery age takes on one of a plurality of predetermined discrete states according to the ratio being less than corresponding predetermined thresholds. 6. The vehicle of claim 5 wherein the predetermined discrete states include a new state, a mid-life state, and an end-of-life state. 7. The vehicle of claim 1 wherein the controller is further programmed to operate the traction battery based on the traction battery age. 8. The vehicle of claim 1 wherein the historical amp-hour values includes a most recent predetermined number of estimated amp-hour values. 9. A vehicle comprising:
an instrument cluster configured to display an age state of a traction battery; and a controller programmed to output the age state based on a ratio of a reference amp-hour value having a predetermined probability of being less than an actual amp-hour value to a beginning-of-life amp-hour value, wherein the reference amp-hour value is derived from a mean and a standard deviation of a plurality of historical amp-hour values. 10. The vehicle of claim 9 wherein the age state includes a new state, a mid-life state, and an end-of-life state. 11. The vehicle of claim 10 wherein the instrument cluster is further configured to display the new state in a first color, the mid-life state in a second color, and the end-of-life state in a third color. 12. The vehicle of claim 9 wherein the controller is further programmed to operate the traction battery according to the age state. 13. The vehicle of claim 9 wherein the plurality of historical amp-hour values includes a most recent predetermined number of estimated amp-hour values of the traction battery. 14. The vehicle of claim 9 wherein the plurality of historical amp-hour values are normally distributed. 15. A method comprising:
outputting, by a controller, an age of a traction battery based on a ratio of a reference amp-hour value having a predetermined probability of being less than an actual amp-hour value to a beginning-of-life amp-hour value, wherein the reference amp-hour value is derived from a mean and a standard deviation of a plurality of historical amp-hour values; and operating, by the controller, the traction battery according to the age. 16. The method of claim 15 wherein the age takes on one of a plurality of predetermined discrete states. 17. The method of claim 16 wherein the predetermined discrete states are based on the ratio being less than corresponding predetermined thresholds. 18. The method of claim 15 wherein the historical amp-hour values includes a most recent predetermined number of estimated amp-hour values. 19. The method of claim 15 further comprising displaying, by an instrument cluster, the age of the traction battery. | A vehicle includes a traction battery and a controller. The controller is programmed to output an age value of the traction battery based on a ratio of a reference capacity value to an initial reference capacity. The reference capacity value is derived from a mean and a standard deviation of a plurality of historical battery capacity values and has a predetermined probability of being less than an actual battery capacity. The controller is programmed to adjust a battery control strategy based on the age value. The vehicle includes an instrument cluster that is configured to display the age value.1. A vehicle comprising:
a traction battery; and a controller programmed to output a traction battery age that is based on a ratio of a reference amp-hour value having a predetermined probability of being less than an actual amp-hour value to a beginning-of-life amp-hour value, wherein the reference amp-hour value is derived from a mean and standard deviation of a plurality of historical amp-hour values of the traction battery. 2. The vehicle of claim 1 wherein the historical amp-hour values are normally distributed. 3. The vehicle of claim 1 wherein the predetermined probability is a value between 0.5 and 1.0, inclusive. 4. The vehicle of claim 1 further comprising an instrument cluster configured to display the traction battery age. 5. The vehicle of claim 4 wherein the traction battery age takes on one of a plurality of predetermined discrete states according to the ratio being less than corresponding predetermined thresholds. 6. The vehicle of claim 5 wherein the predetermined discrete states include a new state, a mid-life state, and an end-of-life state. 7. The vehicle of claim 1 wherein the controller is further programmed to operate the traction battery based on the traction battery age. 8. The vehicle of claim 1 wherein the historical amp-hour values includes a most recent predetermined number of estimated amp-hour values. 9. A vehicle comprising:
an instrument cluster configured to display an age state of a traction battery; and a controller programmed to output the age state based on a ratio of a reference amp-hour value having a predetermined probability of being less than an actual amp-hour value to a beginning-of-life amp-hour value, wherein the reference amp-hour value is derived from a mean and a standard deviation of a plurality of historical amp-hour values. 10. The vehicle of claim 9 wherein the age state includes a new state, a mid-life state, and an end-of-life state. 11. The vehicle of claim 10 wherein the instrument cluster is further configured to display the new state in a first color, the mid-life state in a second color, and the end-of-life state in a third color. 12. The vehicle of claim 9 wherein the controller is further programmed to operate the traction battery according to the age state. 13. The vehicle of claim 9 wherein the plurality of historical amp-hour values includes a most recent predetermined number of estimated amp-hour values of the traction battery. 14. The vehicle of claim 9 wherein the plurality of historical amp-hour values are normally distributed. 15. A method comprising:
outputting, by a controller, an age of a traction battery based on a ratio of a reference amp-hour value having a predetermined probability of being less than an actual amp-hour value to a beginning-of-life amp-hour value, wherein the reference amp-hour value is derived from a mean and a standard deviation of a plurality of historical amp-hour values; and operating, by the controller, the traction battery according to the age. 16. The method of claim 15 wherein the age takes on one of a plurality of predetermined discrete states. 17. The method of claim 16 wherein the predetermined discrete states are based on the ratio being less than corresponding predetermined thresholds. 18. The method of claim 15 wherein the historical amp-hour values includes a most recent predetermined number of estimated amp-hour values. 19. The method of claim 15 further comprising displaying, by an instrument cluster, the age of the traction battery. | 3,600 |
12,835 | 12,835 | 14,050,590 | 3,692 | A method for providing automatic purchase of products, such as insurance products, by one or more third parties acting on behalf of a purchaser and for automatic deductions from an income source to pay for the product utilizes stored data regarding the products, information provided to a purchaser from the stored data based upon inquiries from the purchaser and concluding a purchase or not along with payment for the purchaser. | 1. A method for automatically selling an investment and using the proceeds to purchase an insurance product, comprising the steps of:
storing personal information corresponding to the investor in a computerized database; using a computer to automatically purchase an insurance product with the proceeds of the sale of one or more investments in an investment vehicle; using a computer to inform the investor of the automatic sale of the investment and the automatic purchase of the insurance product; using a computer to inform the investor that the investor may opt out of the purchase; where the investor does choose to opt out using a computer to record the decision of the investor and transmit information concerning the opt out to the person operating the investment vehicle concerning the investor's decision. 2. The method of claim 1 wherein the insurance product is an annuity. 3. The method of claim 2 wherein the insurance product is a deferred annuity. 4. The method of claim 3 wherein the deferred annuity in combined with a money management product. 5. The method of claim 4 wherein computer and related software are used to determine combinations of deferred annuities and money management which are likely to reduce adverse selection. 6. A computer system for automatically selling an investment and using the proceeds to purchase an insurance product, comprising: structure for storing information personal information corresponding to an investor in a computerized database; structure for inputting computer information used to inform the investor concerning the automatic sale of the investment; structure for automatically purchasing the insurance product; structure for inputting computer information to inform the investor that the investor may opt out of the purchase; and structure for recording a decision to opt out and transmit the decision to the operator of the investment vehicle. 7. The system of claim 6, further comprising structure and related software for purchasing a product which is an annuity. 8. The system of claim 7, further comprising structure and related software for purchasing an annuity which is a deferred annuity. 9. The system of claim 7, further comprising structure and related software for combining the annuity with a money management product. 10. The system of claim 9, further comprising structure and related software for projecting combinations of annuities and money-management products which are likely to reduce adverse selection. | A method for providing automatic purchase of products, such as insurance products, by one or more third parties acting on behalf of a purchaser and for automatic deductions from an income source to pay for the product utilizes stored data regarding the products, information provided to a purchaser from the stored data based upon inquiries from the purchaser and concluding a purchase or not along with payment for the purchaser.1. A method for automatically selling an investment and using the proceeds to purchase an insurance product, comprising the steps of:
storing personal information corresponding to the investor in a computerized database; using a computer to automatically purchase an insurance product with the proceeds of the sale of one or more investments in an investment vehicle; using a computer to inform the investor of the automatic sale of the investment and the automatic purchase of the insurance product; using a computer to inform the investor that the investor may opt out of the purchase; where the investor does choose to opt out using a computer to record the decision of the investor and transmit information concerning the opt out to the person operating the investment vehicle concerning the investor's decision. 2. The method of claim 1 wherein the insurance product is an annuity. 3. The method of claim 2 wherein the insurance product is a deferred annuity. 4. The method of claim 3 wherein the deferred annuity in combined with a money management product. 5. The method of claim 4 wherein computer and related software are used to determine combinations of deferred annuities and money management which are likely to reduce adverse selection. 6. A computer system for automatically selling an investment and using the proceeds to purchase an insurance product, comprising: structure for storing information personal information corresponding to an investor in a computerized database; structure for inputting computer information used to inform the investor concerning the automatic sale of the investment; structure for automatically purchasing the insurance product; structure for inputting computer information to inform the investor that the investor may opt out of the purchase; and structure for recording a decision to opt out and transmit the decision to the operator of the investment vehicle. 7. The system of claim 6, further comprising structure and related software for purchasing a product which is an annuity. 8. The system of claim 7, further comprising structure and related software for purchasing an annuity which is a deferred annuity. 9. The system of claim 7, further comprising structure and related software for combining the annuity with a money management product. 10. The system of claim 9, further comprising structure and related software for projecting combinations of annuities and money-management products which are likely to reduce adverse selection. | 3,600 |
12,836 | 12,836 | 12,820,323 | 3,681 | A user may submit to a set of users a query relating to a commercial transaction, and may evaluate the responses provided therefrom. However, the set of users may include vendors or their representatives who might present inaccurate or misleading information in order to persuade the user to purchase the product, or may provide low-quality and impersonal advertisements for a product that do not particularly relate to the query or the user. Instead, the query may be offered to agents who can provide relevant responses, and a response from an agent may be provided to the user in exchange for a response fee charged to the agent. This cost model may promote selectivity and high relevance to the query in the submission of responses from knowledgeable responders, thereby eliciting higher-value responses to the query for the user and financial sponsorship to cover the operating costs of the agent network. | 1. A method of eliciting at least one response to a query of a user from at least one agent of an agent set on a device having a processor, the method comprising:
executing on the processor instructions configured to:
for respective agents, estimate a response probability of the agent to the query;
select at least one responder based on, for respective agents who may be capable of providing a response that is relevant to the query, the response probability to the query;
for respective responders, offer the query to the responder for a response fee; and
upon receiving a response from a responder:
charge the response fee to the responder, and
present the response from the responder to the user. 2. The method of claim 1:
the user having at least one association with at least one associated user within a social network; and the instructions configured to:
offer the query to at least one associated user; and
upon receiving a response from an associated user, present the response from the associated user to the user. 3. The method of claim 2:
the instructions configured to select at least one selected associated user who may be capable of providing a response that is relevant to the query; and offering the query to at least one associated user comprising: offering the query to at least one selected associated user. 4. The method of claim 3:
the instructions configured to train a learning component to select, for respective training queries of a training query set, at least one selected associated user who may be capable of providing a response that is relevant to the training query; and selecting the at least one selected associated user comprising: invoking the learning component to select at least one selected associated user who may be capable of providing a response that is relevant to the query. 5. The method of claim 2, presenting the response from the associated user comprising: presenting the response from the associated user with a visual presentation similar to the visual presentation of the at least one response from at least one responder. 6. The method of claim 1, selecting the at least one responder comprising: selecting at least one responder based on:
for respective agents, the response probability to the query, and a target response count of responses to the query that may be received from the responders. 7. The method of claim 1:
at least one agent specifying an response cost for the agent in generating a response to a query; and selecting the at least one responder comprising: selecting at least one responder based on, for respective agents, the response probability to the query and the response cost. 8. The method of claim 7, charging the response fee to the responder comprising: charging to the responder the response fee discounted by the response cost. 9. The method of claim 1:
the instructions configured to, for respective agents, estimate a response relevance to the query of a response from the agent; and selecting the at least one responder comprising: select at least one responder based on, for respective agents, the response probability to the query and the response relevance of a response from the agent to the query. 10. The method of claim 9:
the instructions configured to train a learning component to estimate, for respective agents and for respective training queries of a training query set, the response probability and the response relevance of the agent to the training query; estimating the response probability to the query comprising: invoking the learning component to estimate the response probability of respective agents to the query; and estimating the response relevance to the query comprising: invoking the learning component to estimate the response relevance of respective agents to the query. 11. The method of claim 1:
at least one agent submitting a response bid for respective queries; selecting the at least one responder comprising: selecting at least one responder based on, for respective agents, the response probability for the query and the response bid; and charging the response fee to a responder comprising: charging to the responder a response fee including the response bid. 12. The method of claim 11:
the query having a query type; at least one agent submitting at least one query type response bid for queries of respective query types; selecting the at least one responder comprising: selecting at least one responder based on, for respective agents, the response probability for the query and the query type response bid for the query type of the query; and charging the response fee to a responder comprising: charging to the responder a response fee including the query type response bid for the query type of the query. 13. The method of claim 1:
the query received from the user at a query time; the responses from respective responders received at a response time elapsing after the query time; and charging the response fee to the responder comprising: charging to the responder the response fee adjusted based on a response time. 14. The method of claim 1, the response fee charged to a responder comprising an initial response fee and a user interaction response fee calculated according to a mathematical formula comprising:
Initial
Response
Fee
S
i
=
{
if
F
i
≥
L
:
Max
(
L
,
c
i
P
i
)
if
F
i
≥
L
:
F
i
and
User
Interaction
Response
Fee
S
i
=
{
if
F
i
≥
L
:
0
if
F
i
≥
L
:
(
L
-
F
i
)
R
i
wherein:
S represents the agents of the agent set;
Si represents an agent i in the agent set;
Ci represents an response cost of agent Si for generating the response to the query;
Pi represents a response probability estimated for receiving a response from agent Si to the query;
Ri represents a response relevance to the query of the response received from agent Si;
Fi represents a base response fee to be charged to agent Si upon receiving the response to the query, computed according to a mathematical formula:
F
i
=
Max
(
R
i
×
B
i
,
c
i
P
i
)
wherein:
Bi represents a bid received from the agent to respond to the query;
N represents a target response count of responses to the query received from the responders; and
L represents FN+1. 15. The method of claim 1:
at least one agent associated with at least one contact item associated with the agent; and presenting the response to the user comprising: presenting with the response the at least one contact item associated with the agent. 16. The method of claim 1:
the query associated with at least one product; an agent providing an offer relating to at least one product associated with the query; and presenting the response to the user comprising: presenting with the response at least one offer associated with at least one product associated with the query. 17. The method of claim 1, the instructions configured to:
detect a transaction completed by the user resulting from a response to the query received from a responder; and upon detecting the transaction, award a commission to the responder. 18. The method of claim 17:
the query relating to a product offered by a vendor; and awarding the commission comprising: awarding to the selected response a commission from the vendor of the product. 19. A system configured to elicit at least one response to a query of a user from at least one agent of an agent set, the system comprising:
an agent selecting component configured to:
for respective agents, estimate a response probability of the agent to the query; and
select at least one responder based on, for respective agents who may be capable of providing a response that is relevant to the query, the response probability to the query;
a query offering component configured to, for respective responders, offer the query to the responder for a response fee; and a response receiving component configured to, upon receiving a response from a responder:
charge the response fee to the responder, and
present the response from the responder to the user. 20. A computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions that, when executed on a processor of a device defining a target response count, elicit from at least one agent of an agent set at least one response to a query of a query type received from a user at a query time, the user having at least one association with at least one associated user within a social network, respective agents associated with at least one contact item and specifying an response cost for the agent in generating a response to a query and submitting a response bid for queries of respective query bid types, by:
training a first learning component to select, for respective training queries of a training query set, at least one selected associated user who may be capable of providing a response that is relevant to the training query; training a second learning component to estimate, for respective agents and for respective training queries of a training query set, a response probability and a response relevance of the agent to the training query; invoking the first learning component to select from the associated users at least selected one associated user who may be capable of providing a response that is relevant to the query; offering the query to the at least selected one associated user; for respective agents, invoking the second learning component to estimate the response probability of the agent to the query and the response relevance to the query of a response from the agent; selecting at least one responder based on the target response count and, for respective agents who may be capable of providing a response that is relevant to the query, the response probability to the query, the response cost, the response bid for the query type of the query, and the response relevance; for respective responders, offering the query to the responder for a response fee; upon receiving a response from a responder at a response time elapsing after the query time:
charging to the responder a response fee discounted by the response cost and adjusted based on a response time, the response fee comprising an initial response fee and a user interaction response fee calculated according to a mathematical formula comprising:
Initial
Response
Fee
S
i
=
{
if
F
i
≥
L
:
Max
(
L
,
c
i
P
i
)
if
F
i
≥
L
:
F
i
and
User
Interaction
Response
Fee
S
i
=
{
if
F
i
≥
L
:
0
if
F
i
≥
L
:
(
L
-
F
i
)
R
i
wherein:
S represents the agents of the agent set; Si represents an agent i in the agent set; Ci represents an response cost of agent Si for generating the response to the query; Pi represents a response probability estimated for receiving a response from agent Si to the query; Ri represents a response relevance to the query of the response received from agent Si; Fi represents a base response fee to be charged to agent Si upon receiving the response to the query, computed according to a mathematical formula:
F
i
=
Max
(
R
i
×
B
i
,
c
i
P
i
)
wherein:
Bi represents a bid received from the agent to respond to the query; N represents a target response count of responses to the query received from the responders; and L represents FN+1; presenting the response from the responder to the user with at least one contact item of the responder;
upon receiving a response from a selected associated user, presenting to the user the response from the selected associated user with a visual presentation similar to the visual presentation of the at least one response from at least one responder;
detecting a transaction completed by the user resulting from a response to the query received from a responder; and
upon detecting the transaction, awarding a commission to the responder. | A user may submit to a set of users a query relating to a commercial transaction, and may evaluate the responses provided therefrom. However, the set of users may include vendors or their representatives who might present inaccurate or misleading information in order to persuade the user to purchase the product, or may provide low-quality and impersonal advertisements for a product that do not particularly relate to the query or the user. Instead, the query may be offered to agents who can provide relevant responses, and a response from an agent may be provided to the user in exchange for a response fee charged to the agent. This cost model may promote selectivity and high relevance to the query in the submission of responses from knowledgeable responders, thereby eliciting higher-value responses to the query for the user and financial sponsorship to cover the operating costs of the agent network.1. A method of eliciting at least one response to a query of a user from at least one agent of an agent set on a device having a processor, the method comprising:
executing on the processor instructions configured to:
for respective agents, estimate a response probability of the agent to the query;
select at least one responder based on, for respective agents who may be capable of providing a response that is relevant to the query, the response probability to the query;
for respective responders, offer the query to the responder for a response fee; and
upon receiving a response from a responder:
charge the response fee to the responder, and
present the response from the responder to the user. 2. The method of claim 1:
the user having at least one association with at least one associated user within a social network; and the instructions configured to:
offer the query to at least one associated user; and
upon receiving a response from an associated user, present the response from the associated user to the user. 3. The method of claim 2:
the instructions configured to select at least one selected associated user who may be capable of providing a response that is relevant to the query; and offering the query to at least one associated user comprising: offering the query to at least one selected associated user. 4. The method of claim 3:
the instructions configured to train a learning component to select, for respective training queries of a training query set, at least one selected associated user who may be capable of providing a response that is relevant to the training query; and selecting the at least one selected associated user comprising: invoking the learning component to select at least one selected associated user who may be capable of providing a response that is relevant to the query. 5. The method of claim 2, presenting the response from the associated user comprising: presenting the response from the associated user with a visual presentation similar to the visual presentation of the at least one response from at least one responder. 6. The method of claim 1, selecting the at least one responder comprising: selecting at least one responder based on:
for respective agents, the response probability to the query, and a target response count of responses to the query that may be received from the responders. 7. The method of claim 1:
at least one agent specifying an response cost for the agent in generating a response to a query; and selecting the at least one responder comprising: selecting at least one responder based on, for respective agents, the response probability to the query and the response cost. 8. The method of claim 7, charging the response fee to the responder comprising: charging to the responder the response fee discounted by the response cost. 9. The method of claim 1:
the instructions configured to, for respective agents, estimate a response relevance to the query of a response from the agent; and selecting the at least one responder comprising: select at least one responder based on, for respective agents, the response probability to the query and the response relevance of a response from the agent to the query. 10. The method of claim 9:
the instructions configured to train a learning component to estimate, for respective agents and for respective training queries of a training query set, the response probability and the response relevance of the agent to the training query; estimating the response probability to the query comprising: invoking the learning component to estimate the response probability of respective agents to the query; and estimating the response relevance to the query comprising: invoking the learning component to estimate the response relevance of respective agents to the query. 11. The method of claim 1:
at least one agent submitting a response bid for respective queries; selecting the at least one responder comprising: selecting at least one responder based on, for respective agents, the response probability for the query and the response bid; and charging the response fee to a responder comprising: charging to the responder a response fee including the response bid. 12. The method of claim 11:
the query having a query type; at least one agent submitting at least one query type response bid for queries of respective query types; selecting the at least one responder comprising: selecting at least one responder based on, for respective agents, the response probability for the query and the query type response bid for the query type of the query; and charging the response fee to a responder comprising: charging to the responder a response fee including the query type response bid for the query type of the query. 13. The method of claim 1:
the query received from the user at a query time; the responses from respective responders received at a response time elapsing after the query time; and charging the response fee to the responder comprising: charging to the responder the response fee adjusted based on a response time. 14. The method of claim 1, the response fee charged to a responder comprising an initial response fee and a user interaction response fee calculated according to a mathematical formula comprising:
Initial
Response
Fee
S
i
=
{
if
F
i
≥
L
:
Max
(
L
,
c
i
P
i
)
if
F
i
≥
L
:
F
i
and
User
Interaction
Response
Fee
S
i
=
{
if
F
i
≥
L
:
0
if
F
i
≥
L
:
(
L
-
F
i
)
R
i
wherein:
S represents the agents of the agent set;
Si represents an agent i in the agent set;
Ci represents an response cost of agent Si for generating the response to the query;
Pi represents a response probability estimated for receiving a response from agent Si to the query;
Ri represents a response relevance to the query of the response received from agent Si;
Fi represents a base response fee to be charged to agent Si upon receiving the response to the query, computed according to a mathematical formula:
F
i
=
Max
(
R
i
×
B
i
,
c
i
P
i
)
wherein:
Bi represents a bid received from the agent to respond to the query;
N represents a target response count of responses to the query received from the responders; and
L represents FN+1. 15. The method of claim 1:
at least one agent associated with at least one contact item associated with the agent; and presenting the response to the user comprising: presenting with the response the at least one contact item associated with the agent. 16. The method of claim 1:
the query associated with at least one product; an agent providing an offer relating to at least one product associated with the query; and presenting the response to the user comprising: presenting with the response at least one offer associated with at least one product associated with the query. 17. The method of claim 1, the instructions configured to:
detect a transaction completed by the user resulting from a response to the query received from a responder; and upon detecting the transaction, award a commission to the responder. 18. The method of claim 17:
the query relating to a product offered by a vendor; and awarding the commission comprising: awarding to the selected response a commission from the vendor of the product. 19. A system configured to elicit at least one response to a query of a user from at least one agent of an agent set, the system comprising:
an agent selecting component configured to:
for respective agents, estimate a response probability of the agent to the query; and
select at least one responder based on, for respective agents who may be capable of providing a response that is relevant to the query, the response probability to the query;
a query offering component configured to, for respective responders, offer the query to the responder for a response fee; and a response receiving component configured to, upon receiving a response from a responder:
charge the response fee to the responder, and
present the response from the responder to the user. 20. A computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions that, when executed on a processor of a device defining a target response count, elicit from at least one agent of an agent set at least one response to a query of a query type received from a user at a query time, the user having at least one association with at least one associated user within a social network, respective agents associated with at least one contact item and specifying an response cost for the agent in generating a response to a query and submitting a response bid for queries of respective query bid types, by:
training a first learning component to select, for respective training queries of a training query set, at least one selected associated user who may be capable of providing a response that is relevant to the training query; training a second learning component to estimate, for respective agents and for respective training queries of a training query set, a response probability and a response relevance of the agent to the training query; invoking the first learning component to select from the associated users at least selected one associated user who may be capable of providing a response that is relevant to the query; offering the query to the at least selected one associated user; for respective agents, invoking the second learning component to estimate the response probability of the agent to the query and the response relevance to the query of a response from the agent; selecting at least one responder based on the target response count and, for respective agents who may be capable of providing a response that is relevant to the query, the response probability to the query, the response cost, the response bid for the query type of the query, and the response relevance; for respective responders, offering the query to the responder for a response fee; upon receiving a response from a responder at a response time elapsing after the query time:
charging to the responder a response fee discounted by the response cost and adjusted based on a response time, the response fee comprising an initial response fee and a user interaction response fee calculated according to a mathematical formula comprising:
Initial
Response
Fee
S
i
=
{
if
F
i
≥
L
:
Max
(
L
,
c
i
P
i
)
if
F
i
≥
L
:
F
i
and
User
Interaction
Response
Fee
S
i
=
{
if
F
i
≥
L
:
0
if
F
i
≥
L
:
(
L
-
F
i
)
R
i
wherein:
S represents the agents of the agent set; Si represents an agent i in the agent set; Ci represents an response cost of agent Si for generating the response to the query; Pi represents a response probability estimated for receiving a response from agent Si to the query; Ri represents a response relevance to the query of the response received from agent Si; Fi represents a base response fee to be charged to agent Si upon receiving the response to the query, computed according to a mathematical formula:
F
i
=
Max
(
R
i
×
B
i
,
c
i
P
i
)
wherein:
Bi represents a bid received from the agent to respond to the query; N represents a target response count of responses to the query received from the responders; and L represents FN+1; presenting the response from the responder to the user with at least one contact item of the responder;
upon receiving a response from a selected associated user, presenting to the user the response from the selected associated user with a visual presentation similar to the visual presentation of the at least one response from at least one responder;
detecting a transaction completed by the user resulting from a response to the query received from a responder; and
upon detecting the transaction, awarding a commission to the responder. | 3,600 |
12,837 | 12,837 | 13,512,065 | 3,646 | The present invention relates, in particular, to a method for generating neutrons comprising at least the series of steps that consists of: a) placing at least one beam of electrons and at least one beam of nuclei selected from among protons, deuterons and tritons into a predefined spin state and/or an interference state; and b) causing said at least one beam of nuclei and said at least one beam of electrons to collide. | 1. A method for generating neutrons comprising at least the successive steps consisting in:
a) placing at least one beam of electrons and at least one beam of nuclei chosen from protons, deuterons and tritons in a defined spin state and/or in a spatial interference state, the beams of nuclei and of electrons placed in a spatial interference state each comprising at least one constructive interference region and at least one destructive interference region, and b) causing said at least one beam of nuclei and at least one beam of electrons to collide. 2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the beams of nuclei and of electrons each being placed in a defined spin state and in a spatial interference state in the step a). 3. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the spins of the electrons and of the nuclei being, in the step b), aligned in the same direction. 4. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the spins of the electrons, respectively of the nuclei, and the velocity vectors of the electrons, respectively of the nuclei, being colinear in the step b). 5. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the velocity vectors of the electrons and of the nuclei, caused to collide, forming, in the step b), an oriented angle of between 170 and 190° or the velocity vectors of the electrons and of the nuclei, caused to collide, forming, in the step b), an oriented angle of between −10 and 10°. 6. (canceled) 7. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least 50% of the nuclei forming the beam of nuclei having an energy between 1 and 107 eV and/or at least 50% of the electrons forming the beam of electrons having an energy between 1 and 107 eV. 8. (canceled) 9. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the step a) comprising a step of applying at least:
a first magnetic field, configured to place the spins of the nuclei in a defined state, having a static component of intensity between 0.5 and 45 T and/or a non-zero gradient on the axis of the collision, and a second magnetic field, configured to place the spins of the electrons in a defined state, having a static component of intensity between 0.1 and 20 T and/or a non-zero gradient on the axis of the collision. 10. The method as claimed in claim 9, wherein the first magnetic field also having a variable component applied in the form of pulses and the second magnetic field also having a variable component applied in the form of pulses. 11. The method as claimed in claim 9, wherein the first magnetic field also having a variable component exhibiting a frequency spectrum including a peak centered on a frequency of between 20 and 600 MHz and the second magnetic field also having a variable component exhibiting a frequency spectrum including a peak centered on a frequency of between 10 and 200 GHz. 12. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said at least one beam of nuclei being emitted in the form of pulses of a duration less than or equal to 10−3 s and/or said at least one beam of electrons being emitted in the form of pulses of a duration less than or equal to 10−3 s. 13. (canceled) 14. The method as claimed in claim 1, also comprising a step of maintaining the spin state of the generated neutrons after the step b). 15. A particle collider for generating neutrons comprising:
a chamber, a source of nuclei configured to generate at least one beam of nuclei chosen from protons, deuterons and tritons, a source of electrons configured to generate at least one beam of electrons, and
1. a means making it possible to generate one or more magnetic fields configured to place said at least one beam of nuclei and at least one beam of electrons in a defined spin state before the collision, and/or
2. a means making it possible to obtain particle interferences configured to place said at least one beam of nuclei and at least one beam of electrons in a spatial interference state, before the collision, the beams of nuclei and of electrons placed in a spatial interference state each comprising at least one constructive interference region and at least one destructive interference region. 16. A method for generating nuclei comprising at least the successive steps consisting in:
a) placing at least:
one beam of neutrons and at least one beam of nuclei in a defined spin state and in a spatial interference state,
one beam of neutrons and at least one beam of atomic particles in a defined spin state, or
one first beam of nuclei and at least one second beam of nuclei in a spatial interference state, and
b) causing said beams to collide,
the beams placed in a spatial interference state each comprising at least one constructive interference region and at least one destructive interference region. 17. The method as claimed in claim 16, wherein the spins:
of the nuclei and of the neutrons, or of the atomic particles and of the neutrons,
being, in the step b), aligned in the same direction. 18. The method as claimed in claim 16, wherein the spins:
of the neutrons, respectively of the nuclei, and the velocity vectors of the neutrons, respectively of the nuclei, being colinear in the step b), or of the neutrons, respectively of the atomic particles, and the velocity vectors of the neutrons, respectively of the atomic particles, being colinear in the step b). 19. The method as claimed in claim 16, wherein the velocity vectors:
of the neutrons and of the nuclei, or of the neutrons and of the atomic particles, or of the nuclei of the first and second beams of nuclei,
caused to collide, forming, in the step b), an oriented angle of between 170 and 190°. 20. The method as claimed in claim 16, wherein at least 50% of the nuclei forming the beam(s) of nuclei having an energy of between 1 and 107 eV and/or at least 50% of the neutrons forming the beam of neutrons having an energy of between 1 and 107 eV. 21. (canceled) 22. The method as claimed in claim 16, wherein the step a) comprising a step of applying at least:
a first magnetic field, configured to place the spins of the nuclei or of the atomic particles in a defined state, having a static component of intensity between 0.5 and 45 T and/or a non-zero gradient on the axis of the collision, and a second magnetic field, configured to place the spins of the neutrons in a defined state, having a static component of intensity between 0.5 and 45 T and/or a non-zero gradient on the axis of the collision. 23. The method as claimed in claim 22, wherein the first magnetic field also having a variable component applied in the form of pulses of duration between 0.1 and 100 μs and the second magnetic field also having a variable component applied in the form of pulses of duration between 0.1 and 100 μs. 24. The method as claimed in claim 22, wherein the first magnetic field also having a variable component exhibiting a frequency spectrum including a peak centered on a frequency of between 20 and 600 MHz and the second magnetic field also having a variable component exhibiting a frequency spectrum including a peak centered on a frequency of between 20 and 600 MHz. 25. The method as claimed in claim 16, wherein said at least one beam of nuclei being emitted in the form of pulses of duration less than or equal to 10−3 s and/or said at least one beam of neutrons being emitted in the form of pulses of duration less than or equal to 10−3 s. 26. (canceled) 27. (canceled) 28. (canceled) 29. (canceled) | The present invention relates, in particular, to a method for generating neutrons comprising at least the series of steps that consists of: a) placing at least one beam of electrons and at least one beam of nuclei selected from among protons, deuterons and tritons into a predefined spin state and/or an interference state; and b) causing said at least one beam of nuclei and said at least one beam of electrons to collide.1. A method for generating neutrons comprising at least the successive steps consisting in:
a) placing at least one beam of electrons and at least one beam of nuclei chosen from protons, deuterons and tritons in a defined spin state and/or in a spatial interference state, the beams of nuclei and of electrons placed in a spatial interference state each comprising at least one constructive interference region and at least one destructive interference region, and b) causing said at least one beam of nuclei and at least one beam of electrons to collide. 2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the beams of nuclei and of electrons each being placed in a defined spin state and in a spatial interference state in the step a). 3. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the spins of the electrons and of the nuclei being, in the step b), aligned in the same direction. 4. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the spins of the electrons, respectively of the nuclei, and the velocity vectors of the electrons, respectively of the nuclei, being colinear in the step b). 5. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the velocity vectors of the electrons and of the nuclei, caused to collide, forming, in the step b), an oriented angle of between 170 and 190° or the velocity vectors of the electrons and of the nuclei, caused to collide, forming, in the step b), an oriented angle of between −10 and 10°. 6. (canceled) 7. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least 50% of the nuclei forming the beam of nuclei having an energy between 1 and 107 eV and/or at least 50% of the electrons forming the beam of electrons having an energy between 1 and 107 eV. 8. (canceled) 9. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the step a) comprising a step of applying at least:
a first magnetic field, configured to place the spins of the nuclei in a defined state, having a static component of intensity between 0.5 and 45 T and/or a non-zero gradient on the axis of the collision, and a second magnetic field, configured to place the spins of the electrons in a defined state, having a static component of intensity between 0.1 and 20 T and/or a non-zero gradient on the axis of the collision. 10. The method as claimed in claim 9, wherein the first magnetic field also having a variable component applied in the form of pulses and the second magnetic field also having a variable component applied in the form of pulses. 11. The method as claimed in claim 9, wherein the first magnetic field also having a variable component exhibiting a frequency spectrum including a peak centered on a frequency of between 20 and 600 MHz and the second magnetic field also having a variable component exhibiting a frequency spectrum including a peak centered on a frequency of between 10 and 200 GHz. 12. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said at least one beam of nuclei being emitted in the form of pulses of a duration less than or equal to 10−3 s and/or said at least one beam of electrons being emitted in the form of pulses of a duration less than or equal to 10−3 s. 13. (canceled) 14. The method as claimed in claim 1, also comprising a step of maintaining the spin state of the generated neutrons after the step b). 15. A particle collider for generating neutrons comprising:
a chamber, a source of nuclei configured to generate at least one beam of nuclei chosen from protons, deuterons and tritons, a source of electrons configured to generate at least one beam of electrons, and
1. a means making it possible to generate one or more magnetic fields configured to place said at least one beam of nuclei and at least one beam of electrons in a defined spin state before the collision, and/or
2. a means making it possible to obtain particle interferences configured to place said at least one beam of nuclei and at least one beam of electrons in a spatial interference state, before the collision, the beams of nuclei and of electrons placed in a spatial interference state each comprising at least one constructive interference region and at least one destructive interference region. 16. A method for generating nuclei comprising at least the successive steps consisting in:
a) placing at least:
one beam of neutrons and at least one beam of nuclei in a defined spin state and in a spatial interference state,
one beam of neutrons and at least one beam of atomic particles in a defined spin state, or
one first beam of nuclei and at least one second beam of nuclei in a spatial interference state, and
b) causing said beams to collide,
the beams placed in a spatial interference state each comprising at least one constructive interference region and at least one destructive interference region. 17. The method as claimed in claim 16, wherein the spins:
of the nuclei and of the neutrons, or of the atomic particles and of the neutrons,
being, in the step b), aligned in the same direction. 18. The method as claimed in claim 16, wherein the spins:
of the neutrons, respectively of the nuclei, and the velocity vectors of the neutrons, respectively of the nuclei, being colinear in the step b), or of the neutrons, respectively of the atomic particles, and the velocity vectors of the neutrons, respectively of the atomic particles, being colinear in the step b). 19. The method as claimed in claim 16, wherein the velocity vectors:
of the neutrons and of the nuclei, or of the neutrons and of the atomic particles, or of the nuclei of the first and second beams of nuclei,
caused to collide, forming, in the step b), an oriented angle of between 170 and 190°. 20. The method as claimed in claim 16, wherein at least 50% of the nuclei forming the beam(s) of nuclei having an energy of between 1 and 107 eV and/or at least 50% of the neutrons forming the beam of neutrons having an energy of between 1 and 107 eV. 21. (canceled) 22. The method as claimed in claim 16, wherein the step a) comprising a step of applying at least:
a first magnetic field, configured to place the spins of the nuclei or of the atomic particles in a defined state, having a static component of intensity between 0.5 and 45 T and/or a non-zero gradient on the axis of the collision, and a second magnetic field, configured to place the spins of the neutrons in a defined state, having a static component of intensity between 0.5 and 45 T and/or a non-zero gradient on the axis of the collision. 23. The method as claimed in claim 22, wherein the first magnetic field also having a variable component applied in the form of pulses of duration between 0.1 and 100 μs and the second magnetic field also having a variable component applied in the form of pulses of duration between 0.1 and 100 μs. 24. The method as claimed in claim 22, wherein the first magnetic field also having a variable component exhibiting a frequency spectrum including a peak centered on a frequency of between 20 and 600 MHz and the second magnetic field also having a variable component exhibiting a frequency spectrum including a peak centered on a frequency of between 20 and 600 MHz. 25. The method as claimed in claim 16, wherein said at least one beam of nuclei being emitted in the form of pulses of duration less than or equal to 10−3 s and/or said at least one beam of neutrons being emitted in the form of pulses of duration less than or equal to 10−3 s. 26. (canceled) 27. (canceled) 28. (canceled) 29. (canceled) | 3,600 |
12,838 | 12,838 | 14,153,217 | 3,624 | A method, system, and computer program product for pricing data according to usage in a query are provided in the illustrative embodiments. A set of data cubes is identified according to a set of cube selection parameters for answering a query. A first subset of data cubes is disqualified from the set of data cubes. A second subset of participating data cubes is selected from the subset of qualified data cubes. A degree of contribution in an expected result-set responsive to the query is computed for a participating data cube. A price of the participating data cube is adjusted according to the degree of the contribution. A total price of using the second subset of participating data cubes for the query is computed. The second subset of participating data cubes, the expected result-set, and the total price are presented. | 1. A method for pricing data according to usage, the method comprising:
identifying, by a processor, a set of data cubes according to a set of cube selection parameters, wherein a data cube in the set of data cubes comprises a quantum of data configured for trading in exchange for a payment, the set of data cubes being usable for answering a query; determining, by the processor, whether a first subset of data cubes from the set of data cubes should be disqualified; responsive to determining that the first subset of data cubes from the set of data cubes should be disqualified, disqualifying, by the processor, the first subset of data cubes from the set of data cubes, the first subset forming a subset of disqualified data cubes and non-disqualified data cubes in the set forming a subset of qualified data cubes, wherein a pricing definition associated with a disqualified data cube in the subset of disqualified data cubes prevents the disqualified data cube from participating in the query; selecting, by the processor, a second subset of participating data cubes from the subset of qualified data cubes; determining, by the processor, a degree of contribution of a participating data cube from the second subset in an expected result-set responsive to the query; adjusting, by the processor, a price of the participating data cube according to the degree of the contribution of the participating data cube, forming a usage-based adjusted price; computing, by the processor, a total price of using the second subset of participating data cubes for the query, the computing including the usage-based adjusted price; and presenting, by the processor, the second subset of participating data cubes, the expected result-set, and the total price. 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
computing a confidence level in the expected result-set, wherein the presenting further includes the confidence level. 3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
selecting a third subset of alternative data cubes from the set of data cubes, wherein the third subset of alternative data cubes is distinct from the second subset of participating data cubes; computing a degree of contribution of an alternative data cube from the third subset of alternative data cubes in a revised expected result-set responsive to the query; adjusting a price of the alternative data cube according to the degree of the contribution of the alternative data cube, forming a usage-based adjusted price of the alternative data cube; computing a revised total price of using the usage-based adjusted price of the alternative data cube; and presenting an alternative selection of data cubes for answering the query, the alternative selection including the alternative data cube, further presenting the revised expected result-set, and the revised total price. 4. The method of claim 3, wherein the presenting allows evaluating, prior to paying for the alternative data cube, the degree of contribution of the alternative data cube. 5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
computing a portion of a confidence level of the expected result-set that corresponds to the participating data cube, wherein the adjusting the price of the participating data cube is further according to the portion of the confidence level. 6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
computing a degree of an accuracy of the expected result-set that is attributed to the participating data cube, wherein the adjusting the price of the participating data cube is further according to the degree of the accuracy. 7. The method of claim 1, wherein the second subset satisfies a set of cube selection parameters specified for the query. 8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
determining that a manner of using the disqualified data cube specified in the pricing definition associated with the disqualified data cube conflicts with a manner the disqualified data cube participates in the query. 9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
determining that a manner of pricing the disqualified data cube specified in the pricing definition associated with the disqualified data cube conflicts with a cube selection parameter specified for the query. 10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
receiving, from a data source, a data cube in the set of data cubes; and receiving a pricing definition corresponding to the data cube, wherein the pricing definition specifies a model for pricing the data cube when at least a portion of the data cube participates in a query. 11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
receiving, from a user, a query definition; and receiving the set of cube selection parameters. 12. A computer program product comprising one or more computer-readable tangible storage devices and computer-readable program instructions which are stored on the one or more storage devices and when executed by one or more processors, perform the method of claim 1. 13. A computer system comprising one or more processors, one or more computer-readable memories, one or more computer-readable tangible storage devices and program instructions which are stored on the one or more storage devices for execution by the one or more processors via the one or more memories and when executed by the one or more processors perform the method of claim 1. 14. A computer program product for pricing data according to usage, the computer program product comprising:
one or more computer-readable tangible storage devices; program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices, to identify a set of data cubes according to a set of cube selection parameters, wherein a data cube in the set of data cubes comprises a quantum of data configured for trading in exchange for a payment, the set of data cubes being usable for answering a query; program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices, to determine whether a first subset of data cubes from the set of data cubes should be disqualified; program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices, responsive to determining that the first subset of data cubes from the set of data cubes should be disqualified, to disqualify the first subset of data cubes from the set of data cubes, the first subset forming a subset of disqualified data cubes and non-disqualified data cubes in the set forming a subset of qualified data cubes, wherein a pricing definition associated with a disqualified data cube in the subset of disqualified data cubes prevents the disqualified data cube from participating in the query; program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices, to select a second subset of participating data cubes from the subset of qualified data cubes; program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices, to determine a degree of contribution of a participating data cube from the second subset in an expected result-set responsive to the query; program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices, to adjust a price of the participating data cube according to the degree of the contribution of the participating data cube, forming a usage-based adjusted price; program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices, to compute a total price of using the second subset of participating data cubes for the query, the computing including the usage-based adjusted price; and program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices, to present the second subset of participating data cubes, the expected result-set, and the total price. 15. The computer program product of claim 14, further comprising:
program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices, to compute a confidence level in the expected result set, wherein the presenting further includes the confidence level. 16. The computer program product of claim 14, further comprising:
program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices, to select a third subset of alternative data cubes from the set of data cubes, wherein the third subset of alternative data cubes is distinct from the second subset of participating data cubes; program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices, to compute a degree of contribution of an alternative data cube from the third subset of alternative data cubes in a revised expected result-set responsive to the query; program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices, to adjust a price of the alternative data cube according to the degree of the contribution of the alternative data cube, forming a usage-based adjusted price of the alternative data cube; program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices, to compute a revised total price of using the usage-based adjusted price of the alternative data cube; and program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices, to present an alternative selection of data cubes for answering the query, the alternative selection including the alternative data cube, further presenting the revised expected result-set, and the revised total price. 17. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices, to present allows evaluating, prior to paying for the alternative data cube, the degree of contribution of the alternative data cube. 18. The computer program product of claim 14, further comprising:
program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices, to compute a portion of a confidence level of the expected result-set that corresponds to the participating data cube, wherein the adjusting the price of the participating data cube is further according to the portion of the confidence level. 19. The computer program product of claim 14, further comprising:
program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices, to compute a degree of an accuracy of the expected result-set that is attributed to the participating data cube, wherein the adjusting the price of the participating data cube is further according to the degree of the accuracy. 20. A computer system for pricing data according to usage, 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 identify a set of data cubes according to a set of cube selection parameters, wherein a data cube in the set of data cubes comprises a quantum of data configured for trading in exchange for a payment, the set of data cubes being usable for answering a query; 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 determine whether a first subset of data cubes from the set of data cubes should be disqualified; 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, responsive to determining that the first subset of data cubes from the set of data cubes should be disqualified, to disqualify the first subset of data cubes from the set of data cubes, the first subset forming a subset of disqualified data cubes and non-disqualified data cubes in the set forming a subset of qualified data cubes, wherein a pricing definition associated with a disqualified data cube in the subset of disqualified data cubes prevents the disqualified data cube from participating in the query; 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 select a second subset of participating data cubes from the subset of qualified data cubes; 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 determine a degree of contribution of a participating data cube from the second subset in an expected result-set responsive to the query; 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 adjust a price of the participating data cube according to the degree of the contribution of the participating data cube, forming a usage-based adjusted price; 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 compute a total price of using the second subset of participating data cubes for the query, the computing including the usage-based adjusted price; 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 present the second subset of participating data cubes, the expected result-set, and the total price. | A method, system, and computer program product for pricing data according to usage in a query are provided in the illustrative embodiments. A set of data cubes is identified according to a set of cube selection parameters for answering a query. A first subset of data cubes is disqualified from the set of data cubes. A second subset of participating data cubes is selected from the subset of qualified data cubes. A degree of contribution in an expected result-set responsive to the query is computed for a participating data cube. A price of the participating data cube is adjusted according to the degree of the contribution. A total price of using the second subset of participating data cubes for the query is computed. The second subset of participating data cubes, the expected result-set, and the total price are presented.1. A method for pricing data according to usage, the method comprising:
identifying, by a processor, a set of data cubes according to a set of cube selection parameters, wherein a data cube in the set of data cubes comprises a quantum of data configured for trading in exchange for a payment, the set of data cubes being usable for answering a query; determining, by the processor, whether a first subset of data cubes from the set of data cubes should be disqualified; responsive to determining that the first subset of data cubes from the set of data cubes should be disqualified, disqualifying, by the processor, the first subset of data cubes from the set of data cubes, the first subset forming a subset of disqualified data cubes and non-disqualified data cubes in the set forming a subset of qualified data cubes, wherein a pricing definition associated with a disqualified data cube in the subset of disqualified data cubes prevents the disqualified data cube from participating in the query; selecting, by the processor, a second subset of participating data cubes from the subset of qualified data cubes; determining, by the processor, a degree of contribution of a participating data cube from the second subset in an expected result-set responsive to the query; adjusting, by the processor, a price of the participating data cube according to the degree of the contribution of the participating data cube, forming a usage-based adjusted price; computing, by the processor, a total price of using the second subset of participating data cubes for the query, the computing including the usage-based adjusted price; and presenting, by the processor, the second subset of participating data cubes, the expected result-set, and the total price. 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
computing a confidence level in the expected result-set, wherein the presenting further includes the confidence level. 3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
selecting a third subset of alternative data cubes from the set of data cubes, wherein the third subset of alternative data cubes is distinct from the second subset of participating data cubes; computing a degree of contribution of an alternative data cube from the third subset of alternative data cubes in a revised expected result-set responsive to the query; adjusting a price of the alternative data cube according to the degree of the contribution of the alternative data cube, forming a usage-based adjusted price of the alternative data cube; computing a revised total price of using the usage-based adjusted price of the alternative data cube; and presenting an alternative selection of data cubes for answering the query, the alternative selection including the alternative data cube, further presenting the revised expected result-set, and the revised total price. 4. The method of claim 3, wherein the presenting allows evaluating, prior to paying for the alternative data cube, the degree of contribution of the alternative data cube. 5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
computing a portion of a confidence level of the expected result-set that corresponds to the participating data cube, wherein the adjusting the price of the participating data cube is further according to the portion of the confidence level. 6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
computing a degree of an accuracy of the expected result-set that is attributed to the participating data cube, wherein the adjusting the price of the participating data cube is further according to the degree of the accuracy. 7. The method of claim 1, wherein the second subset satisfies a set of cube selection parameters specified for the query. 8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
determining that a manner of using the disqualified data cube specified in the pricing definition associated with the disqualified data cube conflicts with a manner the disqualified data cube participates in the query. 9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
determining that a manner of pricing the disqualified data cube specified in the pricing definition associated with the disqualified data cube conflicts with a cube selection parameter specified for the query. 10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
receiving, from a data source, a data cube in the set of data cubes; and receiving a pricing definition corresponding to the data cube, wherein the pricing definition specifies a model for pricing the data cube when at least a portion of the data cube participates in a query. 11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
receiving, from a user, a query definition; and receiving the set of cube selection parameters. 12. A computer program product comprising one or more computer-readable tangible storage devices and computer-readable program instructions which are stored on the one or more storage devices and when executed by one or more processors, perform the method of claim 1. 13. A computer system comprising one or more processors, one or more computer-readable memories, one or more computer-readable tangible storage devices and program instructions which are stored on the one or more storage devices for execution by the one or more processors via the one or more memories and when executed by the one or more processors perform the method of claim 1. 14. A computer program product for pricing data according to usage, the computer program product comprising:
one or more computer-readable tangible storage devices; program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices, to identify a set of data cubes according to a set of cube selection parameters, wherein a data cube in the set of data cubes comprises a quantum of data configured for trading in exchange for a payment, the set of data cubes being usable for answering a query; program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices, to determine whether a first subset of data cubes from the set of data cubes should be disqualified; program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices, responsive to determining that the first subset of data cubes from the set of data cubes should be disqualified, to disqualify the first subset of data cubes from the set of data cubes, the first subset forming a subset of disqualified data cubes and non-disqualified data cubes in the set forming a subset of qualified data cubes, wherein a pricing definition associated with a disqualified data cube in the subset of disqualified data cubes prevents the disqualified data cube from participating in the query; program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices, to select a second subset of participating data cubes from the subset of qualified data cubes; program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices, to determine a degree of contribution of a participating data cube from the second subset in an expected result-set responsive to the query; program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices, to adjust a price of the participating data cube according to the degree of the contribution of the participating data cube, forming a usage-based adjusted price; program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices, to compute a total price of using the second subset of participating data cubes for the query, the computing including the usage-based adjusted price; and program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices, to present the second subset of participating data cubes, the expected result-set, and the total price. 15. The computer program product of claim 14, further comprising:
program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices, to compute a confidence level in the expected result set, wherein the presenting further includes the confidence level. 16. The computer program product of claim 14, further comprising:
program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices, to select a third subset of alternative data cubes from the set of data cubes, wherein the third subset of alternative data cubes is distinct from the second subset of participating data cubes; program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices, to compute a degree of contribution of an alternative data cube from the third subset of alternative data cubes in a revised expected result-set responsive to the query; program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices, to adjust a price of the alternative data cube according to the degree of the contribution of the alternative data cube, forming a usage-based adjusted price of the alternative data cube; program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices, to compute a revised total price of using the usage-based adjusted price of the alternative data cube; and program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices, to present an alternative selection of data cubes for answering the query, the alternative selection including the alternative data cube, further presenting the revised expected result-set, and the revised total price. 17. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices, to present allows evaluating, prior to paying for the alternative data cube, the degree of contribution of the alternative data cube. 18. The computer program product of claim 14, further comprising:
program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices, to compute a portion of a confidence level of the expected result-set that corresponds to the participating data cube, wherein the adjusting the price of the participating data cube is further according to the portion of the confidence level. 19. The computer program product of claim 14, further comprising:
program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices, to compute a degree of an accuracy of the expected result-set that is attributed to the participating data cube, wherein the adjusting the price of the participating data cube is further according to the degree of the accuracy. 20. A computer system for pricing data according to usage, 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 identify a set of data cubes according to a set of cube selection parameters, wherein a data cube in the set of data cubes comprises a quantum of data configured for trading in exchange for a payment, the set of data cubes being usable for answering a query; 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 determine whether a first subset of data cubes from the set of data cubes should be disqualified; 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, responsive to determining that the first subset of data cubes from the set of data cubes should be disqualified, to disqualify the first subset of data cubes from the set of data cubes, the first subset forming a subset of disqualified data cubes and non-disqualified data cubes in the set forming a subset of qualified data cubes, wherein a pricing definition associated with a disqualified data cube in the subset of disqualified data cubes prevents the disqualified data cube from participating in the query; 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 select a second subset of participating data cubes from the subset of qualified data cubes; 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 determine a degree of contribution of a participating data cube from the second subset in an expected result-set responsive to the query; 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 adjust a price of the participating data cube according to the degree of the contribution of the participating data cube, forming a usage-based adjusted price; 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 compute a total price of using the second subset of participating data cubes for the query, the computing including the usage-based adjusted price; 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 present the second subset of participating data cubes, the expected result-set, and the total price. | 3,600 |
12,839 | 12,839 | 14,718,541 | 3,665 | A driving mode system for a motor vehicle includes a controller configured to transition from a first driving mode to a second driving mode by transitioning from the first driving mode to an intermediate driving mode and from the intermediate driving mode to the second driving mode. The controller is further configured to calculate the intermediate driving mode based on values for both the first driving mode and the second driving mode and control the motor vehicle according to the second driving mode. Methods of controlling a driving mode of a motor vehicle and vehicles including a driving mode system are further contemplated. | 1. A system for controlling a motor vehicle, comprising:
a controller configured to:
transition between primary driving modes by transitioning from a first primary driving mode to an intermediate driving mode and from the intermediate driving mode to a second primary driving mode;
calculate the intermediate driving mode based on values for both the first and second primary driving modes; and
control the motor vehicle according to the second primary driving mode. 2. The system of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to calculate the first and second primary driving modes using logic stored in electronic memory accessible by the controller and based on data for one or more conditions associated with the motor vehicle. 3. The system of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to calculate the intermediate driving mode by multiplying each of the first and second primary driving modes by a predetermined constant stored in electronic memory accessible to the controller and summing results of multiplying each of the first and second primary driving modes by the predetermined constant. 4. The system of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to use at least two intermediate driving modes when transitioning from the first primary driving mode to the second primary driving mode. 5. The system of claim 4, wherein the at least two intermediate driving modes are consecutive interemediate driving modes from an available group of intermediate driving modes between the first and second primary driving modes. 6. The system of claim 4, wherein the controller is configured to transition from one intermediate driving mode to another intermediate driving mode after a predetermined amount of time has occurred between each driving mode transition. 7. The system of claim 1, further comprising a sensing system configured to detect or receive data for one or more conditions associated with the motor vehicle, wherein the controller is in signal communication with the sensing system and is configured to receive the data from the sensing system. 8. The system of claim 7, wherein, when the controller is in an adaptive control mode, the controller is configured to automatically determine the second primary driving mode for the motor vehicle based the data received from the sensing system. 9. The system of claim 7, wherein, when the transition from the first primary driving mode to the second primary driving mode is based on input by a user of the motor vehicle to select the second primary driving mode, the controller is further configured to transition directly from the first primary driving mode to the second primary driving mode without using an intermediate driving mode. 10. The system of claim 7, wherein the controller is configured to transition to a predetermined default primary driving mode when a fault occurs with the controller. 11. The system of claim 7, wherein the sensing system is configured to detect or receive data related to one or more of traffic information, road state information, safety assessment information, driver state information, and vehicle state information 12. The system of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to be in signal communication with one or more vehicle subsystems of the motor vehicle in order to control the one or more vehicle subsystems according to the second primary driving mode of the motor vehicle. 13. The system of claim 12, wherein the subsystems of the motor vehicle include one or more of power steering of the motor vehicle, a power train of the motor vehicle, an adaptive cruise control of the motor vehicle, a transmission of the motor vehicle, a suspension of the motor vehicle, and a brake system of the motor vehicle. 14. A method of controlling a motor vehicle, comprising:
with a vehicle controller:
calculating at least one intermediate driving mode based on values for first and second primary driving modes;
transitioning from the first primary driving mode to the at least one intermediate driving mode and from the at least one intermediate driving mode to the second primary driving mode; and
controlling the motor vehicle according to the second primary driving mode. 15. The method of claim 14, wherein the values for the first primary driving mode and the second primary driving mode are calculated using logic stored in electronic memory and based on data for one or more conditions associated with the motor vehicle. 16. The method of claim 14, wherein calculating the at least one intermediate driving mode comprises multiplying each of the first and second primary driving modes by a predetermined constant stored in electronic memory and summing results of multiplying each of the first and second driving modes by the predetermined constant. 17. The method of claim 14, wherein transitioning between modes comprises using at least two intermediate driving modes when transitioning from the first primary driving mode to the second primary driving mode. 18. The method of claim 14, wherein transitioning between modes comprises transitioning from one mode to another mode after a predetermined amount of time has occurred between each driving mode transition. 19. The method of claim 14, further comprising:
receiving data one or more conditions associated with the motor vehicle from a sensing system; and calculating the values for the first primary driving mode and the second primary driving mode based on the received data. 20. A method of controlling a motor vehicle, comprising:
selecting a primary driving mode; transitioning from a current primary driving mode to the selected primary driving mode, wherein the method of transistioning between primary modes is dependent upon whether the selected primary driving mode is automatically selected by a controller of the vehicle or selected by user input; and controlling the motor vehicle according to the second primary driving mode. 21. The method of claim 20, wherein, when the selected primary driving mode is automatically selected by the controller, the method of transitioning includes:
calculating at least one intermediate driving mode based on values for the first and second primary driving modes; and transitioning from the first primary driving mode to the at least one intermediate driving mode and from the at least one intermediate driving mode to the second primary driving mode. 22. The method of claim 21, wherein, when the selected primary driving mode is slected by user input, the method of transitioning includes transitioning directly from the first primary driving mode to the second primary driving mode. | A driving mode system for a motor vehicle includes a controller configured to transition from a first driving mode to a second driving mode by transitioning from the first driving mode to an intermediate driving mode and from the intermediate driving mode to the second driving mode. The controller is further configured to calculate the intermediate driving mode based on values for both the first driving mode and the second driving mode and control the motor vehicle according to the second driving mode. Methods of controlling a driving mode of a motor vehicle and vehicles including a driving mode system are further contemplated.1. A system for controlling a motor vehicle, comprising:
a controller configured to:
transition between primary driving modes by transitioning from a first primary driving mode to an intermediate driving mode and from the intermediate driving mode to a second primary driving mode;
calculate the intermediate driving mode based on values for both the first and second primary driving modes; and
control the motor vehicle according to the second primary driving mode. 2. The system of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to calculate the first and second primary driving modes using logic stored in electronic memory accessible by the controller and based on data for one or more conditions associated with the motor vehicle. 3. The system of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to calculate the intermediate driving mode by multiplying each of the first and second primary driving modes by a predetermined constant stored in electronic memory accessible to the controller and summing results of multiplying each of the first and second primary driving modes by the predetermined constant. 4. The system of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to use at least two intermediate driving modes when transitioning from the first primary driving mode to the second primary driving mode. 5. The system of claim 4, wherein the at least two intermediate driving modes are consecutive interemediate driving modes from an available group of intermediate driving modes between the first and second primary driving modes. 6. The system of claim 4, wherein the controller is configured to transition from one intermediate driving mode to another intermediate driving mode after a predetermined amount of time has occurred between each driving mode transition. 7. The system of claim 1, further comprising a sensing system configured to detect or receive data for one or more conditions associated with the motor vehicle, wherein the controller is in signal communication with the sensing system and is configured to receive the data from the sensing system. 8. The system of claim 7, wherein, when the controller is in an adaptive control mode, the controller is configured to automatically determine the second primary driving mode for the motor vehicle based the data received from the sensing system. 9. The system of claim 7, wherein, when the transition from the first primary driving mode to the second primary driving mode is based on input by a user of the motor vehicle to select the second primary driving mode, the controller is further configured to transition directly from the first primary driving mode to the second primary driving mode without using an intermediate driving mode. 10. The system of claim 7, wherein the controller is configured to transition to a predetermined default primary driving mode when a fault occurs with the controller. 11. The system of claim 7, wherein the sensing system is configured to detect or receive data related to one or more of traffic information, road state information, safety assessment information, driver state information, and vehicle state information 12. The system of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to be in signal communication with one or more vehicle subsystems of the motor vehicle in order to control the one or more vehicle subsystems according to the second primary driving mode of the motor vehicle. 13. The system of claim 12, wherein the subsystems of the motor vehicle include one or more of power steering of the motor vehicle, a power train of the motor vehicle, an adaptive cruise control of the motor vehicle, a transmission of the motor vehicle, a suspension of the motor vehicle, and a brake system of the motor vehicle. 14. A method of controlling a motor vehicle, comprising:
with a vehicle controller:
calculating at least one intermediate driving mode based on values for first and second primary driving modes;
transitioning from the first primary driving mode to the at least one intermediate driving mode and from the at least one intermediate driving mode to the second primary driving mode; and
controlling the motor vehicle according to the second primary driving mode. 15. The method of claim 14, wherein the values for the first primary driving mode and the second primary driving mode are calculated using logic stored in electronic memory and based on data for one or more conditions associated with the motor vehicle. 16. The method of claim 14, wherein calculating the at least one intermediate driving mode comprises multiplying each of the first and second primary driving modes by a predetermined constant stored in electronic memory and summing results of multiplying each of the first and second driving modes by the predetermined constant. 17. The method of claim 14, wherein transitioning between modes comprises using at least two intermediate driving modes when transitioning from the first primary driving mode to the second primary driving mode. 18. The method of claim 14, wherein transitioning between modes comprises transitioning from one mode to another mode after a predetermined amount of time has occurred between each driving mode transition. 19. The method of claim 14, further comprising:
receiving data one or more conditions associated with the motor vehicle from a sensing system; and calculating the values for the first primary driving mode and the second primary driving mode based on the received data. 20. A method of controlling a motor vehicle, comprising:
selecting a primary driving mode; transitioning from a current primary driving mode to the selected primary driving mode, wherein the method of transistioning between primary modes is dependent upon whether the selected primary driving mode is automatically selected by a controller of the vehicle or selected by user input; and controlling the motor vehicle according to the second primary driving mode. 21. The method of claim 20, wherein, when the selected primary driving mode is automatically selected by the controller, the method of transitioning includes:
calculating at least one intermediate driving mode based on values for the first and second primary driving modes; and transitioning from the first primary driving mode to the at least one intermediate driving mode and from the at least one intermediate driving mode to the second primary driving mode. 22. The method of claim 21, wherein, when the selected primary driving mode is slected by user input, the method of transitioning includes transitioning directly from the first primary driving mode to the second primary driving mode. | 3,600 |
12,840 | 12,840 | 13,112,792 | 3,623 | A system for performing remote usability testing of a website includes a module for generating particular tasks, a module for moderating a session with a number of participants, and a module for receiving usability data. The system further includes a analytics module for analyzing the received usability data. The module for generating the particular tasks includes a research server configured to interface with user experience researchers and storing multiple testing modules for selecting qualified participants from the number of participants and for generating the particular tasks having research metrics associated with a target web site. In an embodiment, the research server randomly assigns one or more of the multiple testing modules to one of the participants. The multiple testing modules may include card sorting studies for optimizing a web site's architecture or layout. | 1. A computer-implemented method of performing unmoderated remote usability testing of a target web site using a computer system, the method comprising:
identifying a plurality of participants by a computer of the computer system, each of the plurality of participants being equipped with a data processing unit having a display screen and running a web browsing software program; connecting the plurality of participants with a server; automatically presenting a plurality of tasks associated with usability metrics of the target web site to each of the plurality of participants; and gathering responses of each of the plurality of participants by the computer system. 2. The method of claim 1 wherein the act of presenting the plurality of tasks comprises:
providing the target web site that is modified in real-time with a virtual tracking code to track the responses of each of the participants. 3. The method of claim 2 wherein the virtual tracking code is a JavaScript code. 4. The method of claim 1 wherein the plurality of tasks are directed to a determination of a profile of the plurality of participants. 5. The method of claim 1 wherein the plurality of tasks comprises card sorting studies for optimizing a layout of the target web site. 6. The method of claim 1 wherein the presenting a plurality of tasks comprises:
randomly assigning one or more tasks of the plurality of tasks to the plurality of participants. 7. The method of claim 1 wherein the gathering of responses comprises sending the responses to a data collecting server via a communication link. 8. The method of claim 7 wherein the communication link uses a packet protocol conforming to the Internet protocol. 9. The method of claim 7 wherein the data collecting server comprises:
a sample quality control module configured to validate the gathered responses; and
a binning module configured to store the validated responses into a plurality of categories. 10. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
eliminating certain participants of the plurality of participants based on the determined profile. 11. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
analyzing the stored responses, wherein the analyzing is performed by an analytics server. 12. A computer-aided method of performing unmoderated usability testing of a target web site using a computer system including at least one processor and a database, the method comprising:
inserting a tracking code to a software program associated with the target web site; selecting a plurality of participants by the computer system; automatically presenting tasks from a predefined list of tasks stored in the database to the selected plurality of participants, the predefined list of tasks being associated with a usability metric of the target web site; and gathering responses of the plurality of participants related to the presented tasks from the predefined list of tasks; sending the responses to a data collecting server via a communication link; and sampling the responses based on a plurality of quality standards. 13. The method of claim 12 wherein the plurality of participants use a standard web browsing software to access the target web site. 14. The method of claim 12 wherein the selecting the plurality of participants comprises evaluating the gathered answers against a set of profiles. 15. The method of claim 12 further comprising:
analyzing the stored answers, wherein the analyzing is performed by an analytics server. 16. A computer system for analyzing usability data of a software application comprising:
a module adapted to generate and storing a plurality of tasks; a module adapted to moderate a session with a plurality of participants; a module adapted to receive usability data; and a module adapted to analyze the received usability data. 17. The system of claim 16 wherein the module for generating and storing the plurality of tasks comprises a research server configured to interface with a plurality of user experience researchers;
wherein the research server includes a plurality of testing modules configured to select the plurality of participants and to generate the plurality of tasks having research metrics relevant to a target web site. 18. The system of claim 17 wherein the research metrics comprise a profile metric configured to qualify the plurality of participants. 19. The system of claim 17 wherein the research server randomly assigns one or more of the plurality of testing modules to one of the plurality of participants. 20. The system of claim 16 wherein the module for moderating a session comprises a moderator server configured to communicate with the plurality of participants via a browser;
wherein the browser is configured to transmit a plurality of browser events generated by the plurality of participants;
wherein the moderator server assigns one of the plurality of tasks to one of the plurality of participants, the one of the plurality of tasks being associated with a browser event of the plurality of browser events. 21. The system of claim 20 wherein the browser comprises a proprietary software program. 22. The system of claim 20 wherein the plurality of browser events comprise one of the mouse click event, a page-scrolling event, a new page event, and a new web site event. 23. The system of claim 16 wherein the module for receiving usability data comprises a data collecting server configured to store and track the quality of the received usability data. 24. A device for gathering usability data, the device configured to:
connect to a virtual moderator server; access a target web site; modify the target web site in real-time with a virtual tracking code; present a list of predefined tasks to a participant; and transmit participant's responses related to the list of predefined tasks to a data collecting server. 25. The device of claim 24 wherein the list of predefined tasks comprises at least a task of determining content and usability of the target web site. 26. The device of claim 25 wherein the target web site is modified in real-time with a virtual tracking code. 27. The device of claim 24 wherein the modified target web including a Javascript code. 28. A computer executable program stored on a non-transitory computer readable medium comprising:
codes for receiving a list of predefined tasks from a virtual moderator server; codes for accessing a target web site; codes for modifying the target web site; codes for presenting the list of predefined tasks to a participant; and codes for gathering participant's responses related to the list of predefined tasks. | A system for performing remote usability testing of a website includes a module for generating particular tasks, a module for moderating a session with a number of participants, and a module for receiving usability data. The system further includes a analytics module for analyzing the received usability data. The module for generating the particular tasks includes a research server configured to interface with user experience researchers and storing multiple testing modules for selecting qualified participants from the number of participants and for generating the particular tasks having research metrics associated with a target web site. In an embodiment, the research server randomly assigns one or more of the multiple testing modules to one of the participants. The multiple testing modules may include card sorting studies for optimizing a web site's architecture or layout.1. A computer-implemented method of performing unmoderated remote usability testing of a target web site using a computer system, the method comprising:
identifying a plurality of participants by a computer of the computer system, each of the plurality of participants being equipped with a data processing unit having a display screen and running a web browsing software program; connecting the plurality of participants with a server; automatically presenting a plurality of tasks associated with usability metrics of the target web site to each of the plurality of participants; and gathering responses of each of the plurality of participants by the computer system. 2. The method of claim 1 wherein the act of presenting the plurality of tasks comprises:
providing the target web site that is modified in real-time with a virtual tracking code to track the responses of each of the participants. 3. The method of claim 2 wherein the virtual tracking code is a JavaScript code. 4. The method of claim 1 wherein the plurality of tasks are directed to a determination of a profile of the plurality of participants. 5. The method of claim 1 wherein the plurality of tasks comprises card sorting studies for optimizing a layout of the target web site. 6. The method of claim 1 wherein the presenting a plurality of tasks comprises:
randomly assigning one or more tasks of the plurality of tasks to the plurality of participants. 7. The method of claim 1 wherein the gathering of responses comprises sending the responses to a data collecting server via a communication link. 8. The method of claim 7 wherein the communication link uses a packet protocol conforming to the Internet protocol. 9. The method of claim 7 wherein the data collecting server comprises:
a sample quality control module configured to validate the gathered responses; and
a binning module configured to store the validated responses into a plurality of categories. 10. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
eliminating certain participants of the plurality of participants based on the determined profile. 11. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
analyzing the stored responses, wherein the analyzing is performed by an analytics server. 12. A computer-aided method of performing unmoderated usability testing of a target web site using a computer system including at least one processor and a database, the method comprising:
inserting a tracking code to a software program associated with the target web site; selecting a plurality of participants by the computer system; automatically presenting tasks from a predefined list of tasks stored in the database to the selected plurality of participants, the predefined list of tasks being associated with a usability metric of the target web site; and gathering responses of the plurality of participants related to the presented tasks from the predefined list of tasks; sending the responses to a data collecting server via a communication link; and sampling the responses based on a plurality of quality standards. 13. The method of claim 12 wherein the plurality of participants use a standard web browsing software to access the target web site. 14. The method of claim 12 wherein the selecting the plurality of participants comprises evaluating the gathered answers against a set of profiles. 15. The method of claim 12 further comprising:
analyzing the stored answers, wherein the analyzing is performed by an analytics server. 16. A computer system for analyzing usability data of a software application comprising:
a module adapted to generate and storing a plurality of tasks; a module adapted to moderate a session with a plurality of participants; a module adapted to receive usability data; and a module adapted to analyze the received usability data. 17. The system of claim 16 wherein the module for generating and storing the plurality of tasks comprises a research server configured to interface with a plurality of user experience researchers;
wherein the research server includes a plurality of testing modules configured to select the plurality of participants and to generate the plurality of tasks having research metrics relevant to a target web site. 18. The system of claim 17 wherein the research metrics comprise a profile metric configured to qualify the plurality of participants. 19. The system of claim 17 wherein the research server randomly assigns one or more of the plurality of testing modules to one of the plurality of participants. 20. The system of claim 16 wherein the module for moderating a session comprises a moderator server configured to communicate with the plurality of participants via a browser;
wherein the browser is configured to transmit a plurality of browser events generated by the plurality of participants;
wherein the moderator server assigns one of the plurality of tasks to one of the plurality of participants, the one of the plurality of tasks being associated with a browser event of the plurality of browser events. 21. The system of claim 20 wherein the browser comprises a proprietary software program. 22. The system of claim 20 wherein the plurality of browser events comprise one of the mouse click event, a page-scrolling event, a new page event, and a new web site event. 23. The system of claim 16 wherein the module for receiving usability data comprises a data collecting server configured to store and track the quality of the received usability data. 24. A device for gathering usability data, the device configured to:
connect to a virtual moderator server; access a target web site; modify the target web site in real-time with a virtual tracking code; present a list of predefined tasks to a participant; and transmit participant's responses related to the list of predefined tasks to a data collecting server. 25. The device of claim 24 wherein the list of predefined tasks comprises at least a task of determining content and usability of the target web site. 26. The device of claim 25 wherein the target web site is modified in real-time with a virtual tracking code. 27. The device of claim 24 wherein the modified target web including a Javascript code. 28. A computer executable program stored on a non-transitory computer readable medium comprising:
codes for receiving a list of predefined tasks from a virtual moderator server; codes for accessing a target web site; codes for modifying the target web site; codes for presenting the list of predefined tasks to a participant; and codes for gathering participant's responses related to the list of predefined tasks. | 3,600 |
12,841 | 12,841 | 14,167,984 | 3,623 | Methods and systems for determining Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) associated with electronic content, such as website content. A method receives a request to determine a significance of an input variable to an output variable, wherein the input variable is a website characteristic and the output variable is a website-interaction metric. The method retrieves a data set comprising information about website characteristics of existing websites and historical information about actual interactions with the existing websites, wherein the data set comprises entries for the input variable and entries for the output variable for one or more websites. The method then replaces missing entries with implied values and determines the significance of the input variable to the output variable. | 1. A computer-implemented method comprising:
receiving, at a computing device, a request to determine a significance of an input variable to an output variable, wherein the input variable is a website characteristic and the output variable is a website-interaction metric; retrieving a data set comprising information about website characteristics of existing websites and historical information about actual interactions with the existing websites, wherein the data set comprises entries for the input variable and entries for the output variable for one or more websites; replacing missing entries in the data set with implied values; and determining, by the computing device, the significance of the input variable to the output variable. 2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
assessing a relative significance of each of a plurality of input variables to the output variable; and
identifying one or more of the plurality of input variables as Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) based at least in part on the relative significance of one or more of the plurality input variables to the output variable. 3. The method of claim 1, further comprising producing a response to the request, the response indicating the significance of the input variable to the output variable. 4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
identifying a partial dependence of the output variable on each of a plurality of input variables; and producing a response to the request, the response indicating the partial dependence of the output variable on each of the plurality of input variables. 5. The method of claim 1, wherein the replacing comprises:
populating a matrix with the entries from the retrieved data set; and iteratively performing a Singular Value Decomposition (SVD) of the matrix to compute the missing entries. 6. The method of claim 1, wherein the replacing comprises:
populating a matrix with the entries from the retrieved data set; and iteratively performing a regularized singular value decomposition (RSVD) of the matrix to compute the missing entries. 7. The method of claim 1 wherein the determining comprises:
determining, using a plurality of decision trees and the entries in the data set, an original decision; and
for each input variable in a plurality of input variables:
determining, using the plurality of decision trees and permutations of the entries in the data set, another decision;
comparing the original decision to the another decision; and
determining a relative significance of the respective input variable to the output variable based on a difference between the original decision and the another decision. 8. The method of claim 7, wherein the plurality of decision trees comprises a random forest of Classification and Regression Trees (CART). 9. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the significance of the input variable to the output variable comprises:
determining an average misfit error for the input variable; and using the average misfit error to determine the significance of the input variable to the output variable. 10. The method of claim 9 wherein the average misfit error for the input variable is determined by:
using test data and training data to compute misfit error values for the input variable;
averaging the misfit error values to determine an average misfit error value;
normalizing the average misfit error value; and
using the normalized misfit error value to determine the significance of the input variable to the output variable. 11. The method of claim 1, wherein:
the output variable is a website-interaction metric associated with components of one of the existing websites; and the input variable corresponds to another existing website other than the one of the existing websites. 12. The method of claim 1, wherein:
the existing websites comprise at least one advertisement; the output variable is a conversion metric associated with the at least one advertisement; and the computing device hosts an analytics tool. 13. A system comprising:
a server comprising a processor and a memory having executable instructions stored thereon, that, if executed by the processor, cause the server to perform operations comprising: receiving a request to determine a significance of an input variable to an output variable, wherein the input variable is a website characteristic and the output variable is a website-interaction metric; retrieving a data set comprising information about website characteristics of existing websites and historical information about actual interactions with the existing websites, wherein the data set comprises entries for the input variable and entries for the output variable for one or more websites; replacing missing entries in the data set with implied values; and determining the significance of the input variable to the output variable. 14. The system of claim 13, wherein the operations further comprise:
assessing a relative significance of each of a plurality of input variables to the output variable; identifying a partial dependence of the output variable on each of the plurality of input variables; and producing a response to the request, the response indicating one or more of:
the relative significance of each of the plurality of input variables to the output variable; and
the partial dependence of the output variable on each of the plurality of input variables. 15. The system of claim 14, the server further comprising a display device, wherein the operations further comprise:
storing the response in the memory; and presenting, in an interactive user interface on a display device, data representing the response. 16. The system of claim 13, the server further comprising an input device and a display device, wherein the operations further comprise, prior to the receiving:
displaying, in user interface on the display device, a plurality of variables; and in response to receiving, in the user interface, via the input device, a selection of one the plurality of variables as the output variable, initiating the request. 17. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium having executable instructions stored thereon, that, if executed by a computing device, cause the computing device to perform operations for determining Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) associated with website content, the instructions comprising:
instructions for receiving a request to determine a significance of an input variable to an output variable, wherein the input variable is a website characteristic and the output variable is a website-interaction metric; instructions for retrieving a data set comprising information about website characteristics of existing websites and historical information about actual interactions with the existing websites, wherein the data set comprises entries for the input variable and entries for the output variable for one or more websites; instructions for replacing missing entries in the data set with implied values; and instructions for determining the significance of the input variable to the output variable. 18. The computer readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the instructions for replacing comprise:
instructions for populating a matrix with the entries from the retrieved data set; and instructions for iteratively performing a Singular Value Decomposition (SVD) of the matrix to compute the missing entries. 19. The computer readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the instructions for replacing comprise:
instructions for populating a matrix with the entries from the retrieved data set; and instructions for iteratively performing a regularized singular value decomposition (RSVD) of the matrix to compute the missing entries. 20. The computer readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the instructions for determining comprise:
instructions for determining, using a plurality of decision trees and the entries in the data set, an original decision; and for each input variable in a set of input variables:
instructions for determining, using the plurality of decision trees and permutations of the entries in the data set, another decision;
instructions for comparing the original decision to the another decision; and
instructions for determining a relative significance of the respective input variable to the output variable based on a difference between the original decision and the another decision. | Methods and systems for determining Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) associated with electronic content, such as website content. A method receives a request to determine a significance of an input variable to an output variable, wherein the input variable is a website characteristic and the output variable is a website-interaction metric. The method retrieves a data set comprising information about website characteristics of existing websites and historical information about actual interactions with the existing websites, wherein the data set comprises entries for the input variable and entries for the output variable for one or more websites. The method then replaces missing entries with implied values and determines the significance of the input variable to the output variable.1. A computer-implemented method comprising:
receiving, at a computing device, a request to determine a significance of an input variable to an output variable, wherein the input variable is a website characteristic and the output variable is a website-interaction metric; retrieving a data set comprising information about website characteristics of existing websites and historical information about actual interactions with the existing websites, wherein the data set comprises entries for the input variable and entries for the output variable for one or more websites; replacing missing entries in the data set with implied values; and determining, by the computing device, the significance of the input variable to the output variable. 2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
assessing a relative significance of each of a plurality of input variables to the output variable; and
identifying one or more of the plurality of input variables as Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) based at least in part on the relative significance of one or more of the plurality input variables to the output variable. 3. The method of claim 1, further comprising producing a response to the request, the response indicating the significance of the input variable to the output variable. 4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
identifying a partial dependence of the output variable on each of a plurality of input variables; and producing a response to the request, the response indicating the partial dependence of the output variable on each of the plurality of input variables. 5. The method of claim 1, wherein the replacing comprises:
populating a matrix with the entries from the retrieved data set; and iteratively performing a Singular Value Decomposition (SVD) of the matrix to compute the missing entries. 6. The method of claim 1, wherein the replacing comprises:
populating a matrix with the entries from the retrieved data set; and iteratively performing a regularized singular value decomposition (RSVD) of the matrix to compute the missing entries. 7. The method of claim 1 wherein the determining comprises:
determining, using a plurality of decision trees and the entries in the data set, an original decision; and
for each input variable in a plurality of input variables:
determining, using the plurality of decision trees and permutations of the entries in the data set, another decision;
comparing the original decision to the another decision; and
determining a relative significance of the respective input variable to the output variable based on a difference between the original decision and the another decision. 8. The method of claim 7, wherein the plurality of decision trees comprises a random forest of Classification and Regression Trees (CART). 9. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the significance of the input variable to the output variable comprises:
determining an average misfit error for the input variable; and using the average misfit error to determine the significance of the input variable to the output variable. 10. The method of claim 9 wherein the average misfit error for the input variable is determined by:
using test data and training data to compute misfit error values for the input variable;
averaging the misfit error values to determine an average misfit error value;
normalizing the average misfit error value; and
using the normalized misfit error value to determine the significance of the input variable to the output variable. 11. The method of claim 1, wherein:
the output variable is a website-interaction metric associated with components of one of the existing websites; and the input variable corresponds to another existing website other than the one of the existing websites. 12. The method of claim 1, wherein:
the existing websites comprise at least one advertisement; the output variable is a conversion metric associated with the at least one advertisement; and the computing device hosts an analytics tool. 13. A system comprising:
a server comprising a processor and a memory having executable instructions stored thereon, that, if executed by the processor, cause the server to perform operations comprising: receiving a request to determine a significance of an input variable to an output variable, wherein the input variable is a website characteristic and the output variable is a website-interaction metric; retrieving a data set comprising information about website characteristics of existing websites and historical information about actual interactions with the existing websites, wherein the data set comprises entries for the input variable and entries for the output variable for one or more websites; replacing missing entries in the data set with implied values; and determining the significance of the input variable to the output variable. 14. The system of claim 13, wherein the operations further comprise:
assessing a relative significance of each of a plurality of input variables to the output variable; identifying a partial dependence of the output variable on each of the plurality of input variables; and producing a response to the request, the response indicating one or more of:
the relative significance of each of the plurality of input variables to the output variable; and
the partial dependence of the output variable on each of the plurality of input variables. 15. The system of claim 14, the server further comprising a display device, wherein the operations further comprise:
storing the response in the memory; and presenting, in an interactive user interface on a display device, data representing the response. 16. The system of claim 13, the server further comprising an input device and a display device, wherein the operations further comprise, prior to the receiving:
displaying, in user interface on the display device, a plurality of variables; and in response to receiving, in the user interface, via the input device, a selection of one the plurality of variables as the output variable, initiating the request. 17. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium having executable instructions stored thereon, that, if executed by a computing device, cause the computing device to perform operations for determining Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) associated with website content, the instructions comprising:
instructions for receiving a request to determine a significance of an input variable to an output variable, wherein the input variable is a website characteristic and the output variable is a website-interaction metric; instructions for retrieving a data set comprising information about website characteristics of existing websites and historical information about actual interactions with the existing websites, wherein the data set comprises entries for the input variable and entries for the output variable for one or more websites; instructions for replacing missing entries in the data set with implied values; and instructions for determining the significance of the input variable to the output variable. 18. The computer readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the instructions for replacing comprise:
instructions for populating a matrix with the entries from the retrieved data set; and instructions for iteratively performing a Singular Value Decomposition (SVD) of the matrix to compute the missing entries. 19. The computer readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the instructions for replacing comprise:
instructions for populating a matrix with the entries from the retrieved data set; and instructions for iteratively performing a regularized singular value decomposition (RSVD) of the matrix to compute the missing entries. 20. The computer readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the instructions for determining comprise:
instructions for determining, using a plurality of decision trees and the entries in the data set, an original decision; and for each input variable in a set of input variables:
instructions for determining, using the plurality of decision trees and permutations of the entries in the data set, another decision;
instructions for comparing the original decision to the another decision; and
instructions for determining a relative significance of the respective input variable to the output variable based on a difference between the original decision and the another decision. | 3,600 |
12,842 | 12,842 | 13,955,966 | 3,686 | A method and system for identifying a treatment plan identifies a description of a sequential game. The game is associated with treatment of a medical condition by a course of treatment or drug design. The description may include one or more possible treatment actions that a treater can take to treat the medical condition, and one or more possible medical condition actions that the medical condition can take. The system may develop a model for the sequential game, wherein the model represents implementation of the possible treatment actions and the possible medical condition actions in one or more sequences. The system may solve the model to generate a treatment plan for the medical condition, wherein the treatment plan includes a set of possible treatment actions. | 1. A system for developing a course of treatment for a medical condition, comprising:
one or more processors; and a non-transitory, computer-readable memory comprising one or more programming instructions that, when executed, cause one or more of the processors to:
identify a description of a sequential game, wherein the game is associated with treatment of a medical condition, wherein the description comprises:
one or more possible treatment actions that a treater can take to treat the medical condition, and
one or more possible medical condition actions that the medical condition can take;
develop a model for the sequential game, wherein the model represents implementation of the possible treatment actions and the possible medical condition actions in one or more sequences; and
solve the model to generate a treatment plan for the medical condition, wherein the treatment plan comprises a set of possible treatment actions. 2. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more programming instructions that, when executed, cause the one or more processors to solve a model comprise one or more programming instructions that, when executed, cause the one or more processors to generate one or more contingent plans in the model. 3. The system of claim 1, wherein the plan comprises randomization via behavioral or mixed strategies. 4. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more programming instructions that, when executed, cause the one or more processors to solve the model to generate a treatment plan for the medical condition comprise one or more programming instructions that, when executed, cause the one or more processors to:
generate a treatment plan comprising one or more traps, where the medical condition is likely to take actions so as to fall into a trap that causes the medical condition to go into one or more of the following:
a state in which the medical condition may be more easily treated;
a state in which the medical condition is less virulent; or
a state in which the medical condition is less contagious; or
a state from where the medical condition is less likely to evolve into a harmful state. 5. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more programming instructions that, when executed, cause the one or more processors to solve the model comprise one or more programming instructions that, when executed, cause the one or more processors to:
apply an opponent model in which the medical condition is able to look ahead at most a set number of steps in the game; and create a path for the medical condition in which a sequence of steps includes one or more steps within the set number that are attractive to the medical condition, and at least one step beyond the set number that is associated with a state of the medical condition that is better for the treater, a patient with the medical condition, or both. 6. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more possible treatment actions that a treater can take to treat the medical condition comprise one or more possible treatment actions that a treater can take to treat the medical condition at an individual level, a molecular level, or a population level. 7. The system of claim 1, wherein:
the one or more possible treatment actions comprise one or more possible treatment actions to treat the medical condition at a molecular level via a de novo drug. 8. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more possible treatment actions that to treater can take to treat the medical condition comprise one or more of the following:
prescribing or administering one or more drugs to a patient having the medical condition; performing a surgical procedure on the patient having the medical condition; applying a therapy to the patient; prescribing a lifestyle change to the patient; admitting the patient to a treatment facility; releasing the patient from the treatment facility; taking one or more measurements of the patient; or taking no action. 9. The system of claim 1, wherein
the description of the sequential game further comprises one or more possible nature actions that a nature player may take relating to treatment of the medical condition, wherein each possible nature action is associated with a probability; and the model represents occurrence of the possible treatment actions, the possible medical condition actions and the possible nature actions in the one or more sequences. 10. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more programming instructions that, when executed, cause the one or more processors to solve the model comprise one or more programming instructions that, when executed, cause the one or more processors to solve the model using one or more game theory solution concepts and one or more utilities that are associated with outcomes, intermediate states, or transitions in sequential game play. 11. The system of claim 10, wherein the one or more utilities comprise as function of a measurement of one or more of the following:
health of a patient with the medical condition; as cost to the patient, the treater, or a third party payor; or a current state of the medical condition. 12. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more programming instructions that, when executed, cause the one or more processors to solve the model comprise one or more programming instructions that when executed, cause the one or more processors to:
implement an opponent modeling technique; or implement an opponent exploitation technique. 13. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more programming instructions that, when executed, cause the one or more processors to solve the model comprise one or more programming instructions that, when executed, cause the one or more processors to:
exploit an opponent as an opponent model is improved over time based on experience. 14. The system of claim 1, wherein the computer-readable memory further comprises one or more programming instructions that, when executed, cause the one or more processors to present at least a portion of the treatment plan to a user via a user interface. 15. The system of claim 1, wherein the computer-readable memory further comprises one or more programming instructions that, when executed, cause the one or more processors to use information learned while using results of the model to develop an updated model. 16. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more programming instructions that, when executed, cause the one or more processors to solve the model comprise one or more programming instructions that, when executed, cause the one or more processors to compute a best-response strategy to an opponent model using stochastic programming. 17. The system of claim 16, wherein the use of stochastic programming comprises use of one or more of the following:
sample trajectory-based optimization, or a policy gradient algorithm. 18. A method of developing a course of treatment for a medical condition, comprising, by one or more processors:
identifying a description of a sequential game, wherein the game is associated with treatment of a medical condition, wherein the description comprises:
one or more possible treatment actions that a treater can take to treat the medical condition, and
one or more possible medical condition actions that the medical condition can take;
developing a model for the sequential game, wherein the model represents implementation of the possible treatment actions and the possible medical condition actions in one or more sequences; and solving the model to generate a treatment plan for the medical condition, wherein the treatment plan comprises a set of possible treatment actions. 19. The method of claim 18, wherein solving the model comprises:
implementing an opponent modeling technique; or implementing an opponent exploitation technique. 20. The method of claim 1, wherein solving the model comprises using one or more game theory solution concepts and one or more utilities that are associated with outcomes, intermediate states, or transitions in sequential game play, wherein the one or more utilities comprise a function of a measurement of one or more of the following:
health of a patient with the medical condition; a cost to the patient, the treater, or a third party payor; or a current state of the medical condition. | A method and system for identifying a treatment plan identifies a description of a sequential game. The game is associated with treatment of a medical condition by a course of treatment or drug design. The description may include one or more possible treatment actions that a treater can take to treat the medical condition, and one or more possible medical condition actions that the medical condition can take. The system may develop a model for the sequential game, wherein the model represents implementation of the possible treatment actions and the possible medical condition actions in one or more sequences. The system may solve the model to generate a treatment plan for the medical condition, wherein the treatment plan includes a set of possible treatment actions.1. A system for developing a course of treatment for a medical condition, comprising:
one or more processors; and a non-transitory, computer-readable memory comprising one or more programming instructions that, when executed, cause one or more of the processors to:
identify a description of a sequential game, wherein the game is associated with treatment of a medical condition, wherein the description comprises:
one or more possible treatment actions that a treater can take to treat the medical condition, and
one or more possible medical condition actions that the medical condition can take;
develop a model for the sequential game, wherein the model represents implementation of the possible treatment actions and the possible medical condition actions in one or more sequences; and
solve the model to generate a treatment plan for the medical condition, wherein the treatment plan comprises a set of possible treatment actions. 2. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more programming instructions that, when executed, cause the one or more processors to solve a model comprise one or more programming instructions that, when executed, cause the one or more processors to generate one or more contingent plans in the model. 3. The system of claim 1, wherein the plan comprises randomization via behavioral or mixed strategies. 4. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more programming instructions that, when executed, cause the one or more processors to solve the model to generate a treatment plan for the medical condition comprise one or more programming instructions that, when executed, cause the one or more processors to:
generate a treatment plan comprising one or more traps, where the medical condition is likely to take actions so as to fall into a trap that causes the medical condition to go into one or more of the following:
a state in which the medical condition may be more easily treated;
a state in which the medical condition is less virulent; or
a state in which the medical condition is less contagious; or
a state from where the medical condition is less likely to evolve into a harmful state. 5. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more programming instructions that, when executed, cause the one or more processors to solve the model comprise one or more programming instructions that, when executed, cause the one or more processors to:
apply an opponent model in which the medical condition is able to look ahead at most a set number of steps in the game; and create a path for the medical condition in which a sequence of steps includes one or more steps within the set number that are attractive to the medical condition, and at least one step beyond the set number that is associated with a state of the medical condition that is better for the treater, a patient with the medical condition, or both. 6. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more possible treatment actions that a treater can take to treat the medical condition comprise one or more possible treatment actions that a treater can take to treat the medical condition at an individual level, a molecular level, or a population level. 7. The system of claim 1, wherein:
the one or more possible treatment actions comprise one or more possible treatment actions to treat the medical condition at a molecular level via a de novo drug. 8. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more possible treatment actions that to treater can take to treat the medical condition comprise one or more of the following:
prescribing or administering one or more drugs to a patient having the medical condition; performing a surgical procedure on the patient having the medical condition; applying a therapy to the patient; prescribing a lifestyle change to the patient; admitting the patient to a treatment facility; releasing the patient from the treatment facility; taking one or more measurements of the patient; or taking no action. 9. The system of claim 1, wherein
the description of the sequential game further comprises one or more possible nature actions that a nature player may take relating to treatment of the medical condition, wherein each possible nature action is associated with a probability; and the model represents occurrence of the possible treatment actions, the possible medical condition actions and the possible nature actions in the one or more sequences. 10. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more programming instructions that, when executed, cause the one or more processors to solve the model comprise one or more programming instructions that, when executed, cause the one or more processors to solve the model using one or more game theory solution concepts and one or more utilities that are associated with outcomes, intermediate states, or transitions in sequential game play. 11. The system of claim 10, wherein the one or more utilities comprise as function of a measurement of one or more of the following:
health of a patient with the medical condition; as cost to the patient, the treater, or a third party payor; or a current state of the medical condition. 12. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more programming instructions that, when executed, cause the one or more processors to solve the model comprise one or more programming instructions that when executed, cause the one or more processors to:
implement an opponent modeling technique; or implement an opponent exploitation technique. 13. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more programming instructions that, when executed, cause the one or more processors to solve the model comprise one or more programming instructions that, when executed, cause the one or more processors to:
exploit an opponent as an opponent model is improved over time based on experience. 14. The system of claim 1, wherein the computer-readable memory further comprises one or more programming instructions that, when executed, cause the one or more processors to present at least a portion of the treatment plan to a user via a user interface. 15. The system of claim 1, wherein the computer-readable memory further comprises one or more programming instructions that, when executed, cause the one or more processors to use information learned while using results of the model to develop an updated model. 16. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more programming instructions that, when executed, cause the one or more processors to solve the model comprise one or more programming instructions that, when executed, cause the one or more processors to compute a best-response strategy to an opponent model using stochastic programming. 17. The system of claim 16, wherein the use of stochastic programming comprises use of one or more of the following:
sample trajectory-based optimization, or a policy gradient algorithm. 18. A method of developing a course of treatment for a medical condition, comprising, by one or more processors:
identifying a description of a sequential game, wherein the game is associated with treatment of a medical condition, wherein the description comprises:
one or more possible treatment actions that a treater can take to treat the medical condition, and
one or more possible medical condition actions that the medical condition can take;
developing a model for the sequential game, wherein the model represents implementation of the possible treatment actions and the possible medical condition actions in one or more sequences; and solving the model to generate a treatment plan for the medical condition, wherein the treatment plan comprises a set of possible treatment actions. 19. The method of claim 18, wherein solving the model comprises:
implementing an opponent modeling technique; or implementing an opponent exploitation technique. 20. The method of claim 1, wherein solving the model comprises using one or more game theory solution concepts and one or more utilities that are associated with outcomes, intermediate states, or transitions in sequential game play, wherein the one or more utilities comprise a function of a measurement of one or more of the following:
health of a patient with the medical condition; a cost to the patient, the treater, or a third party payor; or a current state of the medical condition. | 3,600 |
12,843 | 12,843 | 14,243,108 | 3,629 | Customer assistance is provided by leveraging certain contact center infrastructure components to a retail setting. Often contact centers have a wealth of information regarding individual products and services a retail setting may offer. The information, as provided herein, may then be delivered to the customer in the form of a dialogue. The dialogue may be based, in part, on a contact center dialogue for the same or similar item. The customer may then be instructed to perform an act, such as retrieving another item at a certain location. Unlike a contact center, the physical presence of the customer provides an opportunity to receive feedback in the form of monitor the customer's actions to determine if the customer complied with instructions. Optionally, a follow up activity may be imitated based on the customer's compliance. | 1. A method, comprising:
receiving information regarding a customer action of a customer at a first location; conveying indicia of the customer action to a microprocessor; selecting, by the microprocessor, a dialogue from a set of dialogues in response to the customer action, the dialogue having a first action requesting the customer to move to a second location; transmitting the dialogue to a device for delivery to the customer; and monitoring, by the microprocessor, the customer for compliance with the first action by the customer. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of monitoring further comprises monitoring the second location for the presence of the customer. 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the set of dialogues includes at least one dialogue being selectable by an agent of a contact center for delivery to the customer via a communications network. 4. The method of claim 3, wherein the customer action is a purchase request of a first item and the dialogue is selected in accord with a historical record of a number of past interactions with a number of past customers wherein the past customers purchased the first item. 5. The method of claim 3, wherein the at least one dialogue is selectable in accord with a purpose for which the customer initiated a communication with the contact center. 6. The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting the dialogue to the device further comprises, transmitting the dialogue to an electronic communications device of the customer. 7. The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting the dialogue to the device further comprises, transmitting the dialogue to an electronic communications device accessible to a human agent at the first location for delivery to the customer. 8. The method of claim 1, wherein the customer action is a purchase request for a first item. 9. The method of claim 8, wherein the dialogue further comprises instructions to retrieve a second item that is complementary to the first item. 10. A system, comprising:
a microprocessor with a logical connection to a network; a database accessible by the microprocessor; an input device operable to receive indicia of a customer action and report the indicia to the microprocessor; and wherein the microprocessor is operable to access the database and select a dialogue from the database associated with the indicia, the dialogue having a first action requesting the customer to move to a second location, transmit the dialogue via the network for delivery to the customer, and monitor the customer for compliance with the first action by the customer. 11. The system of claim 10, further comprising a sensor operable to communicate with the microprocessor and report compliance by the customer with the first action to the microprocessor. 12. The system of claim 10, wherein the microprocessor is further operable to transmit transmitting the dialogue to an electronic communications device of the customer. 13. The system of claim 10, wherein the microprocessor is further operable to transmit transmitting the dialogue to an electronic communications device of a human agent at the first location for delivery to the customer. 14. A non-transitory medium with instructions thereon that when read by a machine cause the machine to perform:
receiving information regarding a customer action of a customer at a first location; conveying indicia of the customer action to a microprocessor; selecting, by the microprocessor, a dialogue from a set of dialogues in response to the customer action, the dialogue having a first action requesting the customer to move to a second location; transmitting the dialogue to a device for delivery to the customer; and monitoring, by the microprocessor, the customer for compliance with the first action by the customer. 15. The instructions of claim 14, wherein the step of monitoring, further comprises instructions for monitoring the second location for the presence of the customer. 16. The instructions of claim 16, wherein the step of monitoring, further comprises instructions for monitoring a third location for the presence of the customer and, upon detecting the customer in the third location, performing an action in accord with the customer's non-compliance with the first action. 17. The instructions of claim 14, wherein the set of dialogues includes at least one dialogue being selectable by an agent of a contact center for delivery to the customer via a communications network. 18. The instructions of claim 17, wherein the at least one dialogue is selectable in accord with a purpose for which the customer initiated a communication with the contact center. 19. The instructions of claim 14, wherein transmitting the dialogue to the device further comprises instructions for, transmitting the dialogue to an electronic communications device of the customer. 20. The instructions of claim 14, wherein transmitting the dialogue to the device further comprises instructions for, transmitting the dialogue to an electronic communications device accessible to a human agent at the first location for delivery to the customer. | Customer assistance is provided by leveraging certain contact center infrastructure components to a retail setting. Often contact centers have a wealth of information regarding individual products and services a retail setting may offer. The information, as provided herein, may then be delivered to the customer in the form of a dialogue. The dialogue may be based, in part, on a contact center dialogue for the same or similar item. The customer may then be instructed to perform an act, such as retrieving another item at a certain location. Unlike a contact center, the physical presence of the customer provides an opportunity to receive feedback in the form of monitor the customer's actions to determine if the customer complied with instructions. Optionally, a follow up activity may be imitated based on the customer's compliance.1. A method, comprising:
receiving information regarding a customer action of a customer at a first location; conveying indicia of the customer action to a microprocessor; selecting, by the microprocessor, a dialogue from a set of dialogues in response to the customer action, the dialogue having a first action requesting the customer to move to a second location; transmitting the dialogue to a device for delivery to the customer; and monitoring, by the microprocessor, the customer for compliance with the first action by the customer. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of monitoring further comprises monitoring the second location for the presence of the customer. 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the set of dialogues includes at least one dialogue being selectable by an agent of a contact center for delivery to the customer via a communications network. 4. The method of claim 3, wherein the customer action is a purchase request of a first item and the dialogue is selected in accord with a historical record of a number of past interactions with a number of past customers wherein the past customers purchased the first item. 5. The method of claim 3, wherein the at least one dialogue is selectable in accord with a purpose for which the customer initiated a communication with the contact center. 6. The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting the dialogue to the device further comprises, transmitting the dialogue to an electronic communications device of the customer. 7. The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting the dialogue to the device further comprises, transmitting the dialogue to an electronic communications device accessible to a human agent at the first location for delivery to the customer. 8. The method of claim 1, wherein the customer action is a purchase request for a first item. 9. The method of claim 8, wherein the dialogue further comprises instructions to retrieve a second item that is complementary to the first item. 10. A system, comprising:
a microprocessor with a logical connection to a network; a database accessible by the microprocessor; an input device operable to receive indicia of a customer action and report the indicia to the microprocessor; and wherein the microprocessor is operable to access the database and select a dialogue from the database associated with the indicia, the dialogue having a first action requesting the customer to move to a second location, transmit the dialogue via the network for delivery to the customer, and monitor the customer for compliance with the first action by the customer. 11. The system of claim 10, further comprising a sensor operable to communicate with the microprocessor and report compliance by the customer with the first action to the microprocessor. 12. The system of claim 10, wherein the microprocessor is further operable to transmit transmitting the dialogue to an electronic communications device of the customer. 13. The system of claim 10, wherein the microprocessor is further operable to transmit transmitting the dialogue to an electronic communications device of a human agent at the first location for delivery to the customer. 14. A non-transitory medium with instructions thereon that when read by a machine cause the machine to perform:
receiving information regarding a customer action of a customer at a first location; conveying indicia of the customer action to a microprocessor; selecting, by the microprocessor, a dialogue from a set of dialogues in response to the customer action, the dialogue having a first action requesting the customer to move to a second location; transmitting the dialogue to a device for delivery to the customer; and monitoring, by the microprocessor, the customer for compliance with the first action by the customer. 15. The instructions of claim 14, wherein the step of monitoring, further comprises instructions for monitoring the second location for the presence of the customer. 16. The instructions of claim 16, wherein the step of monitoring, further comprises instructions for monitoring a third location for the presence of the customer and, upon detecting the customer in the third location, performing an action in accord with the customer's non-compliance with the first action. 17. The instructions of claim 14, wherein the set of dialogues includes at least one dialogue being selectable by an agent of a contact center for delivery to the customer via a communications network. 18. The instructions of claim 17, wherein the at least one dialogue is selectable in accord with a purpose for which the customer initiated a communication with the contact center. 19. The instructions of claim 14, wherein transmitting the dialogue to the device further comprises instructions for, transmitting the dialogue to an electronic communications device of the customer. 20. The instructions of claim 14, wherein transmitting the dialogue to the device further comprises instructions for, transmitting the dialogue to an electronic communications device accessible to a human agent at the first location for delivery to the customer. | 3,600 |
12,844 | 12,844 | 15,170,546 | 3,641 | An expanding bullet has a core having a proximal end, a distal end, and a sidewall therebetween. A tip is positioned at the distal end of the core, and has a generally conical distal section, and a generally cylindrical proximal section defining a proximally facing shoulder at their juncture. A jacket having a generally cylindrical proximal portion surrounding at least a portion of the core adjacent its proximal end, and a distal portion that tapers to an open end, the distal portion surrounding the distal portion of the core and the proximal section of the tip, with the distal end of the jacking abutting the shoulder on the tip to form a smooth tapering ogival surface with the tip. The maximum diameter of the tip preferably comprises a substantial portion (preferably at least about 65%) of the diameter of the bullet. | 1. An expanding rifle bullet, comprising:
a core having a proximal end, a distal end, and a sidewall therebetween; a tip having a generally conical distal section, and a generally cylindrical proximal section defining a proximally facing shoulder at their juncture; a jacket having a generally cylindrical proximal portion surrounding at least a portion of the core adjacent its proximal end, and a distal portion that tapers to an open end, the distal portion surrounding the distal portion of the core, and the proximal section of the tip, with the distal end of the jacking abutting the shoulder on the tip to form a smooth tapering ogival surface with the tip, the maximum diameter of the tip is at least about 65% of the diameter of the bullet, the bullet weighing between about 85 grains and about 185 grains. 2. The expanding rifle bullet according to claim 1 wherein the bullet weighs between about 95 grains and about 150 grains. 3. The expanding rifle bullet according to claim 1 wherein the maximum diameter of the tip is at least about 67% of the diameter of the bullet. 4. The expanding rifle bullet according to claim 1 wherein the maximum cross-sectional area of the tip is at least about 45% of the cross-sectional area of the bullet. 5. The expanding rifle bullet according to claim 1 wherein the maximum cross-sectional area of the tip is at least about 50% of the cross-sectional area of the bullet. 6. The expanding rifle bullet according to claim 1 wherein the exposed length of the tip comprises at least about 40% of the length of the ogive. 7. The expanding rifle bullet according to claim 6 wherein the exposed length of the tip comprises at least about 42% of the length of the ogive. 8. The expanding rifle bullet according to claim 1 wherein the exposed length of the tip comprises at least about 20% of the length of the bullet. 9. The expanding rifle bullet according to claim 8 wherein the exposed length of the tip comprises at least about 25% of the length of the bullet. 10. The expanding bullet according to claim 1 wherein the core is made of a malleable metal or metal alloy. 11. The expanding rifle bullet according to claim 10 wherein the core is made of lead of a lead alloy. 12. The expanding rifle bullet according to claim 1 wherein the jacket is made of a harder material than the core. 13. The expanding rifle bullet according to claim 12 wherein the jacket is made of copper or copper alloy. 14. The expanding rifle bullet according to claim 1 wherein the jacket is made of copper or copper alloy. 15. The expanding rifle bullet according to claim 1 wherein the tip is made of a polymeric material. 16. The expanding rifle bullet according to claim 1 wherein the outside diameter of the jacket at the distal end of the core is substantially same as the inside diameter of the jacket at the cylindrical section. 17. The expanding rifle bullet according to claim 1 wherein the proximal end of the tip abuts the distal end of the core. 18. The expanding rifle bullet according to claim 1 wherein the thickness of the jacket tapers from the proximal end of the distal section to the distal end of the jacket. 19. An expanding rifle bullet, comprising:
a malleable metallic core having a proximal end, a distal end, and a generally cylindrical sidewall therebetween; a tip having a generally conical distal section, and a generally cylindrical proximal section defining a proximally facing shoulder at their juncture; a jacket having a generally cylindrical proximal portion surrounding at least a portion of the core adjacent its proximal end, and a distal portion that tapers to an open end, the distal portion surrounding the distal portion of the core, and the proximal section of the tip, with the distal end of the jacking abutting the shoulder on the tip to form a smooth tapering ogival surface with the tip, the area of the open distal end of the jacket comprising at least 45% of the area of cross sectional area of the proximal section of the jacket, the bullet having a weight of between about 85 grains and 185 grains. 20. The expanding rifle bullet according to claim 19 wherein the bullet has a weight of between about 95 grains and about 150 grains. | An expanding bullet has a core having a proximal end, a distal end, and a sidewall therebetween. A tip is positioned at the distal end of the core, and has a generally conical distal section, and a generally cylindrical proximal section defining a proximally facing shoulder at their juncture. A jacket having a generally cylindrical proximal portion surrounding at least a portion of the core adjacent its proximal end, and a distal portion that tapers to an open end, the distal portion surrounding the distal portion of the core and the proximal section of the tip, with the distal end of the jacking abutting the shoulder on the tip to form a smooth tapering ogival surface with the tip. The maximum diameter of the tip preferably comprises a substantial portion (preferably at least about 65%) of the diameter of the bullet.1. An expanding rifle bullet, comprising:
a core having a proximal end, a distal end, and a sidewall therebetween; a tip having a generally conical distal section, and a generally cylindrical proximal section defining a proximally facing shoulder at their juncture; a jacket having a generally cylindrical proximal portion surrounding at least a portion of the core adjacent its proximal end, and a distal portion that tapers to an open end, the distal portion surrounding the distal portion of the core, and the proximal section of the tip, with the distal end of the jacking abutting the shoulder on the tip to form a smooth tapering ogival surface with the tip, the maximum diameter of the tip is at least about 65% of the diameter of the bullet, the bullet weighing between about 85 grains and about 185 grains. 2. The expanding rifle bullet according to claim 1 wherein the bullet weighs between about 95 grains and about 150 grains. 3. The expanding rifle bullet according to claim 1 wherein the maximum diameter of the tip is at least about 67% of the diameter of the bullet. 4. The expanding rifle bullet according to claim 1 wherein the maximum cross-sectional area of the tip is at least about 45% of the cross-sectional area of the bullet. 5. The expanding rifle bullet according to claim 1 wherein the maximum cross-sectional area of the tip is at least about 50% of the cross-sectional area of the bullet. 6. The expanding rifle bullet according to claim 1 wherein the exposed length of the tip comprises at least about 40% of the length of the ogive. 7. The expanding rifle bullet according to claim 6 wherein the exposed length of the tip comprises at least about 42% of the length of the ogive. 8. The expanding rifle bullet according to claim 1 wherein the exposed length of the tip comprises at least about 20% of the length of the bullet. 9. The expanding rifle bullet according to claim 8 wherein the exposed length of the tip comprises at least about 25% of the length of the bullet. 10. The expanding bullet according to claim 1 wherein the core is made of a malleable metal or metal alloy. 11. The expanding rifle bullet according to claim 10 wherein the core is made of lead of a lead alloy. 12. The expanding rifle bullet according to claim 1 wherein the jacket is made of a harder material than the core. 13. The expanding rifle bullet according to claim 12 wherein the jacket is made of copper or copper alloy. 14. The expanding rifle bullet according to claim 1 wherein the jacket is made of copper or copper alloy. 15. The expanding rifle bullet according to claim 1 wherein the tip is made of a polymeric material. 16. The expanding rifle bullet according to claim 1 wherein the outside diameter of the jacket at the distal end of the core is substantially same as the inside diameter of the jacket at the cylindrical section. 17. The expanding rifle bullet according to claim 1 wherein the proximal end of the tip abuts the distal end of the core. 18. The expanding rifle bullet according to claim 1 wherein the thickness of the jacket tapers from the proximal end of the distal section to the distal end of the jacket. 19. An expanding rifle bullet, comprising:
a malleable metallic core having a proximal end, a distal end, and a generally cylindrical sidewall therebetween; a tip having a generally conical distal section, and a generally cylindrical proximal section defining a proximally facing shoulder at their juncture; a jacket having a generally cylindrical proximal portion surrounding at least a portion of the core adjacent its proximal end, and a distal portion that tapers to an open end, the distal portion surrounding the distal portion of the core, and the proximal section of the tip, with the distal end of the jacking abutting the shoulder on the tip to form a smooth tapering ogival surface with the tip, the area of the open distal end of the jacket comprising at least 45% of the area of cross sectional area of the proximal section of the jacket, the bullet having a weight of between about 85 grains and 185 grains. 20. The expanding rifle bullet according to claim 19 wherein the bullet has a weight of between about 95 grains and about 150 grains. | 3,600 |
12,845 | 12,845 | 14,496,572 | 3,691 | Access is obtained to a database of bill presentment data in an electronic bill presentment system connecting a plurality of customers with a plurality of billers. At least some of the billers are payment card issuers. At least one presentment record for at least one of the customers is extracted from the database of bill presentment data. Based on the at least one presentment record for the at least one of the customers, at least one of credit worthiness of the at least one of the customers and payment history of the at least one of the customers is determined. | 1. A method comprising the steps of:
obtaining access to a database of bill presentment data in an electronic bill presentment system connecting a plurality of customers with a plurality of billers, at least some of said billers comprising payment card issuers; extracting from said database of bill presentment data at least one presentment record for at least one of said customers; and determining, based on said at least one presentment record for said at least one of said customers, at least one of credit worthiness of said at least one of said customers and payment history of said at least one of said customers. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein said obtaining, extracting, and determining steps are carried out by an operator of said electronic bill presentment system. 3. The method of claim 2, further comprising making said at least one of credit worthiness of said at least one of said customers and payment history of said at least one of said customers available to at least one of said payment card issuers. 4. The method of claim 1, wherein said at least one of credit worthiness of said at least one of said customers and payment history of said at least one of said customers comprises at least an indication that said at least one of said customers is not prioritizing payments to at least one of said billers, further comprising said at least one of said billers offering said at least one of said customers an incentive for early payment. 5. The method of claim 1, wherein:
said at least one presentment record for said at least one of said customers comprises a presentment record for a bill of a credit card, said credit card having been issued to said at least one of said customers by one of said payment card issuers; said extracting comprises:
obtaining from said presentment record for said bill of said credit card a current balance; and
dividing said current balance by a total credit line to obtain a fraction of said total credit line used up; and
said fraction is indicative of said credit worthiness of said at least one of said customers. 6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:
examining a plurality of presentment records for bills of said credit card for a plurality of prior time periods to determine a maximum balance during said plurality of prior time periods; and estimating said total credit line as said maximum balance. 7. The method of claim 1, wherein:
said at least one presentment record for said at least one of said customers comprises:
a first presentment record for a bill of a first credit card, said first credit card having been issued to said at least one of said customers by a first one of said payment card issuers; and
a second presentment record for a bill of a second credit card, said second credit card having been issued to said at least one of said customers by a second one of said payment card issuers;
said extracting comprises:
obtaining from said first presentment record for said bill of said first credit card a first credit card current balance;
obtaining from said second presentment record for said bill of said second credit card a second credit card current balance;
summing said first credit card current balance and said second credit card current balance to obtain a total current balance; and
dividing said total current balance by a total credit line sum to obtain a fraction of said total credit line sum used up; and
said fraction is indicative of said credit worthiness of said at least one of said customers. 8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:
examining a plurality of presentment records for bills of said first credit card for a plurality of prior time periods to determine a first credit card maximum balance during said plurality of prior time periods; examining a plurality of presentment records for bills of said second credit card for said plurality of prior time periods to determine a second credit card maximum balance during said plurality of prior time periods; estimating said total credit line sum as a sum of said first credit card maximum balance and said second credit card maximum balance. 9. The method of claim 1, wherein said electronic bill presentment system comprises an electronic bill presentment and payment system, further comprising:
obtaining access to a database of bill payment data in said electronic bill presentment and payment system; extracting from said database of bill presentment data a plurality of additional presentment record for at least one of said customers; for said at least one presentment record and each of said plurality of additional presentment records:
determining a corresponding current balance;
extracting from said database of bill payment data a corresponding payment; and
dividing said corresponding payment by said corresponding current balance to obtain a fractional amount paid. 10. The method of claim 1, wherein said electronic bill presentment system comprises an electronic bill presentment and payment system, further comprising:
obtaining access to a database of bill payment data in said electronic bill presentment and payment system, said bill payment data including at least one payment record for a payment associated with said at least one presentment record for said at least one of said customers, said at least one payment record including a payment date; wherein said at least one presentment record for at least one of said customers comprises a presentment record for a bill having a due date, and wherein said extracting comprises determining at least one of:
a time differential between said due date and said payment date; and
a time differential between said payment date and a date of said bill. 11. The method of claim 1, wherein:
said electronic bill presentment system comprises an electronic bill presentment and payment system; said at least one presentment record for said at least one of said customers comprises first through Nth presentment records for N bills of interest in a given time period, N being at least two; further comprising: obtaining access to a database of bill payment data in said electronic bill presentment and payment system, said bill payment data including time-stamped first through Nth payment records for N payments associated with said N bills of interest; and for at least one of said bills of interest, determining a fractional payment priority rank as N minus an order in which said at least one of said bills of interest was paid divided by N minus one. 12. The method of claim 11, wherein said N bills of interest comprise bills for payment cards of at least two types. 13. The method of claim 11, wherein said N bills of interest comprise bills for payment cards of a single type. 14. The method of claim 1, wherein said obtaining, extracting, and determining steps are carried out by an operator of said electronic bill presentment system which also operates a payment card processing network for at least one of said plurality of brands of payment card products. 15. The method of claim 1, further comprising facilitating at least one entity deciding to avail itself of a line of credit based, at least in part, on said at least one of credit worthiness of said at least one of said customers and payment history of said at least one of said customers indicating that said at least one entity is likely to be paid late. 16. The method of claim 1, further comprising facilitating at least one entity making at least one of a credit extension decision and a lease renewal decision based, at least in part. on said at least one of credit worthiness of said at least one of said customers and payment history of said at least one of said customers. 17. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing a system, wherein the system comprises distinct software modules, each of the distinct software modules being embodied on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, and wherein the distinct software modules comprise a database module and an analytics module;
wherein: said obtaining of said access to said database and said extracting of said bill presentment data are carried out by said database module executing on at least one hardware processor; and said determining of said at least one of credit worthiness of said at least one of said customers and payment history of said at least one of said customers is carried out by said analytics module executing on said at least one hardware processor. 18. An apparatus comprising:
a memory; at least one processor operatively coupled to said memory; and a persistent storage device operatively coupled to said memory and storing in a non-transitory manner instructions which when loaded into said memory cause said at least one processor to be operative to:
obtain access to a database of bill presentment data in an electronic bill presentment system connecting a plurality of customers with a plurality of billers, at least some of said billers comprising payment card issuers;
extract from said database of bill presentment data at least one presentment record for at least one of said customers; and
determine, based on said at least one presentment record for said at least one of said customers, at least one of credit worthiness of said at least one of said customers and payment history of said at least one of said customers. 19. The system of claim 18, wherein said instructions on said persistent storage device comprise distinct software modules, and wherein said distinct software modules comprise a database module and an analytics module;
wherein: said database module comprises said instructions which cause said at least one processor to obtain said access to said database and to extract said at least one presentment record; and said analytics module comprises said instructions which cause said at least one processor to determine said at least one of credit worthiness of said at least one of said customers and payment history of said at least one of said customers. 20. An apparatus comprising:
means for obtaining access to a database of bill presentment data in an electronic bill presentment system connecting a plurality of customers with a plurality of billers, at least some of said billers comprising payment card issuers; means for extracting from said database of bill presentment data at least one presentment record for at least one of said customers; and means for determining, based on said at least one presentment record for said at least one of said customers, at least one of credit worthiness of said at least one of said customers and payment history of said at least one of said customers. 21. An article of manufacture comprising a computer program product, said computer program product comprising:
a tangible computer-readable recordable storage medium, storing in a non-transitory manner computer readable program code, the computer readable program code comprising:
computer readable program code configured to obtain access to a database of bill presentment data in an electronic bill presentment system connecting a plurality of customers with a plurality of billers, at least some of said billers comprising payment card issuers;
computer readable program code configured to extract from said database of bill presentment data at least one presentment record for at least one of said customers; and
computer readable program code configured to determine, based on said at least one presentment record for said at least one of said customers, at least one of credit worthiness of said at least one of said customers and payment history of said at least one of said customers 22. The article of manufacture of claim 21, wherein:
said at least one presentment record for said at least one of said customers comprises a presentment record for a bill of a credit card, said credit card having been issued to said at least one of said customers by one of said payment card issuers; said computer readable program code configured to extract said at least one presentment record comprises:
computer readable program code configured to obtain from said presentment record for said bill of said credit card a current balance; and
computer readable program code configured to divide said current balance by a total credit line to obtain a fraction of said total credit line used up; and
said fraction is indicative of said credit worthiness of said at least one of said customers. | Access is obtained to a database of bill presentment data in an electronic bill presentment system connecting a plurality of customers with a plurality of billers. At least some of the billers are payment card issuers. At least one presentment record for at least one of the customers is extracted from the database of bill presentment data. Based on the at least one presentment record for the at least one of the customers, at least one of credit worthiness of the at least one of the customers and payment history of the at least one of the customers is determined.1. A method comprising the steps of:
obtaining access to a database of bill presentment data in an electronic bill presentment system connecting a plurality of customers with a plurality of billers, at least some of said billers comprising payment card issuers; extracting from said database of bill presentment data at least one presentment record for at least one of said customers; and determining, based on said at least one presentment record for said at least one of said customers, at least one of credit worthiness of said at least one of said customers and payment history of said at least one of said customers. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein said obtaining, extracting, and determining steps are carried out by an operator of said electronic bill presentment system. 3. The method of claim 2, further comprising making said at least one of credit worthiness of said at least one of said customers and payment history of said at least one of said customers available to at least one of said payment card issuers. 4. The method of claim 1, wherein said at least one of credit worthiness of said at least one of said customers and payment history of said at least one of said customers comprises at least an indication that said at least one of said customers is not prioritizing payments to at least one of said billers, further comprising said at least one of said billers offering said at least one of said customers an incentive for early payment. 5. The method of claim 1, wherein:
said at least one presentment record for said at least one of said customers comprises a presentment record for a bill of a credit card, said credit card having been issued to said at least one of said customers by one of said payment card issuers; said extracting comprises:
obtaining from said presentment record for said bill of said credit card a current balance; and
dividing said current balance by a total credit line to obtain a fraction of said total credit line used up; and
said fraction is indicative of said credit worthiness of said at least one of said customers. 6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:
examining a plurality of presentment records for bills of said credit card for a plurality of prior time periods to determine a maximum balance during said plurality of prior time periods; and estimating said total credit line as said maximum balance. 7. The method of claim 1, wherein:
said at least one presentment record for said at least one of said customers comprises:
a first presentment record for a bill of a first credit card, said first credit card having been issued to said at least one of said customers by a first one of said payment card issuers; and
a second presentment record for a bill of a second credit card, said second credit card having been issued to said at least one of said customers by a second one of said payment card issuers;
said extracting comprises:
obtaining from said first presentment record for said bill of said first credit card a first credit card current balance;
obtaining from said second presentment record for said bill of said second credit card a second credit card current balance;
summing said first credit card current balance and said second credit card current balance to obtain a total current balance; and
dividing said total current balance by a total credit line sum to obtain a fraction of said total credit line sum used up; and
said fraction is indicative of said credit worthiness of said at least one of said customers. 8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:
examining a plurality of presentment records for bills of said first credit card for a plurality of prior time periods to determine a first credit card maximum balance during said plurality of prior time periods; examining a plurality of presentment records for bills of said second credit card for said plurality of prior time periods to determine a second credit card maximum balance during said plurality of prior time periods; estimating said total credit line sum as a sum of said first credit card maximum balance and said second credit card maximum balance. 9. The method of claim 1, wherein said electronic bill presentment system comprises an electronic bill presentment and payment system, further comprising:
obtaining access to a database of bill payment data in said electronic bill presentment and payment system; extracting from said database of bill presentment data a plurality of additional presentment record for at least one of said customers; for said at least one presentment record and each of said plurality of additional presentment records:
determining a corresponding current balance;
extracting from said database of bill payment data a corresponding payment; and
dividing said corresponding payment by said corresponding current balance to obtain a fractional amount paid. 10. The method of claim 1, wherein said electronic bill presentment system comprises an electronic bill presentment and payment system, further comprising:
obtaining access to a database of bill payment data in said electronic bill presentment and payment system, said bill payment data including at least one payment record for a payment associated with said at least one presentment record for said at least one of said customers, said at least one payment record including a payment date; wherein said at least one presentment record for at least one of said customers comprises a presentment record for a bill having a due date, and wherein said extracting comprises determining at least one of:
a time differential between said due date and said payment date; and
a time differential between said payment date and a date of said bill. 11. The method of claim 1, wherein:
said electronic bill presentment system comprises an electronic bill presentment and payment system; said at least one presentment record for said at least one of said customers comprises first through Nth presentment records for N bills of interest in a given time period, N being at least two; further comprising: obtaining access to a database of bill payment data in said electronic bill presentment and payment system, said bill payment data including time-stamped first through Nth payment records for N payments associated with said N bills of interest; and for at least one of said bills of interest, determining a fractional payment priority rank as N minus an order in which said at least one of said bills of interest was paid divided by N minus one. 12. The method of claim 11, wherein said N bills of interest comprise bills for payment cards of at least two types. 13. The method of claim 11, wherein said N bills of interest comprise bills for payment cards of a single type. 14. The method of claim 1, wherein said obtaining, extracting, and determining steps are carried out by an operator of said electronic bill presentment system which also operates a payment card processing network for at least one of said plurality of brands of payment card products. 15. The method of claim 1, further comprising facilitating at least one entity deciding to avail itself of a line of credit based, at least in part, on said at least one of credit worthiness of said at least one of said customers and payment history of said at least one of said customers indicating that said at least one entity is likely to be paid late. 16. The method of claim 1, further comprising facilitating at least one entity making at least one of a credit extension decision and a lease renewal decision based, at least in part. on said at least one of credit worthiness of said at least one of said customers and payment history of said at least one of said customers. 17. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing a system, wherein the system comprises distinct software modules, each of the distinct software modules being embodied on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, and wherein the distinct software modules comprise a database module and an analytics module;
wherein: said obtaining of said access to said database and said extracting of said bill presentment data are carried out by said database module executing on at least one hardware processor; and said determining of said at least one of credit worthiness of said at least one of said customers and payment history of said at least one of said customers is carried out by said analytics module executing on said at least one hardware processor. 18. An apparatus comprising:
a memory; at least one processor operatively coupled to said memory; and a persistent storage device operatively coupled to said memory and storing in a non-transitory manner instructions which when loaded into said memory cause said at least one processor to be operative to:
obtain access to a database of bill presentment data in an electronic bill presentment system connecting a plurality of customers with a plurality of billers, at least some of said billers comprising payment card issuers;
extract from said database of bill presentment data at least one presentment record for at least one of said customers; and
determine, based on said at least one presentment record for said at least one of said customers, at least one of credit worthiness of said at least one of said customers and payment history of said at least one of said customers. 19. The system of claim 18, wherein said instructions on said persistent storage device comprise distinct software modules, and wherein said distinct software modules comprise a database module and an analytics module;
wherein: said database module comprises said instructions which cause said at least one processor to obtain said access to said database and to extract said at least one presentment record; and said analytics module comprises said instructions which cause said at least one processor to determine said at least one of credit worthiness of said at least one of said customers and payment history of said at least one of said customers. 20. An apparatus comprising:
means for obtaining access to a database of bill presentment data in an electronic bill presentment system connecting a plurality of customers with a plurality of billers, at least some of said billers comprising payment card issuers; means for extracting from said database of bill presentment data at least one presentment record for at least one of said customers; and means for determining, based on said at least one presentment record for said at least one of said customers, at least one of credit worthiness of said at least one of said customers and payment history of said at least one of said customers. 21. An article of manufacture comprising a computer program product, said computer program product comprising:
a tangible computer-readable recordable storage medium, storing in a non-transitory manner computer readable program code, the computer readable program code comprising:
computer readable program code configured to obtain access to a database of bill presentment data in an electronic bill presentment system connecting a plurality of customers with a plurality of billers, at least some of said billers comprising payment card issuers;
computer readable program code configured to extract from said database of bill presentment data at least one presentment record for at least one of said customers; and
computer readable program code configured to determine, based on said at least one presentment record for said at least one of said customers, at least one of credit worthiness of said at least one of said customers and payment history of said at least one of said customers 22. The article of manufacture of claim 21, wherein:
said at least one presentment record for said at least one of said customers comprises a presentment record for a bill of a credit card, said credit card having been issued to said at least one of said customers by one of said payment card issuers; said computer readable program code configured to extract said at least one presentment record comprises:
computer readable program code configured to obtain from said presentment record for said bill of said credit card a current balance; and
computer readable program code configured to divide said current balance by a total credit line to obtain a fraction of said total credit line used up; and
said fraction is indicative of said credit worthiness of said at least one of said customers. | 3,600 |
12,846 | 12,846 | 13,802,405 | 3,689 | An advertisement is received by an online system, which divides the advertisement into components. The online system determines whether the components satisfy one or more policies of the online system. Tags may be associated with components of the advertisement that describe characteristics of the component. Tags are compared to one or more advertisement rules from a policy to determine if a component corresponding to the tags satisfies the policy. The online system may notify advertisers of advertisement components that do not satisfy the a policy of the online system to allow the advertiser to more easily modify advertisements for subsequent compliance. | 1. A computer implemented method comprising:
receiving, at an online system, an advertisement from an advertiser; dividing the advertisement into a plurality of components; for each of the plurality of components of the advertisement, determining one or more tags describing characteristics of the components; retrieving a policy including one or more advertisement rules; determining whether the advertisement satisfies the policy by determining if one or more components of the advertisement satisfy one or more advertisement rules from the policy associated with a component based on the one or more tags associated with the component. 2. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein determining whether the advertisement satisfies the policy by determining if one or more components of the advertisement satisfy one or more advertisement rules from the policy associated with the component based on the one or more tags associated with the component comprises:
determining the advertisement satisfies the policy of the online system if at least a threshold number of the plurality of components satisfy the policy of the online system based on the one or more tags. 3. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the one or more tags describing characteristics of the components are independent of the policy of the online system. 4. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein determining whether the advertisement satisfies the policy by determining if one or more components of the advertisement satisfy one or more advertisement rules from the policy associated with the component based on the one or more tags associated with the component comprises:
determining the advertisement does not satisfy the policy of the online system if at least one of the tags is included on a blacklist. 5. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein determining whether the advertisement satisfies the policy by determining if one or more components of the advertisement satisfy one or more advertisement rules from the policy associated with the component based on the one or more tags associated with the component comprises:
determining the advertisement satisfies the policy of the online system if at least one of the tags indicates an automatic approval. 6. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein a component is selected from a group consisting of: a title, a body, an image, a landing page, an audience description, an account identifying the advertiser, and any combination thereof. 7. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein a component is selected from a group consisting of: a timeframe for presenting the advertisement, a budget for presenting the advertisement, an amount charged to the advertiser for presentation of the advertisement, and any combination thereof. 8. The computer implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:
presenting the advertisement to users of the online system in response to determining the advertisement satisfies the policy of the online system. 9. The computer implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:
providing a message to the advertiser indicating whether the advertisement satisfies the policy. 10. The computer implemented method of claim 9, wherein the message identifies one or more components of the advertisement that did not satisfy an advertisement rule. 11. A computer implemented method comprising:
receiving, at an online system, an advertisement from an advertiser; dividing the advertisement into a plurality of components, each component associated with one or more tags describing characteristics of the component; determining whether the advertisement satisfies a policy of the online system based on by the one or more tags associated with components of the advertisement. 12. The computer implemented method of claim 11, wherein determining whether the advertisement satisfies a policy of the online system based on by the one or more tags associated with components of the advertisement comprises:
determining the advertisement satisfies the policy of the online system if at least a threshold number of the plurality of components satisfy the policy of the online system based on the one or more tags. 13. The computer implemented method of claim 13, wherein the one or more tags describing characteristics of the components are independent of one or more policies of the online system. 14. The computer implemented method of claim 11, wherein determining whether the advertisement satisfies a policy of the online system based on by the one or more tags associated with components of the advertisement comprises:
determining the advertisement does not satisfy the policy of the online system if at least one of the tags is included on a blacklist. 15. The computer implemented method of claim 11, wherein determining whether the advertisement satisfies a policy of the online system based on by the one or more tags associated with components of the advertisement comprises:
determining the advertisement satisfies the policy of the online system if at least one of the tags indicates an automatic approval. 16. The computer implemented method of claim 11, wherein a component is selected from a group consisting of: a title, a body, an image, a landing page, an audience description, an account identifying the advertiser, and any combination thereof. 17. The computer implemented method of claim 11, wherein a component is selected from a group consisting of: a timeframe for presenting the advertisement, a budget for presenting the advertisement, an amount charged to the advertiser for presentation of the advertisement, and any combination thereof. | An advertisement is received by an online system, which divides the advertisement into components. The online system determines whether the components satisfy one or more policies of the online system. Tags may be associated with components of the advertisement that describe characteristics of the component. Tags are compared to one or more advertisement rules from a policy to determine if a component corresponding to the tags satisfies the policy. The online system may notify advertisers of advertisement components that do not satisfy the a policy of the online system to allow the advertiser to more easily modify advertisements for subsequent compliance.1. A computer implemented method comprising:
receiving, at an online system, an advertisement from an advertiser; dividing the advertisement into a plurality of components; for each of the plurality of components of the advertisement, determining one or more tags describing characteristics of the components; retrieving a policy including one or more advertisement rules; determining whether the advertisement satisfies the policy by determining if one or more components of the advertisement satisfy one or more advertisement rules from the policy associated with a component based on the one or more tags associated with the component. 2. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein determining whether the advertisement satisfies the policy by determining if one or more components of the advertisement satisfy one or more advertisement rules from the policy associated with the component based on the one or more tags associated with the component comprises:
determining the advertisement satisfies the policy of the online system if at least a threshold number of the plurality of components satisfy the policy of the online system based on the one or more tags. 3. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the one or more tags describing characteristics of the components are independent of the policy of the online system. 4. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein determining whether the advertisement satisfies the policy by determining if one or more components of the advertisement satisfy one or more advertisement rules from the policy associated with the component based on the one or more tags associated with the component comprises:
determining the advertisement does not satisfy the policy of the online system if at least one of the tags is included on a blacklist. 5. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein determining whether the advertisement satisfies the policy by determining if one or more components of the advertisement satisfy one or more advertisement rules from the policy associated with the component based on the one or more tags associated with the component comprises:
determining the advertisement satisfies the policy of the online system if at least one of the tags indicates an automatic approval. 6. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein a component is selected from a group consisting of: a title, a body, an image, a landing page, an audience description, an account identifying the advertiser, and any combination thereof. 7. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein a component is selected from a group consisting of: a timeframe for presenting the advertisement, a budget for presenting the advertisement, an amount charged to the advertiser for presentation of the advertisement, and any combination thereof. 8. The computer implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:
presenting the advertisement to users of the online system in response to determining the advertisement satisfies the policy of the online system. 9. The computer implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:
providing a message to the advertiser indicating whether the advertisement satisfies the policy. 10. The computer implemented method of claim 9, wherein the message identifies one or more components of the advertisement that did not satisfy an advertisement rule. 11. A computer implemented method comprising:
receiving, at an online system, an advertisement from an advertiser; dividing the advertisement into a plurality of components, each component associated with one or more tags describing characteristics of the component; determining whether the advertisement satisfies a policy of the online system based on by the one or more tags associated with components of the advertisement. 12. The computer implemented method of claim 11, wherein determining whether the advertisement satisfies a policy of the online system based on by the one or more tags associated with components of the advertisement comprises:
determining the advertisement satisfies the policy of the online system if at least a threshold number of the plurality of components satisfy the policy of the online system based on the one or more tags. 13. The computer implemented method of claim 13, wherein the one or more tags describing characteristics of the components are independent of one or more policies of the online system. 14. The computer implemented method of claim 11, wherein determining whether the advertisement satisfies a policy of the online system based on by the one or more tags associated with components of the advertisement comprises:
determining the advertisement does not satisfy the policy of the online system if at least one of the tags is included on a blacklist. 15. The computer implemented method of claim 11, wherein determining whether the advertisement satisfies a policy of the online system based on by the one or more tags associated with components of the advertisement comprises:
determining the advertisement satisfies the policy of the online system if at least one of the tags indicates an automatic approval. 16. The computer implemented method of claim 11, wherein a component is selected from a group consisting of: a title, a body, an image, a landing page, an audience description, an account identifying the advertiser, and any combination thereof. 17. The computer implemented method of claim 11, wherein a component is selected from a group consisting of: a timeframe for presenting the advertisement, a budget for presenting the advertisement, an amount charged to the advertiser for presentation of the advertisement, and any combination thereof. | 3,600 |
12,847 | 12,847 | 14,586,598 | 3,689 | A system receives, via a user input, job profiles for job postings to a social network. The system then determines whether each job profile is for a paid job posting to the social network or for an unpaid job posting to the social network. Unpaid job postings are presented to users of the social network only via a job search user interface; paid job postings are presented to users of the social network via the job search user interface and via other channels of the social network, such as e-mail. The presentation via other channels is based a comparison of user profiles to job profiles. The system also extracts job profiles for job postings to the social network, from at least one external website, and presents these job postings to users of the social network only via the job search user interface. | 1. A memory device communicatively coupled to a machine including at least one processor, the memory device comprising instructions which, when performed by the at least one processor, cause the machine to:
receive, via a job posting user interface, a job profile for each of a plurality of job postings to a social network; and for each job profile:
based on determining that the job profile is for an unpaid job posting to the social network, present the job posting to users of the social network only via a job search user interface; and
based on determining that the job profile is for a paid job posting to the social network, present the job posting to users of the social network via the job search user interface and via at least one other communication channel of the social network. 2. The memory device of claim 1, wherein the memory device further comprises instructions that cause the machine to:
extract, from at least one external website, a job profile for each of a plurality of external job postings to the social network; and present the external job postings to users of the social network only via the job search user interface. 3. The memory device of claim 2, wherein the memory device further comprises instructions that cause the machine to:
based on determining that an external job posting has been posted to the social network for a threshold period of time, check the at least one external website from which a corresponding job profile was extracted to identify any differences between the external job posting and a corresponding job posting on the at least one external website; and update the corresponding job profile for the external job posting on the social network based on the identified differences. 4. The memory device of claim 3, wherein the memory device further comprises instructions that cause the machine to delete the external job posting based on the identified differences. 5. The memory device of claim 2, wherein the job posting user interface enables a user to perform at least one of the following: create a job posting, delete a user-created job posting, edit a job profile for a user-created job posting, set an expiry date for a user-created job posting, renew an expired user-created job posting for a specified period of time, or convert an unpaid job posting to a paid job posting. 6. The memory device of claim 1, wherein:
the at least one other communication channel of the social network includes at least one of: website placement, website email, website messaging, or links associated with other job postings on the social network; and the links include at least one of: a link to other jobs at a company associated with a job posting, a link to receive notices regarding jobs at a company associated with a job posting, a link to other jobs that are similar to a job associated with a job posting, or a link to share a job posting with another user of the social network. 7. The memory device of claim 6, wherein the memory device further comprises instructions that cause the machine to present a paid job posting to a user of the social network via the at least one other communication channel of the social network based on a comparison of a job profile for the paid job posting to a user profile of the user of the social network. 8. A system, comprising:
at least one processor; and a memory device comprising instructions which, when performed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to: receive, via a job posting user interface, a job profile for each of a plurality of job postings to a social network; and for each job profile:
based on determining that the job profile is for an unpaid job posting to the social network, present the job posting to users of the social network only via a job search user interface; and
based on determining that the job profile is for a paid job posting to the social network, present the job posting to users of the social network via the job search user interface and via at least one other communication channel of the social network. 9. The system of claim 8, wherein the memory device further comprises instructions that cause the at least one processor to:
extract, from at least one external website, a job profile for each of a plurality of external job postings to the social network; and present the external job postings to users of the social network only via the job search user interface. 10. The system of claim 9, wherein the memory device further comprises instructions that cause the at least one processor to:
based on determining that an external job posting has been posted to the social network for a threshold period of time, check the at least one external website from which a corresponding job profile was extracted to identify any differences between the external job posting and a corresponding job posting on the at least one external website; and update the corresponding job profile for the external job posting on the social network based on the identified differences. 11. The system of claim 10, wherein the memory device further comprises instructions that cause the at least one processor to delete the external job posting based on the identified differences. 12. The system of claim 9, wherein the memory device further comprises instructions that cause the at least one processor to provide a user interface for a user to perform at least one of the following: create a job posting, delete a user-created job posting, edit a job profile for a user-created job posting, set an expiry date for a user-created job posting, renew an expired user-created job posting for a specified period of time, or convert an unpaid job posting to a paid job posting. 13. The system of claim 8, wherein:
the at least one other communication channel of the social network includes at least one of: website placement, website email, website messaging, or links associated with other job postings; and the links include at least one of: a link to other jobs at a company associated with a job posting, a link to receive notices regarding jobs at a company associated with a job posting, a link to other jobs that are similar to a job associated with a job posting, or a link to share a job posting with another user of the social network. 14. The system of claim 13, wherein the memory device further comprises instructions that cause the at least one processor to:
compare a job profile for a paid job posting to a user profile of a user of the social network; and present the paid job posting to the user of the social network via the at least one other communication channel of the social network based on the comparison. 15. A method comprising:
receiving, via a job posting user interface, a job profile for each of a plurality of job postings to a social network; and for each job profile:
based on determining that the job profile is for an unpaid job posting to the social network, presenting the unpaid job posting to users of the social network only via a job search user interface; and
based on determining that the job profile is for a paid job posting to the social network, presenting the paid job posting to users of the social network via the job search user interface and via at least one other communication channel of the social network. 16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:
extracting, from at least one external website, a job profile for each of a plurality of external job postings to the social network; and presenting the external job postings to users of the social network only via the job search user interface. 17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:
based on determining that an external job posting has been posted to the social network for a threshold period of time, check the at least one external website from which a corresponding job profile was extracted to identify any differences between the external job posting and a corresponding job posting on the at least one external website; and update the corresponding job profile for the external job posting on the social network based on the identified differences. 18. The method of claim 16, wherein the job posting user interface enables a user to perform at least one of the following: create a job posting, delete a user-created job posting, edit a job profile for a user-created job posting, set an expiry date for a user-created job posting, renew an expired user-created job posting for a specified period of time, or convert an unpaid job posting to a paid job posting. 19. The method of claim 15, wherein:
the at least one other communication channel of the social network includes at least one of: website placement, website email, website messaging, or links associated with other job postings; and the links include at least one of: a link to other jobs at a company associated with a job posting, a link to receive notices regarding jobs at a company associated with a job posting, a link to other jobs that are similar to a job associated with a job posting, or a link to share a job posting with another user of the social network. 20. The method of claim 19, further comprising:
presenting the paid job posting to a user of the social network via the at least one other communication channel of the social network based on a comparison of a job profile for the paid job posting to a user profile of the user of the social network. | A system receives, via a user input, job profiles for job postings to a social network. The system then determines whether each job profile is for a paid job posting to the social network or for an unpaid job posting to the social network. Unpaid job postings are presented to users of the social network only via a job search user interface; paid job postings are presented to users of the social network via the job search user interface and via other channels of the social network, such as e-mail. The presentation via other channels is based a comparison of user profiles to job profiles. The system also extracts job profiles for job postings to the social network, from at least one external website, and presents these job postings to users of the social network only via the job search user interface.1. A memory device communicatively coupled to a machine including at least one processor, the memory device comprising instructions which, when performed by the at least one processor, cause the machine to:
receive, via a job posting user interface, a job profile for each of a plurality of job postings to a social network; and for each job profile:
based on determining that the job profile is for an unpaid job posting to the social network, present the job posting to users of the social network only via a job search user interface; and
based on determining that the job profile is for a paid job posting to the social network, present the job posting to users of the social network via the job search user interface and via at least one other communication channel of the social network. 2. The memory device of claim 1, wherein the memory device further comprises instructions that cause the machine to:
extract, from at least one external website, a job profile for each of a plurality of external job postings to the social network; and present the external job postings to users of the social network only via the job search user interface. 3. The memory device of claim 2, wherein the memory device further comprises instructions that cause the machine to:
based on determining that an external job posting has been posted to the social network for a threshold period of time, check the at least one external website from which a corresponding job profile was extracted to identify any differences between the external job posting and a corresponding job posting on the at least one external website; and update the corresponding job profile for the external job posting on the social network based on the identified differences. 4. The memory device of claim 3, wherein the memory device further comprises instructions that cause the machine to delete the external job posting based on the identified differences. 5. The memory device of claim 2, wherein the job posting user interface enables a user to perform at least one of the following: create a job posting, delete a user-created job posting, edit a job profile for a user-created job posting, set an expiry date for a user-created job posting, renew an expired user-created job posting for a specified period of time, or convert an unpaid job posting to a paid job posting. 6. The memory device of claim 1, wherein:
the at least one other communication channel of the social network includes at least one of: website placement, website email, website messaging, or links associated with other job postings on the social network; and the links include at least one of: a link to other jobs at a company associated with a job posting, a link to receive notices regarding jobs at a company associated with a job posting, a link to other jobs that are similar to a job associated with a job posting, or a link to share a job posting with another user of the social network. 7. The memory device of claim 6, wherein the memory device further comprises instructions that cause the machine to present a paid job posting to a user of the social network via the at least one other communication channel of the social network based on a comparison of a job profile for the paid job posting to a user profile of the user of the social network. 8. A system, comprising:
at least one processor; and a memory device comprising instructions which, when performed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to: receive, via a job posting user interface, a job profile for each of a plurality of job postings to a social network; and for each job profile:
based on determining that the job profile is for an unpaid job posting to the social network, present the job posting to users of the social network only via a job search user interface; and
based on determining that the job profile is for a paid job posting to the social network, present the job posting to users of the social network via the job search user interface and via at least one other communication channel of the social network. 9. The system of claim 8, wherein the memory device further comprises instructions that cause the at least one processor to:
extract, from at least one external website, a job profile for each of a plurality of external job postings to the social network; and present the external job postings to users of the social network only via the job search user interface. 10. The system of claim 9, wherein the memory device further comprises instructions that cause the at least one processor to:
based on determining that an external job posting has been posted to the social network for a threshold period of time, check the at least one external website from which a corresponding job profile was extracted to identify any differences between the external job posting and a corresponding job posting on the at least one external website; and update the corresponding job profile for the external job posting on the social network based on the identified differences. 11. The system of claim 10, wherein the memory device further comprises instructions that cause the at least one processor to delete the external job posting based on the identified differences. 12. The system of claim 9, wherein the memory device further comprises instructions that cause the at least one processor to provide a user interface for a user to perform at least one of the following: create a job posting, delete a user-created job posting, edit a job profile for a user-created job posting, set an expiry date for a user-created job posting, renew an expired user-created job posting for a specified period of time, or convert an unpaid job posting to a paid job posting. 13. The system of claim 8, wherein:
the at least one other communication channel of the social network includes at least one of: website placement, website email, website messaging, or links associated with other job postings; and the links include at least one of: a link to other jobs at a company associated with a job posting, a link to receive notices regarding jobs at a company associated with a job posting, a link to other jobs that are similar to a job associated with a job posting, or a link to share a job posting with another user of the social network. 14. The system of claim 13, wherein the memory device further comprises instructions that cause the at least one processor to:
compare a job profile for a paid job posting to a user profile of a user of the social network; and present the paid job posting to the user of the social network via the at least one other communication channel of the social network based on the comparison. 15. A method comprising:
receiving, via a job posting user interface, a job profile for each of a plurality of job postings to a social network; and for each job profile:
based on determining that the job profile is for an unpaid job posting to the social network, presenting the unpaid job posting to users of the social network only via a job search user interface; and
based on determining that the job profile is for a paid job posting to the social network, presenting the paid job posting to users of the social network via the job search user interface and via at least one other communication channel of the social network. 16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:
extracting, from at least one external website, a job profile for each of a plurality of external job postings to the social network; and presenting the external job postings to users of the social network only via the job search user interface. 17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:
based on determining that an external job posting has been posted to the social network for a threshold period of time, check the at least one external website from which a corresponding job profile was extracted to identify any differences between the external job posting and a corresponding job posting on the at least one external website; and update the corresponding job profile for the external job posting on the social network based on the identified differences. 18. The method of claim 16, wherein the job posting user interface enables a user to perform at least one of the following: create a job posting, delete a user-created job posting, edit a job profile for a user-created job posting, set an expiry date for a user-created job posting, renew an expired user-created job posting for a specified period of time, or convert an unpaid job posting to a paid job posting. 19. The method of claim 15, wherein:
the at least one other communication channel of the social network includes at least one of: website placement, website email, website messaging, or links associated with other job postings; and the links include at least one of: a link to other jobs at a company associated with a job posting, a link to receive notices regarding jobs at a company associated with a job posting, a link to other jobs that are similar to a job associated with a job posting, or a link to share a job posting with another user of the social network. 20. The method of claim 19, further comprising:
presenting the paid job posting to a user of the social network via the at least one other communication channel of the social network based on a comparison of a job profile for the paid job posting to a user profile of the user of the social network. | 3,600 |
12,848 | 12,848 | 12,732,506 | 3,622 | An approach is provided for caching advertisements on a device according to soft limits. Caching of an advertisement is caused, at least in part at the device. It is determined that a soft limit associated with the advertisement has been met. The soft limit specifies when to request one or more other advertisements to be downloaded to the cache. Presentation of the advertisement, the other advertisements, or a combination thereof is caused, at least in part, based on validity information associated with the advertisement. | 1. A method comprising:
causing, at least in part, caching of an advertisement at a device; causing, at least in part, determining that a soft limit associated with the advertisement has been met, wherein the soft limit specifies when to request one or more other advertisements to be downloaded to the cache; and causing, at least in part, the presentation of the advertisement, the other advertisements, or a combination thereof based on validity information associated with the advertisement. 2. A method of claim 1, further comprising:
receiving the soft limit; causing, at least in part, transmission of a request for one or more of the other advertisements based on the determination that the soft limit has been met; receiving the one or more other advertisements; and caching the one or more other advertisements at the device. 3. A method of claim 2, further comprising:
determining contextual information associated with the device, a user of the device, the advertisement, the other advertisements, or a combination thereof, wherein the determining when the soft limit has been met is based, at least in part, on the context information. 4. A method of claim 3, wherein the contextual information includes advertisement type, advertisement flight, advertisement publisher, roaming status, device radio type, battery status, time, date, location, or a combination thereof. 5. A method of claim 1, wherein the soft limit is associated with a number of the advertisement, the other advertisements, or a combination thereof to cache. 6. An apparatus comprising:
at least one processor; and at least one memory including computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to perform at least the following,
cause, at least in part, caching of an advertisement at a device;
cause, at least in part, determining that a soft limit associated with the advertisement has been met, wherein the soft limit specifies when to request one or more other advertisements to be downloaded to the cache; and
cause, at least in part, the presentation of the advertisement, the other advertisements, or a combination thereof based on validity information associated with the advertisement. 7. An apparatus of claim 6, wherein the apparatus is further caused, at least in part, to:
receive the soft limit; cause, at least in part, transmission of a request for one or more of the other advertisements based on the determination that the soft limit has been met; receive the one or more other advertisements; and cache the one or more other advertisements at the device. 8. An apparatus of claim 7, wherein the apparatus is further caused, at least in part, to:
determine contextual information associated with the device, a user of the device, the advertisement, the other advertisements, or a combination thereof, wherein the determining when the soft limit has been met is based, at least in part, on the context information. 9. An apparatus of claim 8, wherein the contextual information includes advertisement type, advertisement flight, advertisement publisher, roaming status, device radio type, battery status, time, date, location, or a combination thereof. 10. An apparatus of claim 6, wherein the apparatus is further caused, at least in part, to:
categorize the advertisement, the other advertisements, or a combination thereof according to predetermined criteria, wherein the soft limit is determined based, at least in part, on the categorization. 11. A method comprising:
determining a soft limit associated with an advertisement; and causing, at least in part, transmission of the advertisement and associated soft limit to a device, wherein the soft limit specifies when to request one or more other advertisements to be downloaded. 12. A method of claim 11, further comprising:
causing, at least in part, characterization of a device base in which the device operates; wherein the soft limit is determined based, at least in part, on a distribution algorithm applied to the characterization of the device base. 13. A method of claim 11, further comprising:
categorizing the advertisement, the other advertisements, or a combination thereof according to predetermined criteria, wherein the soft limit is determined based, at least in part, on the categorization. 14. A method of claim 11, further comprising:
causing, at least in part, characterization of a device base in which the device operates; wherein the soft limit is determined based, at least in part, on a distribution algorithm applied to the characterization of the device base. 15. A method of claim 11, further comprising:
receiving advertiser criteria associated with the soft limits; wherein the determining of the soft limit is based, at least in part, on the advertiser criteria. 16. An apparatus comprising:
at least one processor; and at least one memory including computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to perform at least the following,
determine a soft limit associated with an advertisement; and
cause, at least in part, transmission of the advertisement and associated soft limit to a device, wherein the soft limit specifies when to request one or more other advertisements to be downloaded. 17. An apparatus of claim 16, wherein the apparatus is further caused, at least in part, to:
cause, at least in part, characterization of a device base in which the device operates; wherein the soft limit is determined based, at least in part, on a distribution algorithm applied to the characterization of the device base. 18. An apparatus of claim 16, wherein the apparatus is further caused, at least in part, to:
categorize the advertisement, the other advertisements, or a combination thereof according to predetermined criteria, wherein the soft limit is determined based, at least in part, on the categorization. 19. An apparatus of claim 16, wherein the apparatus is further caused, at least in part, to:
cause, at least in part, characterization of a device base in which the device operates; wherein the soft limit is determined based, at least in part, on a distribution algorithm applied to the characterization of the device base. 20. An apparatus of claim 16, wherein the apparatus is further caused, at least in part, to:
receive advertiser criteria associated with the soft limits; wherein the determining of the soft limit is based, at least in part, on the advertiser criteria. 21.-62. (canceled) | An approach is provided for caching advertisements on a device according to soft limits. Caching of an advertisement is caused, at least in part at the device. It is determined that a soft limit associated with the advertisement has been met. The soft limit specifies when to request one or more other advertisements to be downloaded to the cache. Presentation of the advertisement, the other advertisements, or a combination thereof is caused, at least in part, based on validity information associated with the advertisement.1. A method comprising:
causing, at least in part, caching of an advertisement at a device; causing, at least in part, determining that a soft limit associated with the advertisement has been met, wherein the soft limit specifies when to request one or more other advertisements to be downloaded to the cache; and causing, at least in part, the presentation of the advertisement, the other advertisements, or a combination thereof based on validity information associated with the advertisement. 2. A method of claim 1, further comprising:
receiving the soft limit; causing, at least in part, transmission of a request for one or more of the other advertisements based on the determination that the soft limit has been met; receiving the one or more other advertisements; and caching the one or more other advertisements at the device. 3. A method of claim 2, further comprising:
determining contextual information associated with the device, a user of the device, the advertisement, the other advertisements, or a combination thereof, wherein the determining when the soft limit has been met is based, at least in part, on the context information. 4. A method of claim 3, wherein the contextual information includes advertisement type, advertisement flight, advertisement publisher, roaming status, device radio type, battery status, time, date, location, or a combination thereof. 5. A method of claim 1, wherein the soft limit is associated with a number of the advertisement, the other advertisements, or a combination thereof to cache. 6. An apparatus comprising:
at least one processor; and at least one memory including computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to perform at least the following,
cause, at least in part, caching of an advertisement at a device;
cause, at least in part, determining that a soft limit associated with the advertisement has been met, wherein the soft limit specifies when to request one or more other advertisements to be downloaded to the cache; and
cause, at least in part, the presentation of the advertisement, the other advertisements, or a combination thereof based on validity information associated with the advertisement. 7. An apparatus of claim 6, wherein the apparatus is further caused, at least in part, to:
receive the soft limit; cause, at least in part, transmission of a request for one or more of the other advertisements based on the determination that the soft limit has been met; receive the one or more other advertisements; and cache the one or more other advertisements at the device. 8. An apparatus of claim 7, wherein the apparatus is further caused, at least in part, to:
determine contextual information associated with the device, a user of the device, the advertisement, the other advertisements, or a combination thereof, wherein the determining when the soft limit has been met is based, at least in part, on the context information. 9. An apparatus of claim 8, wherein the contextual information includes advertisement type, advertisement flight, advertisement publisher, roaming status, device radio type, battery status, time, date, location, or a combination thereof. 10. An apparatus of claim 6, wherein the apparatus is further caused, at least in part, to:
categorize the advertisement, the other advertisements, or a combination thereof according to predetermined criteria, wherein the soft limit is determined based, at least in part, on the categorization. 11. A method comprising:
determining a soft limit associated with an advertisement; and causing, at least in part, transmission of the advertisement and associated soft limit to a device, wherein the soft limit specifies when to request one or more other advertisements to be downloaded. 12. A method of claim 11, further comprising:
causing, at least in part, characterization of a device base in which the device operates; wherein the soft limit is determined based, at least in part, on a distribution algorithm applied to the characterization of the device base. 13. A method of claim 11, further comprising:
categorizing the advertisement, the other advertisements, or a combination thereof according to predetermined criteria, wherein the soft limit is determined based, at least in part, on the categorization. 14. A method of claim 11, further comprising:
causing, at least in part, characterization of a device base in which the device operates; wherein the soft limit is determined based, at least in part, on a distribution algorithm applied to the characterization of the device base. 15. A method of claim 11, further comprising:
receiving advertiser criteria associated with the soft limits; wherein the determining of the soft limit is based, at least in part, on the advertiser criteria. 16. An apparatus comprising:
at least one processor; and at least one memory including computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to perform at least the following,
determine a soft limit associated with an advertisement; and
cause, at least in part, transmission of the advertisement and associated soft limit to a device, wherein the soft limit specifies when to request one or more other advertisements to be downloaded. 17. An apparatus of claim 16, wherein the apparatus is further caused, at least in part, to:
cause, at least in part, characterization of a device base in which the device operates; wherein the soft limit is determined based, at least in part, on a distribution algorithm applied to the characterization of the device base. 18. An apparatus of claim 16, wherein the apparatus is further caused, at least in part, to:
categorize the advertisement, the other advertisements, or a combination thereof according to predetermined criteria, wherein the soft limit is determined based, at least in part, on the categorization. 19. An apparatus of claim 16, wherein the apparatus is further caused, at least in part, to:
cause, at least in part, characterization of a device base in which the device operates; wherein the soft limit is determined based, at least in part, on a distribution algorithm applied to the characterization of the device base. 20. An apparatus of claim 16, wherein the apparatus is further caused, at least in part, to:
receive advertiser criteria associated with the soft limits; wherein the determining of the soft limit is based, at least in part, on the advertiser criteria. 21.-62. (canceled) | 3,600 |
12,849 | 12,849 | 13,479,920 | 3,629 | A facility safety and compliance information system is provided as a Web-based application for managing information about deficiencies and repairs to facilities, that are subject to health and safety codes, security measures, and production and maintenance standards. The facility safety and compliance information system can maintain facility quality and keep maintenance costs in line, while also reducing liability and satisfying other regulatory constraints. The facility safety and compliance information system leverages computer information system, network, and communication technologies for automating the collection of data and the generation of regulatory and compliance documentation, while also improving the timeliness and accuracy of a facilities reporting, preparedness, and adherence to safety and compliance codes. In an exemplary embodiment of the facility safety and compliance information system, a Firestopping Information System (FIS) is provided for managing information about deficiencies and repairs to facilities that are subject to fire safety codes. | 1. A facility safety and compliance information system for managing information about deficiencies and repairs to facilities comprising:
a database module with safety and compliance information; a Web interface providing password protected access to said database for use by client users, said Web interface viewable with a browser on a client device configured with a display; a field survey and repair module configured for said client users to input information regarding deficiencies and repairs for a facility; and an electronic documentation request feature for said client users to request electronic documentation. 2. The system of claim 1 wherein said client device is an Internet-capable computing and communications device. 3. The system of claim 2 wherein said client device is wireless enabled and is portable. 4. The system of claim 3 wherein wireless connections are established via local area networks (LAN), wide area networks WAN, Wifi, WIMAX, satellite, cellular telephone network, or other known or available wireless network connections. 5. The system of claim 1 wherein said field survey and repair module is operative in both an online and offline mode on said client device; and
wherein in the offline mode information input by the client user is put in a local cache memory on the client's device. 6. The system of claim 5 wherein information inputted in the offline mode is automatically uploaded from the local cache on the client device to said database module that is part of a backend server of the facility safety and compliance information system. 7. The system of claim 1 wherein said database module is organized with a database schema and a structured query language (SQL)-compatible database management system. 8. The system of claim 1 wherein said Web interface provides Web pages that are constructed in real-time by an application server that has access to the database module. 9. The system of claim 1 wherein said field survey and repair module is configured for said client user to input information regarding deficiencies and repairs for specific facilities into a facility books;
wherein said field survey and repair module is Web-based and uses interactive facility floor plans as indexes or maps to aid said client user in reporting deficiencies and repairs; and
wherein an instance of a deficiency or repair corresponds to an icon placed on the floor plan by said client user either manually by hand or indirectly through location based measurement of the deficiency or repair using a device. 10. The system of claim 9 wherein said location based measurement device is a global positioning system (GPS) transceiver. 11. The system of claim 9 wherein associated with said icon placed on the floor plan are digital photos of any deficiencies and repairs that are uploaded by the client user, and textual information regarding deficiencies and repairs that are entered by the client user using one or more data entry pages. 12. The system of claim 11 wherein said digital photos are taken either with a separate dedicated digital camera, or with a digital camera built into said client device. 13. The system of claim 1 wherein said facility safety and compliance information system is configured as a Firestopping Information System (FIS). 14. The system of claim 13 wherein said database module stores firestopping data. 15. The system of claim 13 wherein said Web interface further comprises:
a series of administrative Web pages for managing said client users, managing information about said facilities including the importation of facility floor plans, and managing surveys and repairs at said facilities;
a reporting module that generates online reports including a facility book that documents firestop breaches at said facility and the subsequent repair of said firestop breaches;
a series of repair estimate spreadsheets that describe each of said firestop breaches and the corresponding repair, provides an estimated cost for each of said repair, and provides the total estimated cost for said entire facility; and
an archive that serves as a repository of current and past facility books created and managed within said FIS. 16. The system of claim 15 wherein said facility book further comprises annotated floor plans for a facility, wherein each annotation corresponds to a firestop breach. 17. The system of claim 16 wherein said floor plans are used interactively as a visual index in the same manner that geographic maps are used to find points of interest that annotate the maps. 18. The system of claim 16 wherein a survey and repair report for a particular firestop breach can be viewed by selecting an icon that corresponds to an annotation of a firestop breach location on the floor plan. 19. The system of claim 18 wherein said survey and repair report for a firestop breach comprises a written description of the deficiency and context within a facility, a written description of any repairs that were made at the location of the firestop breach, before images of deficiencies, after images of repairs, and any repair documentation for the firestop breach including a penetration; and
wherein repair documentation comprises fire integrity engineering reports for materials and products used in repairing the firestop breach. 20. A process for managing information about deficiencies and repairs to facilities using a facility safety and compliance information system of a facility comprising:
updating a database module with safety and compliance information; providing a Web interface with password protected access to said database for use by client users, said Web interface viewable with a browser on a client device configured with a display; providing a field survey and repair module configured for said client users to input information regarding deficiencies and repairs for a facility; performing repairs for said facility; and providing an electronic documentation request feature for said client users to request electronic documentation. | A facility safety and compliance information system is provided as a Web-based application for managing information about deficiencies and repairs to facilities, that are subject to health and safety codes, security measures, and production and maintenance standards. The facility safety and compliance information system can maintain facility quality and keep maintenance costs in line, while also reducing liability and satisfying other regulatory constraints. The facility safety and compliance information system leverages computer information system, network, and communication technologies for automating the collection of data and the generation of regulatory and compliance documentation, while also improving the timeliness and accuracy of a facilities reporting, preparedness, and adherence to safety and compliance codes. In an exemplary embodiment of the facility safety and compliance information system, a Firestopping Information System (FIS) is provided for managing information about deficiencies and repairs to facilities that are subject to fire safety codes.1. A facility safety and compliance information system for managing information about deficiencies and repairs to facilities comprising:
a database module with safety and compliance information; a Web interface providing password protected access to said database for use by client users, said Web interface viewable with a browser on a client device configured with a display; a field survey and repair module configured for said client users to input information regarding deficiencies and repairs for a facility; and an electronic documentation request feature for said client users to request electronic documentation. 2. The system of claim 1 wherein said client device is an Internet-capable computing and communications device. 3. The system of claim 2 wherein said client device is wireless enabled and is portable. 4. The system of claim 3 wherein wireless connections are established via local area networks (LAN), wide area networks WAN, Wifi, WIMAX, satellite, cellular telephone network, or other known or available wireless network connections. 5. The system of claim 1 wherein said field survey and repair module is operative in both an online and offline mode on said client device; and
wherein in the offline mode information input by the client user is put in a local cache memory on the client's device. 6. The system of claim 5 wherein information inputted in the offline mode is automatically uploaded from the local cache on the client device to said database module that is part of a backend server of the facility safety and compliance information system. 7. The system of claim 1 wherein said database module is organized with a database schema and a structured query language (SQL)-compatible database management system. 8. The system of claim 1 wherein said Web interface provides Web pages that are constructed in real-time by an application server that has access to the database module. 9. The system of claim 1 wherein said field survey and repair module is configured for said client user to input information regarding deficiencies and repairs for specific facilities into a facility books;
wherein said field survey and repair module is Web-based and uses interactive facility floor plans as indexes or maps to aid said client user in reporting deficiencies and repairs; and
wherein an instance of a deficiency or repair corresponds to an icon placed on the floor plan by said client user either manually by hand or indirectly through location based measurement of the deficiency or repair using a device. 10. The system of claim 9 wherein said location based measurement device is a global positioning system (GPS) transceiver. 11. The system of claim 9 wherein associated with said icon placed on the floor plan are digital photos of any deficiencies and repairs that are uploaded by the client user, and textual information regarding deficiencies and repairs that are entered by the client user using one or more data entry pages. 12. The system of claim 11 wherein said digital photos are taken either with a separate dedicated digital camera, or with a digital camera built into said client device. 13. The system of claim 1 wherein said facility safety and compliance information system is configured as a Firestopping Information System (FIS). 14. The system of claim 13 wherein said database module stores firestopping data. 15. The system of claim 13 wherein said Web interface further comprises:
a series of administrative Web pages for managing said client users, managing information about said facilities including the importation of facility floor plans, and managing surveys and repairs at said facilities;
a reporting module that generates online reports including a facility book that documents firestop breaches at said facility and the subsequent repair of said firestop breaches;
a series of repair estimate spreadsheets that describe each of said firestop breaches and the corresponding repair, provides an estimated cost for each of said repair, and provides the total estimated cost for said entire facility; and
an archive that serves as a repository of current and past facility books created and managed within said FIS. 16. The system of claim 15 wherein said facility book further comprises annotated floor plans for a facility, wherein each annotation corresponds to a firestop breach. 17. The system of claim 16 wherein said floor plans are used interactively as a visual index in the same manner that geographic maps are used to find points of interest that annotate the maps. 18. The system of claim 16 wherein a survey and repair report for a particular firestop breach can be viewed by selecting an icon that corresponds to an annotation of a firestop breach location on the floor plan. 19. The system of claim 18 wherein said survey and repair report for a firestop breach comprises a written description of the deficiency and context within a facility, a written description of any repairs that were made at the location of the firestop breach, before images of deficiencies, after images of repairs, and any repair documentation for the firestop breach including a penetration; and
wherein repair documentation comprises fire integrity engineering reports for materials and products used in repairing the firestop breach. 20. A process for managing information about deficiencies and repairs to facilities using a facility safety and compliance information system of a facility comprising:
updating a database module with safety and compliance information; providing a Web interface with password protected access to said database for use by client users, said Web interface viewable with a browser on a client device configured with a display; providing a field survey and repair module configured for said client users to input information regarding deficiencies and repairs for a facility; performing repairs for said facility; and providing an electronic documentation request feature for said client users to request electronic documentation. | 3,600 |
12,850 | 12,850 | 14,980,896 | 3,693 | Methods, systems, and computer readable media for electronically guaranteeing payment of bills are provided. An exemplary method is performed at a utility payment management server (UPMS) that includes at least one processor. The method includes receiving, via a communications network, payment information including a payment card number or an account number communicated from a computing platform. The method further includes receiving, from the computing platform, an indication of a monetary amount required to pay one or more bills, or portions thereof. The method further includes electronically allocating the monetary amount required to pay the one or more bills by placing a temporary lien on funds associated with the payment card number or the account number and electronically releasing the monetary amount to one or more providers according to a predetermined schedule as communicated by the computing platform. | 1. A method for electronically guaranteeing payment of bills, the method comprising:
at a utility payment management server (UPMS) including at least one processor:
receiving, via a communications network, payment information including a payment card number or an account number communicated from a computing platform;
receiving, from the computing platform, an indication of a monetary amount required to pay one or more bills, or portions thereof;
electronically allocating the monetary amount required to pay the one or more bills by placing a temporary lien on funds associated with the payment card number or the account number; and
electronically releasing the monetary amount to one or more providers according to a predetermined schedule as communicated by the computing platform. 2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising consolidating, at the computing platform, a plurality of bills by invoking one or more application programming interfaces (APIs) to determine a billed amount from each of a plurality of privately hosted utility servers. 3. The method according to claim 2, further comprising displaying, by the computing platform, the billed amount communicated from each of the plurality of privately hosted utility servers. 4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising communicating transaction information to the computing platform after electronically releasing the monetary amount to the one or more utility providers. 5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the transaction information includes a transaction amount, a transaction date, a merchant code, or a transaction code. 6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the computing platform is a customer facing platform that is accessible by a customer, the UPMS, and the providers. 7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined schedule is a weekly payment schedule, a bi-weekly payment schedule, or a monthly payment schedule. 8. The method according to claim 1, further comprising electronically releasing the monetary amount to multiple different providers according to a prioritized list. 9. The method according to claim 1, wherein electronically allocating the monetary amount required to pay the one or more bills comprises pulling money from an account associated with the payment card number or the account number via one or more application programming interfaces (APIs). 10. A system for electronically guaranteeing payment of bills, the system comprising:
a computing platform configured to communicate payment information and an indication of a monetary amount required to pay one or more bills, or portions thereof, across a communications network; and a utility payment management server (UPMS) comprising at least one processor, wherein the UPMS is configured to receive the payment information and the indication of the monetary amount from the computing platform, electronically allocate the monetary amount required to pay the one or more bills by placing a temporary lien on funds associated with the payment card number or the account number, and electronically release the monetary amount to one or more providers according to a predetermined schedule as communicated by the computing platform. 11. The system according to claim 10, wherein the computing platform consolidates a plurality of bills by invoking one or more application programming interfaces (APIs) to determine a billed amount from each of a plurality of privately hosted servers. 12. The system according to claim 11, further wherein the computing platform is configured to display the billed amount communicated from each of the plurality of privately hosted servers. 13. The system according to claim 10, wherein the UPMS communicates transaction information to the computing platform after releasing the monetary amount to the one or more providers. 14. The system according to claim 13, wherein the transaction information includes a transaction amount, a transaction date, a merchant code, or a transaction code. 15. The system according to claim 10, wherein the computing platform is a customer facing platform that is accessible by a customer, the UPMS, and the providers. 16. The system according to claim 10, wherein the predetermined schedule is a weekly payment schedule, a bi-weekly payment schedule, or a monthly payment schedule. 17. The system according to claim 10, wherein UPMS releases the monetary amount to multiple different providers according to a prioritized list. 18. The system according to claim 10, wherein the UPMS pulls the monetary amount from an account associated with the payment card number or the account number via one or more application programming interfaces (APIs). 19. The system according to claim 10, wherein the bills include payment for electricity, power, gas, water, or sewage services. 20. The system according to claim 10, wherein the bills include payment for a neighborhood association fee, a school association, tuition, an insurance premium, or a workers union membership. 21. A non-transitory computer readable medium having stored thereon executable instructions that when executed by the processor of a computer control the computer to perform steps comprising:
receiving, via a communications network, payment information including a payment card number or an account number communicated from a computing platform; receiving, from the computing platform, an indication of a monetary amount required to pay one or more bills, or portions thereof; electronically allocating the monetary amount required to pay the one or more bills by placing a temporary lien on funds associated with the payment card number or the account number; and electronically releasing the monetary amount to one or more providers according to a predetermined schedule as communicated by the computing platform. | Methods, systems, and computer readable media for electronically guaranteeing payment of bills are provided. An exemplary method is performed at a utility payment management server (UPMS) that includes at least one processor. The method includes receiving, via a communications network, payment information including a payment card number or an account number communicated from a computing platform. The method further includes receiving, from the computing platform, an indication of a monetary amount required to pay one or more bills, or portions thereof. The method further includes electronically allocating the monetary amount required to pay the one or more bills by placing a temporary lien on funds associated with the payment card number or the account number and electronically releasing the monetary amount to one or more providers according to a predetermined schedule as communicated by the computing platform.1. A method for electronically guaranteeing payment of bills, the method comprising:
at a utility payment management server (UPMS) including at least one processor:
receiving, via a communications network, payment information including a payment card number or an account number communicated from a computing platform;
receiving, from the computing platform, an indication of a monetary amount required to pay one or more bills, or portions thereof;
electronically allocating the monetary amount required to pay the one or more bills by placing a temporary lien on funds associated with the payment card number or the account number; and
electronically releasing the monetary amount to one or more providers according to a predetermined schedule as communicated by the computing platform. 2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising consolidating, at the computing platform, a plurality of bills by invoking one or more application programming interfaces (APIs) to determine a billed amount from each of a plurality of privately hosted utility servers. 3. The method according to claim 2, further comprising displaying, by the computing platform, the billed amount communicated from each of the plurality of privately hosted utility servers. 4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising communicating transaction information to the computing platform after electronically releasing the monetary amount to the one or more utility providers. 5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the transaction information includes a transaction amount, a transaction date, a merchant code, or a transaction code. 6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the computing platform is a customer facing platform that is accessible by a customer, the UPMS, and the providers. 7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined schedule is a weekly payment schedule, a bi-weekly payment schedule, or a monthly payment schedule. 8. The method according to claim 1, further comprising electronically releasing the monetary amount to multiple different providers according to a prioritized list. 9. The method according to claim 1, wherein electronically allocating the monetary amount required to pay the one or more bills comprises pulling money from an account associated with the payment card number or the account number via one or more application programming interfaces (APIs). 10. A system for electronically guaranteeing payment of bills, the system comprising:
a computing platform configured to communicate payment information and an indication of a monetary amount required to pay one or more bills, or portions thereof, across a communications network; and a utility payment management server (UPMS) comprising at least one processor, wherein the UPMS is configured to receive the payment information and the indication of the monetary amount from the computing platform, electronically allocate the monetary amount required to pay the one or more bills by placing a temporary lien on funds associated with the payment card number or the account number, and electronically release the monetary amount to one or more providers according to a predetermined schedule as communicated by the computing platform. 11. The system according to claim 10, wherein the computing platform consolidates a plurality of bills by invoking one or more application programming interfaces (APIs) to determine a billed amount from each of a plurality of privately hosted servers. 12. The system according to claim 11, further wherein the computing platform is configured to display the billed amount communicated from each of the plurality of privately hosted servers. 13. The system according to claim 10, wherein the UPMS communicates transaction information to the computing platform after releasing the monetary amount to the one or more providers. 14. The system according to claim 13, wherein the transaction information includes a transaction amount, a transaction date, a merchant code, or a transaction code. 15. The system according to claim 10, wherein the computing platform is a customer facing platform that is accessible by a customer, the UPMS, and the providers. 16. The system according to claim 10, wherein the predetermined schedule is a weekly payment schedule, a bi-weekly payment schedule, or a monthly payment schedule. 17. The system according to claim 10, wherein UPMS releases the monetary amount to multiple different providers according to a prioritized list. 18. The system according to claim 10, wherein the UPMS pulls the monetary amount from an account associated with the payment card number or the account number via one or more application programming interfaces (APIs). 19. The system according to claim 10, wherein the bills include payment for electricity, power, gas, water, or sewage services. 20. The system according to claim 10, wherein the bills include payment for a neighborhood association fee, a school association, tuition, an insurance premium, or a workers union membership. 21. A non-transitory computer readable medium having stored thereon executable instructions that when executed by the processor of a computer control the computer to perform steps comprising:
receiving, via a communications network, payment information including a payment card number or an account number communicated from a computing platform; receiving, from the computing platform, an indication of a monetary amount required to pay one or more bills, or portions thereof; electronically allocating the monetary amount required to pay the one or more bills by placing a temporary lien on funds associated with the payment card number or the account number; and electronically releasing the monetary amount to one or more providers according to a predetermined schedule as communicated by the computing platform. | 3,600 |
12,851 | 12,851 | 14,186,128 | 3,691 | Provided are methods, systems and computer program products of aggregating data with minimal data entry to create, format, share, merge, securely store, update, and display affordability with reason of a credit application on a mobile device and website. Such methods, systems and computer program products may be directed to gathering all of the data for an application for the user. | 1. A computer system, comprising:
a processor; and a memory coupled to the processor, the memory comprising computer readable program code embodied therein that, when executed by the processor, causes the processor to perform operations comprising: aggregating user information through a plurality of validated external sources; and generating a credit application having a standard format using the user information. 2. The computer system according to claim 1, wherein aggregating the user information comprises receiving, via a user interface, a user input that includes less than three fields of data or that comprises a social network login. 3. The computer system according to claim 2, further comprising transmitting a request by the computer system to the social network to receive personal user data from the social network. 4. The computer system according to claim 2, wherein aggregating the user information comprises:
aggregating personal data in a primary aggregating operation corresponding to user provided information or social network information; and aggregating secondary data in a secondary aggregating operation that is different from the primary aggregating operation. 5. The computer system according to claim 4, wherein aggregating secondary data in a secondary aggregating operation comprises:
requesting data from a plurality of external data sources, further comprising sorting and matching aggregated data into standard data fields. 6. The computer system according to claim 4, further comprising, before generating the credit application:
generating a user data file corresponding to the aggregated data; and storing the user data file in a provider data repository. 7. The computer system according to claim 6, wherein generating the credit application comprises receiving, via a user interface, a form selection input corresponding to which type of a plurality of forms to use for the credit application. 8. The computer system according to claim 7, further comprising:
generating a form corresponding to a certification form responsive to receiving the form selection input; and transmitting, displaying and/or printing the certification form. 9. The computer system according to claim 6, wherein generating the credit application comprises receiving, via a user interface, an application selection input corresponding to which of a plurality of credit application types to generate for the credit application, further comprising:
generating the credit application responsive to receiving the application selection input; and transmitting, printing and/or displaying the generated credit application. 10. The computer system according to claim 6, wherein generating the credit application comprises:
receiving an affordability analysis input from the user via a user interface; and generating an affordability analysis corresponding to the user data file and a credit application type. 11. The computer system according to claim 10, wherein the affordability analysis includes at least one suggestion for improving an affordability characteristic, further comprising printing and/or displaying the at least one suggestion. 12. The computer system according to claim 6, further comprising:
receiving, via a graphical user interface, a user input to share the credit application; sending an invitation to a co-borrower to join the credit application; receiving co-borrower data; and merging the user information and the co-borrower data to generate a shared credit application. 13. The computer system according to claim 1, further comprising a mobile terminal comprising a mobile terminal processor; and
a mobile terminal memory coupled to the mobile terminal processor, the mobile terminal memory comprising computer readable program code embodied therein that, when executed by the processor, causes the processor to perform one or more operations of claim 1. 14. A method, comprising:
aggregating user information through a plurality of validated external sources; and generating a credit application having a standard format using the user information, wherein aggregating user information and generating the credit application are performed using at least one processor. 15. The method according to claim 14, wherein aggregating the user information comprises receiving, via a user interface, a user input that includes less than three fields of data or that comprises a social network login. 16. The method according to claim 15, further comprising transmitting a request by the computer system to the social network and receiving personal user data from the social network responsive to the request. 17. The method according to claim 15, wherein aggregating the user information comprises:
aggregating personal data in a primary aggregating operation corresponding to user provided information or social network information; and aggregating secondary data in a secondary aggregating operation that is different from the primary aggregating operation and that includes transmitting requests and receiving data from a credit data repository, the Internal Revenue Service and/or an Office of Foreign Asset Control data repository. 18. The method according to claim 17, further comprising, before generating the credit application:
generating a user data file corresponding to the aggregated data; and storing the user data file in a provider data repository. 19. The method according to claim 17, wherein generating the credit application comprises receiving, via a user interface, a form selection input corresponding to which type of a plurality of forms to use for the credit application. 20. The method according to claim 19,
wherein receiving the form selection input comprises receiving a first form selection input and a second form selection input, further comprising: generating a first form corresponding to a first certification form responsive to receiving the first form selection input; generating a second form that is different from the first form and that corresponds to a second certification form that is different from the first certification form responsive to receiving the second form selection input; and transmitting, displaying and/or printing the first and/or second certification form. 21. The method according to claim 19, wherein generating the credit application comprises receiving, via a user interface, an application selection input corresponding to which one of a plurality of credit application types to generate for the credit application, further comprising:
generating the credit application responsive to receiving the application selection input; and transmitting, printing and/or displaying the generated credit application. 22. The method according to claim 14, wherein generating the credit application comprises:
receiving an affordability analysis input from the user via a user interface; and generating an affordability analysis corresponding to the user data file and a credit application type, and wherein the affordability analysis includes at least one suggestion for improving an affordability characteristic, further comprising printing and/or displaying the at least one suggestion. 23. The method according to claim 14, further comprising:
receiving, via a graphical user interface, a user input to share the credit application; sending an invitation to a co-borrower to join the credit application; receiving co-borrower data; and merging the user information and the co-borrower data to generate a shared credit application. 24. A computer program product comprising:
a computer readable storage medium having computer readable code embodied in the medium, the computer code comprising: computer readable code to perform operations comprising: aggregating user information through a plurality of validated external sources; generating a user data file corresponding to the aggregated data; generating a plurality of different credit applications corresponding to different types of goods to be purchased using credit; receiving an affordability analysis input from the user; generating an affordability analysis corresponding to the user data file, the affordability analysis input and a credit application type, wherein the affordability analysis includes at least one suggestion for improving an affordability characteristic; storing the user data file, at least one credit application and the affordability analysis in a provider data repository; and transmitting, printing and/or displaying the generated credit application and/or the affordability analysis. | Provided are methods, systems and computer program products of aggregating data with minimal data entry to create, format, share, merge, securely store, update, and display affordability with reason of a credit application on a mobile device and website. Such methods, systems and computer program products may be directed to gathering all of the data for an application for the user.1. A computer system, comprising:
a processor; and a memory coupled to the processor, the memory comprising computer readable program code embodied therein that, when executed by the processor, causes the processor to perform operations comprising: aggregating user information through a plurality of validated external sources; and generating a credit application having a standard format using the user information. 2. The computer system according to claim 1, wherein aggregating the user information comprises receiving, via a user interface, a user input that includes less than three fields of data or that comprises a social network login. 3. The computer system according to claim 2, further comprising transmitting a request by the computer system to the social network to receive personal user data from the social network. 4. The computer system according to claim 2, wherein aggregating the user information comprises:
aggregating personal data in a primary aggregating operation corresponding to user provided information or social network information; and aggregating secondary data in a secondary aggregating operation that is different from the primary aggregating operation. 5. The computer system according to claim 4, wherein aggregating secondary data in a secondary aggregating operation comprises:
requesting data from a plurality of external data sources, further comprising sorting and matching aggregated data into standard data fields. 6. The computer system according to claim 4, further comprising, before generating the credit application:
generating a user data file corresponding to the aggregated data; and storing the user data file in a provider data repository. 7. The computer system according to claim 6, wherein generating the credit application comprises receiving, via a user interface, a form selection input corresponding to which type of a plurality of forms to use for the credit application. 8. The computer system according to claim 7, further comprising:
generating a form corresponding to a certification form responsive to receiving the form selection input; and transmitting, displaying and/or printing the certification form. 9. The computer system according to claim 6, wherein generating the credit application comprises receiving, via a user interface, an application selection input corresponding to which of a plurality of credit application types to generate for the credit application, further comprising:
generating the credit application responsive to receiving the application selection input; and transmitting, printing and/or displaying the generated credit application. 10. The computer system according to claim 6, wherein generating the credit application comprises:
receiving an affordability analysis input from the user via a user interface; and generating an affordability analysis corresponding to the user data file and a credit application type. 11. The computer system according to claim 10, wherein the affordability analysis includes at least one suggestion for improving an affordability characteristic, further comprising printing and/or displaying the at least one suggestion. 12. The computer system according to claim 6, further comprising:
receiving, via a graphical user interface, a user input to share the credit application; sending an invitation to a co-borrower to join the credit application; receiving co-borrower data; and merging the user information and the co-borrower data to generate a shared credit application. 13. The computer system according to claim 1, further comprising a mobile terminal comprising a mobile terminal processor; and
a mobile terminal memory coupled to the mobile terminal processor, the mobile terminal memory comprising computer readable program code embodied therein that, when executed by the processor, causes the processor to perform one or more operations of claim 1. 14. A method, comprising:
aggregating user information through a plurality of validated external sources; and generating a credit application having a standard format using the user information, wherein aggregating user information and generating the credit application are performed using at least one processor. 15. The method according to claim 14, wherein aggregating the user information comprises receiving, via a user interface, a user input that includes less than three fields of data or that comprises a social network login. 16. The method according to claim 15, further comprising transmitting a request by the computer system to the social network and receiving personal user data from the social network responsive to the request. 17. The method according to claim 15, wherein aggregating the user information comprises:
aggregating personal data in a primary aggregating operation corresponding to user provided information or social network information; and aggregating secondary data in a secondary aggregating operation that is different from the primary aggregating operation and that includes transmitting requests and receiving data from a credit data repository, the Internal Revenue Service and/or an Office of Foreign Asset Control data repository. 18. The method according to claim 17, further comprising, before generating the credit application:
generating a user data file corresponding to the aggregated data; and storing the user data file in a provider data repository. 19. The method according to claim 17, wherein generating the credit application comprises receiving, via a user interface, a form selection input corresponding to which type of a plurality of forms to use for the credit application. 20. The method according to claim 19,
wherein receiving the form selection input comprises receiving a first form selection input and a second form selection input, further comprising: generating a first form corresponding to a first certification form responsive to receiving the first form selection input; generating a second form that is different from the first form and that corresponds to a second certification form that is different from the first certification form responsive to receiving the second form selection input; and transmitting, displaying and/or printing the first and/or second certification form. 21. The method according to claim 19, wherein generating the credit application comprises receiving, via a user interface, an application selection input corresponding to which one of a plurality of credit application types to generate for the credit application, further comprising:
generating the credit application responsive to receiving the application selection input; and transmitting, printing and/or displaying the generated credit application. 22. The method according to claim 14, wherein generating the credit application comprises:
receiving an affordability analysis input from the user via a user interface; and generating an affordability analysis corresponding to the user data file and a credit application type, and wherein the affordability analysis includes at least one suggestion for improving an affordability characteristic, further comprising printing and/or displaying the at least one suggestion. 23. The method according to claim 14, further comprising:
receiving, via a graphical user interface, a user input to share the credit application; sending an invitation to a co-borrower to join the credit application; receiving co-borrower data; and merging the user information and the co-borrower data to generate a shared credit application. 24. A computer program product comprising:
a computer readable storage medium having computer readable code embodied in the medium, the computer code comprising: computer readable code to perform operations comprising: aggregating user information through a plurality of validated external sources; generating a user data file corresponding to the aggregated data; generating a plurality of different credit applications corresponding to different types of goods to be purchased using credit; receiving an affordability analysis input from the user; generating an affordability analysis corresponding to the user data file, the affordability analysis input and a credit application type, wherein the affordability analysis includes at least one suggestion for improving an affordability characteristic; storing the user data file, at least one credit application and the affordability analysis in a provider data repository; and transmitting, printing and/or displaying the generated credit application and/or the affordability analysis. | 3,600 |
12,852 | 12,852 | 14,923,485 | 3,691 | A system and method for controlling an active grille shutter system for a vehicle upon startup of an associated engine includes determining if flaps of the AGS system are in a closed position upon cold-startup of the vehicle; moving the flaps to the closed position if it is determined that the flaps are not in the closed position upon cold-startup of the vehicle; and maintaining the flaps in the closed position until an engine coolant temperature (ECT) reaches a predetermined temperature that initially overshoots a predetermined continuous ECT target associated with steady-state operation of the engine. The initial overshoot of the ECT during cold-startup is configured to rapidly raise an engine oil temperature (EOT) to a predetermined continuous EOT target thereby reducing viscosity of the engine oil during cold-startup operation and increasing fuel efficiency of the vehicle. | 1. A method of controlling an active grille shutter (AGS) system for a vehicle upon startup of an engine of the vehicle, the method comprising:
determining if flaps of the AGS system are in a closed position upon cold-startup of the vehicle; moving the flaps of the AGS system to the closed position if the flaps are determined to not be in the closed position upon cold-startup of the vehicle; and maintaining the flaps of the AGS system in the closed position until an engine coolant temperature (ECT) reaches a predetermined initial overshoot temperature that initially overshoots a predetermined continuous ECT target associated with steady-state operation of the engine; wherein the initial overshoot of the ECT during cold-startup is configured to rapidly raise an engine oil temperature (EOT) to a predetermined continuous EOT target associated with the steady-state operation of the engine thereby reducing viscosity of the engine oil during cold-startup operation and increasing fuel efficiency of the vehicle. 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
moving the flaps of the AGS system to an open position to lower the ECT from the predetermined initial overshoot temperature to the predetermined continuous ECT target; and subsequently operating the AGS system under a continuous temperature control strategy to maintain the ECT at the predetermined continuous ECT target and the EOT at the predetermined continuous EOT target. 3. The method of claim 1, further comprising maintaining an engine thermostat in a closed position until the ECT reaches a second predetermined temperature, wherein the closed position of the thermostat is configured to prevent engine coolant from being supplied to a radiator and the second predetermined temperature is less than the predetermined temperature. 4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
determining if an ambient temperature proximate the flaps of the AGS system is less than an ambient limit startup temperature; determining if a vehicle air conditioning (AC) head pressure is below a predetermined AC head pressure threshold; determining if the ECT is below an ECT predetermined startup temperature; determining if the EOT is below an EOT predetermined startup temperature; and maintaining the flaps of the AGS system in the closed position if the ambient temperature is less than the ambient limit startup temperature, the AC head pressure is below the predetermined AC head pressure threshold, the ECT is below the ECT predetermined startup temperature, and the EOT is below the EOT predetermined startup temperature. 5. The method of claim 4, wherein the ambient limit startup temperature is between approximately 90° F. and approximately 100° F., the predetermined AC head pressure threshold is between approximately 1700 kPa and approximately 1800 kPa, the ECT predetermined startup temperature is between approximately 80° C. and approximately 90° C., and the EOT predetermined startup temperature is between approximately 85° C. and approximately 95° C. 6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
determining if a vehicle throttle position sensor (TPS) reading is below a predetermined TPS threshold; determining if a vehicle manifold absolute pressure (MAP) is under a predetermined MAP threshold; determining if a vehicle speed is below a predetermined vehicle speed threshold; determining if a vehicle air charge temperature (ACT) is over a predetermined ACT temperature threshold for a predetermined amount of time; and maintaining the flaps of the AGS system in the closed position if the TPS reading is below the predetermined TPS threshold, the MAP is under the predetermined MAP threshold, the vehicle speed is below the predetermined vehicle speed threshold, and the ACT is over the predetermined ACT temperature threshold for the predetermined amount of time. 7. The method of claim 6, wherein the predetermined TPS threshold is between approximately 40% and approximately 60%, the predetermined MAP threshold is between approximately 35 kPa and approximately 55 kPa, the predetermined vehicle speed temperature is between approximately 50 mph and approximately 70 mph, and the predetermined ACT temperature is between approximately 30° C. and approximately 50° C. 8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:
determining if an amount of time after vehicle start is below a vehicle start time predetermined threshold; and maintaining the flaps of the AGS system in the closed position if the amount of time after vehicle start is below the vehicle start time predetermined threshold. 9. The method of claim 1, wherein the predetermined continuous ECT target is between approximately 100° C. and approximately 110° C., and the ECT initial overshoot predetermined temperature is between approximately 110° C. and approximately 120° C. 10. The method of claim 9, wherein the continuous EOT target is between approximately 100° C. and approximately 110° C. 11. A system for controlling an active grille shutter (AGS) system for a vehicle upon startup of an engine of the vehicle, the system comprising:
a grille shutter having a plurality of flaps movable between an open position and a closed position; and a control module in signal communication with the grille shutter, the control module configured to determine if the flaps are in the closed position upon a cold-startup of the vehicle, and to move the flaps to the closed position if the flaps are determined to not be in the closed position upon cold-startup, wherein the control module is configured to maintain the plurality of flaps in the closed position until an engine coolant temperature (ECT) reaches a predetermined initial overshoot temperature that initially overshoots a predetermined continuous ECT target associated with steady-state operation of the engine, and wherein the initial overshoot of the ECT during cold-startup is configured to rapidly raise an engine oil temperature (EOT) to a continuous EOT target associated with the steady-state operation of the engine thereby reducing viscosity of the engine oil during cold-startup operation and increasing fuel efficiency of the vehicle. 12. The system of claim 11, wherein the control module is further configured to:
move the flaps of the AGS system to the open position to lower the ECT from the predetermined initial overshoot temperature to the predetermined continuous ECT target; and subsequently operate the AGS system under a continuous temperature control strategy to maintain the ECT at the predetermined continuous ECT target and the EOT at the continuous EOT target. 13. The system of claim 11, wherein the control module is configured to maintain an engine thermostat in a closed position until the ECT reaches a second predetermined temperature, the closed position of the thermostat configured to prevent the engine coolant from being supplied to a radiator, wherein the second predetermined temperature is less than the predetermined temperature. 14. The system of claim 11, wherein the control module is further configured to:
determine if an ambient temperature proximate the flaps is less than an ambient limit startup temperature; determine if the vehicle AC head pressure is below a predetermined AC head pressure threshold; determine if the ECT is below an ECT predetermined startup temperature; determine if the EOT is below an EOT predetermined startup temperature; and maintain the flaps in the closed position if the ambient temperature is less than the ambient limit startup temperature, the ACT is below the predetermined threshold, the ECT is below the ECT predetermined startup temperature, the EOT is below the EOT predetermined startup temperature. 15. The system of claim 14, wherein the ambient limit startup temperature is between approximately 90° F. and approximately 100° F., the predetermined AC head pressure threshold is between approximately 1700 kPa and approximately 1800 kPa, the ECT predetermined startup temperature is between approximately 80° C. and approximately 90° C., and the EOT predetermined startup temperature is between approximately 85° C. and approximately 95° C. 16. The system of claim 11, wherein the control module is further configured to:
determine if a vehicle throttle position sensor (TPS) reading is below a predetermined TPS threshold; determine if a vehicle manifold absolute pressure (MAP) is under a predetermined MAP threshold; determine if a vehicle speed is below a predetermined vehicle speed threshold; determine if a vehicle air charge temperature (ACT) is over a predetermined ACT temperature threshold for a predetermined amount of time; and maintain the flaps in the closed position if the TPS reading is below the predetermined TPS threshold, the MAP is under the predetermined MAP threshold, the vehicle speed is below the predetermined vehicle speed threshold, and the ACT is over the predetermined ACT temperature threshold for the predetermined amount of time. 17. The system of claim 16, wherein the predetermined TPS threshold is between approximately 40% and approximately 60%, the predetermined MAP threshold is between approximately 35 kPa and approximately 55 kPa, the predetermined vehicle speed temperature is between approximately 50 mph and approximately 70 mph, and the predetermined ACT temperature is between approximately 30° C. and approximately 50° C. 18. The system of claim 17, wherein the control module is further configured to:
determine if an amount of time after vehicle start is below a vehicle start time predetermined threshold; and maintain the flaps in the closed position if the amount of time after vehicle start is below the vehicle start time predetermined threshold. 19. The system of claim 11, wherein the predetermined continuous ECT target is between approximately 100° C. and approximately 110° C., and the ECT initial overshoot predetermined temperature is between approximately 110° C. and approximately 120° C. | A system and method for controlling an active grille shutter system for a vehicle upon startup of an associated engine includes determining if flaps of the AGS system are in a closed position upon cold-startup of the vehicle; moving the flaps to the closed position if it is determined that the flaps are not in the closed position upon cold-startup of the vehicle; and maintaining the flaps in the closed position until an engine coolant temperature (ECT) reaches a predetermined temperature that initially overshoots a predetermined continuous ECT target associated with steady-state operation of the engine. The initial overshoot of the ECT during cold-startup is configured to rapidly raise an engine oil temperature (EOT) to a predetermined continuous EOT target thereby reducing viscosity of the engine oil during cold-startup operation and increasing fuel efficiency of the vehicle.1. A method of controlling an active grille shutter (AGS) system for a vehicle upon startup of an engine of the vehicle, the method comprising:
determining if flaps of the AGS system are in a closed position upon cold-startup of the vehicle; moving the flaps of the AGS system to the closed position if the flaps are determined to not be in the closed position upon cold-startup of the vehicle; and maintaining the flaps of the AGS system in the closed position until an engine coolant temperature (ECT) reaches a predetermined initial overshoot temperature that initially overshoots a predetermined continuous ECT target associated with steady-state operation of the engine; wherein the initial overshoot of the ECT during cold-startup is configured to rapidly raise an engine oil temperature (EOT) to a predetermined continuous EOT target associated with the steady-state operation of the engine thereby reducing viscosity of the engine oil during cold-startup operation and increasing fuel efficiency of the vehicle. 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
moving the flaps of the AGS system to an open position to lower the ECT from the predetermined initial overshoot temperature to the predetermined continuous ECT target; and subsequently operating the AGS system under a continuous temperature control strategy to maintain the ECT at the predetermined continuous ECT target and the EOT at the predetermined continuous EOT target. 3. The method of claim 1, further comprising maintaining an engine thermostat in a closed position until the ECT reaches a second predetermined temperature, wherein the closed position of the thermostat is configured to prevent engine coolant from being supplied to a radiator and the second predetermined temperature is less than the predetermined temperature. 4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
determining if an ambient temperature proximate the flaps of the AGS system is less than an ambient limit startup temperature; determining if a vehicle air conditioning (AC) head pressure is below a predetermined AC head pressure threshold; determining if the ECT is below an ECT predetermined startup temperature; determining if the EOT is below an EOT predetermined startup temperature; and maintaining the flaps of the AGS system in the closed position if the ambient temperature is less than the ambient limit startup temperature, the AC head pressure is below the predetermined AC head pressure threshold, the ECT is below the ECT predetermined startup temperature, and the EOT is below the EOT predetermined startup temperature. 5. The method of claim 4, wherein the ambient limit startup temperature is between approximately 90° F. and approximately 100° F., the predetermined AC head pressure threshold is between approximately 1700 kPa and approximately 1800 kPa, the ECT predetermined startup temperature is between approximately 80° C. and approximately 90° C., and the EOT predetermined startup temperature is between approximately 85° C. and approximately 95° C. 6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
determining if a vehicle throttle position sensor (TPS) reading is below a predetermined TPS threshold; determining if a vehicle manifold absolute pressure (MAP) is under a predetermined MAP threshold; determining if a vehicle speed is below a predetermined vehicle speed threshold; determining if a vehicle air charge temperature (ACT) is over a predetermined ACT temperature threshold for a predetermined amount of time; and maintaining the flaps of the AGS system in the closed position if the TPS reading is below the predetermined TPS threshold, the MAP is under the predetermined MAP threshold, the vehicle speed is below the predetermined vehicle speed threshold, and the ACT is over the predetermined ACT temperature threshold for the predetermined amount of time. 7. The method of claim 6, wherein the predetermined TPS threshold is between approximately 40% and approximately 60%, the predetermined MAP threshold is between approximately 35 kPa and approximately 55 kPa, the predetermined vehicle speed temperature is between approximately 50 mph and approximately 70 mph, and the predetermined ACT temperature is between approximately 30° C. and approximately 50° C. 8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:
determining if an amount of time after vehicle start is below a vehicle start time predetermined threshold; and maintaining the flaps of the AGS system in the closed position if the amount of time after vehicle start is below the vehicle start time predetermined threshold. 9. The method of claim 1, wherein the predetermined continuous ECT target is between approximately 100° C. and approximately 110° C., and the ECT initial overshoot predetermined temperature is between approximately 110° C. and approximately 120° C. 10. The method of claim 9, wherein the continuous EOT target is between approximately 100° C. and approximately 110° C. 11. A system for controlling an active grille shutter (AGS) system for a vehicle upon startup of an engine of the vehicle, the system comprising:
a grille shutter having a plurality of flaps movable between an open position and a closed position; and a control module in signal communication with the grille shutter, the control module configured to determine if the flaps are in the closed position upon a cold-startup of the vehicle, and to move the flaps to the closed position if the flaps are determined to not be in the closed position upon cold-startup, wherein the control module is configured to maintain the plurality of flaps in the closed position until an engine coolant temperature (ECT) reaches a predetermined initial overshoot temperature that initially overshoots a predetermined continuous ECT target associated with steady-state operation of the engine, and wherein the initial overshoot of the ECT during cold-startup is configured to rapidly raise an engine oil temperature (EOT) to a continuous EOT target associated with the steady-state operation of the engine thereby reducing viscosity of the engine oil during cold-startup operation and increasing fuel efficiency of the vehicle. 12. The system of claim 11, wherein the control module is further configured to:
move the flaps of the AGS system to the open position to lower the ECT from the predetermined initial overshoot temperature to the predetermined continuous ECT target; and subsequently operate the AGS system under a continuous temperature control strategy to maintain the ECT at the predetermined continuous ECT target and the EOT at the continuous EOT target. 13. The system of claim 11, wherein the control module is configured to maintain an engine thermostat in a closed position until the ECT reaches a second predetermined temperature, the closed position of the thermostat configured to prevent the engine coolant from being supplied to a radiator, wherein the second predetermined temperature is less than the predetermined temperature. 14. The system of claim 11, wherein the control module is further configured to:
determine if an ambient temperature proximate the flaps is less than an ambient limit startup temperature; determine if the vehicle AC head pressure is below a predetermined AC head pressure threshold; determine if the ECT is below an ECT predetermined startup temperature; determine if the EOT is below an EOT predetermined startup temperature; and maintain the flaps in the closed position if the ambient temperature is less than the ambient limit startup temperature, the ACT is below the predetermined threshold, the ECT is below the ECT predetermined startup temperature, the EOT is below the EOT predetermined startup temperature. 15. The system of claim 14, wherein the ambient limit startup temperature is between approximately 90° F. and approximately 100° F., the predetermined AC head pressure threshold is between approximately 1700 kPa and approximately 1800 kPa, the ECT predetermined startup temperature is between approximately 80° C. and approximately 90° C., and the EOT predetermined startup temperature is between approximately 85° C. and approximately 95° C. 16. The system of claim 11, wherein the control module is further configured to:
determine if a vehicle throttle position sensor (TPS) reading is below a predetermined TPS threshold; determine if a vehicle manifold absolute pressure (MAP) is under a predetermined MAP threshold; determine if a vehicle speed is below a predetermined vehicle speed threshold; determine if a vehicle air charge temperature (ACT) is over a predetermined ACT temperature threshold for a predetermined amount of time; and maintain the flaps in the closed position if the TPS reading is below the predetermined TPS threshold, the MAP is under the predetermined MAP threshold, the vehicle speed is below the predetermined vehicle speed threshold, and the ACT is over the predetermined ACT temperature threshold for the predetermined amount of time. 17. The system of claim 16, wherein the predetermined TPS threshold is between approximately 40% and approximately 60%, the predetermined MAP threshold is between approximately 35 kPa and approximately 55 kPa, the predetermined vehicle speed temperature is between approximately 50 mph and approximately 70 mph, and the predetermined ACT temperature is between approximately 30° C. and approximately 50° C. 18. The system of claim 17, wherein the control module is further configured to:
determine if an amount of time after vehicle start is below a vehicle start time predetermined threshold; and maintain the flaps in the closed position if the amount of time after vehicle start is below the vehicle start time predetermined threshold. 19. The system of claim 11, wherein the predetermined continuous ECT target is between approximately 100° C. and approximately 110° C., and the ECT initial overshoot predetermined temperature is between approximately 110° C. and approximately 120° C. | 3,600 |
12,853 | 12,853 | 13,763,582 | 3,647 | An autopilot system includes an actuator arrangement that receives control signals to influence the flight of the helicopter in a selected one of a plurality of different flight modes. A control stick input arrangement allows flight mode selection and control with no more than a particular one of the pilot's hands in the engaged position on the stick and without moving the hand away from the engaged position. A slaved gyro output signal is based on no more than the set of sensor outputs used by the autopilot such that an autopilot display presents autopilot flight mode information while displaying a slaved gyro output. The autopilot provides for pilot selection of one of a subset of the plurality of flight modes which is customized based on a current flight status of the helicopter. An automatic autorotation mode is provided. | 1. An autopilot system for controlling the flight of a helicopter having a control stick that is operable by the pilot to manually control the flight of the helicopter with the pilot's hand in an engaged position on the control stick, said autopilot system comprising:
a processing section for monitoring the flight of the helicopter and generating control signals responsive to said monitoring; an actuator arrangement for receiving the control signals to influence the flight of the helicopter in a selected one of a plurality of different flight modes; and an input arrangement located on the control stick such that each flight mode is selectable and controllable with no more than a particular one of the pilot's hands in the engaged position on the stick and without moving the particular hand away from the engaged position while simultaneously controlling the flight of the helicopter. 2. The autopilot system of claim 1 further configured such that each flight mode is selectable and controllable only from the stick and without a need for the pilot to use the other hand. 3. The autopilot system of claim 1 wherein the input arrangement includes a top hat switch that is at least configured to serve in managing trim functions in certain autopilot flight modes. 4. The autopilot of claim 3 wherein the top hat switch is positioned for thumb engagement by the pilot. 5. The autopilot of claim 3 wherein the top hat switch includes multiple contact switches such that depressing the top hat switch simultaneously closes two or more contacts and said input arrangement is configured for detecting the closure of two or more contacts and for initiating a selection function responsive to said detecting. 6. An autopilot system for controlling the flight of a helicopter having a control stick that is operable by the pilot to manually control the flight of the helicopter with the pilot's hand in an engaged position on the control stick, said autopilot system comprising:
a processing section for monitoring the flight of the helicopter and generating control signals responsive to said monitoring; an actuator arrangement for receiving the control signals to influence the flight of the helicopter in a selected one of a plurality of different flight modes; and an input arrangement located on the control stick such that each mode is selectable and controllable solely through engaging the input arrangement on the control stick. 7. An autopilot system for controlling the flight of a helicopter, said autopilot system comprising:
a sensor arrangement that produces a set of sensor outputs that characterize the flight of the helicopter; a processing arrangement that is configured to generate actuator control signals based on the set of sensor outputs to control the flight of the helicopter in a pilot selected one of a plurality of flight modes and to further generate a slaved gyro output signal based on no more than the set of sensor outputs; and an autopilot display that is configured to display autopilot flight mode information to the pilot while displaying a slaved gyro output to the pilot based on the slaved gyro output signal. 8. The autopilot system of claim 7 wherein the autopilot display is a single screen that simultaneously displays the autopilot flight mode information and the slaved gyro output. 9. The autopilot system of claim 7 wherein the autopilot flight mode information is based on at least one of the sensor outputs. 10. The autopilot system of claim 7 wherein the sensor arrangement includes a yaw rate gyro that produces a yaw rate output and said processing arrangement is configured to integrate the yaw rate output to produce a yaw heading. 11. The autopilot system of claim 10 wherein the yaw rate gyro exhibits a yaw rate drift and the processing arrangement is configured to periodically update the yaw heading to compensate for said yaw rate drift. 12. The autopilot system of claim 11 wherein said sensor arrangement includes a GPS that produces a GPS heading and the processing arrangement periodically updates the yaw heading based on the GPS heading. 13. The autopilot system of claim 11 wherein said sensor arrangement includes a magnetometer arrangement that produces a magnetic heading signal and the processing arrangement periodically updates the yaw heading based on the magnetic signal heading. 14. The autopilot system of claim 7 wherein the sensor arrangement includes a triaxial rate gyro and a triaxial accelerometer for producing said set of sensor outputs and said processing arrangement is configured to generate a helicopter attitude including a yaw heading. 15. The autopilot system of claim 14 wherein the processing arrangement includes an inner loop that determines said helicopter attitude on an essentially instantaneous basis using the set of sensor outputs. 16. The autopilot system of claim 15 wherein said inner loop determines the helicopter attitude based on a direction cosine matrix. 17. The autopilot system of claim 14 wherein the yaw heading is subject to a yaw rate drift that is exhibited by the triaxial rate gyro and the processing arrangement is configured to at least periodically adjust the yaw heading to compensate for said yaw rate drift and produce said slaved gyro output. 18. The autopilot system of claim 17 including a GPS receiver that produces a GPS heading and the processing arrangement periodically updates the yaw heading based on the GPS heading. 19. The autopilot system of claim 11 including a magnetometer arrangement that produces a magnetic heading signal and the processing arrangement periodically updates the yaw heading based on the magnetic signal heading. 20. The autopilot system of claim 7, further comprising:
an actuator arrangement for receiving the actuator control signals to influence the flight of the helicopter in a selected one of a plurality of different flight modes; and an input arrangement located on the control stick such that each mode is selectable and controllable with a particular one of the pilot's hands in the engaged position on the stick and without moving the particular engaged hand away from the engaged position to simultaneously control the flight of the helicopter with the control stick. 21. An autopilot system for controlling the flight of a helicopter, said autopilot system comprising:
a processing arrangement that is configured to determine a flight status of the helicopter based on a plurality of sensor inputs for operating the helicopter in a selected one of a plurality of flight modes and to provide for a pilot selection of one of a subset of one or more but less than all of the plurality of flight modes which subset is customized for pilot selection based on a current flight status of the helicopter. 22. The autopilot system of claim 21 wherein the helicopter flight is characterized by a power curve and said subset of the flight modes that is presented to the pilot is based on the current flight status of the helicopter with respect to said power curve. 23. The autopilot of claim 22 wherein said plurality of flight modes at least includes a position hold mode, a hovering flight mode, a speed hold mode, an altitude hold mode and a GPS mode. 24. The autopilot of claim 23 wherein said power curve includes a front side and, for a current flight status of the helicopter on the front side of the power curve, the subset of autopilot modes includes no more than the speed hold mode, the altitude hold mode and the GPS mode. 25. The autopilot of claim 23 wherein said power curve includes a back side and for a current status of the helicopter on the back side of the power curve the subset of autopilot modes includes only the speed hold mode. 26. The autopilot of claim 22 wherein said plurality of flight modes at least includes a position hold mode, a hovering flight mode, a speed hold mode, an altitude hold mode and a GPS mode and wherein the subset of autopilot modes is customized to include no more than the hover mode and the position hold mode when said current flight status of the helicopter is indicative of a low speed flight status. 27. For use with a helicopter including a rotor system having a cyclic control to control the flight of the helicopter and which helicopter at least generates a Low RPM signal that is indicative of a threshold low rotational speed of the rotor, an autopilot comprising:
a sensor arrangement that produces a set of sensor outputs that characterize the flight of the helicopter; an actuator arrangement that is configured for moving the cyclic control responsive to one or more cyclic control signals; and a control arrangement that is configured for receiving an activation signal that is at least in part based on the Low RPM signal and the sensor outputs, and for responding to the activation signal by automatically activating an emergency descent mode to generate said cyclic control signals responsive to the sensor outputs to manage the cyclic control without control inputs from a pilot at least during an initial portion of the descent at least to pitch the helicopter in a way that initially establishes a forward speed of the helicopter that is within a predetermined range of speed irrespective of a given forward speed at a time when the activation signal occurred. 28. The autopilot of claim 27 wherein the control arrangement is configured to increase the pitch of the helicopter to reduce the forward speed when the given forward speed is above said predetermined range at the time of the activation signal. | An autopilot system includes an actuator arrangement that receives control signals to influence the flight of the helicopter in a selected one of a plurality of different flight modes. A control stick input arrangement allows flight mode selection and control with no more than a particular one of the pilot's hands in the engaged position on the stick and without moving the hand away from the engaged position. A slaved gyro output signal is based on no more than the set of sensor outputs used by the autopilot such that an autopilot display presents autopilot flight mode information while displaying a slaved gyro output. The autopilot provides for pilot selection of one of a subset of the plurality of flight modes which is customized based on a current flight status of the helicopter. An automatic autorotation mode is provided.1. An autopilot system for controlling the flight of a helicopter having a control stick that is operable by the pilot to manually control the flight of the helicopter with the pilot's hand in an engaged position on the control stick, said autopilot system comprising:
a processing section for monitoring the flight of the helicopter and generating control signals responsive to said monitoring; an actuator arrangement for receiving the control signals to influence the flight of the helicopter in a selected one of a plurality of different flight modes; and an input arrangement located on the control stick such that each flight mode is selectable and controllable with no more than a particular one of the pilot's hands in the engaged position on the stick and without moving the particular hand away from the engaged position while simultaneously controlling the flight of the helicopter. 2. The autopilot system of claim 1 further configured such that each flight mode is selectable and controllable only from the stick and without a need for the pilot to use the other hand. 3. The autopilot system of claim 1 wherein the input arrangement includes a top hat switch that is at least configured to serve in managing trim functions in certain autopilot flight modes. 4. The autopilot of claim 3 wherein the top hat switch is positioned for thumb engagement by the pilot. 5. The autopilot of claim 3 wherein the top hat switch includes multiple contact switches such that depressing the top hat switch simultaneously closes two or more contacts and said input arrangement is configured for detecting the closure of two or more contacts and for initiating a selection function responsive to said detecting. 6. An autopilot system for controlling the flight of a helicopter having a control stick that is operable by the pilot to manually control the flight of the helicopter with the pilot's hand in an engaged position on the control stick, said autopilot system comprising:
a processing section for monitoring the flight of the helicopter and generating control signals responsive to said monitoring; an actuator arrangement for receiving the control signals to influence the flight of the helicopter in a selected one of a plurality of different flight modes; and an input arrangement located on the control stick such that each mode is selectable and controllable solely through engaging the input arrangement on the control stick. 7. An autopilot system for controlling the flight of a helicopter, said autopilot system comprising:
a sensor arrangement that produces a set of sensor outputs that characterize the flight of the helicopter; a processing arrangement that is configured to generate actuator control signals based on the set of sensor outputs to control the flight of the helicopter in a pilot selected one of a plurality of flight modes and to further generate a slaved gyro output signal based on no more than the set of sensor outputs; and an autopilot display that is configured to display autopilot flight mode information to the pilot while displaying a slaved gyro output to the pilot based on the slaved gyro output signal. 8. The autopilot system of claim 7 wherein the autopilot display is a single screen that simultaneously displays the autopilot flight mode information and the slaved gyro output. 9. The autopilot system of claim 7 wherein the autopilot flight mode information is based on at least one of the sensor outputs. 10. The autopilot system of claim 7 wherein the sensor arrangement includes a yaw rate gyro that produces a yaw rate output and said processing arrangement is configured to integrate the yaw rate output to produce a yaw heading. 11. The autopilot system of claim 10 wherein the yaw rate gyro exhibits a yaw rate drift and the processing arrangement is configured to periodically update the yaw heading to compensate for said yaw rate drift. 12. The autopilot system of claim 11 wherein said sensor arrangement includes a GPS that produces a GPS heading and the processing arrangement periodically updates the yaw heading based on the GPS heading. 13. The autopilot system of claim 11 wherein said sensor arrangement includes a magnetometer arrangement that produces a magnetic heading signal and the processing arrangement periodically updates the yaw heading based on the magnetic signal heading. 14. The autopilot system of claim 7 wherein the sensor arrangement includes a triaxial rate gyro and a triaxial accelerometer for producing said set of sensor outputs and said processing arrangement is configured to generate a helicopter attitude including a yaw heading. 15. The autopilot system of claim 14 wherein the processing arrangement includes an inner loop that determines said helicopter attitude on an essentially instantaneous basis using the set of sensor outputs. 16. The autopilot system of claim 15 wherein said inner loop determines the helicopter attitude based on a direction cosine matrix. 17. The autopilot system of claim 14 wherein the yaw heading is subject to a yaw rate drift that is exhibited by the triaxial rate gyro and the processing arrangement is configured to at least periodically adjust the yaw heading to compensate for said yaw rate drift and produce said slaved gyro output. 18. The autopilot system of claim 17 including a GPS receiver that produces a GPS heading and the processing arrangement periodically updates the yaw heading based on the GPS heading. 19. The autopilot system of claim 11 including a magnetometer arrangement that produces a magnetic heading signal and the processing arrangement periodically updates the yaw heading based on the magnetic signal heading. 20. The autopilot system of claim 7, further comprising:
an actuator arrangement for receiving the actuator control signals to influence the flight of the helicopter in a selected one of a plurality of different flight modes; and an input arrangement located on the control stick such that each mode is selectable and controllable with a particular one of the pilot's hands in the engaged position on the stick and without moving the particular engaged hand away from the engaged position to simultaneously control the flight of the helicopter with the control stick. 21. An autopilot system for controlling the flight of a helicopter, said autopilot system comprising:
a processing arrangement that is configured to determine a flight status of the helicopter based on a plurality of sensor inputs for operating the helicopter in a selected one of a plurality of flight modes and to provide for a pilot selection of one of a subset of one or more but less than all of the plurality of flight modes which subset is customized for pilot selection based on a current flight status of the helicopter. 22. The autopilot system of claim 21 wherein the helicopter flight is characterized by a power curve and said subset of the flight modes that is presented to the pilot is based on the current flight status of the helicopter with respect to said power curve. 23. The autopilot of claim 22 wherein said plurality of flight modes at least includes a position hold mode, a hovering flight mode, a speed hold mode, an altitude hold mode and a GPS mode. 24. The autopilot of claim 23 wherein said power curve includes a front side and, for a current flight status of the helicopter on the front side of the power curve, the subset of autopilot modes includes no more than the speed hold mode, the altitude hold mode and the GPS mode. 25. The autopilot of claim 23 wherein said power curve includes a back side and for a current status of the helicopter on the back side of the power curve the subset of autopilot modes includes only the speed hold mode. 26. The autopilot of claim 22 wherein said plurality of flight modes at least includes a position hold mode, a hovering flight mode, a speed hold mode, an altitude hold mode and a GPS mode and wherein the subset of autopilot modes is customized to include no more than the hover mode and the position hold mode when said current flight status of the helicopter is indicative of a low speed flight status. 27. For use with a helicopter including a rotor system having a cyclic control to control the flight of the helicopter and which helicopter at least generates a Low RPM signal that is indicative of a threshold low rotational speed of the rotor, an autopilot comprising:
a sensor arrangement that produces a set of sensor outputs that characterize the flight of the helicopter; an actuator arrangement that is configured for moving the cyclic control responsive to one or more cyclic control signals; and a control arrangement that is configured for receiving an activation signal that is at least in part based on the Low RPM signal and the sensor outputs, and for responding to the activation signal by automatically activating an emergency descent mode to generate said cyclic control signals responsive to the sensor outputs to manage the cyclic control without control inputs from a pilot at least during an initial portion of the descent at least to pitch the helicopter in a way that initially establishes a forward speed of the helicopter that is within a predetermined range of speed irrespective of a given forward speed at a time when the activation signal occurred. 28. The autopilot of claim 27 wherein the control arrangement is configured to increase the pitch of the helicopter to reduce the forward speed when the given forward speed is above said predetermined range at the time of the activation signal. | 3,600 |
12,854 | 12,854 | 14,513,309 | 3,635 | A mining machine includes a boom, a handle coupled to the boom, and a dipper coupled to the handle. The mining machine further includes a liner system coupled to the dipper. The liner system includes a first guide member and a second guide member coupled to a surface of the dipper, wherein the first and second guide members and the surface of the dipper define a channel extending along the dipper, and wherein the liner system further includes an insert disposed at least partially within the channel that is inhibited from moving away from the surface of the dipper by a portion of the first guide member. | 1. A mining machine comprising:
a boom; a handle coupled to the boom; a dipper coupled to the handle; and a liner system coupled to the dipper, the liner system including a first guide member and a second guide member both coupled to a surface of the dipper, wherein the first and second guide members and the surface of the dipper define a channel extending along the dipper, and wherein the liner system further includes an insert disposed at least partially within the channel that is inhibited from moving away from the surface of the dipper by a portion of the first guide member. 2. The mining machine of claim 1, wherein the first and second guide members are welded to the surface of the dipper, and the insert is removable from the channel. 3. The mining machine of claim 1, wherein the first and second guide members each have a trapezoidal cross-sectional profile. 4. The mining machine of claim 1, wherein each of the first and second guide members has an end, and the ends of the first and second guide members define an access opening for insertion of the insert into the channel. 5. The mining machine of claim 1, wherein a portion of the insert is exposed outside of the channel. 6. The mining machine of claim 1, wherein the insert has a first surface, a second surface disposed opposite the first surface, a third surface extending between the first and second surfaces, and a fourth surface extending between the first and second surfaces, wherein the first surface has a width that is smaller than a width of the second surface, and also smaller than a width of the channel, and wherein a height between the first surface and the second surface is greater than heights of both the first and second guide members. 7. The mining machine of claim 6, wherein the third and fourth surfaces are tapered at angles relative to the first surface such that the third and fourth surfaces diverge away from the first surface. 8. The mining machine of claim 7, wherein each of the first and second guide members has a first surface, a second surface disposed opposite the first surface, a third surface extending between the first and second surfaces, and a fourth surface extending between the first and second surfaces, wherein the first surfaces of both the first and second guide members extend generally parallel to the surface of the dipper, as well as to the second surfaces of the first and second guide members, and wherein the first surfaces of the first and second guide members have widths greater than widths of the second surfaces of the first and second guide members, and wherein the second surfaces of the first and second guide members are coupled to the surface of the dipper. 9. The mining machine of claim 8, wherein the third surface of the insert is angled relative to the surface of the dipper at an angle equal to that of the fourth surface of the first guide member, such that the third surface of the insert extends parallel to the fourth surface of the first guide member. 10. The mining machine of claim 9, wherein the fourth surface of the first guide member inhibits the insert from moving away from the surface of the dipper. 11. The mining machine of claim 1, wherein the guide members are metallic, and the inserts are non-metallic. 12. The mining machine of claim 1, wherein the guide members are integrally formed with the dipper. 13. The mining machine of claim 1, wherein the liner system includes a plurality of guide members, a plurality of channels defined by the guide members, and a plurality of inserts disposed at least partially within the channels. 14. The mining machine of claim 13, wherein the plurality of inserts are arranged in parallel rows along the surface of the dipper. 15. A method of assembling a liner system to a dipper of a mining machine, the method comprising:
coupling both a first guide member and a second guide member to a surface of the dipper, wherein the first and second guide members and the surface of the dipper define a channel along the dipper; and sliding an insert between the first and second guide members, such that the insert is at least partially disposed within the channel and is inhibited from moving away from the surface of the dipper by a portion of the first guide member. 16. The method of claim 15, wherein the step of coupling the first and second guide members includes welding the first and second guide members to an inner surface of the dipper. 17. The method of claim 15, wherein the step of inserting the insert includes sliding the insert through an access opening defined by ends of the first and second guide members. 18. The method of claim 15, wherein a portion of the insert is disposed outside of the channel during the step of sliding the insert. 19. The method of claim 15, further comprising sliding a second insert between the first and second guide members, such that the second insert is at least partially disposed within the channel. 20. The method of claim 15, further comprising coupling a third guide member to the surface of the dipper, wherein the second and the third guide members and the surface of the dipper define a second channel along the dipper, and further comprising sliding a second insert between the second and third guide members, such that the second insert is at least partially disposed within the second channel. 21. A liner system for a dipper on a mining machine, the liner system comprising:
a plurality of guide members coupled to a surface of the dipper, the guide members spaced apart such that a channel is formed between adjacent guide members; and a plurality of inserts, each insert sized to fit within one of the channels such that the inserts are inhibited from moving away from the surface of the dipper by the guide members when the inserts are disposed at least partially in the channel. 22. The liner system of claim 21, wherein the guide members are metallic, and the inserts are non-metallic. 23. The liner system of claim 21, wherein each of the guide members has a trapezoidal cross-sectional profile. | A mining machine includes a boom, a handle coupled to the boom, and a dipper coupled to the handle. The mining machine further includes a liner system coupled to the dipper. The liner system includes a first guide member and a second guide member coupled to a surface of the dipper, wherein the first and second guide members and the surface of the dipper define a channel extending along the dipper, and wherein the liner system further includes an insert disposed at least partially within the channel that is inhibited from moving away from the surface of the dipper by a portion of the first guide member.1. A mining machine comprising:
a boom; a handle coupled to the boom; a dipper coupled to the handle; and a liner system coupled to the dipper, the liner system including a first guide member and a second guide member both coupled to a surface of the dipper, wherein the first and second guide members and the surface of the dipper define a channel extending along the dipper, and wherein the liner system further includes an insert disposed at least partially within the channel that is inhibited from moving away from the surface of the dipper by a portion of the first guide member. 2. The mining machine of claim 1, wherein the first and second guide members are welded to the surface of the dipper, and the insert is removable from the channel. 3. The mining machine of claim 1, wherein the first and second guide members each have a trapezoidal cross-sectional profile. 4. The mining machine of claim 1, wherein each of the first and second guide members has an end, and the ends of the first and second guide members define an access opening for insertion of the insert into the channel. 5. The mining machine of claim 1, wherein a portion of the insert is exposed outside of the channel. 6. The mining machine of claim 1, wherein the insert has a first surface, a second surface disposed opposite the first surface, a third surface extending between the first and second surfaces, and a fourth surface extending between the first and second surfaces, wherein the first surface has a width that is smaller than a width of the second surface, and also smaller than a width of the channel, and wherein a height between the first surface and the second surface is greater than heights of both the first and second guide members. 7. The mining machine of claim 6, wherein the third and fourth surfaces are tapered at angles relative to the first surface such that the third and fourth surfaces diverge away from the first surface. 8. The mining machine of claim 7, wherein each of the first and second guide members has a first surface, a second surface disposed opposite the first surface, a third surface extending between the first and second surfaces, and a fourth surface extending between the first and second surfaces, wherein the first surfaces of both the first and second guide members extend generally parallel to the surface of the dipper, as well as to the second surfaces of the first and second guide members, and wherein the first surfaces of the first and second guide members have widths greater than widths of the second surfaces of the first and second guide members, and wherein the second surfaces of the first and second guide members are coupled to the surface of the dipper. 9. The mining machine of claim 8, wherein the third surface of the insert is angled relative to the surface of the dipper at an angle equal to that of the fourth surface of the first guide member, such that the third surface of the insert extends parallel to the fourth surface of the first guide member. 10. The mining machine of claim 9, wherein the fourth surface of the first guide member inhibits the insert from moving away from the surface of the dipper. 11. The mining machine of claim 1, wherein the guide members are metallic, and the inserts are non-metallic. 12. The mining machine of claim 1, wherein the guide members are integrally formed with the dipper. 13. The mining machine of claim 1, wherein the liner system includes a plurality of guide members, a plurality of channels defined by the guide members, and a plurality of inserts disposed at least partially within the channels. 14. The mining machine of claim 13, wherein the plurality of inserts are arranged in parallel rows along the surface of the dipper. 15. A method of assembling a liner system to a dipper of a mining machine, the method comprising:
coupling both a first guide member and a second guide member to a surface of the dipper, wherein the first and second guide members and the surface of the dipper define a channel along the dipper; and sliding an insert between the first and second guide members, such that the insert is at least partially disposed within the channel and is inhibited from moving away from the surface of the dipper by a portion of the first guide member. 16. The method of claim 15, wherein the step of coupling the first and second guide members includes welding the first and second guide members to an inner surface of the dipper. 17. The method of claim 15, wherein the step of inserting the insert includes sliding the insert through an access opening defined by ends of the first and second guide members. 18. The method of claim 15, wherein a portion of the insert is disposed outside of the channel during the step of sliding the insert. 19. The method of claim 15, further comprising sliding a second insert between the first and second guide members, such that the second insert is at least partially disposed within the channel. 20. The method of claim 15, further comprising coupling a third guide member to the surface of the dipper, wherein the second and the third guide members and the surface of the dipper define a second channel along the dipper, and further comprising sliding a second insert between the second and third guide members, such that the second insert is at least partially disposed within the second channel. 21. A liner system for a dipper on a mining machine, the liner system comprising:
a plurality of guide members coupled to a surface of the dipper, the guide members spaced apart such that a channel is formed between adjacent guide members; and a plurality of inserts, each insert sized to fit within one of the channels such that the inserts are inhibited from moving away from the surface of the dipper by the guide members when the inserts are disposed at least partially in the channel. 22. The liner system of claim 21, wherein the guide members are metallic, and the inserts are non-metallic. 23. The liner system of claim 21, wherein each of the guide members has a trapezoidal cross-sectional profile. | 3,600 |
12,855 | 12,855 | 14,334,355 | 3,684 | An F&I Menu system for the sale of a product that is financed and which includes multiple options. A display shows the base price of the product without optional items, and a with-options price. Icons representing optional items may be moved between unselected and selected areas. As the icons are moved into or out of the selected area, the with-options price is instantaneously updated, including any price changes resulting from the application of pricing components reflecting the costs of financing or leasing. | 1. An F&I items selection system for a vehicle having a base cost comprising:
a visual user interface having:
a base price area displaying the base cost of the vehicle without F&I items;
a with-F&I items price area displaying the base cost of the vehicle with selected F&I items;
icons representing F&I items,
a selected F&I items area for displaying icons of selected F&I items that have been selected;
an unselected F&I items area for displaying icons of unselected F&I items;
wherein:
a price is associated with each F&I item;
the icons may be selectively dragged into or out of the selected F&I items area;
the base cost of the vehicle with F&I items and the base cost of the vehicle without F&I items are each displayed in formats that include a periodic payment having an interest component;
means for displaying a signature area and capturing a handwritten signature; and means for storing the captured handwritten signature, F&I items, and cost of the vehicle with selected F&I items. 2. The F&I items selection system of claim 1 further comprising:
a back-end system for selecting the F&I items that may be displayed by the F&I items selection system. 3. The F&I items selection system of claim 1 wherein at least some of the icons are responsive to a user input to display additional information regarding an F&I item. 4. The F&I items selection system of claim 1 wherein at least one of the icons is responsive to a user input that allows the price of an F&I item represented by an icon to be changed. 5. The F&I items selection system of claim 1 further comprising:
means responsive to user input for changing a down payment or periodic payment term for the vehicle. 6. The F&I items selection system of claim 1 further comprising means for integrating the system into a dealer management system. 7. An F&I items selection system for a vehicle having a base cost comprising:
a visual user interface having:
a base price area displaying the base cost of the vehicle without F&I items;
a with-F&I items area displaying the base cost of the vehicle with F&I items;
icons representing F&I items,
means for selecting and de-selecting each icon,
means for visually distinguishing icons that have been selected from icons that are not selected;
wherein:
a price is associated with each F&I item,
the base cost of the vehicle with F&I items displayed in the with-F&I items area is formatted as a periodic payment having an interest component and is automatically updated as icons are selected or de-selected;
means for displaying a signature area and capturing a handwritten signature; and means for storing the captured handwritten signature, F&I items, and cost of the vehicle with selected F&I items. 8. The F&I items selection system of claim 7 wherein:
the automatic updating of the base cost of the vehicle with F&I items includes recalculating the interest component, and occurs as icons are dragged into or out of a selected F&I items area. 9. The F&I items selection system of claim 7 further comprising:
a recommend F&I items area displaying copies of a subset of the F&I items icons; and
a with-recommended F&I items cost area displaying the cost of the vehicle that includes the cost of the F&I items in the recommended F&I items area. 10. The F&I items selection system of claim 7 further comprising:
a back-end system for selecting the F&I items that may be displayed by the vehicle F&I items selection system. 11. The F&I items selection system of claim 7 wherein at least some of the icons are responsive to a user input to display additional information regarding an F&I item. 12. The F&I items selection system of claim 7 wherein at least one of the icons is responsive to a user input that allows the price of an F&I item represented by an icon to be changed. 13. The F&I items selection system of claim 7 further comprising:
means responsive to user input for changing a down payment or periodic payment term for the vehicle. 14. The F&I items selection system of claim 13 further comprising means for integrating the system into a dealer management system. | An F&I Menu system for the sale of a product that is financed and which includes multiple options. A display shows the base price of the product without optional items, and a with-options price. Icons representing optional items may be moved between unselected and selected areas. As the icons are moved into or out of the selected area, the with-options price is instantaneously updated, including any price changes resulting from the application of pricing components reflecting the costs of financing or leasing.1. An F&I items selection system for a vehicle having a base cost comprising:
a visual user interface having:
a base price area displaying the base cost of the vehicle without F&I items;
a with-F&I items price area displaying the base cost of the vehicle with selected F&I items;
icons representing F&I items,
a selected F&I items area for displaying icons of selected F&I items that have been selected;
an unselected F&I items area for displaying icons of unselected F&I items;
wherein:
a price is associated with each F&I item;
the icons may be selectively dragged into or out of the selected F&I items area;
the base cost of the vehicle with F&I items and the base cost of the vehicle without F&I items are each displayed in formats that include a periodic payment having an interest component;
means for displaying a signature area and capturing a handwritten signature; and means for storing the captured handwritten signature, F&I items, and cost of the vehicle with selected F&I items. 2. The F&I items selection system of claim 1 further comprising:
a back-end system for selecting the F&I items that may be displayed by the F&I items selection system. 3. The F&I items selection system of claim 1 wherein at least some of the icons are responsive to a user input to display additional information regarding an F&I item. 4. The F&I items selection system of claim 1 wherein at least one of the icons is responsive to a user input that allows the price of an F&I item represented by an icon to be changed. 5. The F&I items selection system of claim 1 further comprising:
means responsive to user input for changing a down payment or periodic payment term for the vehicle. 6. The F&I items selection system of claim 1 further comprising means for integrating the system into a dealer management system. 7. An F&I items selection system for a vehicle having a base cost comprising:
a visual user interface having:
a base price area displaying the base cost of the vehicle without F&I items;
a with-F&I items area displaying the base cost of the vehicle with F&I items;
icons representing F&I items,
means for selecting and de-selecting each icon,
means for visually distinguishing icons that have been selected from icons that are not selected;
wherein:
a price is associated with each F&I item,
the base cost of the vehicle with F&I items displayed in the with-F&I items area is formatted as a periodic payment having an interest component and is automatically updated as icons are selected or de-selected;
means for displaying a signature area and capturing a handwritten signature; and means for storing the captured handwritten signature, F&I items, and cost of the vehicle with selected F&I items. 8. The F&I items selection system of claim 7 wherein:
the automatic updating of the base cost of the vehicle with F&I items includes recalculating the interest component, and occurs as icons are dragged into or out of a selected F&I items area. 9. The F&I items selection system of claim 7 further comprising:
a recommend F&I items area displaying copies of a subset of the F&I items icons; and
a with-recommended F&I items cost area displaying the cost of the vehicle that includes the cost of the F&I items in the recommended F&I items area. 10. The F&I items selection system of claim 7 further comprising:
a back-end system for selecting the F&I items that may be displayed by the vehicle F&I items selection system. 11. The F&I items selection system of claim 7 wherein at least some of the icons are responsive to a user input to display additional information regarding an F&I item. 12. The F&I items selection system of claim 7 wherein at least one of the icons is responsive to a user input that allows the price of an F&I item represented by an icon to be changed. 13. The F&I items selection system of claim 7 further comprising:
means responsive to user input for changing a down payment or periodic payment term for the vehicle. 14. The F&I items selection system of claim 13 further comprising means for integrating the system into a dealer management system. | 3,600 |
12,856 | 12,856 | 15,159,780 | 3,634 | A system and method for inhibiting inadvertent movement of a window sash out of a fully open position. The window sash is set in guide tracks. The window sash engages brake shoes that travel up and down in the guide tracks. A stop is mounted within the guide tracks. The brake shoe and the stop have a connector that joins the brake shoe to the stop when the window sash is moved to its fully open position. The brake shoe is separable from the stop when a closing force is manually applied to the window sash. The force applied must exceed a threshold level. In this manner, the window sash will remain in its fully open position and will not inadvertently drift closed due to gravity, vibrations, or friction with another window sash. | 1. In a window having a window sash that travels in guide tracks as said window sash moves between a fully open position and a fully closed position, a system for inhibiting drift movement of said window sash out of said fully open position, said system comprising:
a brake shoe coupled to said window sash that moves in one of said guide tracks as said window sash is manually manipulated between said fully closed position and said fully open position; a stop mounted to said one of said guide tracks at a fixed elevation, wherein said brake shoe and said stop contact when said brake shoe is in said fully open position; and a connector that automatically interconnects, said brake shoe and said stop as said brake shoe and said stop come into contact, wherein said connector prevents said brake shoe from moving away from said stop until a threshold separating force is applied to said window sash to move said sash from said fully open position towards said fully closed position. 2. The system according to claim 1, wherein said threshold force is between one pound and ten pounds. 3. The system according to claim 1, wherein said connector is a mechanical connector that mechanically interconnects said brake shoe and said stop. 4. The system according to claim 3, wherein said mechanical connector includes a male section and a female section that mechanically interconnect. 5. The system according to claim 4, wherein said male section includes at least one extending locking finger and said female part includes at least one receptacle for receiving and engaging said at least one extending locking finger. 6. The system according to claim 3, wherein said mechanical connector includes a male section and a female section that interconnect, wherein a ball and detent engage when said male section and said female section interconnect. 7. The system according to claim 1, wherein said connector is a magnetic connector that magnetically interconnects said brake shoe and said stop. 8. The system according to claim 1, further including at least one counterbalance spring that biases said brake shoe toward said stop. 9. The system according to claim 8, wherein said at least one counterbalance spring is connected to both said brake shoe and said stop. 10. In a window having a window sash that can move in guide tracks between a fully open position and a fully closed position, a system for inhibiting inadvertent movement of said window sash out of said fully open position, said system comprising:
a brake shoe coupled to said window sash that move in one of said guide tracks; a stop mounted within said one of said guide tracks; and a connector that causes said brake shoe and said stop to interconnect when said brake shoe is in said fully open position, and wherein said brake shoe is separable from said stop when a closing force is manually applied that acts to move said window sash toward said fully closed position. 11. The system according to claim 10, wherein said closing force is between one pound and ten pounds. 12. The system according to claim 10, wherein said connector is a mechanical connector that cause said brake shoe and said stop to mechanically interconnect when said window sash is in said fully open position. 13. The system according to claim 12, wherein said mechanical connector includes a male section and a female section that mechanically interconnect. 14. The system according to claim 13, wherein said male section includes at least one extending locking finger and said female section includes at least one receptacle for receiving and engaging said at least one extending locking finger. 15. The system according to claim 13, wherein said mechanical connector includes a male section and a female section that interconnect, wherein a ball and detent engage when said male section and said female section interconnect. 16. The system according to claim 10, wherein said connector is a magnetic connector that magnetically interconnects said brake shoe and said stop. 17. The system according to claim 10, further including at least one counterbalance spring that biases said brake shoe toward said stop. 18. The system according to claim 17, wherein said at least one counterbalance spring is connected to both said brake shoe and said stop. | A system and method for inhibiting inadvertent movement of a window sash out of a fully open position. The window sash is set in guide tracks. The window sash engages brake shoes that travel up and down in the guide tracks. A stop is mounted within the guide tracks. The brake shoe and the stop have a connector that joins the brake shoe to the stop when the window sash is moved to its fully open position. The brake shoe is separable from the stop when a closing force is manually applied to the window sash. The force applied must exceed a threshold level. In this manner, the window sash will remain in its fully open position and will not inadvertently drift closed due to gravity, vibrations, or friction with another window sash.1. In a window having a window sash that travels in guide tracks as said window sash moves between a fully open position and a fully closed position, a system for inhibiting drift movement of said window sash out of said fully open position, said system comprising:
a brake shoe coupled to said window sash that moves in one of said guide tracks as said window sash is manually manipulated between said fully closed position and said fully open position; a stop mounted to said one of said guide tracks at a fixed elevation, wherein said brake shoe and said stop contact when said brake shoe is in said fully open position; and a connector that automatically interconnects, said brake shoe and said stop as said brake shoe and said stop come into contact, wherein said connector prevents said brake shoe from moving away from said stop until a threshold separating force is applied to said window sash to move said sash from said fully open position towards said fully closed position. 2. The system according to claim 1, wherein said threshold force is between one pound and ten pounds. 3. The system according to claim 1, wherein said connector is a mechanical connector that mechanically interconnects said brake shoe and said stop. 4. The system according to claim 3, wherein said mechanical connector includes a male section and a female section that mechanically interconnect. 5. The system according to claim 4, wherein said male section includes at least one extending locking finger and said female part includes at least one receptacle for receiving and engaging said at least one extending locking finger. 6. The system according to claim 3, wherein said mechanical connector includes a male section and a female section that interconnect, wherein a ball and detent engage when said male section and said female section interconnect. 7. The system according to claim 1, wherein said connector is a magnetic connector that magnetically interconnects said brake shoe and said stop. 8. The system according to claim 1, further including at least one counterbalance spring that biases said brake shoe toward said stop. 9. The system according to claim 8, wherein said at least one counterbalance spring is connected to both said brake shoe and said stop. 10. In a window having a window sash that can move in guide tracks between a fully open position and a fully closed position, a system for inhibiting inadvertent movement of said window sash out of said fully open position, said system comprising:
a brake shoe coupled to said window sash that move in one of said guide tracks; a stop mounted within said one of said guide tracks; and a connector that causes said brake shoe and said stop to interconnect when said brake shoe is in said fully open position, and wherein said brake shoe is separable from said stop when a closing force is manually applied that acts to move said window sash toward said fully closed position. 11. The system according to claim 10, wherein said closing force is between one pound and ten pounds. 12. The system according to claim 10, wherein said connector is a mechanical connector that cause said brake shoe and said stop to mechanically interconnect when said window sash is in said fully open position. 13. The system according to claim 12, wherein said mechanical connector includes a male section and a female section that mechanically interconnect. 14. The system according to claim 13, wherein said male section includes at least one extending locking finger and said female section includes at least one receptacle for receiving and engaging said at least one extending locking finger. 15. The system according to claim 13, wherein said mechanical connector includes a male section and a female section that interconnect, wherein a ball and detent engage when said male section and said female section interconnect. 16. The system according to claim 10, wherein said connector is a magnetic connector that magnetically interconnects said brake shoe and said stop. 17. The system according to claim 10, further including at least one counterbalance spring that biases said brake shoe toward said stop. 18. The system according to claim 17, wherein said at least one counterbalance spring is connected to both said brake shoe and said stop. | 3,600 |
12,857 | 12,857 | 14,716,585 | 3,637 | A medical equipment support system includes a support structure extending in a substantially horizontal direction for supporting at least one medical device, at least two supports arranged at opposing ends of the support structure for supporting the support structure in an overhead position, wherein the at least two supports are pillars extending in a substantially vertical direction, the pillars being adapted for standing on a floor of a medical room. | 1. A medical equipment support system, comprising a support structure extending in a substantially horizontal direction for supporting at least one medical device, at least two supports arranged at opposing ends of the support structure for supporting the support structure in an overhead position, characterized in that the at least two supports are pillars extending in a substantially vertical direction, being adapted for standing on a floor of a medical room. 2. The medical equipment support system according to claim 1, characterized in that the pillars are equipped with wheels and/or gliding elements for moving the pillars on the floor. 3. The medical equipment support system according to claim 1, characterized in that the support structure is removably fixed to the pillars and/or is connectable to the support structure of a further medical equipment support system. 4. The medical equipment support system according to claim 1, characterized in that the pillars are adapted for moving the support structure in the substantially vertical direction. 5. The medical equipment support system according to claim 1, characterized in that the pillars and/or the support structure are configured for accommodating cables and/or fluid lines. 6. The medical equipment support system according to claim 1, characterized in that at least one of the pillars comprises a cabinet for placing medical equipment. 7. The medical equipment support system according to claim 1, characterized in that the support structure is supported by at least two pillars, each having a strut or a foot plate for stable standing on the floor. 8. The medical equipment support system according to claim 1, characterized in that the support structure is one beam or a multiplicity of parallel beams and that at least one end of the beam or beams is supported by at least two pillars. 9. The medical equipment support system according to claim 8, characterized in that the at least two pillars are rigidly connected to form a pillar unit. 10. The medical equipment support system according to claim 1, characterized in that the support structure is at least one beam and/or platform configured for supporting at least one holder to which the at least one medical device can be mounted. 11. The medical equipment support system according to claim 10, characterized in that the at least one beam and/or platform comprises a rail, and that the at least one holder is movable along the rail. 12. The medical equipment support system according to claim 11, characterized in that the holder is movable into at least one preference position according to a predetermined medical scheme. 13. The medical equipment support system according to claim 12, characterized in that the holder is manually movable into the at least one preference position, the preference position being indicated by a stop. 14. The medical equipment support system according to claim 12, characterized in that the holder is automatically movable into the at least one preference position. 15. The medical equipment support system according to claim 14, characterized in that the medical equipment support system is configured for supporting a first multiplicity of medical devices mounted to a first multiplicity of holders, for supporting a second multiplicity of medical devices mounted to a second multiplicity of holders, and for automatically exchanging the first with the second multiplicity of medical devices by automatically removing the first multiplicity of holders and moving the second multiplicity of holders to respective preference positions. | A medical equipment support system includes a support structure extending in a substantially horizontal direction for supporting at least one medical device, at least two supports arranged at opposing ends of the support structure for supporting the support structure in an overhead position, wherein the at least two supports are pillars extending in a substantially vertical direction, the pillars being adapted for standing on a floor of a medical room.1. A medical equipment support system, comprising a support structure extending in a substantially horizontal direction for supporting at least one medical device, at least two supports arranged at opposing ends of the support structure for supporting the support structure in an overhead position, characterized in that the at least two supports are pillars extending in a substantially vertical direction, being adapted for standing on a floor of a medical room. 2. The medical equipment support system according to claim 1, characterized in that the pillars are equipped with wheels and/or gliding elements for moving the pillars on the floor. 3. The medical equipment support system according to claim 1, characterized in that the support structure is removably fixed to the pillars and/or is connectable to the support structure of a further medical equipment support system. 4. The medical equipment support system according to claim 1, characterized in that the pillars are adapted for moving the support structure in the substantially vertical direction. 5. The medical equipment support system according to claim 1, characterized in that the pillars and/or the support structure are configured for accommodating cables and/or fluid lines. 6. The medical equipment support system according to claim 1, characterized in that at least one of the pillars comprises a cabinet for placing medical equipment. 7. The medical equipment support system according to claim 1, characterized in that the support structure is supported by at least two pillars, each having a strut or a foot plate for stable standing on the floor. 8. The medical equipment support system according to claim 1, characterized in that the support structure is one beam or a multiplicity of parallel beams and that at least one end of the beam or beams is supported by at least two pillars. 9. The medical equipment support system according to claim 8, characterized in that the at least two pillars are rigidly connected to form a pillar unit. 10. The medical equipment support system according to claim 1, characterized in that the support structure is at least one beam and/or platform configured for supporting at least one holder to which the at least one medical device can be mounted. 11. The medical equipment support system according to claim 10, characterized in that the at least one beam and/or platform comprises a rail, and that the at least one holder is movable along the rail. 12. The medical equipment support system according to claim 11, characterized in that the holder is movable into at least one preference position according to a predetermined medical scheme. 13. The medical equipment support system according to claim 12, characterized in that the holder is manually movable into the at least one preference position, the preference position being indicated by a stop. 14. The medical equipment support system according to claim 12, characterized in that the holder is automatically movable into the at least one preference position. 15. The medical equipment support system according to claim 14, characterized in that the medical equipment support system is configured for supporting a first multiplicity of medical devices mounted to a first multiplicity of holders, for supporting a second multiplicity of medical devices mounted to a second multiplicity of holders, and for automatically exchanging the first with the second multiplicity of medical devices by automatically removing the first multiplicity of holders and moving the second multiplicity of holders to respective preference positions. | 3,600 |
12,858 | 12,858 | 13,620,496 | 3,691 | Systems and methods for a trading interface with advanced features are provided. Along with providing the benchmark issue and non-benchmark issues, the trading application may also provide the trader with the ability to obtain trading information (e.g., another quad) for each of the related U.S. Treasury swaps (“T-swaps”), off-the-runs, yield curve T-swaps, and basis. In some embodiments, the trader may be provided with a customized keyboard to navigate through the trading interface. The keyboard preferably includes keys that allow the trader to quickly and efficiently switch between multiple issues in a quad. Using the keyboard, the trader may also be provided with price improvement functionality and direct dealing functionality. In some embodiments, the trading application may simultaneously display a DD ticker along with the trading quadrant that provides the trader with the progression of the direct dealings of the selected issue. | 1. A system for allowing traders to switch between multiple issues in trading quadrants, the system comprising:
a display device; a keyboard that has keys, wherein the keys include a key associated with a benchmark issue and a key associated with a non-benchmark issue; and a processor configured to:
direct the display device to display a first trading quadrant having a benchmark issue;
provide a trader with an opportunity to select the at least one non-benchmark issue that is related to the benchmark issue by pressing the key on the keyboard that is mapped to the at least one non-benchmark issue; and
direct the display device to display trading information related to the selected non-benchmark issue. 2. The system of claim 1 wherein the keyboard has a key for price improvement. 3. The system of claim 1 wherein the keyboard has a key for direct dealing. 4. The system of claim 1 wherein the processor is further configured to direct the display device to display a second trading quadrant that includes information related to the selected non-benchmark issue. 5. The system of claim 4 wherein the second trading quadrant is a Treasury swaps trading quadrant. 6. The system of claim 5 wherein the Treasury swaps trading quadrant includes at least three of the most recent benchmark issues. 7. The system of claim 4 wherein the second trading quadrant is an off-the-run trading quadrant. 8. The system of claim 7 wherein the Treasury swaps trading quadrant includes at least three of the most recent benchmark issues. 9. The system of claim 4 wherein the second trading quadrant is a yield curve trading quadrant. 10. The system of claim 4 wherein the second trading quadrant is a basis trading quadrant. 11. The system of claim 4 wherein the second trading quadrant is a limit orders trading quadrant. 12. A method for allowing a trader to switch between multiple issues in a trading quadrant, the method comprising:
displaying a trading quadrant having a benchmark issue; providing the trader with an opportunity to select at least one non-benchmark issue that is related to the benchmark issue by pressing a key on a keyboard that is mapped to the at least one non-benchmark issue; and providing the trader with the selected non-benchmark issue and trading information related to the selected non-benchmark issue. 13-19. (canceled) 20. A system for providing direct dealing information, the system comprising:
a server storage device; a server processor connected to the server storage device, the server storage device storing a server program for controlling the server processor, the server processor operative with the server program to:
receive real-time direct dealing content for use in a trading quadrant; and
simultaneously display the trading quadrant and a ticker that contains the received real-time direct dealing content; and
a plurality of workstations, each of the plurality of workstations operative to communicate with the server, each of the workstations comprising: a workstation storage device; and a workstation processor connected to the workstation storage device, the workstation storage device storing a workstation program for controlling the workstation processor, the workstation program operative to display the trading quadrant and the ticker that contains the received real-time direct dealing content. 21. The system of claim 20 wherein the server program is further programmed to receive a midprice order to buy or sell an item at a price within a spread market and update the direct dealing content in the ticker. 22. The system of claim 20 wherein the server program is further programmed to update the direct dealing content in the ticker. 23. The system of claim 20 wherein the ticker includes at least one request, wherein the request includes an orientation and a size. 24. The system of claim 20 wherein the ticker includes at least one response, wherein the request includes an orientation and a size. 25-30. (canceled) | Systems and methods for a trading interface with advanced features are provided. Along with providing the benchmark issue and non-benchmark issues, the trading application may also provide the trader with the ability to obtain trading information (e.g., another quad) for each of the related U.S. Treasury swaps (“T-swaps”), off-the-runs, yield curve T-swaps, and basis. In some embodiments, the trader may be provided with a customized keyboard to navigate through the trading interface. The keyboard preferably includes keys that allow the trader to quickly and efficiently switch between multiple issues in a quad. Using the keyboard, the trader may also be provided with price improvement functionality and direct dealing functionality. In some embodiments, the trading application may simultaneously display a DD ticker along with the trading quadrant that provides the trader with the progression of the direct dealings of the selected issue.1. A system for allowing traders to switch between multiple issues in trading quadrants, the system comprising:
a display device; a keyboard that has keys, wherein the keys include a key associated with a benchmark issue and a key associated with a non-benchmark issue; and a processor configured to:
direct the display device to display a first trading quadrant having a benchmark issue;
provide a trader with an opportunity to select the at least one non-benchmark issue that is related to the benchmark issue by pressing the key on the keyboard that is mapped to the at least one non-benchmark issue; and
direct the display device to display trading information related to the selected non-benchmark issue. 2. The system of claim 1 wherein the keyboard has a key for price improvement. 3. The system of claim 1 wherein the keyboard has a key for direct dealing. 4. The system of claim 1 wherein the processor is further configured to direct the display device to display a second trading quadrant that includes information related to the selected non-benchmark issue. 5. The system of claim 4 wherein the second trading quadrant is a Treasury swaps trading quadrant. 6. The system of claim 5 wherein the Treasury swaps trading quadrant includes at least three of the most recent benchmark issues. 7. The system of claim 4 wherein the second trading quadrant is an off-the-run trading quadrant. 8. The system of claim 7 wherein the Treasury swaps trading quadrant includes at least three of the most recent benchmark issues. 9. The system of claim 4 wherein the second trading quadrant is a yield curve trading quadrant. 10. The system of claim 4 wherein the second trading quadrant is a basis trading quadrant. 11. The system of claim 4 wherein the second trading quadrant is a limit orders trading quadrant. 12. A method for allowing a trader to switch between multiple issues in a trading quadrant, the method comprising:
displaying a trading quadrant having a benchmark issue; providing the trader with an opportunity to select at least one non-benchmark issue that is related to the benchmark issue by pressing a key on a keyboard that is mapped to the at least one non-benchmark issue; and providing the trader with the selected non-benchmark issue and trading information related to the selected non-benchmark issue. 13-19. (canceled) 20. A system for providing direct dealing information, the system comprising:
a server storage device; a server processor connected to the server storage device, the server storage device storing a server program for controlling the server processor, the server processor operative with the server program to:
receive real-time direct dealing content for use in a trading quadrant; and
simultaneously display the trading quadrant and a ticker that contains the received real-time direct dealing content; and
a plurality of workstations, each of the plurality of workstations operative to communicate with the server, each of the workstations comprising: a workstation storage device; and a workstation processor connected to the workstation storage device, the workstation storage device storing a workstation program for controlling the workstation processor, the workstation program operative to display the trading quadrant and the ticker that contains the received real-time direct dealing content. 21. The system of claim 20 wherein the server program is further programmed to receive a midprice order to buy or sell an item at a price within a spread market and update the direct dealing content in the ticker. 22. The system of claim 20 wherein the server program is further programmed to update the direct dealing content in the ticker. 23. The system of claim 20 wherein the ticker includes at least one request, wherein the request includes an orientation and a size. 24. The system of claim 20 wherein the ticker includes at least one response, wherein the request includes an orientation and a size. 25-30. (canceled) | 3,600 |
12,859 | 12,859 | 14,179,783 | 3,693 | A method of managing trading orders is provided. The method includes receiving a request to place a first order to trade a first product, the request being made using an account having one or more current balances. The method further includes determining a risk value for the first order based at least in part on the first product. The method further includes determining whether to approve the first order based at least in part on the risk value determined for the first order and one or more of the current balances for the account, and if the first order is approved, placing the first order. | 1. A method of managing trading orders, comprising:
receiving a request to place a first order to trade a first product, the request being made using an account that comprises one or more current balances; determining a risk value for the first order based at least in part on the first product; determining whether to approve the first order based at least in part on the risk value determined for the first order and one or more of the current balances for the account; and if the first order is approved, placing the first order. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first product comprises a first betting product. 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first product comprises one of a plurality of types of products and further comprising determining a risk factor for the first product based at least in part on the type of the first product. 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the risk value for the first order is determined based at least in part on an estimated maximum tick liability associated with the first product. 5. The method of claim 4, wherein the estimated maximum tick liability is determined based at least in part on statistical data regarding the first product. 6. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining a risk factor for the first product based at least in part on an estimated maximum tick liability associated with the first product. 7. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining a risk factor for the first product based at least in part on an actual maximum tick liability associated with the first product and an estimated maximum tick liability associated with the first product. 8. The method of claim 7, wherein determining the risk factor for the first product comprises selecting the lower of the actual maximum tick liability and the estimated maximum tick liability associated with the first product as the risk factor for the first product. 9. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining a risk factor for the first product based at least in part on statistical data regarding the first product. 10. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining a risk factor for the first product; and wherein:
the first order comprises a unit stake; and determining the risk value for the first order comprises multiplying the risk factor for the first product by the unit stake. 11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
matching the first order with a second order to at least partially fill the first order; and adjusting one or more of the current balances associated with the account based at least in part on the risk value determined for the first order. 12. The method of claim 11, wherein the first product is associated with at least one event having an overall duration, the method further comprising:
updating the risk value for the matched first order during the overall duration of the at least one event; and updating one or more of the current balances associated with the account based at least in part on the updated risk value for the matched first order. 13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:
assigning a so-far value to the product; updating the so-far value during the overall duration of the at least one event associated with the first product; and updating the risk value for the matched first order based at least in part on the updated so-far value assigned to the product. 14. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
receiving a request to place a second order to trade a second product, the second order at least partially defined by a stake; placing the second order; matching the first order with a third order to at least partially fill the first order; adjusting one or more of the current balances associated with the account based at least in part on the risk value of the matched first order; and reducing the stake of the unmatched second order by an amount based at least in part on at least one of the adjusted current balances. 15. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
receiving a request to place a second order to trade a second product, the second order at least partially defined by a stake; determining a risk value for the second order; placing the second order; matching the first order with a third order to at least partially fill the first order; adjusting one or more of the current balances associated with the account based at least in part on the risk value of the matched first order; determining whether to reduce the stake of the unmatched second trading order based at least in part on the risk value of the unmatched second order and at least one of the adjusted current balances; and reducing the stake of the unmatched second order by an amount based at least in part on at least one of the adjusted current balances. 16. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
receiving a plurality of requests to place a plurality of orders including the first order, each request being made using the account; each of the plurality of orders being at least partially defined by a stake; and for each order:
determining a risk value for the order; and
placing the order. 17. The method of claim 16, further comprising, for each order, determining whether to approve the order based at least in part on the risk value determined for the order and one or more of the current balances for the account, and wherein placing each order comprises placing each approved order. 18. The method of claim 16, further comprising:
matching the first order with a second order to at least partially fill the first order, the second order not being one of the plurality of orders; adjusting one or more of the current balances for the account based at least in part on the risk value of the first order; and for each unmatched order of the plurality of orders:
determining whether to reduce the stake of the unmatched trading order based at least in part on the risk value of the unmatched order and at least one of the adjusted current balances; and
reducing the stake of the unmatched order by an amount based at least in part on at least one of the adjusted current balances. 19. A system for managing orders, comprising:
a memory operable to store an account; and a processor operable to:
receive a request to place a first order to trade a first product, the request being made using the account, wherein the account comprises one or more current balances;
determine a risk value for the first order based at least in part on the first product;
determine whether to approve the first order based at least in part on the risk value determined for the first order and one or more of the current balances for the account; and
if the first order is approved, place the first order. 20. The system of claim 19, wherein the first product comprises a first betting product. 21. The system of claim 19, wherein the first product comprises one of a plurality of types of products and the processor determines a risk factor for the first product based at least in part on the type of the first product. 22. The system of claim 19, wherein the processor determines the risk value for the first order based at least in part on an estimated maximum tick liability associated with the first product. 23. The system of claim 22, wherein the estimated maximum tick liability is determined based at least in part on statistical data regarding the first product. 24. The system of claim 19, wherein the processor determines a risk factor for the first product based at least in part on an estimated maximum tick liability associated with the first product. 25. The system of claim 19, wherein the processor determines a risk factor for the first product based at least in part on an actual maximum tick liability associated with the first product and an estimated maximum tick liability associated with the first product. 26. The system of claim 25, wherein determining the risk factor for the first product comprises selecting the lower of the actual maximum tick liability and the estimated maximum tick liability associated with the first product as the risk factor for the first product. 27. The system of claim 19, wherein the processor determines a risk factor for the first product based at least in part on statistical data regarding the first product. 28. The method of claim 19, wherein:
the first order comprises a unit stake; the processor determines a risk factor for the first product; and the processor determines the risk value for the first order at least by multiplying the risk factor for the first product by the unit stake. 29. The system of claim 19, wherein the processor:
matches the first trading order with a second trading order to at least partially fill the first trading order; and adjusts one or more of the current balances associated with the account based at least in part on the risk value determined for the first order. 30. The system of claim 29, wherein:
the first product is associated with one or more events having an overall duration; the processor updates the risk value for the matched first order during the overall duration of the one or more events; and the processor updates one or more of the current balances associated with the account based at least in part on the updated risk value for the first order. 31. The system of claim 30, wherein the processor is further operable to:
assign a so-far value to the product; update the so-far value during the overall duration of the one or more events associated with the first product; and update the risk value for the matched first order based at least in part on the updated so-far value assigned to the product. 32. The system of claim 19, wherein the processor is further operable to:
receive a request to place a second order to trade a second product, the second order at least partially defined by a stake; place the second order; match the first order with a third order to at least partially fill the first order; adjust one or more of the current balances associated with the account based at least in part on the risk value of the matched first order; and reduce the stake of the unmatched second order by an amount based at least in part on at least on of the adjusted current balances. 33. The system of claim 19, wherein the processor is further operable to:
receive a request to place a second order to trade a second product, the second order at least partially defined by a stake; determine a risk value for the second order; place the second order; match the first order with a third order to at least partially fill the first order; adjust one or more of the current balances associated with the account based at least in part on the risk value of the matched first order; determine whether to reduce the stake of the unmatched second order based at least in part on the risk value of the unmatched second order and at least one of the adjusted current balances; and reduce the stake of the unmatched second order by an amount based at least in part on at least one of the adjusted current balances. 34. The system of claim 19, wherein the processor is further operable to:
receive a plurality of requests to place a plurality of orders including the first order, each request being made using the account, each of the plurality of orders at least partially defined by a stake; determine a risk value for each order; and place each order. 35. The system of claim 34, wherein:
the processor determines for each order, whether to approve the order based at least in part on the risk value determined for the order and one or more of the current balances for the account; and the processor places each approved order. 36. The system of claim 34, further comprising a processor operable to:
match the first order with a second order to at least partially fill the first order, the second order not being one of the plurality of orders; adjust one or more of the current balances for the account based at least in part on the risk value of the matched first order; and for each unmatched order of the plurality of orders:
determine whether to reduce the stake of the unmatched order based at least in part on the risk value of the unmatched order and at least one of the adjusted current balances; and
reduce the stake of the unmatched second order by an amount based at least in part on at least one of the adjusted current balances. | A method of managing trading orders is provided. The method includes receiving a request to place a first order to trade a first product, the request being made using an account having one or more current balances. The method further includes determining a risk value for the first order based at least in part on the first product. The method further includes determining whether to approve the first order based at least in part on the risk value determined for the first order and one or more of the current balances for the account, and if the first order is approved, placing the first order.1. A method of managing trading orders, comprising:
receiving a request to place a first order to trade a first product, the request being made using an account that comprises one or more current balances; determining a risk value for the first order based at least in part on the first product; determining whether to approve the first order based at least in part on the risk value determined for the first order and one or more of the current balances for the account; and if the first order is approved, placing the first order. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first product comprises a first betting product. 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first product comprises one of a plurality of types of products and further comprising determining a risk factor for the first product based at least in part on the type of the first product. 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the risk value for the first order is determined based at least in part on an estimated maximum tick liability associated with the first product. 5. The method of claim 4, wherein the estimated maximum tick liability is determined based at least in part on statistical data regarding the first product. 6. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining a risk factor for the first product based at least in part on an estimated maximum tick liability associated with the first product. 7. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining a risk factor for the first product based at least in part on an actual maximum tick liability associated with the first product and an estimated maximum tick liability associated with the first product. 8. The method of claim 7, wherein determining the risk factor for the first product comprises selecting the lower of the actual maximum tick liability and the estimated maximum tick liability associated with the first product as the risk factor for the first product. 9. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining a risk factor for the first product based at least in part on statistical data regarding the first product. 10. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining a risk factor for the first product; and wherein:
the first order comprises a unit stake; and determining the risk value for the first order comprises multiplying the risk factor for the first product by the unit stake. 11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
matching the first order with a second order to at least partially fill the first order; and adjusting one or more of the current balances associated with the account based at least in part on the risk value determined for the first order. 12. The method of claim 11, wherein the first product is associated with at least one event having an overall duration, the method further comprising:
updating the risk value for the matched first order during the overall duration of the at least one event; and updating one or more of the current balances associated with the account based at least in part on the updated risk value for the matched first order. 13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:
assigning a so-far value to the product; updating the so-far value during the overall duration of the at least one event associated with the first product; and updating the risk value for the matched first order based at least in part on the updated so-far value assigned to the product. 14. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
receiving a request to place a second order to trade a second product, the second order at least partially defined by a stake; placing the second order; matching the first order with a third order to at least partially fill the first order; adjusting one or more of the current balances associated with the account based at least in part on the risk value of the matched first order; and reducing the stake of the unmatched second order by an amount based at least in part on at least one of the adjusted current balances. 15. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
receiving a request to place a second order to trade a second product, the second order at least partially defined by a stake; determining a risk value for the second order; placing the second order; matching the first order with a third order to at least partially fill the first order; adjusting one or more of the current balances associated with the account based at least in part on the risk value of the matched first order; determining whether to reduce the stake of the unmatched second trading order based at least in part on the risk value of the unmatched second order and at least one of the adjusted current balances; and reducing the stake of the unmatched second order by an amount based at least in part on at least one of the adjusted current balances. 16. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
receiving a plurality of requests to place a plurality of orders including the first order, each request being made using the account; each of the plurality of orders being at least partially defined by a stake; and for each order:
determining a risk value for the order; and
placing the order. 17. The method of claim 16, further comprising, for each order, determining whether to approve the order based at least in part on the risk value determined for the order and one or more of the current balances for the account, and wherein placing each order comprises placing each approved order. 18. The method of claim 16, further comprising:
matching the first order with a second order to at least partially fill the first order, the second order not being one of the plurality of orders; adjusting one or more of the current balances for the account based at least in part on the risk value of the first order; and for each unmatched order of the plurality of orders:
determining whether to reduce the stake of the unmatched trading order based at least in part on the risk value of the unmatched order and at least one of the adjusted current balances; and
reducing the stake of the unmatched order by an amount based at least in part on at least one of the adjusted current balances. 19. A system for managing orders, comprising:
a memory operable to store an account; and a processor operable to:
receive a request to place a first order to trade a first product, the request being made using the account, wherein the account comprises one or more current balances;
determine a risk value for the first order based at least in part on the first product;
determine whether to approve the first order based at least in part on the risk value determined for the first order and one or more of the current balances for the account; and
if the first order is approved, place the first order. 20. The system of claim 19, wherein the first product comprises a first betting product. 21. The system of claim 19, wherein the first product comprises one of a plurality of types of products and the processor determines a risk factor for the first product based at least in part on the type of the first product. 22. The system of claim 19, wherein the processor determines the risk value for the first order based at least in part on an estimated maximum tick liability associated with the first product. 23. The system of claim 22, wherein the estimated maximum tick liability is determined based at least in part on statistical data regarding the first product. 24. The system of claim 19, wherein the processor determines a risk factor for the first product based at least in part on an estimated maximum tick liability associated with the first product. 25. The system of claim 19, wherein the processor determines a risk factor for the first product based at least in part on an actual maximum tick liability associated with the first product and an estimated maximum tick liability associated with the first product. 26. The system of claim 25, wherein determining the risk factor for the first product comprises selecting the lower of the actual maximum tick liability and the estimated maximum tick liability associated with the first product as the risk factor for the first product. 27. The system of claim 19, wherein the processor determines a risk factor for the first product based at least in part on statistical data regarding the first product. 28. The method of claim 19, wherein:
the first order comprises a unit stake; the processor determines a risk factor for the first product; and the processor determines the risk value for the first order at least by multiplying the risk factor for the first product by the unit stake. 29. The system of claim 19, wherein the processor:
matches the first trading order with a second trading order to at least partially fill the first trading order; and adjusts one or more of the current balances associated with the account based at least in part on the risk value determined for the first order. 30. The system of claim 29, wherein:
the first product is associated with one or more events having an overall duration; the processor updates the risk value for the matched first order during the overall duration of the one or more events; and the processor updates one or more of the current balances associated with the account based at least in part on the updated risk value for the first order. 31. The system of claim 30, wherein the processor is further operable to:
assign a so-far value to the product; update the so-far value during the overall duration of the one or more events associated with the first product; and update the risk value for the matched first order based at least in part on the updated so-far value assigned to the product. 32. The system of claim 19, wherein the processor is further operable to:
receive a request to place a second order to trade a second product, the second order at least partially defined by a stake; place the second order; match the first order with a third order to at least partially fill the first order; adjust one or more of the current balances associated with the account based at least in part on the risk value of the matched first order; and reduce the stake of the unmatched second order by an amount based at least in part on at least on of the adjusted current balances. 33. The system of claim 19, wherein the processor is further operable to:
receive a request to place a second order to trade a second product, the second order at least partially defined by a stake; determine a risk value for the second order; place the second order; match the first order with a third order to at least partially fill the first order; adjust one or more of the current balances associated with the account based at least in part on the risk value of the matched first order; determine whether to reduce the stake of the unmatched second order based at least in part on the risk value of the unmatched second order and at least one of the adjusted current balances; and reduce the stake of the unmatched second order by an amount based at least in part on at least one of the adjusted current balances. 34. The system of claim 19, wherein the processor is further operable to:
receive a plurality of requests to place a plurality of orders including the first order, each request being made using the account, each of the plurality of orders at least partially defined by a stake; determine a risk value for each order; and place each order. 35. The system of claim 34, wherein:
the processor determines for each order, whether to approve the order based at least in part on the risk value determined for the order and one or more of the current balances for the account; and the processor places each approved order. 36. The system of claim 34, further comprising a processor operable to:
match the first order with a second order to at least partially fill the first order, the second order not being one of the plurality of orders; adjust one or more of the current balances for the account based at least in part on the risk value of the matched first order; and for each unmatched order of the plurality of orders:
determine whether to reduce the stake of the unmatched order based at least in part on the risk value of the unmatched order and at least one of the adjusted current balances; and
reduce the stake of the unmatched second order by an amount based at least in part on at least one of the adjusted current balances. | 3,600 |
12,860 | 12,860 | 14,182,180 | 3,679 | A probe seal for a female hydraulic coupling member has both internal and external pressure-energized seals. The outer wall or opposing ends of the seal have one or more pressure-energized seals for sealing between the body of the probe seal and the body of a coupling member in which the probe seal is installed. Annular, L-shaped, T-shaped or angled grooves in the inner wall of the seal form cavities and sealing projections that can be urged in an inward, radial direction by fluid pressure within an associated cavity to increase the sealing effectiveness between the body of the seal and the probe of a male hydraulic coupling member inserted in the receiving chamber of the female coupling member. | 1. A probe seal for a female hydraulic coupling member comprising:
a generally ring-shaped body having a first end, an opposing second end, a generally cylindrical outer surface and a generally cylindrical inner surface; a first annular chamber within the ring-shaped body between the inner surface and the outer surface, the chamber having an inner wall generally parallel to the inner surface of the ring-shaped body and an outer wall generally parallel to the inner surface of the ring-shaped body; a first fluid passageway connecting the annular chamber with the outer surface; and, an annular groove in at least one end of the ring-shaped body proximate the outer surface. 2. The probe seal recited in claim 10 further comprising a second annular chamber within the ring-shaped body between the inner surface and the outer surface, the chamber having an inner wall generally parallel to the inner surface of the ring-shaped body and an outer wall generally parallel to the outer surface of the ring-shaped body, the second annular chamber being in fluid communication with the fluid passageway. 3. The probe seal recited in claim 2 further comprising an annular groove in each end of the ring-shaped body such that the probe seal is symmetric about its midline. 4. The probe seal recited in claim 1 wherein the outside diameter of the probe seal is greater at the end of the ring-shaped body having the annular groove than at the middle of the ring-shaped body. 5. The probe seal recited in claim 1 wherein at least a portion of the surface of the first end and at least a portion of the surface of the second end are disposed at complimentary acute angles to the longitudinal axis of the generally ring-shaped body such that the axial dimension of the probe seal is greater at its outer surface than its axial dimension at its inner surface. 6. The probe seal recited in claim 1 wherein the ring-shaped body comprises an elastomer. 7. The probe seal recited in claim 1 wherein the ring-shaped body is fabricated from a material selected from the group consisting of: polyetheretherketone (PEEK); acetal resins; polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE); glass-filled PTFE; and, PEEK-filled PTFE. 8. The probe seal recited in claim 1 wherein the ring-shaped body consists of an engineering plastic. 9. The probe seal recited in claim 1 wherein the annular chamber together with the fluid passageway is generally L-shaped in cross section and define an axial projection which may be urged in an inward, radial direction by fluid pressure within the annular chamber. 10. The probe seal recited in claim 2 wherein each annular chamber together with its associated fluid passageway is generally L-shaped in cross section and define axial projections which may be urged in an inward, radial direction by fluid pressure within an annular chamber, the probe seal being symmetric about its midline. 11. The probe seal recited in claim 1 further comprising at least one sealing projection on the inner surface of the probe seal. 12. The probe seal recited in claim 2 wherein the sealing projection is at the midline of the seal. 13. A probe seal for a female hydraulic coupling member comprising:
a generally ring-shaped body having a first end, an opposing second end, a generally cylindrical outer surface and a generally cylindrical inner surface; a plurality of grooves in the inner surface, the grooves being disposed at an acute angle to the longitudinal axis of the ring-shaped body and forming a plurality of sealing lips on the inner surface of the ring-shaped body; and, an annular groove in at least one end of the ring-shaped body proximate the outer surface. 14. The probe seal recited in claim 13 further comprising an annular groove in each end of the ring-shaped body proximate the outer surface, the probe seal being symmetric about its midline. 15. The probe seal recited in claim 13 wherein the outside diameter of the probe seal is greater at the end of the ring-shaped body having the annular groove than at the middle of the ring-shaped body. 16. The probe seal recited in claim 13 wherein at least a portion of the surface of the first end and at least a portion of the surface of the second end are disposed at complimentary acute angles to the longitudinal axis of the generally ring-shaped body such that the axial dimension of the probe seal is greater at its outer surface than its axial dimension at its inner surface. 17. The probe seal recited in claim 13 wherein the ring-shaped body comprises an elastomer. 18. The probe seal recited in claim 13 wherein the ring-shaped body is fabricated from a material selected from the group consisting of: polyetheretherketone (PEEK); acetal resins; polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE); glass-filled PTFE; and, PEEK-filled PTFE. 19. The probe seal recited in claim 13 wherein the ring-shaped body consists of an engineering plastic. 20. The probe seal recited in claim 10 wherein the ring-shaped body is machined from the engineering plastic. 21. A female hydraulic coupling member comprising:
a generally cylindrical body having a central axial bore; a shoulder within the central axial bore disposed at an acute angle to the longitudinal axis of the generally cylindrical body; and, a probe seal within the central axial bore comprising:
a generally ring-shaped body having a first end, an opposing second end, a generally cylindrical outer wall and a generally cylindrical inner wall;
a first annular groove in the inner wall having a radial portion which intersects an axial portion, the first annular groove sized and configured such that fluid pressure within the axial portion will urge an adjacent portion of the inner wall in a radially inward direction; and, a second annular groove in the outer wall having a radial portion which intersects an axial portion, the second annular groove sized and configured such that fluid pressure within the axial portion will urge an adjacent portion of the outer wall in a radially outward direction. 22. A female hydraulic coupling member comprising:
a generally cylindrical body having a central axial bore; a shoulder within the central axial bore disposed at an acute angle to the longitudinal axis of the generally cylindrical body; and, a probe seal within the central axial bore comprising:
a generally ring-shaped body having a first end abutting the shoulder within the central axial bore, an opposing second end, a generally cylindrical outer surface and a generally cylindrical inner surface;
an annular chamber within the ring-shaped body between the inner surface and the outer surface, the chamber having an inner wall generally parallel to the inner surface of the ring-shaped body and an outer wall generally parallel to the inner surface of the ring-shaped body;
a fluid passageway connecting the annular chamber with the inner surface; and,
an annular groove in at least one end of the ring-shaped body proximate the outer surface. 23. The female hydraulic coupling member recited in claim 22 configured such that fluid, under pressure, that enters annular chamber via the fluid passageway will exert an inward, radial force on the inner wall of the second annular chamber which increases the sealing effectiveness of the inner surface to the probe of a male coupling member that is coupled to the female coupling member and fluid, under pressure, that enters the annular groove will exert an outward radial force that increases the sealing effectiveness of the outer surface of the probe seal to the body of the female coupling member. 24. A female hydraulic coupling member comprising:
a generally cylindrical body having a central axial bore; a shoulder within the central axial bore disposed at an acute angle to the longitudinal axis of the generally cylindrical body; and, a probe seal comprising:
a generally ring-shaped body having a first end abutting the shoulder within the central axial bore, an opposing second end, a generally cylindrical outer surface and a generally cylindrical inner surface;
a plurality of grooves in the inner surface, the grooves being disposed at an acute angle to the longitudinal axis of the ring-shaped body and forming a plurality of sealing lips on the inner surface of the ring-shaped body; and,
an annular groove in at least one end of the ring-shaped body proximate the outer surface. 25. The female hydraulic coupling member recited in claim 24 configured such that fluid, under pressure, that enters the grooves in the inner surface will exert an inward, radial force on the sealing lips which increases the sealing effectiveness of the inner surface to the probe of a male coupling member that is coupled to the female coupling member and fluid, under pressure, that enters the annular groove will exert an outward radial force that increases the sealing effectiveness of the outer surface of the probe seal to the body of the female coupling member. | A probe seal for a female hydraulic coupling member has both internal and external pressure-energized seals. The outer wall or opposing ends of the seal have one or more pressure-energized seals for sealing between the body of the probe seal and the body of a coupling member in which the probe seal is installed. Annular, L-shaped, T-shaped or angled grooves in the inner wall of the seal form cavities and sealing projections that can be urged in an inward, radial direction by fluid pressure within an associated cavity to increase the sealing effectiveness between the body of the seal and the probe of a male hydraulic coupling member inserted in the receiving chamber of the female coupling member.1. A probe seal for a female hydraulic coupling member comprising:
a generally ring-shaped body having a first end, an opposing second end, a generally cylindrical outer surface and a generally cylindrical inner surface; a first annular chamber within the ring-shaped body between the inner surface and the outer surface, the chamber having an inner wall generally parallel to the inner surface of the ring-shaped body and an outer wall generally parallel to the inner surface of the ring-shaped body; a first fluid passageway connecting the annular chamber with the outer surface; and, an annular groove in at least one end of the ring-shaped body proximate the outer surface. 2. The probe seal recited in claim 10 further comprising a second annular chamber within the ring-shaped body between the inner surface and the outer surface, the chamber having an inner wall generally parallel to the inner surface of the ring-shaped body and an outer wall generally parallel to the outer surface of the ring-shaped body, the second annular chamber being in fluid communication with the fluid passageway. 3. The probe seal recited in claim 2 further comprising an annular groove in each end of the ring-shaped body such that the probe seal is symmetric about its midline. 4. The probe seal recited in claim 1 wherein the outside diameter of the probe seal is greater at the end of the ring-shaped body having the annular groove than at the middle of the ring-shaped body. 5. The probe seal recited in claim 1 wherein at least a portion of the surface of the first end and at least a portion of the surface of the second end are disposed at complimentary acute angles to the longitudinal axis of the generally ring-shaped body such that the axial dimension of the probe seal is greater at its outer surface than its axial dimension at its inner surface. 6. The probe seal recited in claim 1 wherein the ring-shaped body comprises an elastomer. 7. The probe seal recited in claim 1 wherein the ring-shaped body is fabricated from a material selected from the group consisting of: polyetheretherketone (PEEK); acetal resins; polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE); glass-filled PTFE; and, PEEK-filled PTFE. 8. The probe seal recited in claim 1 wherein the ring-shaped body consists of an engineering plastic. 9. The probe seal recited in claim 1 wherein the annular chamber together with the fluid passageway is generally L-shaped in cross section and define an axial projection which may be urged in an inward, radial direction by fluid pressure within the annular chamber. 10. The probe seal recited in claim 2 wherein each annular chamber together with its associated fluid passageway is generally L-shaped in cross section and define axial projections which may be urged in an inward, radial direction by fluid pressure within an annular chamber, the probe seal being symmetric about its midline. 11. The probe seal recited in claim 1 further comprising at least one sealing projection on the inner surface of the probe seal. 12. The probe seal recited in claim 2 wherein the sealing projection is at the midline of the seal. 13. A probe seal for a female hydraulic coupling member comprising:
a generally ring-shaped body having a first end, an opposing second end, a generally cylindrical outer surface and a generally cylindrical inner surface; a plurality of grooves in the inner surface, the grooves being disposed at an acute angle to the longitudinal axis of the ring-shaped body and forming a plurality of sealing lips on the inner surface of the ring-shaped body; and, an annular groove in at least one end of the ring-shaped body proximate the outer surface. 14. The probe seal recited in claim 13 further comprising an annular groove in each end of the ring-shaped body proximate the outer surface, the probe seal being symmetric about its midline. 15. The probe seal recited in claim 13 wherein the outside diameter of the probe seal is greater at the end of the ring-shaped body having the annular groove than at the middle of the ring-shaped body. 16. The probe seal recited in claim 13 wherein at least a portion of the surface of the first end and at least a portion of the surface of the second end are disposed at complimentary acute angles to the longitudinal axis of the generally ring-shaped body such that the axial dimension of the probe seal is greater at its outer surface than its axial dimension at its inner surface. 17. The probe seal recited in claim 13 wherein the ring-shaped body comprises an elastomer. 18. The probe seal recited in claim 13 wherein the ring-shaped body is fabricated from a material selected from the group consisting of: polyetheretherketone (PEEK); acetal resins; polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE); glass-filled PTFE; and, PEEK-filled PTFE. 19. The probe seal recited in claim 13 wherein the ring-shaped body consists of an engineering plastic. 20. The probe seal recited in claim 10 wherein the ring-shaped body is machined from the engineering plastic. 21. A female hydraulic coupling member comprising:
a generally cylindrical body having a central axial bore; a shoulder within the central axial bore disposed at an acute angle to the longitudinal axis of the generally cylindrical body; and, a probe seal within the central axial bore comprising:
a generally ring-shaped body having a first end, an opposing second end, a generally cylindrical outer wall and a generally cylindrical inner wall;
a first annular groove in the inner wall having a radial portion which intersects an axial portion, the first annular groove sized and configured such that fluid pressure within the axial portion will urge an adjacent portion of the inner wall in a radially inward direction; and, a second annular groove in the outer wall having a radial portion which intersects an axial portion, the second annular groove sized and configured such that fluid pressure within the axial portion will urge an adjacent portion of the outer wall in a radially outward direction. 22. A female hydraulic coupling member comprising:
a generally cylindrical body having a central axial bore; a shoulder within the central axial bore disposed at an acute angle to the longitudinal axis of the generally cylindrical body; and, a probe seal within the central axial bore comprising:
a generally ring-shaped body having a first end abutting the shoulder within the central axial bore, an opposing second end, a generally cylindrical outer surface and a generally cylindrical inner surface;
an annular chamber within the ring-shaped body between the inner surface and the outer surface, the chamber having an inner wall generally parallel to the inner surface of the ring-shaped body and an outer wall generally parallel to the inner surface of the ring-shaped body;
a fluid passageway connecting the annular chamber with the inner surface; and,
an annular groove in at least one end of the ring-shaped body proximate the outer surface. 23. The female hydraulic coupling member recited in claim 22 configured such that fluid, under pressure, that enters annular chamber via the fluid passageway will exert an inward, radial force on the inner wall of the second annular chamber which increases the sealing effectiveness of the inner surface to the probe of a male coupling member that is coupled to the female coupling member and fluid, under pressure, that enters the annular groove will exert an outward radial force that increases the sealing effectiveness of the outer surface of the probe seal to the body of the female coupling member. 24. A female hydraulic coupling member comprising:
a generally cylindrical body having a central axial bore; a shoulder within the central axial bore disposed at an acute angle to the longitudinal axis of the generally cylindrical body; and, a probe seal comprising:
a generally ring-shaped body having a first end abutting the shoulder within the central axial bore, an opposing second end, a generally cylindrical outer surface and a generally cylindrical inner surface;
a plurality of grooves in the inner surface, the grooves being disposed at an acute angle to the longitudinal axis of the ring-shaped body and forming a plurality of sealing lips on the inner surface of the ring-shaped body; and,
an annular groove in at least one end of the ring-shaped body proximate the outer surface. 25. The female hydraulic coupling member recited in claim 24 configured such that fluid, under pressure, that enters the grooves in the inner surface will exert an inward, radial force on the sealing lips which increases the sealing effectiveness of the inner surface to the probe of a male coupling member that is coupled to the female coupling member and fluid, under pressure, that enters the annular groove will exert an outward radial force that increases the sealing effectiveness of the outer surface of the probe seal to the body of the female coupling member. | 3,600 |
12,861 | 12,861 | 12,737,343 | 3,628 | In a lodging reservation site, since the number of rooms of respective hotels allotted to each of lodging reservation sites is restricted, when users gather to a specific site, the users cannot reserve vacant rooms in the specific site despite another sites have vacant rooms. Searched objects for vacant rooms in a lodging reservation site server are extended from allotted hotel rooms to web sites managed by the hotels. Situation where reservation is not made even with a vacant room is prevented and it is possible to make reservations based on actual number of remaining rooms of hotels. | 1. A reservation system for performing reservations of a user at a plurality of facilities, comprising:
a first computer performing reservations at the facilities; a second computer accessing to the first computer through a network and managing vacancy data of a predetermined specific facility; wherein the first computer comprises: an input data receiving means for displaying an input screen for the reservation at the respective facilities on a user terminal that accesses through the network, and receiving input data containing the facility and date that are input through the input screen when a facility different from the specific facility is input to the input screen; a reservation data storage means for creating and storing reservation data of the facility based on the input data received from the input data receiving means; and an input data transmission means for transmitting the input data containing the facility and date input through the input screen to the second computer through the network when the specific facility is input to the input screen of the user terminal by the input data receiving means; wherein the second computer comprises: a vacancy data updating means for updating the vacancy data based on the input data transmitted from the input data transmission means of the first computer; and a reservation completion data displaying means for creating reservation completion data based on a updated record of the vacancy data, displaying the reservation completion data on the user terminal, and transmitting the reservation completion data to the first computer; wherein the reservation data storage means of the first computer creates and stores reservation data based on the reservation completion data. 2. The reservation system according to claim 1,
wherein the input data receiving means of the first computer displays an input screen for options including a location of a facility to be reserved and reservation date on the user terminal, and receives optional data of the facility to be reserved that is input to the input screen; the first computer further comprises a reservation option searching means for searching for a facility satisfying the facility to be reserved, based on the option data of the facility to be reserved, property data containing locations of the plurality of facilities of a corresponding computer, history data of reservations at the facility, and the vacancy data of a corresponding specific facility of the second computer that accesses through the network; and the input screen for reservations at the plurality of facilities that is displayed on the user terminal by the input data receiving means, is created based on a searched result performed by the reservation option searching means. 3. The reservation system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the second computer accesses to a plurality of the first computers;
wherein each of the first computers comprises:
a database storing the number of allotted rooms and the number of remaining rooms of every facility;
a remaining room number transmission means for transmitting the number of remaining rooms to the second computer at a preset time before a closing time of reservation; and
an allotted room number modifying means for updating the number of allotted rooms and the number of remaining rooms based on increment data of the number of allotted rooms transmitted from the second computer when the increment data is received;
wherein the second computer comprises a remaining room number adjusting means for modifying the number of allotted rooms for reservation of the first computer in every facility based on the number of remaining rooms that is transmitted from the first computer and transmitting increment data of the number of allotted rooms to the respective first computers. 4. The reservation system of claim 3, wherein the first computer comprises:
a database storing a source of obtaining the vacancy data of every facility; and a referring location changing means for changing the source based on the number of remaining rooms of every facility. | In a lodging reservation site, since the number of rooms of respective hotels allotted to each of lodging reservation sites is restricted, when users gather to a specific site, the users cannot reserve vacant rooms in the specific site despite another sites have vacant rooms. Searched objects for vacant rooms in a lodging reservation site server are extended from allotted hotel rooms to web sites managed by the hotels. Situation where reservation is not made even with a vacant room is prevented and it is possible to make reservations based on actual number of remaining rooms of hotels.1. A reservation system for performing reservations of a user at a plurality of facilities, comprising:
a first computer performing reservations at the facilities; a second computer accessing to the first computer through a network and managing vacancy data of a predetermined specific facility; wherein the first computer comprises: an input data receiving means for displaying an input screen for the reservation at the respective facilities on a user terminal that accesses through the network, and receiving input data containing the facility and date that are input through the input screen when a facility different from the specific facility is input to the input screen; a reservation data storage means for creating and storing reservation data of the facility based on the input data received from the input data receiving means; and an input data transmission means for transmitting the input data containing the facility and date input through the input screen to the second computer through the network when the specific facility is input to the input screen of the user terminal by the input data receiving means; wherein the second computer comprises: a vacancy data updating means for updating the vacancy data based on the input data transmitted from the input data transmission means of the first computer; and a reservation completion data displaying means for creating reservation completion data based on a updated record of the vacancy data, displaying the reservation completion data on the user terminal, and transmitting the reservation completion data to the first computer; wherein the reservation data storage means of the first computer creates and stores reservation data based on the reservation completion data. 2. The reservation system according to claim 1,
wherein the input data receiving means of the first computer displays an input screen for options including a location of a facility to be reserved and reservation date on the user terminal, and receives optional data of the facility to be reserved that is input to the input screen; the first computer further comprises a reservation option searching means for searching for a facility satisfying the facility to be reserved, based on the option data of the facility to be reserved, property data containing locations of the plurality of facilities of a corresponding computer, history data of reservations at the facility, and the vacancy data of a corresponding specific facility of the second computer that accesses through the network; and the input screen for reservations at the plurality of facilities that is displayed on the user terminal by the input data receiving means, is created based on a searched result performed by the reservation option searching means. 3. The reservation system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the second computer accesses to a plurality of the first computers;
wherein each of the first computers comprises:
a database storing the number of allotted rooms and the number of remaining rooms of every facility;
a remaining room number transmission means for transmitting the number of remaining rooms to the second computer at a preset time before a closing time of reservation; and
an allotted room number modifying means for updating the number of allotted rooms and the number of remaining rooms based on increment data of the number of allotted rooms transmitted from the second computer when the increment data is received;
wherein the second computer comprises a remaining room number adjusting means for modifying the number of allotted rooms for reservation of the first computer in every facility based on the number of remaining rooms that is transmitted from the first computer and transmitting increment data of the number of allotted rooms to the respective first computers. 4. The reservation system of claim 3, wherein the first computer comprises:
a database storing a source of obtaining the vacancy data of every facility; and a referring location changing means for changing the source based on the number of remaining rooms of every facility. | 3,600 |
12,862 | 12,862 | 14,709,181 | 3,623 | Determining a policy change for an outcome related to an opportunity includes monitoring factors and outcomes associated with opportunities stored in a customer relationship management (CRM) system, extracting the factors and the outcomes associated with the opportunities stored in the CRM system into a queryable database, analyzing, via a queryable database, the factors and the outcomes associated with the opportunities to identify patterns related to the outcomes of the opportunities, and determining, based on the patterns related to the outcomes of the opportunities, a policy change to improve the outcomes related to the opportunities. | 1. A method for determining a policy change for an outcome related to an opportunity, the method comprising:
monitoring factors and outcomes associated with opportunities stored in a customer relationship management (CRM) system; extracting the factors and the outcomes associated with the opportunities stored in the CRM system into a queryable database; analyzing, via the queryable database, the factors and the outcomes associated with the opportunities to identify patterns related to the outcomes of the opportunities; and determining, based on the patterns related to the outcomes of the opportunities, a policy change to improve the outcomes related to the opportunities. 2. The method of claim 1, in which analyzing, via the queryable database, the factors and the outcomes associated with the opportunities to identify the patterns related to the outcomes of the opportunities comprises identifying the factors that are winning factors related to a profit gain. 3. The method of claim 2, in which analyzing, via the queryable database, the factors and the outcomes associated with the opportunities to identify the patterns related to the outcomes of the opportunities further comprises identifying the factors that are losing factors related to a profit loss. 4. The method of claim 3, in which analyzing, via the queryable database, the factors and the outcomes associated with the opportunities to identify the patterns related to the outcomes of the opportunities further comprises identifying the factors that are expenditures without improved sales. 5. The method of claim 1, further comprising applying a weight to the factors, the outcomes, or combinations thereof. 6. The method of claim 1, in which the factors associated with the opportunities comprise products sold, sellers, customers, opportunity management, locations, currency, technology, timing, effort spent, costs, return on investment (ROI), or combinations thereof. 7. The method of claim 1, in which the outcomes associated with the opportunities comprise success based on obtained sales, failure based on missed sales, futile sales, or combinations thereof. | Determining a policy change for an outcome related to an opportunity includes monitoring factors and outcomes associated with opportunities stored in a customer relationship management (CRM) system, extracting the factors and the outcomes associated with the opportunities stored in the CRM system into a queryable database, analyzing, via a queryable database, the factors and the outcomes associated with the opportunities to identify patterns related to the outcomes of the opportunities, and determining, based on the patterns related to the outcomes of the opportunities, a policy change to improve the outcomes related to the opportunities.1. A method for determining a policy change for an outcome related to an opportunity, the method comprising:
monitoring factors and outcomes associated with opportunities stored in a customer relationship management (CRM) system; extracting the factors and the outcomes associated with the opportunities stored in the CRM system into a queryable database; analyzing, via the queryable database, the factors and the outcomes associated with the opportunities to identify patterns related to the outcomes of the opportunities; and determining, based on the patterns related to the outcomes of the opportunities, a policy change to improve the outcomes related to the opportunities. 2. The method of claim 1, in which analyzing, via the queryable database, the factors and the outcomes associated with the opportunities to identify the patterns related to the outcomes of the opportunities comprises identifying the factors that are winning factors related to a profit gain. 3. The method of claim 2, in which analyzing, via the queryable database, the factors and the outcomes associated with the opportunities to identify the patterns related to the outcomes of the opportunities further comprises identifying the factors that are losing factors related to a profit loss. 4. The method of claim 3, in which analyzing, via the queryable database, the factors and the outcomes associated with the opportunities to identify the patterns related to the outcomes of the opportunities further comprises identifying the factors that are expenditures without improved sales. 5. The method of claim 1, further comprising applying a weight to the factors, the outcomes, or combinations thereof. 6. The method of claim 1, in which the factors associated with the opportunities comprise products sold, sellers, customers, opportunity management, locations, currency, technology, timing, effort spent, costs, return on investment (ROI), or combinations thereof. 7. The method of claim 1, in which the outcomes associated with the opportunities comprise success based on obtained sales, failure based on missed sales, futile sales, or combinations thereof. | 3,600 |
12,863 | 12,863 | 11,966,893 | 3,685 | A method and apparatus dynamically allocates monetization access and optimizes the value of digital content by managing the access rights and monetization rights, delivery, measurement and by accounting for advertising, promotion and digital messaging within, over, and around digital content across a distributed network of business entities and a distributed network of delivery platforms. | 1. A method for controlling access and monetization rights to an ad/message inventory of content assets, comprising the steps of:
dynamically allocating access rights to a unit of ad/message inventory within a content asset; and separately dynamically determining monetization rights to compensate parties for both creation of said content and origination of a consumer's consumption of said content asset, for all relevant parties with each and every instance of a consumer accessing a content asset; wherein said dynamic allocation and determination of rights is centered on said content asset, an ad/message slot associated with said content asset, and a business entity in each specific instance that contributed what value to monetization of said content asset. 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:
separately and dynamically determining access and monetization based on who contributed what value to the monetization of a particular asset and how business entities in question negotiated who gets what access control and monetization compensation in which circumstances. 3. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:
granting actual allocation of access rights to place ad/messages into, over, or around a content asset being consumed to an entity that actually originated a view or instance of consumption of said content asset, to an entity that owns rights to said content asset, to an entity engaged to sell ads on behalf of a rights owner of said content asset, to a distributor of said content asset, or in any combination thereof. 4. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:
determining and allocating monetization compensation for value generated based on who did what in that instance; wherein a content rights owner can distribute content assets across numerous aggregator/distributors and retain all access rights to monetize an inventory, creating sufficient scale for advertisers, while compensating said aggregator/distributors for having originated a view of a content asset. 5. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:
sharing ad/message inventory associated with a content asset by allocating different ad units associated with a content asset or proportions of the same ad units associated with a piece of content 6. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:
compensating a granting party who owns rights to a content asset for its' rights; and compensating a party that originated an instance of a consumer consuming said content asset for creating that opportunity. 7. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:
establishing contingent access rights to any ad/message slot in any content asset to choose amongst many different business entities' advertiser campaigns dynamically to ensure maximum yield for every instance of said content asset being consumed; wherein advertiser campaigns compete to win a right to show an ad/message. 8. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:
dynamically determining access rights, monetization rights, and contingent access rights to any ad/message unit in any content asset each time a content asset is consumed, based on the combination of:
who originated a viewing of a video, or consumption of an instance of a content asset;
who owns rights to a content asset; and
who sold an advertisement that ran in an ad/message slot. 9. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of establishing a virtual network by:
distributing content assets across a plurality of aggregator/distributors; and selling advertising/message inventory through a plurality of media sales entities; wherein access rights to put a message into an ad/message slot, contingent access rights to optimize yield, and monetization rights of who gets compensated how for each piece of a value chain created, are all dynamically decided at the moment a consumer accesses an instance of a content asset; and wherein both access control and compensation are flexibly allocated to business entities involved with an optimal yield. 10. An apparatus for providing content asset centric, dynamic access rights and monetization rights across a distributed network of aggregator/distributors, comprising:
a plurality of individual content assets, each having a content rights owner or publisher; a central access and monetization rights database tied to each content asset for storing access and monetization rights of each content asset; and means for dynamically determining access to ad/message inventory and for separately, dynamically determining compensation due (monetization rights) for values created of owning rights to a particular content asset, originating a view or consumption of said content asset, and selling ads into said content asset when said content asset is viewed or consumed; wherein access rights and compensations due are dynamically and separately determined when a view or instance of consumption of a content asset occurs, based on an intersection of which business entity originated said view of said content asset, owned content rights to said content asset, and/or sold advertising that monetized said content asset; and wherein access and compensation for different value contributions are dynamically set based on whichever combination of values where actually contributed by whichever business entities contributed them. 11. The apparatus of claim 10, further comprising:
a virtual network of potential ad/message inventory across a library of content assets for which one or more business entities either are granted pre-determined access rights to an ad/message slot of a particular content asset by a content rights owner, or are granted contingent access rights to an ad/message slot of a particular content asset and could compete with all other business entities possessing contingent access rights to that ad/message slot of said content asset to win an opportunity to show said ad/message. 12. The apparatus of claim 10, said means for dynamically determining compensation due comprising:
means for determining how monetization rights and associated compensation are allocated based on value contributions comprising any of:
which business entity originated a view or consumption of a content asset;
which business entity owns content rights to a particular content asset; and
which business entity sold an advertiser or marketer who paid to run an ad/message in an available slot in, over, or around a particular content asset;
wherein all three value contributions are from a single entity that owned said content rights, originated a view and sold an advertiser, or any combination of the three across multiple business entities; and wherein actual allocations are determined by business arrangement and stored in said database. 13. A method for providing content asset centric, dynamic access rights and monetization rights across a distributed network of aggregator/distributors, comprising the steps of:
providing a plurality of individual content assets, each having a content rights owner or publisher; providing a central access and monetization rights database tied to each content asset for storing access and monetization rights of each content asset; and dynamically determining access to ad/message inventory and for separately, dynamically determining compensation due (monetization rights) for values created of owning rights to a particular content asset, originating a view or consumption of said content asset, and selling ads into said content asset when said content asset is viewed or consumed; wherein access rights and compensations due are dynamically and separately determined when a view, or instance of consumption of a content asset occurs, based on an intersection of which business entity originated said view of said content asset, owned content rights to said content asset, and/or sold advertising that monetized said content asset; and wherein access and compensation for different value contributions are dynamically set based on whichever combination of values where actually contributed by whichever business entities contributed them. 14. The method of claim 13, further comprising the step of:
centrally assigning an ID and managing an ID of any aggregator/distributor through said central access and monetization rights management database. 15. The method of claim 13, further comprising the step of:
centrally assigning an ID and managing an ID of any content rights owner through said central access and monetization rights management database. 16. The method of claim 13, further comprising the step of:
centrally identifying each particular content asset and centrally managing an ID of each content asset, through said central access and monetization rights management database. 17. The method of claim 13, further comprising the steps of:
assigning each content asset to a content rights owner and managing this assignment; and managing any sub-rights holders or other tracking of related parties with whom a content rights owner has relationships around owning rights to any content asset. 18. The method of claim 13, further comprising the step of:
assigning descriptive elements or meta descriptive element types to any particular content asset. 19. The method of claim 13, further comprising the step of:
assigning a desired organization taxonomy to any content asset. 20. The method of claim 13, further comprising the steps of:
identifying, assigning, and managing which ad/message slots should apply to any particular content asset; and creating and managing resultant ad/message slot IDs; wherein a combination of said ad/message slot ID and a content/asset ID creates said ad/message slot IDs for a particular content asset. 21. The method of claim 13, further comprising the step of:
centrally assigning an ID and managing an ID of any ad/message slot sales channel through said central access and monetization rights management database. 22. The method of claim 13, further comprising the step of:
assigning and managing IDs and permissions of any sales person or other system functionary within such an ad/message sales channel. 23. The method of claim 13, further comprising the step of:
assigning and managing access rights and monetization rights to any ad/message slot associated with any content asset. 24. The method of claim 13, further comprising the step of:
defining access right types comprising any of 100% access, proportional shared access, and access to a fixed number of ad/message slot per content asset per duration of time. 25. The method of claim 13, further comprising the step of:
defining and adding new access right types over time or modifying existing access right types; wherein any particular access right type can only apply to a particular ad/message slot of any particular content asset. 26. The method of claim 13, further comprising the step of:
defining conditions under which granting of access rights occurs, said conditions comprising any of:
only when a relevant party originated a view or consumption of a content asset; and
creation of a sequential access order and allowing access only if there is no other existing ad/messages from any higher prioritized entities that have access rights. 27. The method of claim 13, further comprising the step of:
defining any particular ad/message slot, either in total or associated with any particular content asset or any grouping of content assets, as contingently accessible. 28. The method of claim 13, further comprising the step of:
defining conditions under which contingent access rights are granted, said conditions comprising any of:
minimum revenue potential per ad/message, geographic or time of day restrictions, or any other enabled method of identifying and targeting any ad/message slot. 29. The method of claim 13, further comprising the step of:
assigning actual access rights to any participating entity for any particular ad/message slot in, over, or around any particular content asset. 30. The method of claim 13, further comprising the step of:
assigning monetization rights and compensation rules to all enabled parties for any particular ad/message slot for any particular content asset. 31. The method of claim 13, further comprising the step of:
defining monetization right types and compensation rules comprising any of:
proportional advertising revenue share;
proportional advertising profit share;
fixed cost per instance of content consumption;
fixed cost for a fixed number of instances of content consumption; and
fixed cost for an unlimited number of instances of content consumption. 32. The method of claim 13, further comprising the step of:
defining and adding new monetization right types over time, or modifying existing monetization right types; wherein any particular monetization right type can only apply to a particular ad/message slot of any particular content asset. 33. The method of claim 13, further comprising the step of:
transmitting the fact that a view has been initiated for a particular content asset, and an identity of that aggregator/distributor or other view originator of that content asset, to said asset and monetization rights management database upon each origination of a view or instance of consumption of any particular content asset. 34. The method of claim 13, further comprising the step of:
allocating actual access to any particular ad/message slot in any particular content asset based on rules in said asset and monetization rights management database. 35. The method of claim 13, further comprising the step of:
recording and storing actual effects and results of displaying or delivering a content asset and related ad/messages. 36. The method of claim 13, further comprising the step of:
calculating and accounting for compensation due to all relevant parties based on monetization rights as recorded in said asset and monetization rights management database. 37. The method of claim 13, further comprising the step of:
calculating and yield optimizing which business entity wins access rights for any ad/message slot that has contingent access rights. 38. The method of claim 13, further comprising the step of:
tracking, logging, and reporting on metrics and results comprising any of the following:
content asset usage by asset-view path of which business entity originated a view, by any entity that owns any form of access or monetization rights, and by any taxonomy or organization enabled in said content asset management database;
content value and revenue generation accounting and reporting by asset-view path of which business entity originated a view, by any entity that owns any form of access or monetization rights, and by any taxonomy or organization enabled in said content asset management database; and
permissions, rights management, and contracts. 39. The method of claim 13, further comprising the step of:
defining and managing ad/message slot virtual networks of any participating business entity that has potential access rights comprising any of:
content asset library management and related ad/message slot management; and
taxonomy and various grouping and organizational management of content assets and ad/message slots as desired to package for media sales comprising any of:
ad/message slot media buy sales process and order management;
ad/message best candidate message selection;
yield optimization; and
ad/message slot message serving and reporting. | A method and apparatus dynamically allocates monetization access and optimizes the value of digital content by managing the access rights and monetization rights, delivery, measurement and by accounting for advertising, promotion and digital messaging within, over, and around digital content across a distributed network of business entities and a distributed network of delivery platforms.1. A method for controlling access and monetization rights to an ad/message inventory of content assets, comprising the steps of:
dynamically allocating access rights to a unit of ad/message inventory within a content asset; and separately dynamically determining monetization rights to compensate parties for both creation of said content and origination of a consumer's consumption of said content asset, for all relevant parties with each and every instance of a consumer accessing a content asset; wherein said dynamic allocation and determination of rights is centered on said content asset, an ad/message slot associated with said content asset, and a business entity in each specific instance that contributed what value to monetization of said content asset. 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:
separately and dynamically determining access and monetization based on who contributed what value to the monetization of a particular asset and how business entities in question negotiated who gets what access control and monetization compensation in which circumstances. 3. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:
granting actual allocation of access rights to place ad/messages into, over, or around a content asset being consumed to an entity that actually originated a view or instance of consumption of said content asset, to an entity that owns rights to said content asset, to an entity engaged to sell ads on behalf of a rights owner of said content asset, to a distributor of said content asset, or in any combination thereof. 4. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:
determining and allocating monetization compensation for value generated based on who did what in that instance; wherein a content rights owner can distribute content assets across numerous aggregator/distributors and retain all access rights to monetize an inventory, creating sufficient scale for advertisers, while compensating said aggregator/distributors for having originated a view of a content asset. 5. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:
sharing ad/message inventory associated with a content asset by allocating different ad units associated with a content asset or proportions of the same ad units associated with a piece of content 6. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:
compensating a granting party who owns rights to a content asset for its' rights; and compensating a party that originated an instance of a consumer consuming said content asset for creating that opportunity. 7. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:
establishing contingent access rights to any ad/message slot in any content asset to choose amongst many different business entities' advertiser campaigns dynamically to ensure maximum yield for every instance of said content asset being consumed; wherein advertiser campaigns compete to win a right to show an ad/message. 8. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:
dynamically determining access rights, monetization rights, and contingent access rights to any ad/message unit in any content asset each time a content asset is consumed, based on the combination of:
who originated a viewing of a video, or consumption of an instance of a content asset;
who owns rights to a content asset; and
who sold an advertisement that ran in an ad/message slot. 9. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of establishing a virtual network by:
distributing content assets across a plurality of aggregator/distributors; and selling advertising/message inventory through a plurality of media sales entities; wherein access rights to put a message into an ad/message slot, contingent access rights to optimize yield, and monetization rights of who gets compensated how for each piece of a value chain created, are all dynamically decided at the moment a consumer accesses an instance of a content asset; and wherein both access control and compensation are flexibly allocated to business entities involved with an optimal yield. 10. An apparatus for providing content asset centric, dynamic access rights and monetization rights across a distributed network of aggregator/distributors, comprising:
a plurality of individual content assets, each having a content rights owner or publisher; a central access and monetization rights database tied to each content asset for storing access and monetization rights of each content asset; and means for dynamically determining access to ad/message inventory and for separately, dynamically determining compensation due (monetization rights) for values created of owning rights to a particular content asset, originating a view or consumption of said content asset, and selling ads into said content asset when said content asset is viewed or consumed; wherein access rights and compensations due are dynamically and separately determined when a view or instance of consumption of a content asset occurs, based on an intersection of which business entity originated said view of said content asset, owned content rights to said content asset, and/or sold advertising that monetized said content asset; and wherein access and compensation for different value contributions are dynamically set based on whichever combination of values where actually contributed by whichever business entities contributed them. 11. The apparatus of claim 10, further comprising:
a virtual network of potential ad/message inventory across a library of content assets for which one or more business entities either are granted pre-determined access rights to an ad/message slot of a particular content asset by a content rights owner, or are granted contingent access rights to an ad/message slot of a particular content asset and could compete with all other business entities possessing contingent access rights to that ad/message slot of said content asset to win an opportunity to show said ad/message. 12. The apparatus of claim 10, said means for dynamically determining compensation due comprising:
means for determining how monetization rights and associated compensation are allocated based on value contributions comprising any of:
which business entity originated a view or consumption of a content asset;
which business entity owns content rights to a particular content asset; and
which business entity sold an advertiser or marketer who paid to run an ad/message in an available slot in, over, or around a particular content asset;
wherein all three value contributions are from a single entity that owned said content rights, originated a view and sold an advertiser, or any combination of the three across multiple business entities; and wherein actual allocations are determined by business arrangement and stored in said database. 13. A method for providing content asset centric, dynamic access rights and monetization rights across a distributed network of aggregator/distributors, comprising the steps of:
providing a plurality of individual content assets, each having a content rights owner or publisher; providing a central access and monetization rights database tied to each content asset for storing access and monetization rights of each content asset; and dynamically determining access to ad/message inventory and for separately, dynamically determining compensation due (monetization rights) for values created of owning rights to a particular content asset, originating a view or consumption of said content asset, and selling ads into said content asset when said content asset is viewed or consumed; wherein access rights and compensations due are dynamically and separately determined when a view, or instance of consumption of a content asset occurs, based on an intersection of which business entity originated said view of said content asset, owned content rights to said content asset, and/or sold advertising that monetized said content asset; and wherein access and compensation for different value contributions are dynamically set based on whichever combination of values where actually contributed by whichever business entities contributed them. 14. The method of claim 13, further comprising the step of:
centrally assigning an ID and managing an ID of any aggregator/distributor through said central access and monetization rights management database. 15. The method of claim 13, further comprising the step of:
centrally assigning an ID and managing an ID of any content rights owner through said central access and monetization rights management database. 16. The method of claim 13, further comprising the step of:
centrally identifying each particular content asset and centrally managing an ID of each content asset, through said central access and monetization rights management database. 17. The method of claim 13, further comprising the steps of:
assigning each content asset to a content rights owner and managing this assignment; and managing any sub-rights holders or other tracking of related parties with whom a content rights owner has relationships around owning rights to any content asset. 18. The method of claim 13, further comprising the step of:
assigning descriptive elements or meta descriptive element types to any particular content asset. 19. The method of claim 13, further comprising the step of:
assigning a desired organization taxonomy to any content asset. 20. The method of claim 13, further comprising the steps of:
identifying, assigning, and managing which ad/message slots should apply to any particular content asset; and creating and managing resultant ad/message slot IDs; wherein a combination of said ad/message slot ID and a content/asset ID creates said ad/message slot IDs for a particular content asset. 21. The method of claim 13, further comprising the step of:
centrally assigning an ID and managing an ID of any ad/message slot sales channel through said central access and monetization rights management database. 22. The method of claim 13, further comprising the step of:
assigning and managing IDs and permissions of any sales person or other system functionary within such an ad/message sales channel. 23. The method of claim 13, further comprising the step of:
assigning and managing access rights and monetization rights to any ad/message slot associated with any content asset. 24. The method of claim 13, further comprising the step of:
defining access right types comprising any of 100% access, proportional shared access, and access to a fixed number of ad/message slot per content asset per duration of time. 25. The method of claim 13, further comprising the step of:
defining and adding new access right types over time or modifying existing access right types; wherein any particular access right type can only apply to a particular ad/message slot of any particular content asset. 26. The method of claim 13, further comprising the step of:
defining conditions under which granting of access rights occurs, said conditions comprising any of:
only when a relevant party originated a view or consumption of a content asset; and
creation of a sequential access order and allowing access only if there is no other existing ad/messages from any higher prioritized entities that have access rights. 27. The method of claim 13, further comprising the step of:
defining any particular ad/message slot, either in total or associated with any particular content asset or any grouping of content assets, as contingently accessible. 28. The method of claim 13, further comprising the step of:
defining conditions under which contingent access rights are granted, said conditions comprising any of:
minimum revenue potential per ad/message, geographic or time of day restrictions, or any other enabled method of identifying and targeting any ad/message slot. 29. The method of claim 13, further comprising the step of:
assigning actual access rights to any participating entity for any particular ad/message slot in, over, or around any particular content asset. 30. The method of claim 13, further comprising the step of:
assigning monetization rights and compensation rules to all enabled parties for any particular ad/message slot for any particular content asset. 31. The method of claim 13, further comprising the step of:
defining monetization right types and compensation rules comprising any of:
proportional advertising revenue share;
proportional advertising profit share;
fixed cost per instance of content consumption;
fixed cost for a fixed number of instances of content consumption; and
fixed cost for an unlimited number of instances of content consumption. 32. The method of claim 13, further comprising the step of:
defining and adding new monetization right types over time, or modifying existing monetization right types; wherein any particular monetization right type can only apply to a particular ad/message slot of any particular content asset. 33. The method of claim 13, further comprising the step of:
transmitting the fact that a view has been initiated for a particular content asset, and an identity of that aggregator/distributor or other view originator of that content asset, to said asset and monetization rights management database upon each origination of a view or instance of consumption of any particular content asset. 34. The method of claim 13, further comprising the step of:
allocating actual access to any particular ad/message slot in any particular content asset based on rules in said asset and monetization rights management database. 35. The method of claim 13, further comprising the step of:
recording and storing actual effects and results of displaying or delivering a content asset and related ad/messages. 36. The method of claim 13, further comprising the step of:
calculating and accounting for compensation due to all relevant parties based on monetization rights as recorded in said asset and monetization rights management database. 37. The method of claim 13, further comprising the step of:
calculating and yield optimizing which business entity wins access rights for any ad/message slot that has contingent access rights. 38. The method of claim 13, further comprising the step of:
tracking, logging, and reporting on metrics and results comprising any of the following:
content asset usage by asset-view path of which business entity originated a view, by any entity that owns any form of access or monetization rights, and by any taxonomy or organization enabled in said content asset management database;
content value and revenue generation accounting and reporting by asset-view path of which business entity originated a view, by any entity that owns any form of access or monetization rights, and by any taxonomy or organization enabled in said content asset management database; and
permissions, rights management, and contracts. 39. The method of claim 13, further comprising the step of:
defining and managing ad/message slot virtual networks of any participating business entity that has potential access rights comprising any of:
content asset library management and related ad/message slot management; and
taxonomy and various grouping and organizational management of content assets and ad/message slots as desired to package for media sales comprising any of:
ad/message slot media buy sales process and order management;
ad/message best candidate message selection;
yield optimization; and
ad/message slot message serving and reporting. | 3,600 |
12,864 | 12,864 | 13,788,535 | 3,659 | A transmission gearing arrangement produces at least nine forward speed ratios and one reverse speed ratio by selective engagement of three shift elements in various combinations. One embodiment includes four simple planetary gear sets, three clutches, and three brakes. A second embodiment includes four simple planetary gear sets, four clutches, and two brakes. In this second embodiment, three of the clutches and one of the brakes form a four shift element module. A third embodiment includes two axis transfer gear pairs, three simple planetary gear sets, five clutches, and one brake. | 1. A transmission comprising:
first, second, third, and fourth shafts; an input shaft; an output shaft; a first gearing arrangement configured to fixedly impose a linear speed relationship among the first shaft, the input shaft, and the third shaft; a second gearing arrangement configured to fixedly impose a linear speed relationship among the first shaft, the second shaft, and the third shaft; a third gearing arrangement configured to selectively constrain the fourth shaft to rotate slower than the second shaft and in a same direction; a fourth gearing arrangement configured to i) selectively constrain the output shaft to rotate at a speed proportional to a speed of the first shaft and ii) selectively constrain the output shaft to rotate at a speed proportional to a speed of the third shaft; a first brake configured to selectively hold the fourth shaft against rotation; and a first clutch configured to selectively couple the fourth shaft to the input shaft. 2. The transmission of claim 1 wherein the first gearing arrangement comprises:
a first simple planetary gear set having a first sun gear fixedly coupled to the second shaft, a first ring gear fixedly coupled to the first shaft, a first planet carrier fixedly coupled to the input shaft, and at least one planet gear supported for rotation on the first planet carrier and in continuous meshing engagement with the first sun gear and the first ring gear. 3. The transmission of claim 1 further comprising a second clutch configured to selectively couple the third shaft to the fourth shaft. 4. The transmission of claim 3 wherein the second gearing arrangement comprises:
a second simple planetary gear set having a second sun gear fixedly coupled to the first shaft, a second ring gear fixedly coupled to the third shaft, a second planet carrier fixedly coupled to the second shaft, and at least one planet gear supported for rotation on the second planet carrier and in continuous meshing engagement with the second sun gear and the second ring gear. 5. The transmission of claim 1 further comprising a second clutch configured to selectively couple a fifth shaft to the fourth shaft and wherein the second gearing arrangement is further configured to fixedly impose a linear speed relationship among the first shaft, the second shaft, and the fifth shaft. 6. The transmission of claim 5 wherein the second gearing arrangement comprises:
a second simple planetary gear set having a second sun gear fixedly coupled to the first shaft, a second ring gear fixedly coupled to the third shaft, a fifth ring gear fixedly coupled to the fifth shaft, a second planet carrier fixedly coupled to the second shaft, and at least one planet gear supported for rotation on the second planet carrier and in continuous meshing engagement with the second sun gear, the second ring gear, and the fifth ring gear. 7. The transmission of claim 1 wherein the third gearing arrangement comprises:
a third simple planetary gear set having a third sun gear, a third ring gear fixedly coupled to the second shaft, a third planet carrier fixedly coupled to the fourth shaft, and at least one planet gear supported for rotation on the third planet carrier and in continuous meshing engagement with the third sun gear and the third ring gear; and
a second brake configured to selectively hold the third sun gear against rotation. 8. The transmission of claim 1 wherein the third gearing arrangement comprises:
a third simple planetary gear set having a third sun gear fixedly held against rotation, a third ring gear fixedly coupled to the second shaft, a third planet carrier, and at least one planet gear supported for rotation on the third planet carrier and in continuous meshing engagement with the third sun gear and the third ring gear; and
a third clutch configured to selectively couple the fourth shaft to the third planet carrier. 9. The transmission of claim 1 wherein the third gearing arrangement comprises:
a third simple planetary gear set having a third sun gear fixedly held against rotation, a third ring gear, a third planet carrier fixedly coupled to the fourth shaft, and at least one planet gear supported for rotation on the third planet carrier and in continuous meshing engagement with the third sun gear and the third ring gear; and
a third clutch configured to selectively couple the second shaft to the third ring gear. 10. The transmission of claim 1 wherein the fourth gearing arrangement comprises:
a fourth simple planetary gear set having a fourth sun gear fixedly coupled to the third shaft, a fourth ring gear, a fourth planet carrier fixedly coupled to the output shaft, and at least one planet gear supported for rotation on the fourth planet carrier and in continuous meshing engagement with the fourth sun gear and the fourth ring gear;
a fourth clutch configured to selectively couple the first shaft to the output shaft; and
a third brake configured to selectively hold the fourth ring gear against rotation. 11. The transmission of claim 1 wherein the fourth gearing arrangement comprises:
a first axis transfer gear coupled to the third shaft;
a second axis transfer gear coupled to the output shaft and in continuous meshing engagement with the first axis transfer gear;
a third axis transfer gear coupled to the first shaft; and
a fourth axis transfer gear coupled to the output shaft and in continuous meshing engagement with the third axis transfer gear. 12. The transmission of claim 11 wherein the fourth gearing arrangement further comprises a fourth clutch configured to selectively couple the second axis transfer gear to the output shaft. 13. The transmission of claim 11 wherein the fourth gearing arrangement further comprises a fifth clutch configured to selectively couple the third axis transfer gear to the first shaft. 14. A transmission comprising:
first, second, and third shafts; an input shaft; a first brake configured to selectively hold the first shaft against rotation; a first clutch configured to selectively couple the first shaft to the input shaft; a second clutch configured to selectively couple the first shaft to the second shaft; and a third clutch configured to selectively couple the first shaft to the third shaft. 15. The transmission of claim 14 further comprising:
a fourth shaft; and
a first gearing arrangement configured to fixedly constrain the third shaft to rotate slower than the fourth shaft and in a same direction. 16. The transmission of claim 15 further comprising:
a fifth shaft; and
a second gearing arrangement configured to fixedly impose a linear speed relationship among the second shaft, the fourth shaft, the input shaft, and the fifth shaft. 17. The transmission of claim 16 further comprising:
a sixth shaft; and
wherein the second gearing arrangement is further configured to fixedly impose a linear speed relationship among the sixth shaft, the fourth shaft, and the fifth shaft. 18. The transmission of claim 17 wherein the second shaft and the sixth shaft are constrained to rotate in unison. 19. The transmission of claim 17 further comprising:
an output shaft; and
a third gearing arrangement configured to i) selectively constrain the output shaft to rotate at a speed proportional to a speed of the fifth shaft and ii) selectively constrain the output shaft to rotate at a speed proportional to a speed of the sixth shaft. 20-23. (canceled) 24. A transmission comprising:
a first planetary gear set having a first sun gear, a first carrier fixedly coupled to an input, and a first ring gear selectively coupled to an output; a second planetary gear set having a second sun gear fixedly coupled to the first ring gear, a second carrier fixedly coupled to the first sun gear, and a second ring gear; a third planetary gear set having a third sun gear coupled to a transmission housing, a third carrier, and a third ring gear fixedly coupled to the second carrier; and a fourth planetary gear set having a fourth sun gear fixedly coupled to the second ring gear, a fourth carrier fixedly coupled to the output, and a fourth ring gear selectively coupled to the transmission housing. 25. The transmission of claim 24 wherein:
the third sun gear is selectively coupled to the transmission housing; and
the third carrier is selectively coupled to the second ring gear, selectively coupled to the input, and selectively coupled to the transmission housing. 26. The transmission of claim 24 further comprising a shaft selectively coupled to the third carrier, selectively coupled to the second ring gear, selectively coupled to the input, and selectively coupled to the housing. | A transmission gearing arrangement produces at least nine forward speed ratios and one reverse speed ratio by selective engagement of three shift elements in various combinations. One embodiment includes four simple planetary gear sets, three clutches, and three brakes. A second embodiment includes four simple planetary gear sets, four clutches, and two brakes. In this second embodiment, three of the clutches and one of the brakes form a four shift element module. A third embodiment includes two axis transfer gear pairs, three simple planetary gear sets, five clutches, and one brake.1. A transmission comprising:
first, second, third, and fourth shafts; an input shaft; an output shaft; a first gearing arrangement configured to fixedly impose a linear speed relationship among the first shaft, the input shaft, and the third shaft; a second gearing arrangement configured to fixedly impose a linear speed relationship among the first shaft, the second shaft, and the third shaft; a third gearing arrangement configured to selectively constrain the fourth shaft to rotate slower than the second shaft and in a same direction; a fourth gearing arrangement configured to i) selectively constrain the output shaft to rotate at a speed proportional to a speed of the first shaft and ii) selectively constrain the output shaft to rotate at a speed proportional to a speed of the third shaft; a first brake configured to selectively hold the fourth shaft against rotation; and a first clutch configured to selectively couple the fourth shaft to the input shaft. 2. The transmission of claim 1 wherein the first gearing arrangement comprises:
a first simple planetary gear set having a first sun gear fixedly coupled to the second shaft, a first ring gear fixedly coupled to the first shaft, a first planet carrier fixedly coupled to the input shaft, and at least one planet gear supported for rotation on the first planet carrier and in continuous meshing engagement with the first sun gear and the first ring gear. 3. The transmission of claim 1 further comprising a second clutch configured to selectively couple the third shaft to the fourth shaft. 4. The transmission of claim 3 wherein the second gearing arrangement comprises:
a second simple planetary gear set having a second sun gear fixedly coupled to the first shaft, a second ring gear fixedly coupled to the third shaft, a second planet carrier fixedly coupled to the second shaft, and at least one planet gear supported for rotation on the second planet carrier and in continuous meshing engagement with the second sun gear and the second ring gear. 5. The transmission of claim 1 further comprising a second clutch configured to selectively couple a fifth shaft to the fourth shaft and wherein the second gearing arrangement is further configured to fixedly impose a linear speed relationship among the first shaft, the second shaft, and the fifth shaft. 6. The transmission of claim 5 wherein the second gearing arrangement comprises:
a second simple planetary gear set having a second sun gear fixedly coupled to the first shaft, a second ring gear fixedly coupled to the third shaft, a fifth ring gear fixedly coupled to the fifth shaft, a second planet carrier fixedly coupled to the second shaft, and at least one planet gear supported for rotation on the second planet carrier and in continuous meshing engagement with the second sun gear, the second ring gear, and the fifth ring gear. 7. The transmission of claim 1 wherein the third gearing arrangement comprises:
a third simple planetary gear set having a third sun gear, a third ring gear fixedly coupled to the second shaft, a third planet carrier fixedly coupled to the fourth shaft, and at least one planet gear supported for rotation on the third planet carrier and in continuous meshing engagement with the third sun gear and the third ring gear; and
a second brake configured to selectively hold the third sun gear against rotation. 8. The transmission of claim 1 wherein the third gearing arrangement comprises:
a third simple planetary gear set having a third sun gear fixedly held against rotation, a third ring gear fixedly coupled to the second shaft, a third planet carrier, and at least one planet gear supported for rotation on the third planet carrier and in continuous meshing engagement with the third sun gear and the third ring gear; and
a third clutch configured to selectively couple the fourth shaft to the third planet carrier. 9. The transmission of claim 1 wherein the third gearing arrangement comprises:
a third simple planetary gear set having a third sun gear fixedly held against rotation, a third ring gear, a third planet carrier fixedly coupled to the fourth shaft, and at least one planet gear supported for rotation on the third planet carrier and in continuous meshing engagement with the third sun gear and the third ring gear; and
a third clutch configured to selectively couple the second shaft to the third ring gear. 10. The transmission of claim 1 wherein the fourth gearing arrangement comprises:
a fourth simple planetary gear set having a fourth sun gear fixedly coupled to the third shaft, a fourth ring gear, a fourth planet carrier fixedly coupled to the output shaft, and at least one planet gear supported for rotation on the fourth planet carrier and in continuous meshing engagement with the fourth sun gear and the fourth ring gear;
a fourth clutch configured to selectively couple the first shaft to the output shaft; and
a third brake configured to selectively hold the fourth ring gear against rotation. 11. The transmission of claim 1 wherein the fourth gearing arrangement comprises:
a first axis transfer gear coupled to the third shaft;
a second axis transfer gear coupled to the output shaft and in continuous meshing engagement with the first axis transfer gear;
a third axis transfer gear coupled to the first shaft; and
a fourth axis transfer gear coupled to the output shaft and in continuous meshing engagement with the third axis transfer gear. 12. The transmission of claim 11 wherein the fourth gearing arrangement further comprises a fourth clutch configured to selectively couple the second axis transfer gear to the output shaft. 13. The transmission of claim 11 wherein the fourth gearing arrangement further comprises a fifth clutch configured to selectively couple the third axis transfer gear to the first shaft. 14. A transmission comprising:
first, second, and third shafts; an input shaft; a first brake configured to selectively hold the first shaft against rotation; a first clutch configured to selectively couple the first shaft to the input shaft; a second clutch configured to selectively couple the first shaft to the second shaft; and a third clutch configured to selectively couple the first shaft to the third shaft. 15. The transmission of claim 14 further comprising:
a fourth shaft; and
a first gearing arrangement configured to fixedly constrain the third shaft to rotate slower than the fourth shaft and in a same direction. 16. The transmission of claim 15 further comprising:
a fifth shaft; and
a second gearing arrangement configured to fixedly impose a linear speed relationship among the second shaft, the fourth shaft, the input shaft, and the fifth shaft. 17. The transmission of claim 16 further comprising:
a sixth shaft; and
wherein the second gearing arrangement is further configured to fixedly impose a linear speed relationship among the sixth shaft, the fourth shaft, and the fifth shaft. 18. The transmission of claim 17 wherein the second shaft and the sixth shaft are constrained to rotate in unison. 19. The transmission of claim 17 further comprising:
an output shaft; and
a third gearing arrangement configured to i) selectively constrain the output shaft to rotate at a speed proportional to a speed of the fifth shaft and ii) selectively constrain the output shaft to rotate at a speed proportional to a speed of the sixth shaft. 20-23. (canceled) 24. A transmission comprising:
a first planetary gear set having a first sun gear, a first carrier fixedly coupled to an input, and a first ring gear selectively coupled to an output; a second planetary gear set having a second sun gear fixedly coupled to the first ring gear, a second carrier fixedly coupled to the first sun gear, and a second ring gear; a third planetary gear set having a third sun gear coupled to a transmission housing, a third carrier, and a third ring gear fixedly coupled to the second carrier; and a fourth planetary gear set having a fourth sun gear fixedly coupled to the second ring gear, a fourth carrier fixedly coupled to the output, and a fourth ring gear selectively coupled to the transmission housing. 25. The transmission of claim 24 wherein:
the third sun gear is selectively coupled to the transmission housing; and
the third carrier is selectively coupled to the second ring gear, selectively coupled to the input, and selectively coupled to the transmission housing. 26. The transmission of claim 24 further comprising a shaft selectively coupled to the third carrier, selectively coupled to the second ring gear, selectively coupled to the input, and selectively coupled to the housing. | 3,600 |
12,865 | 12,865 | 12,910,790 | 3,628 | A portable device for planning a vacation/business travel itinerary, which begins with customizable itinerary templates that utilize a stored database of destination information, including a country's regions/cities, tourist sites, and other sites of interest located therein, and a corresponding photographic library. One such template returns itineraries based upon: duration, arrival/departure cities, total number of cities to be visited, and intensity of touring. The software assists users during travel by providing cueing of itinerary segments, along with directions, and on-demand pre-recorded audio tours to enhance site tour experiences. En route detours from planned sites are supported for spontaneous additions/substitutions. Country-specific information includes city/regional maps, public transportation information, key word/phrase language translation capability, and yellow/white page phone listings. Password protected device-to-device linking permits family members to track each other by GPS location of the other's device. Internet capability permits inclusion, within itineraries, of reservation-specific information for air-travel, hotels, and events. | 1. An article of manufacture comprising a program storage medium having computer readable code embodied therein, said computer readable code being configured for planning of a travel itinerary, said article of manufacture comprising:
a non-volatile memory, said non-volatile memory storing at least a database of travel information relating to a destination; a viewing screen; and a processor for running said computer readable code, said computer readable code comprising an algorithm permitting selective planning of said travel itinerary, said selective planning comprising selection of one or more customizable itinerary templates, said computer readable code permitting said selective planning to be retrievably stored within said non-volatile memory. 2. The article of manufacture of claim 1, wherein said algorithm is adapted to provide interactive guidance during execution of said customized travel itinerary at said destination. 3. The article of manufacture of claim 2, wherein said itinerary templates comprise: a pre-planned itinerary template based upon a duration of said itinerary, a total number of cities to be visited, an arrival city and a departure city, and one of among a plurality of graduated levels of a tour schedule intensity; a photo library template; an itinerary template comprising selection of regions of said destination; an itinerary template comprising selection of cities of said destination; an itinerary template comprising selection of child friendly sites of said destination; an itinerary template comprising selection of arts and architectural sites of said destination; an itinerary template comprising selection of vineyards of said destination; an itinerary template comprising selection of sites according to public transportation routes at said destination; an itinerary template comprising selection of shopping sites of said destination; an itinerary template comprising selection of museums of said destination; an itinerary template comprising selection of art galleries of said destination; an itinerary template comprising selection of theaters at said destination; an itinerary template comprising selection of historical sites of said destination; an itinerary template comprising selection of religious sites of said destination; an itinerary template comprising selection of scenic views of said destination; an itinerary template comprising selection of residences and grave sites of famous people of said destination; an itinerary template comprising selection of night life of said destination; an itinerary template comprising selection of events occurring at said destination; and an itinerary template comprising selection of sporting activities at said destination. 4. The article of manufacture of claim 3, wherein said destination comprises one or more geographical subdivisions, and wherein said geographical subdivisions comprise: a hemisphere, a sphere, a continent, a region of a continent, a nation, a country, a region of a country, a province, a state, a county, a city, a town, a township, a village, a monarchy, a kingdom, a principality, a republic, a district, an island, a quarter, a region, a section, a sector, a colony, a territory, a commonwealth, an empire, a dominion, an enclave, an outland, a union, a body, a sovereignty, a federation, a tract, a square, a precinct, a neighborhood, a parcel, and a patch; and
wherein said destination is selectable from one or more of: a list of one or more of said geographical subdivisions; and a map of one or more of said geographical subdivisions displayed on said viewing screen. 5. The article of manufacture of claim 4, wherein said selective planning comprises customizing said itinerary template by creating a customized sequence of sites to be visited at each of said one or more geographical sub-divisions. 6. The article of manufacture of claim 5, wherein said sites of said customized sequence of sites are selected from a list of sites in said database of travel information. 7. The article of manufacture of claim 6, wherein said sites of said customized sequence of sites are selected from said library of photographs, said library of site photographs being stored in said database of travel information. 8. The article of manufacture of claim 7, wherein each of said sites of said customized sequence of sites comprises one or more of: a place; a structure; and an event; and wherein said site photograph of said library is displayable beside said site within said sequential list of sites in said itinerary; and wherein said selective planning further comprises a narrated slide show including a plurality of site photographs for said destination, each of said photographs of said slide show being selectable for said itinerary. 9. The article of manufacture of claim 8, wherein said algorithm provides internet access at a reservation-specific planning step to acquire an on-line reservation and associated information, said reservation information being displayable within said sequential list of said itinerary; and wherein said reservation-specific planning step comprises one or more of: making a hotel reservation; making an airline reservation; making a rental car reservation; making a train reservation; making a bus reservation; and making an event reservation. 10. The article of manufacture of claim 9, wherein said interactive guidance during execution of said customized itinerary at said travel destination comprises one or more of: display of said customized itinerary; on-demand display of a scalable map region for one or more sites of said customized sequence of sites to be visited; directions to at least a next one of said customized sequence of sites to be visited; on-demand display of public transportation schedules and route maps; and said algorithm providing a detour option that identifies alternative nearby sites to visit relative to one or more of said customized sequence of sites of said planned itinerary. 11. The article of manufacture of claim 10, wherein said article further comprises a pre-recorded audio tour stored in said memory, said pre-recorded audio tour being for one or more of said sites of said sequential itinerary, said pre-recorded audio tour being available in one or more of: incrementally distinct lengths of time, and incrementally distinct intellectual levels; said article of manufacture being capable of wirelessly transmitting said audio tour to one or more mobile headsets using Bluetooth technology; and wherein said database further comprises a searchable database of the history of said destination. 12. The article of manufacture of claim 11, wherein said article further comprises a language database stored in said memory, said algorithm translating one or more words selectively entered in to said article using a first language, into the language used at said destination; wherein said article comprises a sound generator to articulate said translated one or more words; and wherein said article comprises one or more speech recognition algorithms capable of translating a response in said language used at said destination into said first language. 13. The article of manufacture of claim 12, wherein said database of said article further comprises a directory for said destination, and wherein said algorithm permits a selective search of entries in said directory to find information for one or more of: a person, a business, a government entity, a doctor, a dentist, a medical facility, a consulate, and an embassy; and wherein said article further comprises using a GPS receiver to provide directions from a current position to a search result or a site location. 14. The article of manufacture of claim 13, wherein said article may be selectively linked to a second such article of manufacture out of a plurality of such articles, and wherein said link may permit selective communication exclusively between said article and only said second article; and wherein said communication comprises one or more of: transmitting said customized sequence of sites to be visited of said itinerary stored on said article to said second article; and using said GPS receiver to transmit a current location of said user of one of said first or second linked articles to the other of said first or second linked articles. 15. A method of planning a travel itinerary comprising the steps of:
(a) using one or more processors to execute instructions retained in machine-readable media to perform at least some portion of said planning method: (b) storing a database of information about a destination in a non-volatile memory; and (c) said instructions providing access to said database of travel information, said access permitting selective planning, said selective planning comprising selection of one or more customizable itinerary templates, said instructions permitting said selective planning to be retrievably stored within said non-volatile memory. 16. The method of planning a travel itinerary according to claim 15, wherein said instructions further comprise interactive guidance during execution of said customized itinerary at said destination. 17. The method of planning a travel itinerary according to claim 16,
wherein each of said one or more itinerary templates is individually customizable to build a custom list of tour stops for said travel itinerary, said customized list of tour stops being storable within said non-volatile memory; wherein said tour stops of said itinerary comprise selection of said one or more sites to be visited from a list of sites, said list of sites comprising a site name and a corresponding photograph; each of said sites comprising one or more of: a place; a structure; and an event; wherein said selective planning further comprises a narrated slide show of a plurality of site photographs for said destination, each of said photographs of said slide show being selectable for said itinerary; and wherein said selective planning further comprising internet access at a reservation-specific planning step to acquire an on-line reservation and associated information, said reservation information being displayable within said sequential list of said itinerary; wherein said reservation-specific planning step comprises one or more of: making a hotel reservation; making an airline reservation; making a rental car reservation; making a train reservation; making a bus reservation; and making an event reservation. 18. The method of planning a travel itinerary according to claim 17, wherein said destination comprises one or more geographical subdivisions, said geographical subdivisions comprising: a hemisphere, a sphere, a continent, a region of a continent, a nation, a country, a region of a country, a province, a state, a county, a city, a town, a township, a village, a monarchy, a kingdom, a principality, a republic, a district, an island, a quarter, a region, a section, a sector, a colony, a territory, a commonwealth, an empire, a dominion, an enclave, an outland, a union, a body, a sovereignty, a federation, a tract, a square, a precinct, a neighborhood, a parcel, or a patch; and
wherein said destination is selectable from one or more of: a list of one or more of said one or more geographical subdivisions, and a map of one or more of said geographical subdivisions displayed on said screen. 19. The method of planning a travel itinerary according to claim 18, wherein said one or more itinerary templates comprise: a pre-planned itinerary template based upon a duration of said itinerary, a number of cities to be visited, the arrival and departure cities, and a level of tour schedule intensity; a photo library template; an itinerary template comprising selection of regions of said destination; an itinerary template comprising selection of cities of said destination; an itinerary template comprising selection of child friendly sites of said destination; an itinerary template comprising selection of arts and architectural sites of said destination; an itinerary template comprising selection of vineyards of said destination; an itinerary template comprising selection of sites according to public transportation routes at said destination; an itinerary template comprising selection of shopping sites of said destination; an itinerary template comprising selection of museums of said destination; an itinerary template comprising selection of art galleries of said destination; an itinerary template comprising selection of theaters at said destination; an itinerary template comprising selection of historical sites of said destination; an itinerary template comprising selection of religious sites of said destination; an itinerary template comprising selection of scenic views of said destination; an itinerary template comprising selection of residences and gravesites of famous people of said destination; an itinerary template comprising selection of night life of said destination; an itinerary template comprising selection of events occurring at said destination; and an itinerary template comprising selection of sporting activities at said destination. 20. The method of planning a travel itinerary according to claim 19, wherein said interactive guidance during execution of said itinerary at said destination comprises:
one or more of: display of said itinerary; on-demand display of a scalable map region for one or more of said sites of said tour stops; directions to at least a next one of said sites of said tour stops to be visited; on-demand display of public transportation schedules and route maps; and a detour option that identifies alternative nearby sites to visit relative to one or more of said sites of said tour stops of said planned itinerary; a pre-recorded audio tour stored in said memory, said pre-recorded audio tour being for one or more of said sites of said customized itinerary, said pre-recorded audio tour being available in one or more of: incrementally distinct lengths of time, and incrementally distinct intellectual levels; said article of manufacture being capable of wirelessly transmitting said audio tour to one or more mobile headsets using Bluetooth technology; a searchable history database of said destination; a language database stored in said memory, said algorithm translating one or more words selectively entered in to said article using a first language, into the language used at said destination; wherein said article comprises a sound generator to articulate said translated one or more words; and wherein said article comprises one or more speech recognition algorithms capable of translating a response in said language used at said destination into said first language; a directory for said destination, and wherein said algorithm permits a selective search of entries in said directory to find information for one or more of: a person, a business, a government entity, a doctor, a dentist, a medical facility, a consulate, and an embassy; and wherein said article further comprises using a GPS receiver to provide directions from a current position to a search result or a site location; and wherein said article may be selectively linked to a second such article of manufacture out of a plurality of such articles, and wherein said link may permit selective communication exclusively between said article and only said second article; and wherein said communication comprises one or more of: transmitting said customized sequence of sites to be visited of said itinerary stored on said article to said second article; and using said GPS receiver to transmit a current location of said user of one of said first or second linked articles to the other of said first or second linked articles. | A portable device for planning a vacation/business travel itinerary, which begins with customizable itinerary templates that utilize a stored database of destination information, including a country's regions/cities, tourist sites, and other sites of interest located therein, and a corresponding photographic library. One such template returns itineraries based upon: duration, arrival/departure cities, total number of cities to be visited, and intensity of touring. The software assists users during travel by providing cueing of itinerary segments, along with directions, and on-demand pre-recorded audio tours to enhance site tour experiences. En route detours from planned sites are supported for spontaneous additions/substitutions. Country-specific information includes city/regional maps, public transportation information, key word/phrase language translation capability, and yellow/white page phone listings. Password protected device-to-device linking permits family members to track each other by GPS location of the other's device. Internet capability permits inclusion, within itineraries, of reservation-specific information for air-travel, hotels, and events.1. An article of manufacture comprising a program storage medium having computer readable code embodied therein, said computer readable code being configured for planning of a travel itinerary, said article of manufacture comprising:
a non-volatile memory, said non-volatile memory storing at least a database of travel information relating to a destination; a viewing screen; and a processor for running said computer readable code, said computer readable code comprising an algorithm permitting selective planning of said travel itinerary, said selective planning comprising selection of one or more customizable itinerary templates, said computer readable code permitting said selective planning to be retrievably stored within said non-volatile memory. 2. The article of manufacture of claim 1, wherein said algorithm is adapted to provide interactive guidance during execution of said customized travel itinerary at said destination. 3. The article of manufacture of claim 2, wherein said itinerary templates comprise: a pre-planned itinerary template based upon a duration of said itinerary, a total number of cities to be visited, an arrival city and a departure city, and one of among a plurality of graduated levels of a tour schedule intensity; a photo library template; an itinerary template comprising selection of regions of said destination; an itinerary template comprising selection of cities of said destination; an itinerary template comprising selection of child friendly sites of said destination; an itinerary template comprising selection of arts and architectural sites of said destination; an itinerary template comprising selection of vineyards of said destination; an itinerary template comprising selection of sites according to public transportation routes at said destination; an itinerary template comprising selection of shopping sites of said destination; an itinerary template comprising selection of museums of said destination; an itinerary template comprising selection of art galleries of said destination; an itinerary template comprising selection of theaters at said destination; an itinerary template comprising selection of historical sites of said destination; an itinerary template comprising selection of religious sites of said destination; an itinerary template comprising selection of scenic views of said destination; an itinerary template comprising selection of residences and grave sites of famous people of said destination; an itinerary template comprising selection of night life of said destination; an itinerary template comprising selection of events occurring at said destination; and an itinerary template comprising selection of sporting activities at said destination. 4. The article of manufacture of claim 3, wherein said destination comprises one or more geographical subdivisions, and wherein said geographical subdivisions comprise: a hemisphere, a sphere, a continent, a region of a continent, a nation, a country, a region of a country, a province, a state, a county, a city, a town, a township, a village, a monarchy, a kingdom, a principality, a republic, a district, an island, a quarter, a region, a section, a sector, a colony, a territory, a commonwealth, an empire, a dominion, an enclave, an outland, a union, a body, a sovereignty, a federation, a tract, a square, a precinct, a neighborhood, a parcel, and a patch; and
wherein said destination is selectable from one or more of: a list of one or more of said geographical subdivisions; and a map of one or more of said geographical subdivisions displayed on said viewing screen. 5. The article of manufacture of claim 4, wherein said selective planning comprises customizing said itinerary template by creating a customized sequence of sites to be visited at each of said one or more geographical sub-divisions. 6. The article of manufacture of claim 5, wherein said sites of said customized sequence of sites are selected from a list of sites in said database of travel information. 7. The article of manufacture of claim 6, wherein said sites of said customized sequence of sites are selected from said library of photographs, said library of site photographs being stored in said database of travel information. 8. The article of manufacture of claim 7, wherein each of said sites of said customized sequence of sites comprises one or more of: a place; a structure; and an event; and wherein said site photograph of said library is displayable beside said site within said sequential list of sites in said itinerary; and wherein said selective planning further comprises a narrated slide show including a plurality of site photographs for said destination, each of said photographs of said slide show being selectable for said itinerary. 9. The article of manufacture of claim 8, wherein said algorithm provides internet access at a reservation-specific planning step to acquire an on-line reservation and associated information, said reservation information being displayable within said sequential list of said itinerary; and wherein said reservation-specific planning step comprises one or more of: making a hotel reservation; making an airline reservation; making a rental car reservation; making a train reservation; making a bus reservation; and making an event reservation. 10. The article of manufacture of claim 9, wherein said interactive guidance during execution of said customized itinerary at said travel destination comprises one or more of: display of said customized itinerary; on-demand display of a scalable map region for one or more sites of said customized sequence of sites to be visited; directions to at least a next one of said customized sequence of sites to be visited; on-demand display of public transportation schedules and route maps; and said algorithm providing a detour option that identifies alternative nearby sites to visit relative to one or more of said customized sequence of sites of said planned itinerary. 11. The article of manufacture of claim 10, wherein said article further comprises a pre-recorded audio tour stored in said memory, said pre-recorded audio tour being for one or more of said sites of said sequential itinerary, said pre-recorded audio tour being available in one or more of: incrementally distinct lengths of time, and incrementally distinct intellectual levels; said article of manufacture being capable of wirelessly transmitting said audio tour to one or more mobile headsets using Bluetooth technology; and wherein said database further comprises a searchable database of the history of said destination. 12. The article of manufacture of claim 11, wherein said article further comprises a language database stored in said memory, said algorithm translating one or more words selectively entered in to said article using a first language, into the language used at said destination; wherein said article comprises a sound generator to articulate said translated one or more words; and wherein said article comprises one or more speech recognition algorithms capable of translating a response in said language used at said destination into said first language. 13. The article of manufacture of claim 12, wherein said database of said article further comprises a directory for said destination, and wherein said algorithm permits a selective search of entries in said directory to find information for one or more of: a person, a business, a government entity, a doctor, a dentist, a medical facility, a consulate, and an embassy; and wherein said article further comprises using a GPS receiver to provide directions from a current position to a search result or a site location. 14. The article of manufacture of claim 13, wherein said article may be selectively linked to a second such article of manufacture out of a plurality of such articles, and wherein said link may permit selective communication exclusively between said article and only said second article; and wherein said communication comprises one or more of: transmitting said customized sequence of sites to be visited of said itinerary stored on said article to said second article; and using said GPS receiver to transmit a current location of said user of one of said first or second linked articles to the other of said first or second linked articles. 15. A method of planning a travel itinerary comprising the steps of:
(a) using one or more processors to execute instructions retained in machine-readable media to perform at least some portion of said planning method: (b) storing a database of information about a destination in a non-volatile memory; and (c) said instructions providing access to said database of travel information, said access permitting selective planning, said selective planning comprising selection of one or more customizable itinerary templates, said instructions permitting said selective planning to be retrievably stored within said non-volatile memory. 16. The method of planning a travel itinerary according to claim 15, wherein said instructions further comprise interactive guidance during execution of said customized itinerary at said destination. 17. The method of planning a travel itinerary according to claim 16,
wherein each of said one or more itinerary templates is individually customizable to build a custom list of tour stops for said travel itinerary, said customized list of tour stops being storable within said non-volatile memory; wherein said tour stops of said itinerary comprise selection of said one or more sites to be visited from a list of sites, said list of sites comprising a site name and a corresponding photograph; each of said sites comprising one or more of: a place; a structure; and an event; wherein said selective planning further comprises a narrated slide show of a plurality of site photographs for said destination, each of said photographs of said slide show being selectable for said itinerary; and wherein said selective planning further comprising internet access at a reservation-specific planning step to acquire an on-line reservation and associated information, said reservation information being displayable within said sequential list of said itinerary; wherein said reservation-specific planning step comprises one or more of: making a hotel reservation; making an airline reservation; making a rental car reservation; making a train reservation; making a bus reservation; and making an event reservation. 18. The method of planning a travel itinerary according to claim 17, wherein said destination comprises one or more geographical subdivisions, said geographical subdivisions comprising: a hemisphere, a sphere, a continent, a region of a continent, a nation, a country, a region of a country, a province, a state, a county, a city, a town, a township, a village, a monarchy, a kingdom, a principality, a republic, a district, an island, a quarter, a region, a section, a sector, a colony, a territory, a commonwealth, an empire, a dominion, an enclave, an outland, a union, a body, a sovereignty, a federation, a tract, a square, a precinct, a neighborhood, a parcel, or a patch; and
wherein said destination is selectable from one or more of: a list of one or more of said one or more geographical subdivisions, and a map of one or more of said geographical subdivisions displayed on said screen. 19. The method of planning a travel itinerary according to claim 18, wherein said one or more itinerary templates comprise: a pre-planned itinerary template based upon a duration of said itinerary, a number of cities to be visited, the arrival and departure cities, and a level of tour schedule intensity; a photo library template; an itinerary template comprising selection of regions of said destination; an itinerary template comprising selection of cities of said destination; an itinerary template comprising selection of child friendly sites of said destination; an itinerary template comprising selection of arts and architectural sites of said destination; an itinerary template comprising selection of vineyards of said destination; an itinerary template comprising selection of sites according to public transportation routes at said destination; an itinerary template comprising selection of shopping sites of said destination; an itinerary template comprising selection of museums of said destination; an itinerary template comprising selection of art galleries of said destination; an itinerary template comprising selection of theaters at said destination; an itinerary template comprising selection of historical sites of said destination; an itinerary template comprising selection of religious sites of said destination; an itinerary template comprising selection of scenic views of said destination; an itinerary template comprising selection of residences and gravesites of famous people of said destination; an itinerary template comprising selection of night life of said destination; an itinerary template comprising selection of events occurring at said destination; and an itinerary template comprising selection of sporting activities at said destination. 20. The method of planning a travel itinerary according to claim 19, wherein said interactive guidance during execution of said itinerary at said destination comprises:
one or more of: display of said itinerary; on-demand display of a scalable map region for one or more of said sites of said tour stops; directions to at least a next one of said sites of said tour stops to be visited; on-demand display of public transportation schedules and route maps; and a detour option that identifies alternative nearby sites to visit relative to one or more of said sites of said tour stops of said planned itinerary; a pre-recorded audio tour stored in said memory, said pre-recorded audio tour being for one or more of said sites of said customized itinerary, said pre-recorded audio tour being available in one or more of: incrementally distinct lengths of time, and incrementally distinct intellectual levels; said article of manufacture being capable of wirelessly transmitting said audio tour to one or more mobile headsets using Bluetooth technology; a searchable history database of said destination; a language database stored in said memory, said algorithm translating one or more words selectively entered in to said article using a first language, into the language used at said destination; wherein said article comprises a sound generator to articulate said translated one or more words; and wherein said article comprises one or more speech recognition algorithms capable of translating a response in said language used at said destination into said first language; a directory for said destination, and wherein said algorithm permits a selective search of entries in said directory to find information for one or more of: a person, a business, a government entity, a doctor, a dentist, a medical facility, a consulate, and an embassy; and wherein said article further comprises using a GPS receiver to provide directions from a current position to a search result or a site location; and wherein said article may be selectively linked to a second such article of manufacture out of a plurality of such articles, and wherein said link may permit selective communication exclusively between said article and only said second article; and wherein said communication comprises one or more of: transmitting said customized sequence of sites to be visited of said itinerary stored on said article to said second article; and using said GPS receiver to transmit a current location of said user of one of said first or second linked articles to the other of said first or second linked articles. | 3,600 |
12,866 | 12,866 | 13,691,821 | 3,628 | A computer program product for planning of, and executing a travel itinerary—while traveling to and while at the destination—is stored on tangible computer readable storage medium as computer readable program code. The code causes a P.C./Smartphone to: permit making online reservations (airline, hotel, rental car, event tickets . . . ), and to provide access via a planning screen to a database of destination-specific information, to permit selection from among a plurality of templates to begin planning a personalized scheme for exploring the destination. Selected templates, representing categories of interest, are weighted to adjust relative number of sites/specialty tours extracted therefrom for placement into available tour time periods determined from entry of: arrival/departure cities, number of days, daily touring start-times/end-times, and a tour intensity level, to personally maximize touring in those periods. An algorithm permits adjustments to site selection/sequencing in the itinerary for in-country weather detours, and re-weighting/re-selection of templates of interest. | 1. A computer program product for a method of planning a travel itinerary for use at a destination and for executing the planned travel itinerary at the destination, the computer program product comprising: a tangible computer readable storage medium having computer readable program code embodied thereon, the computer readable program code, when executed by a processor, configured for:
storing a database of travel information about the destination in said storage medium, said database of travel information comprising tour sites at the destination; creating a respective indoor-outdoor rating for each said tour site by assessing the type and nature of each of said tour sites, including assessing exterior and interior architecture and articles contained therein, and storing said ratings in said storage medium, each said indoor-outdoor rating comprising a percentage of said respective tour site being preferentially, experienced as an indoor site or preferentially experienced as an outdoor site; providing access to said database of travel information by displaying a planning screen configured for selecting of a first itinerary template, and selecting of one or more additional itinerary templates from a plurality of said additional itinerary templates, each said plurality of additional itinerary templates comprising a plurality of said tour sites listed therein and relating to a category of said additional template, said first itinerary template configured for entering of:
a number of days for said itinerary,
an arrival city and a departure city at the destination,
a start-time and an end-time for a number of desired touring hours for each said number of days, and
a tour intensity level for touring for each of said number of days at the destination;
providing a sequence of tour sites forming a complete travel itinerary for said number of days, using a portion of said tour sites listed in each said selected one or more additional itinerary templates, said complete travel itinerary comprising said sequence of tour sites being optimized to include as many said tour sites as possible in said touring hours, for each of said number of days; wherein said complete travel itinerary is configured for selecting one or more blocks of time being affected by inclement weather, during said desired touring hours of said number of days; reforming said complete travel itinerary for detouring from at least a portion of said sequence of tour sites, including at least during said one or more blocks of time effected by inclement weather, according to said respective indoor-outdoor rating; and communicating with a GPS receiver for receiving directions to any of said tour sites of said reformed travel itinerary during executing of said reformed travel itinerary at the destination. 2. The computer program product according to claim 1, said computer readable program code further configured for selecting of said level of touring intensity for each day, from the group of touring intensity levels consisting of: allocating a minimum touring time per said tour site for each day of touring; allocating an average touring time per said tour site for each day of touring; and allocating an extended touring time per said tour site for each day of touring. 3. (canceled) 4. The computer program product according to claim 1, wherein said reforming of said sequence of tour sites of said complete travel itinerary comprises one or more of:
reordering two or more of said tour sites in said sequence of tour sites, for ordering of at least one said tour site in said sequence of sites with a highest said preferential indoor rating to correspond to said one or more blocks of time of inclement weather; and replacing one or more of said tour sites in said sequence of tour sites with one or more different tour sites, from said selected one or more additional itinerary templates, each said replacement tour site respectively having said preferential indoor rating, and sequencing said one or more different tour sites within said sequence of tour sites to correspond to said one or more blocks of time of inclement weather. 5. The computer program product according to claim 4, wherein when said selecting one or more additional itinerary templates comprises selecting at least two said additional itinerary templates, said computer readable program code further configured for assigning of a relative weight factor for each of said selected at least two additional itinerary templates; said computer readable program code further configured for allocating a respective quantity of said tour sites, into said sequence of tour sites forming said complete travel itinerary, from each of said selected at least two additional itinerary templates to be substantially in proportion to said assigned weight factor, and to receive a priority placement in said sequence of tour sites according to said assigned relative weight factor. 6. The computer program product according to claim 5, wherein said replacing of one or more said tour sites for said detouring comprises selecting said different said tour sites with each having the same or a higher said relative weight factor; and wherein said relative weight factor comprises a factor between 1 and 5. 7. The computer program product according to claim 1, said computer readable program code further configured for entering, into said first itinerary template, of a hotel location, for optimizing said sequence of tour sites of said complete travel itinerary, based upon said hotel location as a starting location for each of said number of days for said touring at the destination. 8. The computer program product according to claim 7, said computer readable program code further configured for entering into said first itinerary template of: a date and time of an arrival flight, and a date and time of a departure flight, for further optimizing of said sequence of tour sites of said complete travel itinerary. 9. The computer program product according to claim 1, said computer readable program code further configured for permitting, but not requiring, customizing of said sequence of tour sites of said complete travel itinerary for forming a complete custom itinerary using selective access to said database of travel information, said customizing comprising one or more of: removing one or more of said tour sites of said sequence of tour sites; adding one or more other tour sites, by selecting from a list of said tour sites; and reordering two or more said tour sites in said sequence of tour sites; said computer readable program code further configured for retrievably storing said complete travel itinerary within said storage medium. 10. The computer program product according to claim 1,
wherein said computer readable program code is further configured for selecting, in said planning screen, of one or more of said tour sites in said plurality of additional itinerary templates, and assigning a relative weight factor to each of said one or more selected tour sites and to each of said selected one or more additional itinerary templates; and wherein said computer readable program code is further configured for allocating the following into said sequence of tour sites forming said complete travel itinerary:
said selected one or more tour sites; and
a respective quantity of said tour sites in said selected one or more additional itinerary templates, being substantially in proportion to said assigned relative weight factor, and being optimized for including as many said tour sites as possible in said touring hours, for each of said number of days. 11. The computer program product according to claim 10, said computer readable program code further configured for causing said selected one or more tour sites and said allocated tour sites from said selected one or more additional itinerary templates, with a higher said relative weight factor, to receive a higher priority placement in said sequence of tour sites of said complete travel itinerary. 12. The computer program product according to claim 11, said computer readable program code further configured for said selecting of said tour intensity level to correspond to said assigned relative weight factor, wherein said tour sites with a higher relative weight factor are allocated more touring time and said tour sites with a lower relative weight factor are allocated less touring time. 13. The computer program product according to claim 1, said computer readable program code further configured for selecting of at least two said additional itinerary templates, said computer readable program code further configured for assigning of a relative weight factor for each of said at least two said additional itinerary templates, said computer readable program code further configured for allocating a respective quantity of said tour sites, into said sequence of tour sites forming said complete travel itinerary, from each said at least two additional itinerary templates, to be substantially in proportion to said assigned relative weight factor, and to receive priority placement in said sequence. 14. The computer program product according to claim 13, said computer readable program code further configured for providing a detour option screen configured to suggest alternative nearby tour sites relative to a current tour site of said sequence of tour sites of said complete travel itinerary, said suggested alternative tour sites being suggested in a list in a descending order beginning with:
alternative tour sites with the smallest distance from said current tour site, and with a higher said relative weight factor. 15. The computer program product according to claim 1, said computer readable program code further configured for selecting of a pre-recorded audio tour from an audio tour screen configured to provide two or more pre-recorded audio tours for each of said tour sites of said sequence of tour sites, said two or more pre-recorded audio tours being stored in said storage medium; and said two or more audio tours comprising tours of incrementally distinct lengths of time and incrementally distinct intellectual levels. 16. The computer program product according to claim 1, wherein said storage medium comprises a language database and said computer readable program code is further configured for entering of one or more words in a first language into a language screen, and translating said one or more words in said first language into a language used at the destination, using a hidden Markov modeling algorithm; wherein said computer readable program code is further configured for articulating said translated one or more words using a sound generator; and wherein said computer readable program code is further configured for using said hidden Markov modeling algorithm for translating a response in the language used at the destination, into the first language. 17. The computer program product according to claim 1, wherein said storage medium comprises a history database of the destination and a directory database of the destination, and said computer readable program code is further configured for providing:
a history screen configured for searching of said history database; and a directory screen configured for searching of entries in said directory for information for one or more of: a person, a business, a government entity, a doctor, a dentist, a medical facility, a consulate, and an embassy. 18. (canceled) 19. The computer program product according to claim 1, said computer readable program code further configured for providing one or more of:
an itinerary screen, said itinerary screen configured for displaying said sequence of tour sites of said complete travel itinerary in a display being from of the group of displays consisting of: a chronological list, and an hourly calendar planner; said itinerary screen further configured for displaying a respective photograph adjacent to each of said tour sites; a map screen configured for on-demand displaying of a scalable map for each of said number of touring days at the destination for identifying a location of each of said tour sites of said sequence of tour sites; and a public transportation screen configured for providing on-demand displaying of a public transportation route map and route schedules. 20. The computer program product according to claim 1, said computer readable program code further configured for entering of said start-time and said end-time for touring each day by selecting one or more hours or portions of an hour in an hourly calendar planner. 21. The computer program product according to claim 1, said computer readable program code further configured for said entering, into said planning screen, of a number of cities for touring, in addition to said arrival city and said departure city. 22-34. (canceled) | A computer program product for planning of, and executing a travel itinerary—while traveling to and while at the destination—is stored on tangible computer readable storage medium as computer readable program code. The code causes a P.C./Smartphone to: permit making online reservations (airline, hotel, rental car, event tickets . . . ), and to provide access via a planning screen to a database of destination-specific information, to permit selection from among a plurality of templates to begin planning a personalized scheme for exploring the destination. Selected templates, representing categories of interest, are weighted to adjust relative number of sites/specialty tours extracted therefrom for placement into available tour time periods determined from entry of: arrival/departure cities, number of days, daily touring start-times/end-times, and a tour intensity level, to personally maximize touring in those periods. An algorithm permits adjustments to site selection/sequencing in the itinerary for in-country weather detours, and re-weighting/re-selection of templates of interest.1. A computer program product for a method of planning a travel itinerary for use at a destination and for executing the planned travel itinerary at the destination, the computer program product comprising: a tangible computer readable storage medium having computer readable program code embodied thereon, the computer readable program code, when executed by a processor, configured for:
storing a database of travel information about the destination in said storage medium, said database of travel information comprising tour sites at the destination; creating a respective indoor-outdoor rating for each said tour site by assessing the type and nature of each of said tour sites, including assessing exterior and interior architecture and articles contained therein, and storing said ratings in said storage medium, each said indoor-outdoor rating comprising a percentage of said respective tour site being preferentially, experienced as an indoor site or preferentially experienced as an outdoor site; providing access to said database of travel information by displaying a planning screen configured for selecting of a first itinerary template, and selecting of one or more additional itinerary templates from a plurality of said additional itinerary templates, each said plurality of additional itinerary templates comprising a plurality of said tour sites listed therein and relating to a category of said additional template, said first itinerary template configured for entering of:
a number of days for said itinerary,
an arrival city and a departure city at the destination,
a start-time and an end-time for a number of desired touring hours for each said number of days, and
a tour intensity level for touring for each of said number of days at the destination;
providing a sequence of tour sites forming a complete travel itinerary for said number of days, using a portion of said tour sites listed in each said selected one or more additional itinerary templates, said complete travel itinerary comprising said sequence of tour sites being optimized to include as many said tour sites as possible in said touring hours, for each of said number of days; wherein said complete travel itinerary is configured for selecting one or more blocks of time being affected by inclement weather, during said desired touring hours of said number of days; reforming said complete travel itinerary for detouring from at least a portion of said sequence of tour sites, including at least during said one or more blocks of time effected by inclement weather, according to said respective indoor-outdoor rating; and communicating with a GPS receiver for receiving directions to any of said tour sites of said reformed travel itinerary during executing of said reformed travel itinerary at the destination. 2. The computer program product according to claim 1, said computer readable program code further configured for selecting of said level of touring intensity for each day, from the group of touring intensity levels consisting of: allocating a minimum touring time per said tour site for each day of touring; allocating an average touring time per said tour site for each day of touring; and allocating an extended touring time per said tour site for each day of touring. 3. (canceled) 4. The computer program product according to claim 1, wherein said reforming of said sequence of tour sites of said complete travel itinerary comprises one or more of:
reordering two or more of said tour sites in said sequence of tour sites, for ordering of at least one said tour site in said sequence of sites with a highest said preferential indoor rating to correspond to said one or more blocks of time of inclement weather; and replacing one or more of said tour sites in said sequence of tour sites with one or more different tour sites, from said selected one or more additional itinerary templates, each said replacement tour site respectively having said preferential indoor rating, and sequencing said one or more different tour sites within said sequence of tour sites to correspond to said one or more blocks of time of inclement weather. 5. The computer program product according to claim 4, wherein when said selecting one or more additional itinerary templates comprises selecting at least two said additional itinerary templates, said computer readable program code further configured for assigning of a relative weight factor for each of said selected at least two additional itinerary templates; said computer readable program code further configured for allocating a respective quantity of said tour sites, into said sequence of tour sites forming said complete travel itinerary, from each of said selected at least two additional itinerary templates to be substantially in proportion to said assigned weight factor, and to receive a priority placement in said sequence of tour sites according to said assigned relative weight factor. 6. The computer program product according to claim 5, wherein said replacing of one or more said tour sites for said detouring comprises selecting said different said tour sites with each having the same or a higher said relative weight factor; and wherein said relative weight factor comprises a factor between 1 and 5. 7. The computer program product according to claim 1, said computer readable program code further configured for entering, into said first itinerary template, of a hotel location, for optimizing said sequence of tour sites of said complete travel itinerary, based upon said hotel location as a starting location for each of said number of days for said touring at the destination. 8. The computer program product according to claim 7, said computer readable program code further configured for entering into said first itinerary template of: a date and time of an arrival flight, and a date and time of a departure flight, for further optimizing of said sequence of tour sites of said complete travel itinerary. 9. The computer program product according to claim 1, said computer readable program code further configured for permitting, but not requiring, customizing of said sequence of tour sites of said complete travel itinerary for forming a complete custom itinerary using selective access to said database of travel information, said customizing comprising one or more of: removing one or more of said tour sites of said sequence of tour sites; adding one or more other tour sites, by selecting from a list of said tour sites; and reordering two or more said tour sites in said sequence of tour sites; said computer readable program code further configured for retrievably storing said complete travel itinerary within said storage medium. 10. The computer program product according to claim 1,
wherein said computer readable program code is further configured for selecting, in said planning screen, of one or more of said tour sites in said plurality of additional itinerary templates, and assigning a relative weight factor to each of said one or more selected tour sites and to each of said selected one or more additional itinerary templates; and wherein said computer readable program code is further configured for allocating the following into said sequence of tour sites forming said complete travel itinerary:
said selected one or more tour sites; and
a respective quantity of said tour sites in said selected one or more additional itinerary templates, being substantially in proportion to said assigned relative weight factor, and being optimized for including as many said tour sites as possible in said touring hours, for each of said number of days. 11. The computer program product according to claim 10, said computer readable program code further configured for causing said selected one or more tour sites and said allocated tour sites from said selected one or more additional itinerary templates, with a higher said relative weight factor, to receive a higher priority placement in said sequence of tour sites of said complete travel itinerary. 12. The computer program product according to claim 11, said computer readable program code further configured for said selecting of said tour intensity level to correspond to said assigned relative weight factor, wherein said tour sites with a higher relative weight factor are allocated more touring time and said tour sites with a lower relative weight factor are allocated less touring time. 13. The computer program product according to claim 1, said computer readable program code further configured for selecting of at least two said additional itinerary templates, said computer readable program code further configured for assigning of a relative weight factor for each of said at least two said additional itinerary templates, said computer readable program code further configured for allocating a respective quantity of said tour sites, into said sequence of tour sites forming said complete travel itinerary, from each said at least two additional itinerary templates, to be substantially in proportion to said assigned relative weight factor, and to receive priority placement in said sequence. 14. The computer program product according to claim 13, said computer readable program code further configured for providing a detour option screen configured to suggest alternative nearby tour sites relative to a current tour site of said sequence of tour sites of said complete travel itinerary, said suggested alternative tour sites being suggested in a list in a descending order beginning with:
alternative tour sites with the smallest distance from said current tour site, and with a higher said relative weight factor. 15. The computer program product according to claim 1, said computer readable program code further configured for selecting of a pre-recorded audio tour from an audio tour screen configured to provide two or more pre-recorded audio tours for each of said tour sites of said sequence of tour sites, said two or more pre-recorded audio tours being stored in said storage medium; and said two or more audio tours comprising tours of incrementally distinct lengths of time and incrementally distinct intellectual levels. 16. The computer program product according to claim 1, wherein said storage medium comprises a language database and said computer readable program code is further configured for entering of one or more words in a first language into a language screen, and translating said one or more words in said first language into a language used at the destination, using a hidden Markov modeling algorithm; wherein said computer readable program code is further configured for articulating said translated one or more words using a sound generator; and wherein said computer readable program code is further configured for using said hidden Markov modeling algorithm for translating a response in the language used at the destination, into the first language. 17. The computer program product according to claim 1, wherein said storage medium comprises a history database of the destination and a directory database of the destination, and said computer readable program code is further configured for providing:
a history screen configured for searching of said history database; and a directory screen configured for searching of entries in said directory for information for one or more of: a person, a business, a government entity, a doctor, a dentist, a medical facility, a consulate, and an embassy. 18. (canceled) 19. The computer program product according to claim 1, said computer readable program code further configured for providing one or more of:
an itinerary screen, said itinerary screen configured for displaying said sequence of tour sites of said complete travel itinerary in a display being from of the group of displays consisting of: a chronological list, and an hourly calendar planner; said itinerary screen further configured for displaying a respective photograph adjacent to each of said tour sites; a map screen configured for on-demand displaying of a scalable map for each of said number of touring days at the destination for identifying a location of each of said tour sites of said sequence of tour sites; and a public transportation screen configured for providing on-demand displaying of a public transportation route map and route schedules. 20. The computer program product according to claim 1, said computer readable program code further configured for entering of said start-time and said end-time for touring each day by selecting one or more hours or portions of an hour in an hourly calendar planner. 21. The computer program product according to claim 1, said computer readable program code further configured for said entering, into said planning screen, of a number of cities for touring, in addition to said arrival city and said departure city. 22-34. (canceled) | 3,600 |
12,867 | 12,867 | 13,198,103 | 3,686 | The invention is a computer-implemented method and apparatus that delivers information to a prescriber that is prescribing medication via an electronic prescription system, the information is delivered at the time of entering the prescription and prior to completion of entering the prescription information. The information delivered is responsive to information about the prescriber, the patient, and/or other relevant conditions from any or all of a number of sources. The information delivered to the prescriber may include drug interaction information, warnings, legally required statements, potential alternative medications, advertisements, coupons, etc. The data to which the specific information delivered to the prescriber is responsive may include prescriber information, such as the location, age, gender, medical specialty, practice size, geographic location etc, information about the patient, such as age, gender, insurance information, location, previous medical history, height, weight, etc. The data also may include information not specific to the prescriber or patient per se, such as local or national laws, current local weather, local allergen counts, etc. The data may be collected from various sources, including the prescriber's medical records database, insurance carrier databases, public information available over the internet or from other sources, purchased information such as subscription lists, weather, pollution, and allergy information, etc. | 1. A method of electronically transmitting a customized message to a prescriber responsive to entry of prescription information into an electronic prescription system, the method comprising:
receiving from a prescriber electronic prescription information pertaining to a prescription via a communication network, the electronic prescription information including at least a patient identity and the prescriber's identity; parsing, using a digital processing apparatus, the electronic prescription information to extract at least one of the patient identity and the prescriber identity; accessing electronic personal data about the at least one of the patient and the prescriber; determining a particular message to be transmitted to the prescriber as a function of the electronic personal data; transmitting the particular message to the prescriber via the communication network. 2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
generating an electronic prescription;
wherein the message is transmitted to the prescriber prior to the generating. 3. The method of claim 2 further comprising:
maintaining an electronic database of personal information about a plurality of physicians and a plurality of patients;
wherein the accessing comprises querying the electronic database. 4. The method of claim 2 wherein the message comprises an advertisement. 5. The method of claim 2 wherein the method comprises educational content about a medication being prescribed. 6. The method of claim 2 wherein the received electronic prescription information further comprises a medication being prescribed and wherein the determining further comprises determining the particular message as a function of the medication being prescribed. 7. The method of claim 2 wherein the accessing comprises accessing personal information about both the patient and the prescriber. 8. The method of claim 7 wherein the personal information comprises a plurality of prescriber location, prescriber age, prescriber gender, prescriber past prescribing habits, the prescriber's medical specialty, prescriber practice size, socio-economic data about the geographic location of the prescriber's practice, prescriber decile, the prescriber's educational background, prescriber years in practice, patient age, patient gender, patient height, patient weight, patient ethnicity, patient family medical history, patient prescription history, patient allergies, patient pre-existing medical conditions, patient insurance information, patient educational level, patient home location, patient previous medical history, and patient socio-economic data. 9. The method of claim 7 further comprising:
accessing additional data that is not personal to the prescriber or the patient; and
wherein the particular message is further determined as a function of the additional data. 10. The method of claim 7 further comprising:
collecting the patient personal data and prescriber personal data from a practice management system of the prescriber. 11. The method of claim 2 wherein the patient personal data comprises data collected from the prescriber and data collected from other prescribers. 12. The method of claim 2 wherein the determining comprises selecting message content from a store of messages. 12. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
selecting a second particular message to be transmitted to the patient as a function of the personal data; and
transmitting the second particular message to the patient. 13. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
selecting a particular message to be transmitted to the patient as a function of the personal data; and
transmitting the particular message to the patient. 14. A computer program product embodied on computer readable media readable by a computing device for transmitting a customized message to a prescriber responsive to entry of prescription information into an electronic prescription system, the product comprising:
first computer readable program code for receiving from a prescriber's client device via a communication network an electronic prescription, the electronic prescription information including at least a patient identity and the prescriber's identity; second computer readable program code for parsing the electronic prescription information to extract at least one of the patient identity and the prescriber identity; third computer readable program code for querying at least one electronic database with at least one of the patient identity and the prescriber identity for personal data about at least one of the patient and the prescriber; fourth computer readable program code for selecting a particular message to be transmitted to the prescriber's client device as a function of the personal data; and fifth computer readable program code for transmitting the particular message to the client device via the communication network. 15. The computer program product of claim 14 further comprising:
sixth computer readable program code for determining from the electronic prescription information received from the client device the software and hardware platforms of the client device; and
seventh computer readable program code for selecting a format of the particular message as a function of the determined software and hardware platforms of the client device. 16. The computer program product of claim 14 further comprising:
eighth computer readable program code for generating an electronic prescription responsive to the electronic prescription information;
wherein the fifth computer readable program code transmits the particular message to the client device prior to the generation of the electronic prescription. 17. The computer program product of claim 14 further comprising:
ninth computer readable program code for extracting the prescriber personal information and the patient personal information from practice management systems of prescribers. 18. The computer program product of claim 17 further comprising:
tenth computer readable program code for storing the prescriber personal information and the patient personal information extracted from the practice management systems of prescribers. 19. The computer program product of claim 18 further comprising:
eleventh computer readable program code for storing a plurality of potential messages for transmitting to prescribers; and
wherein the fourth computer readable program code comprises computer readable code for selecting the particular message from the plurality of stored potential messages. 20. The computer program product of claim 14 wherein the received electronic prescription information further comprises a medication being prescribed and wherein the fourth computer readable code selects the particular message further as a function of the medication being prescribed. | The invention is a computer-implemented method and apparatus that delivers information to a prescriber that is prescribing medication via an electronic prescription system, the information is delivered at the time of entering the prescription and prior to completion of entering the prescription information. The information delivered is responsive to information about the prescriber, the patient, and/or other relevant conditions from any or all of a number of sources. The information delivered to the prescriber may include drug interaction information, warnings, legally required statements, potential alternative medications, advertisements, coupons, etc. The data to which the specific information delivered to the prescriber is responsive may include prescriber information, such as the location, age, gender, medical specialty, practice size, geographic location etc, information about the patient, such as age, gender, insurance information, location, previous medical history, height, weight, etc. The data also may include information not specific to the prescriber or patient per se, such as local or national laws, current local weather, local allergen counts, etc. The data may be collected from various sources, including the prescriber's medical records database, insurance carrier databases, public information available over the internet or from other sources, purchased information such as subscription lists, weather, pollution, and allergy information, etc.1. A method of electronically transmitting a customized message to a prescriber responsive to entry of prescription information into an electronic prescription system, the method comprising:
receiving from a prescriber electronic prescription information pertaining to a prescription via a communication network, the electronic prescription information including at least a patient identity and the prescriber's identity; parsing, using a digital processing apparatus, the electronic prescription information to extract at least one of the patient identity and the prescriber identity; accessing electronic personal data about the at least one of the patient and the prescriber; determining a particular message to be transmitted to the prescriber as a function of the electronic personal data; transmitting the particular message to the prescriber via the communication network. 2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
generating an electronic prescription;
wherein the message is transmitted to the prescriber prior to the generating. 3. The method of claim 2 further comprising:
maintaining an electronic database of personal information about a plurality of physicians and a plurality of patients;
wherein the accessing comprises querying the electronic database. 4. The method of claim 2 wherein the message comprises an advertisement. 5. The method of claim 2 wherein the method comprises educational content about a medication being prescribed. 6. The method of claim 2 wherein the received electronic prescription information further comprises a medication being prescribed and wherein the determining further comprises determining the particular message as a function of the medication being prescribed. 7. The method of claim 2 wherein the accessing comprises accessing personal information about both the patient and the prescriber. 8. The method of claim 7 wherein the personal information comprises a plurality of prescriber location, prescriber age, prescriber gender, prescriber past prescribing habits, the prescriber's medical specialty, prescriber practice size, socio-economic data about the geographic location of the prescriber's practice, prescriber decile, the prescriber's educational background, prescriber years in practice, patient age, patient gender, patient height, patient weight, patient ethnicity, patient family medical history, patient prescription history, patient allergies, patient pre-existing medical conditions, patient insurance information, patient educational level, patient home location, patient previous medical history, and patient socio-economic data. 9. The method of claim 7 further comprising:
accessing additional data that is not personal to the prescriber or the patient; and
wherein the particular message is further determined as a function of the additional data. 10. The method of claim 7 further comprising:
collecting the patient personal data and prescriber personal data from a practice management system of the prescriber. 11. The method of claim 2 wherein the patient personal data comprises data collected from the prescriber and data collected from other prescribers. 12. The method of claim 2 wherein the determining comprises selecting message content from a store of messages. 12. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
selecting a second particular message to be transmitted to the patient as a function of the personal data; and
transmitting the second particular message to the patient. 13. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
selecting a particular message to be transmitted to the patient as a function of the personal data; and
transmitting the particular message to the patient. 14. A computer program product embodied on computer readable media readable by a computing device for transmitting a customized message to a prescriber responsive to entry of prescription information into an electronic prescription system, the product comprising:
first computer readable program code for receiving from a prescriber's client device via a communication network an electronic prescription, the electronic prescription information including at least a patient identity and the prescriber's identity; second computer readable program code for parsing the electronic prescription information to extract at least one of the patient identity and the prescriber identity; third computer readable program code for querying at least one electronic database with at least one of the patient identity and the prescriber identity for personal data about at least one of the patient and the prescriber; fourth computer readable program code for selecting a particular message to be transmitted to the prescriber's client device as a function of the personal data; and fifth computer readable program code for transmitting the particular message to the client device via the communication network. 15. The computer program product of claim 14 further comprising:
sixth computer readable program code for determining from the electronic prescription information received from the client device the software and hardware platforms of the client device; and
seventh computer readable program code for selecting a format of the particular message as a function of the determined software and hardware platforms of the client device. 16. The computer program product of claim 14 further comprising:
eighth computer readable program code for generating an electronic prescription responsive to the electronic prescription information;
wherein the fifth computer readable program code transmits the particular message to the client device prior to the generation of the electronic prescription. 17. The computer program product of claim 14 further comprising:
ninth computer readable program code for extracting the prescriber personal information and the patient personal information from practice management systems of prescribers. 18. The computer program product of claim 17 further comprising:
tenth computer readable program code for storing the prescriber personal information and the patient personal information extracted from the practice management systems of prescribers. 19. The computer program product of claim 18 further comprising:
eleventh computer readable program code for storing a plurality of potential messages for transmitting to prescribers; and
wherein the fourth computer readable program code comprises computer readable code for selecting the particular message from the plurality of stored potential messages. 20. The computer program product of claim 14 wherein the received electronic prescription information further comprises a medication being prescribed and wherein the fourth computer readable code selects the particular message further as a function of the medication being prescribed. | 3,600 |
12,868 | 12,868 | 14,274,178 | 3,679 | A duct coupling system has a first concrete segment, a first duct positioned in the first concrete segment so as to have an end extending outwardly therefrom, a second concrete segment, a second duct positioned in the second concrete segment so as to have an end extending outwardly therefrom in a direction toward the end of the first duct, and a tubular member slidably positioned over the ends of the first and second ducts so as to join the first and second ducts together in a liquid-tight relationship. The first concrete segment is positioned in spaced relation to the second concrete segment. A wet joint is formed in the space between the first concrete segment and the second concrete segment. The tubular member is embedded in the wet joint. | 1. A duct coupling system comprising:
a first concrete segment; a first duct positioned in said first concrete segment so as to have an end extending outwardly therefrom; a second concrete segment; a second duct positioned in said second concrete segment so as to have an end extending outwardly therefrom in a direction toward the end of said first duct; and a tubular member slidably positioned over said ends of said first and second ducts so as to join said first and second ducts together in a liquid-tight relationship. 2. The duct coupling system of claim 1, said first concrete segment being positioned in spaced relation to said second concrete segment, the duct coupling system further comprising:
a wet joint formed in the space between said first concrete segment and said second concrete segment, said tubular member being embedded in said wet joint. 3. The duct coupling system of claim 1, said first duct having a plurality of ridges extending outwardly therefrom, said plurality of ridges having a first ridge in spaced relation to a second ridge, one of said first and second ridges being adjacent said end of said duct. 4. The duct coupling system of claim 3, said second duct having a plurality of ridges extending outwardly therefrom, said plurality of ridges of said second duct having a first ridge in spaced relation to a second ridge, one of said first and second ridges of said second duct being adjacent to an end of said second duct. 5. The duct coupling system of claim 1, said tubular member being movable between a first position overlying a portion of only one of said first and second ducts and a second position overlying both of the ends of said first and second ducts. 6. The duct coupling system of claim 4, said tubular member having an inner wall overlying and adjacent to the ridges of said first and second ducts. 7. The duct coupling system of claim 1, said tubular member having an inner diameter greater than an outer diameter of said first and second ducts. 8. The duct coupling system of claim 1, further comprising:
a first seal positioned over an exterior of said first duct adjacent the end thereof; and a second seal positioned over an exterior of said second duct adjacent to the end thereof, said first and second seals being in liquid-tight sealing relation with said tubular member. 9. The duct coupling system of claim 4, further comprising:
a first seal positioned over an exterior of said first duct between said first and second ridges of said first duct; and a second seal positioned over an exterior of said second duct between said first and second ridges of said second duct. 10. The duct coupling system of claim 9, said first seal bearing against a surface of one of said first and second ridges of said first duct, said second seal bearing against a surface of one of said first and second ridges of said second duct. 11. The duct coupling system of claim 8, each of said first and second seals being an elastomeric O-ring. 12. A method of forming a wet joint between a first concrete segment and a second concrete segments, the method comprising:
forming the first concrete segment with a first duct embedded therein such that said first duct has an end extending outwardly of one side of the first concrete segment; forming the second concrete segment with a second duct embedded therein such that said second duct has an end extending outwardly of one side of said second concrete segment; applying a tubular member over the end of said first duct; sliding the tubular member toward the second duct such that the tubular member overlies the end of the first duct and overlies the end of the second duct; and forming a wet joint between the first and second concrete segments such that said tubular member is embedded therein. 13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:
applying a first seal around an exterior surface of said first duct adjacent the end thereof; and applying a second seal around an exterior surface of said second duct adjacent the end thereof. 14. The method of claim 13, the step of sliding comprising:
sliding the tubular member toward said second duct such that an inner wall of said tubular member bears against said first seal and said second seal in generally liquid-tight relationship. 15. The method of claim 13, said first duct having a first ridge and a second ridge in spaced relation to each other adjacent the end of said first duct, said second duct having a first ridge and a second ridge in spaced relation to each other adjacent the end of said second duct, the step of applying the first seal comprising applying the first seal in a location between said first ridge and said second ridge of said first duct, the step of applying the second seal comprising applying the second seal in a location between said first ridge and said second ridge of said second duct. 16. The method of claim 15, said first seal being applied so as to bear against one of said first and second ridges of said first duct, said second seal being applied so as to bear against one of said first and second ridges of said second duct. 17. The method of claim 13, each of said first and second seals being an elastomeric O-ring. 18. A duct coupling system comprising:
a first concrete segment; a first duct positioned in said first concrete segment so as to have an end extending outwardly therefrom; a second concrete segment; a second duct positioned in said second concrete segment so as to have an end extending outwardly therefrom and a direction toward the end of said first duct; a tubular member slidably positioned over the ends of said first and second ducts so as to join said first and second ducts together in a liquid-tight relationship; and a wet joint formed in a space between said first concrete segment and said second concrete segment, said tubular member being embedded in said wet joint. 19. The duct coupling system of claim 18, further comprising:
a first seal positioned over an exterior of said first duct adjacent the end thereof; and a second seal positioned over an exterior of said second duct adjacent to the end thereof, said first and second seals being in liquid-tight sealing relationship with said tubular member. 20. The duct coupling system of claim 18, said first duct and said second duct and said tubular member each being formed of a polymeric material. | A duct coupling system has a first concrete segment, a first duct positioned in the first concrete segment so as to have an end extending outwardly therefrom, a second concrete segment, a second duct positioned in the second concrete segment so as to have an end extending outwardly therefrom in a direction toward the end of the first duct, and a tubular member slidably positioned over the ends of the first and second ducts so as to join the first and second ducts together in a liquid-tight relationship. The first concrete segment is positioned in spaced relation to the second concrete segment. A wet joint is formed in the space between the first concrete segment and the second concrete segment. The tubular member is embedded in the wet joint.1. A duct coupling system comprising:
a first concrete segment; a first duct positioned in said first concrete segment so as to have an end extending outwardly therefrom; a second concrete segment; a second duct positioned in said second concrete segment so as to have an end extending outwardly therefrom in a direction toward the end of said first duct; and a tubular member slidably positioned over said ends of said first and second ducts so as to join said first and second ducts together in a liquid-tight relationship. 2. The duct coupling system of claim 1, said first concrete segment being positioned in spaced relation to said second concrete segment, the duct coupling system further comprising:
a wet joint formed in the space between said first concrete segment and said second concrete segment, said tubular member being embedded in said wet joint. 3. The duct coupling system of claim 1, said first duct having a plurality of ridges extending outwardly therefrom, said plurality of ridges having a first ridge in spaced relation to a second ridge, one of said first and second ridges being adjacent said end of said duct. 4. The duct coupling system of claim 3, said second duct having a plurality of ridges extending outwardly therefrom, said plurality of ridges of said second duct having a first ridge in spaced relation to a second ridge, one of said first and second ridges of said second duct being adjacent to an end of said second duct. 5. The duct coupling system of claim 1, said tubular member being movable between a first position overlying a portion of only one of said first and second ducts and a second position overlying both of the ends of said first and second ducts. 6. The duct coupling system of claim 4, said tubular member having an inner wall overlying and adjacent to the ridges of said first and second ducts. 7. The duct coupling system of claim 1, said tubular member having an inner diameter greater than an outer diameter of said first and second ducts. 8. The duct coupling system of claim 1, further comprising:
a first seal positioned over an exterior of said first duct adjacent the end thereof; and a second seal positioned over an exterior of said second duct adjacent to the end thereof, said first and second seals being in liquid-tight sealing relation with said tubular member. 9. The duct coupling system of claim 4, further comprising:
a first seal positioned over an exterior of said first duct between said first and second ridges of said first duct; and a second seal positioned over an exterior of said second duct between said first and second ridges of said second duct. 10. The duct coupling system of claim 9, said first seal bearing against a surface of one of said first and second ridges of said first duct, said second seal bearing against a surface of one of said first and second ridges of said second duct. 11. The duct coupling system of claim 8, each of said first and second seals being an elastomeric O-ring. 12. A method of forming a wet joint between a first concrete segment and a second concrete segments, the method comprising:
forming the first concrete segment with a first duct embedded therein such that said first duct has an end extending outwardly of one side of the first concrete segment; forming the second concrete segment with a second duct embedded therein such that said second duct has an end extending outwardly of one side of said second concrete segment; applying a tubular member over the end of said first duct; sliding the tubular member toward the second duct such that the tubular member overlies the end of the first duct and overlies the end of the second duct; and forming a wet joint between the first and second concrete segments such that said tubular member is embedded therein. 13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:
applying a first seal around an exterior surface of said first duct adjacent the end thereof; and applying a second seal around an exterior surface of said second duct adjacent the end thereof. 14. The method of claim 13, the step of sliding comprising:
sliding the tubular member toward said second duct such that an inner wall of said tubular member bears against said first seal and said second seal in generally liquid-tight relationship. 15. The method of claim 13, said first duct having a first ridge and a second ridge in spaced relation to each other adjacent the end of said first duct, said second duct having a first ridge and a second ridge in spaced relation to each other adjacent the end of said second duct, the step of applying the first seal comprising applying the first seal in a location between said first ridge and said second ridge of said first duct, the step of applying the second seal comprising applying the second seal in a location between said first ridge and said second ridge of said second duct. 16. The method of claim 15, said first seal being applied so as to bear against one of said first and second ridges of said first duct, said second seal being applied so as to bear against one of said first and second ridges of said second duct. 17. The method of claim 13, each of said first and second seals being an elastomeric O-ring. 18. A duct coupling system comprising:
a first concrete segment; a first duct positioned in said first concrete segment so as to have an end extending outwardly therefrom; a second concrete segment; a second duct positioned in said second concrete segment so as to have an end extending outwardly therefrom and a direction toward the end of said first duct; a tubular member slidably positioned over the ends of said first and second ducts so as to join said first and second ducts together in a liquid-tight relationship; and a wet joint formed in a space between said first concrete segment and said second concrete segment, said tubular member being embedded in said wet joint. 19. The duct coupling system of claim 18, further comprising:
a first seal positioned over an exterior of said first duct adjacent the end thereof; and a second seal positioned over an exterior of said second duct adjacent to the end thereof, said first and second seals being in liquid-tight sealing relationship with said tubular member. 20. The duct coupling system of claim 18, said first duct and said second duct and said tubular member each being formed of a polymeric material. | 3,600 |
12,869 | 12,869 | 13,555,837 | 3,693 | Systems and methods for trading an item in an electronic trading system are provided. The method preferably includes transitioning the trading system from a first trading state to a second trading state. Once the trading system has transitioned to the second state, the method includes determining whether an existing order qualifies for trading priority and/or exclusivity in the second trading state with respect to an incoming contra order. This determining of trading rights in the second trading state is preferably based on the status of trading priority in the first trading state and also a set of predetermined criteria with respect to an incoming contra order in the second trading state. If the existing order qualifies for trading priority, then the system preferably presents the incoming contra order for trading exclusively or semi-exclusively to the participant associated with the existing order. | 1. A method for trading an item in an electronic trading system comprising at least one computing device, the method comprising:
transitioning, by the at least one computing device, the trading system from a first trading state to a second trading state, wherein the first trading state comprises an active trading state during which a plurality of participants at least one of negotiate and trade the item therein, and wherein the second trading state comprises a bid/offer state during which participants enter their respective bids and offers; determining, by the at least one computing device, whether an existing order having first on the follow priority status at a conclusion of the first state qualifies for trading priority in the second trading state with respect to an incoming contra order received after the existing order, the incoming contra order received from at least one workstation coupled to the at least one computing device, the qualifying of trading priority of the existing order in the second trading state being based on the first one follow priority status of the existing order at the conclusion of the first trading state and being based on a set of predetermined criteria in the second trading state; presenting, by the at least one computing device, the incoming contra order for trading exclusively or semi exclusively to a participant associated with the existing order based on the existing order qualifying for trading priority in the second trading state with respect to the incoming contra order. 2. The method for trading an item according to claim 1 wherein the qualifying of trading priority of the existing order in the second trading state comprises querying whether the existing order satisfies a minimum size requirement. 3. The method for trading an item according to claim 1 wherein the determining comprises querying whether the size of the existing order exceeds a percentage of the size of the incoming contra order and wherein the existing order is further qualified based on the size of the existing order exceeding the percentage of the size of the incoming order. 4. The method for trading an item according to claim 1 wherein the determining comprises querying whether the existing order is within a predetermined delta of the incoming contra order and wherein the existing order is further qualified based on the size of the existing order being within the predetermined delta. 5. The method for trading an item according to claim 1 wherein the determining comprises querying whether the incoming contra order satisfies a minimum size requirement and wherein the existing order is further qualified based on the size of the incoming order exceeding the minimum size requirement. 6. The method for trading an item according to claim 1 wherein the determining comprises querying whether the size of the incoming contra order exceeds a percentage of the size of the existing order and wherein the existing order is further qualified based on the size of the incoming order exceeding the percentage of the size of the existing order. 7. The method for trading an item according to claim 1 wherein the determining comprises querying whether the incoming contra order is within a predetermined delta of the existing order and wherein the existing order is further qualified based on the size of the incoming order being within the predetermined delta. 8. A computer system for trading an item in an electronic trading system, the computer system comprising:
at least one computing device; at least one memory having instructions stored thereon which, when executed by the at least one computing device, direct the at least one processor to perform a method comprising:
transitioning the trading system from a first trading state to a second trading state, wherein the first trading state comprises an active trading state during which a plurality of participants at least one of negotiate and trade the item therein, and wherein the second trading state comprises a bid/offer state during which participants enter their respective bids and offers;
determining that an existing order having first on the follow priority status at the conclusion of the first trading state qualifies for trading priority in the second trading state with respect to an incoming contra order based on the first on the follow priority status of the existing order at the conclusion of the first trading state and based on the existing order satisfying a set of predetermined criteria, the incoming order received after the existing order from at least one workstation coupled to the at least one computing device; and presenting the incoming order for trading exclusively to a participant associated with the existing order based on the existing order qualifying for trading priority in the second trading state with respect to the incoming contra order. 9-22. (canceled) 23. A method for trading an item in an electronic trading system, the method comprising:
identifying, by at least one computing device, a current order; receiving, by the at least one computing device an incoming contra order; determining, by the at least one computing device, whether the current order possesses exclusive privileges to be traded with the incoming contra order, in which the act of determining whether the current order possesses exclusive trading privileges to be traded with the incoming contra order comprises determining that the current order does possess exclusive trading privileges to be traded with the incoming contra order; determining that a second order exists in the system and includes an indication to trade with the incoming contra order if the current order declines to trade with the incoming contra order; and based on the act of determining that the current order does possess exclusive trading privileges to be traded with the incoming contra order and the act of determining that a second order exists in the system and includes an indication to trade with the incoming contra order if the current order declines to trade with the incoming contra order, executing, by the at least one processor, a trade between the incoming contra order and the current order. 24. The method of claim 1, wherein the participant associated with the existing order traded the item with exclusivity during at least a portion of the first trading state and wherein the existing order is further qualified based on determining that the participant traded with exclusivity during at least a portion of the first trading state. 25. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
determining by the at least one computing device that a price of the received contra order is within a predetermined delta of a price of the best order; and wherein determining that the participant has the right to trade exclusively against the received contra order comprises determining that the participant has the right to trade exclusively against the received contra order based at least in part on determining that the price of the received contra order is within the predetermined delta of the price of the best order. 26. The method of claim 1,
wherein the orders pending at the conclusion of the first trading state comprise bids pending at the conclusion of the first trading state; and wherein the existing order comprises a best bid having a best price from among the pending bids; and wherein the received contra order comprises an offer. 27. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
based at least in part on the act of presenting, automatically modifying by the at least one computing device the existing order, wherein modifying the existing order does not affect the potential trading priority of the existing order. 28. The method of claim 27, wherein modifying the existing order comprises at least one of:
modifying a size of the existing order and modifying a price of the existing order. 29. The method of claim 27,
wherein the existing order comprises a bid; and wherein modifying the existing order comprises at least one of reducing a size of the bid and reducing a price of the bid. 30. The method of claim 27, wherein the at least one computing device automatically modifies the best order based at least in part on instructions preset by the participant. 31. The method of claim 27, wherein the at least one computing device automatically modifies the best order based at least in part on a preset default of the at least one computing device. 32. The method of claim 1,
wherein the existing order comprises (i) a hidden size not shown to other participants and (ii) a displayed size shown to other participants; and wherein the hidden size and the displayed size are considered in determining that the size of the best order satisfies the minimum size requirement. 33. The method of claim 1,
wherein the best order comprises (i) a hidden size not shown to other participants and (ii) a displayed size shown to other participants; and wherein only the displayed is considered in determining that the size of the best order satisfies the minimum size requirement. 34. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one computing device automatically executes the trade against the received contra order based at least in part on instructions preset by the participant. | Systems and methods for trading an item in an electronic trading system are provided. The method preferably includes transitioning the trading system from a first trading state to a second trading state. Once the trading system has transitioned to the second state, the method includes determining whether an existing order qualifies for trading priority and/or exclusivity in the second trading state with respect to an incoming contra order. This determining of trading rights in the second trading state is preferably based on the status of trading priority in the first trading state and also a set of predetermined criteria with respect to an incoming contra order in the second trading state. If the existing order qualifies for trading priority, then the system preferably presents the incoming contra order for trading exclusively or semi-exclusively to the participant associated with the existing order.1. A method for trading an item in an electronic trading system comprising at least one computing device, the method comprising:
transitioning, by the at least one computing device, the trading system from a first trading state to a second trading state, wherein the first trading state comprises an active trading state during which a plurality of participants at least one of negotiate and trade the item therein, and wherein the second trading state comprises a bid/offer state during which participants enter their respective bids and offers; determining, by the at least one computing device, whether an existing order having first on the follow priority status at a conclusion of the first state qualifies for trading priority in the second trading state with respect to an incoming contra order received after the existing order, the incoming contra order received from at least one workstation coupled to the at least one computing device, the qualifying of trading priority of the existing order in the second trading state being based on the first one follow priority status of the existing order at the conclusion of the first trading state and being based on a set of predetermined criteria in the second trading state; presenting, by the at least one computing device, the incoming contra order for trading exclusively or semi exclusively to a participant associated with the existing order based on the existing order qualifying for trading priority in the second trading state with respect to the incoming contra order. 2. The method for trading an item according to claim 1 wherein the qualifying of trading priority of the existing order in the second trading state comprises querying whether the existing order satisfies a minimum size requirement. 3. The method for trading an item according to claim 1 wherein the determining comprises querying whether the size of the existing order exceeds a percentage of the size of the incoming contra order and wherein the existing order is further qualified based on the size of the existing order exceeding the percentage of the size of the incoming order. 4. The method for trading an item according to claim 1 wherein the determining comprises querying whether the existing order is within a predetermined delta of the incoming contra order and wherein the existing order is further qualified based on the size of the existing order being within the predetermined delta. 5. The method for trading an item according to claim 1 wherein the determining comprises querying whether the incoming contra order satisfies a minimum size requirement and wherein the existing order is further qualified based on the size of the incoming order exceeding the minimum size requirement. 6. The method for trading an item according to claim 1 wherein the determining comprises querying whether the size of the incoming contra order exceeds a percentage of the size of the existing order and wherein the existing order is further qualified based on the size of the incoming order exceeding the percentage of the size of the existing order. 7. The method for trading an item according to claim 1 wherein the determining comprises querying whether the incoming contra order is within a predetermined delta of the existing order and wherein the existing order is further qualified based on the size of the incoming order being within the predetermined delta. 8. A computer system for trading an item in an electronic trading system, the computer system comprising:
at least one computing device; at least one memory having instructions stored thereon which, when executed by the at least one computing device, direct the at least one processor to perform a method comprising:
transitioning the trading system from a first trading state to a second trading state, wherein the first trading state comprises an active trading state during which a plurality of participants at least one of negotiate and trade the item therein, and wherein the second trading state comprises a bid/offer state during which participants enter their respective bids and offers;
determining that an existing order having first on the follow priority status at the conclusion of the first trading state qualifies for trading priority in the second trading state with respect to an incoming contra order based on the first on the follow priority status of the existing order at the conclusion of the first trading state and based on the existing order satisfying a set of predetermined criteria, the incoming order received after the existing order from at least one workstation coupled to the at least one computing device; and presenting the incoming order for trading exclusively to a participant associated with the existing order based on the existing order qualifying for trading priority in the second trading state with respect to the incoming contra order. 9-22. (canceled) 23. A method for trading an item in an electronic trading system, the method comprising:
identifying, by at least one computing device, a current order; receiving, by the at least one computing device an incoming contra order; determining, by the at least one computing device, whether the current order possesses exclusive privileges to be traded with the incoming contra order, in which the act of determining whether the current order possesses exclusive trading privileges to be traded with the incoming contra order comprises determining that the current order does possess exclusive trading privileges to be traded with the incoming contra order; determining that a second order exists in the system and includes an indication to trade with the incoming contra order if the current order declines to trade with the incoming contra order; and based on the act of determining that the current order does possess exclusive trading privileges to be traded with the incoming contra order and the act of determining that a second order exists in the system and includes an indication to trade with the incoming contra order if the current order declines to trade with the incoming contra order, executing, by the at least one processor, a trade between the incoming contra order and the current order. 24. The method of claim 1, wherein the participant associated with the existing order traded the item with exclusivity during at least a portion of the first trading state and wherein the existing order is further qualified based on determining that the participant traded with exclusivity during at least a portion of the first trading state. 25. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
determining by the at least one computing device that a price of the received contra order is within a predetermined delta of a price of the best order; and wherein determining that the participant has the right to trade exclusively against the received contra order comprises determining that the participant has the right to trade exclusively against the received contra order based at least in part on determining that the price of the received contra order is within the predetermined delta of the price of the best order. 26. The method of claim 1,
wherein the orders pending at the conclusion of the first trading state comprise bids pending at the conclusion of the first trading state; and wherein the existing order comprises a best bid having a best price from among the pending bids; and wherein the received contra order comprises an offer. 27. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
based at least in part on the act of presenting, automatically modifying by the at least one computing device the existing order, wherein modifying the existing order does not affect the potential trading priority of the existing order. 28. The method of claim 27, wherein modifying the existing order comprises at least one of:
modifying a size of the existing order and modifying a price of the existing order. 29. The method of claim 27,
wherein the existing order comprises a bid; and wherein modifying the existing order comprises at least one of reducing a size of the bid and reducing a price of the bid. 30. The method of claim 27, wherein the at least one computing device automatically modifies the best order based at least in part on instructions preset by the participant. 31. The method of claim 27, wherein the at least one computing device automatically modifies the best order based at least in part on a preset default of the at least one computing device. 32. The method of claim 1,
wherein the existing order comprises (i) a hidden size not shown to other participants and (ii) a displayed size shown to other participants; and wherein the hidden size and the displayed size are considered in determining that the size of the best order satisfies the minimum size requirement. 33. The method of claim 1,
wherein the best order comprises (i) a hidden size not shown to other participants and (ii) a displayed size shown to other participants; and wherein only the displayed is considered in determining that the size of the best order satisfies the minimum size requirement. 34. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one computing device automatically executes the trade against the received contra order based at least in part on instructions preset by the participant. | 3,600 |
12,870 | 12,870 | 12,861,749 | 3,649 | A system and method for managing reservation requests for one or more inventory items are provided. A user reservation request is obtained and processed to identify inventory data matching the reservation request. Reservation transaction, reservation items and reservation inventory records are generated corresponding to the user reservation request. If the transaction can be completed, a confirmation is sent to the user and a notification is sent to a supplier. | 1. A method for processing reservation requests for one or more inventory items, the method comprising:
maintaining, by a computing device, inventory data, wherein the inventory data is organized in accordance with a three-level hierarchy and wherein the three level hierarchy includes:
at least one group record defining a first level of detail for inventory information, wherein the first level of detail of each group record comprises information common to all item category records and inventory records;
a set of item category records defining a second level of detail that is associated to a referenced group record and corresponds to types of inventory items for the referenced group, wherein the second level of detail of each item category record comprises information common to all inventory records; and
inventory records defining a third level of detail corresponding to instances of inventory item types referenced by the set of item category records, wherein the third level of detail of each inventory record in the hierarchy describes distinct inventory instances of item types selected to satisfy reservation requests;
matching, by the computing device, one or more inventory items with the inventory data responsive to reservation requests for inventory, wherein matching includes selecting two or more instances of inventory data from the three-level inventory information to correspond to the reservation request; and generating, by the computing device, the results of matching the reservation request with inventory data. 2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the request for reservation includes a set of criteria for identifying matching inventory items. 3. The method as recited in claim 2, wherein the set of criteria includes at least one of a date or date range for the reservation request, a selection of a hotel room or hotel room type, a selection of an airline flight or airline carrier, a selection of car rental agency or car rental type, and a selection of a cruise or cabin type. 4. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein matching the user request for reservation with the inventory data includes calculating a consumer price for the reservation transaction, reservation item, and reservation inventory records. 5. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein matching the user request for reservation with the inventory data includes calculating a supplier cost for the reservation transaction, reservation item, and reservation inventory records. 6. The method as recited in claim 1 further comprising confirming a completion of a financial transaction corresponding to the reservation request. 7. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein matching the request for reservation with the inventory data includes:
placing the selected instances of inventory data on hold; confirming a completion of a financial transaction corresponding to the reservation request; updating the reservation transaction, reservation item and reservation inventory records with the confirmation data; and updating the inventory data to reflect a completed reservation request. 8. The method as recited in claim 7 further comprising deleting the reservation transaction, reservation item, and reservation inventory records and adding the matching inventory data to a corresponding inventory record if the transfer of a monetary amount cannot be confirmed. 9. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein transmitting the results of the matching includes transmitting a notification to a supplier corresponding to the matched reservation request, the notification including at least one of a confirmation number, utilization information, and a cost code associated with a supplier cost for the inventory item. 10. A system for processing reservation of one or more inventory items, the system comprising:
a data store operable to store inventory data organized in accordance with a three-level hierarchy and wherein the three-level hierarchy includes:
at least one group record defining a first level of detail for inventory information, wherein the first level of detail of each group record comprises information common to all item category records and inventory records;
a set of item category records defining a second level of detail that is associated to a referenced group record and corresponds to types of inventory items for the referenced group, wherein the second level of detail of each item category record comprises information common to all inventory records; and
inventory records defining a third level of detail corresponding to instances of inventory item types referenced by the set of item category records, wherein the third level of detail of each inventory record in the hierarchy describes distinct inventory instances of item types;
a computing device configured to:
match a request for reservation of at least one inventory item with the inventory data, wherein matching includes selecting from instances of inventory data from the three-level inventory information to correspond to the reservation request;
generate results of matching the request for reservation with inventory data; and
transmit the results. 11. The system as recited in claim 10, wherein the computing device processes the reservation transaction, reservation item, and reservation inventory records by confirming the completion of a financial transaction. 12. The system as recited in claim 10, wherein the computing device is further operable to transmit a confirmation of the matched reservation request to the user associated with the matched reservation request. 13. The system as recited in claim 10, wherein the reservation transaction, reservation item, and reservation inventory records include a price component, and wherein the computing device is operable to calculate a price based on the sum of the price components of the reservation transaction, reservation item, and reservation inventory records. 14. The system as recited in claim 10, wherein the reservation transaction, reservation item, and reservation inventory records include a cost component, and wherein the computing device is operable to calculate a cost based on the sum of the cost components of the reservation transaction, reservation item, and reservation inventory records. 15. A system for processing reservations of one or more items comprising:
a data store operable to store inventory data organized in accordance with a three-level hierarchy and wherein the three-level hierarchy includes:
at least one group record defining a first level of detail for inventory information, wherein the first level of detail of each group record comprises information common to all item category records and inventory records;
a set of item category records defining a second level of detail that is associated to a referenced group record and corresponds to types of inventory items for the referenced group, wherein the second level of detail of each item category record comprises information common to all inventory records; and
inventory records defining a third level of detail corresponding to instances of inventory item types referenced by the set of item category records, wherein the third level of detail of each inventory record in the hierarchy describes distinct inventory instances of item types; a computing device having components for processing reservation requests including: means for matching inventory data from the three level hierarchy to correspond to the reservation requests; and a notification component for transmitting results of matching. 16. The system as recited in claim 15 further comprising means for computing costs based on a sum of costs associated with at least one of a reservation item and a reservation item's reservation inventory records. 17. The system as recited in claim 15, wherein the notification component transmits notifications to users associated with the reservation request. 18. The system as recited in claim 15, wherein the notification component transmits notifications to suppliers associated with the reservation requests. | A system and method for managing reservation requests for one or more inventory items are provided. A user reservation request is obtained and processed to identify inventory data matching the reservation request. Reservation transaction, reservation items and reservation inventory records are generated corresponding to the user reservation request. If the transaction can be completed, a confirmation is sent to the user and a notification is sent to a supplier.1. A method for processing reservation requests for one or more inventory items, the method comprising:
maintaining, by a computing device, inventory data, wherein the inventory data is organized in accordance with a three-level hierarchy and wherein the three level hierarchy includes:
at least one group record defining a first level of detail for inventory information, wherein the first level of detail of each group record comprises information common to all item category records and inventory records;
a set of item category records defining a second level of detail that is associated to a referenced group record and corresponds to types of inventory items for the referenced group, wherein the second level of detail of each item category record comprises information common to all inventory records; and
inventory records defining a third level of detail corresponding to instances of inventory item types referenced by the set of item category records, wherein the third level of detail of each inventory record in the hierarchy describes distinct inventory instances of item types selected to satisfy reservation requests;
matching, by the computing device, one or more inventory items with the inventory data responsive to reservation requests for inventory, wherein matching includes selecting two or more instances of inventory data from the three-level inventory information to correspond to the reservation request; and generating, by the computing device, the results of matching the reservation request with inventory data. 2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the request for reservation includes a set of criteria for identifying matching inventory items. 3. The method as recited in claim 2, wherein the set of criteria includes at least one of a date or date range for the reservation request, a selection of a hotel room or hotel room type, a selection of an airline flight or airline carrier, a selection of car rental agency or car rental type, and a selection of a cruise or cabin type. 4. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein matching the user request for reservation with the inventory data includes calculating a consumer price for the reservation transaction, reservation item, and reservation inventory records. 5. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein matching the user request for reservation with the inventory data includes calculating a supplier cost for the reservation transaction, reservation item, and reservation inventory records. 6. The method as recited in claim 1 further comprising confirming a completion of a financial transaction corresponding to the reservation request. 7. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein matching the request for reservation with the inventory data includes:
placing the selected instances of inventory data on hold; confirming a completion of a financial transaction corresponding to the reservation request; updating the reservation transaction, reservation item and reservation inventory records with the confirmation data; and updating the inventory data to reflect a completed reservation request. 8. The method as recited in claim 7 further comprising deleting the reservation transaction, reservation item, and reservation inventory records and adding the matching inventory data to a corresponding inventory record if the transfer of a monetary amount cannot be confirmed. 9. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein transmitting the results of the matching includes transmitting a notification to a supplier corresponding to the matched reservation request, the notification including at least one of a confirmation number, utilization information, and a cost code associated with a supplier cost for the inventory item. 10. A system for processing reservation of one or more inventory items, the system comprising:
a data store operable to store inventory data organized in accordance with a three-level hierarchy and wherein the three-level hierarchy includes:
at least one group record defining a first level of detail for inventory information, wherein the first level of detail of each group record comprises information common to all item category records and inventory records;
a set of item category records defining a second level of detail that is associated to a referenced group record and corresponds to types of inventory items for the referenced group, wherein the second level of detail of each item category record comprises information common to all inventory records; and
inventory records defining a third level of detail corresponding to instances of inventory item types referenced by the set of item category records, wherein the third level of detail of each inventory record in the hierarchy describes distinct inventory instances of item types;
a computing device configured to:
match a request for reservation of at least one inventory item with the inventory data, wherein matching includes selecting from instances of inventory data from the three-level inventory information to correspond to the reservation request;
generate results of matching the request for reservation with inventory data; and
transmit the results. 11. The system as recited in claim 10, wherein the computing device processes the reservation transaction, reservation item, and reservation inventory records by confirming the completion of a financial transaction. 12. The system as recited in claim 10, wherein the computing device is further operable to transmit a confirmation of the matched reservation request to the user associated with the matched reservation request. 13. The system as recited in claim 10, wherein the reservation transaction, reservation item, and reservation inventory records include a price component, and wherein the computing device is operable to calculate a price based on the sum of the price components of the reservation transaction, reservation item, and reservation inventory records. 14. The system as recited in claim 10, wherein the reservation transaction, reservation item, and reservation inventory records include a cost component, and wherein the computing device is operable to calculate a cost based on the sum of the cost components of the reservation transaction, reservation item, and reservation inventory records. 15. A system for processing reservations of one or more items comprising:
a data store operable to store inventory data organized in accordance with a three-level hierarchy and wherein the three-level hierarchy includes:
at least one group record defining a first level of detail for inventory information, wherein the first level of detail of each group record comprises information common to all item category records and inventory records;
a set of item category records defining a second level of detail that is associated to a referenced group record and corresponds to types of inventory items for the referenced group, wherein the second level of detail of each item category record comprises information common to all inventory records; and
inventory records defining a third level of detail corresponding to instances of inventory item types referenced by the set of item category records, wherein the third level of detail of each inventory record in the hierarchy describes distinct inventory instances of item types; a computing device having components for processing reservation requests including: means for matching inventory data from the three level hierarchy to correspond to the reservation requests; and a notification component for transmitting results of matching. 16. The system as recited in claim 15 further comprising means for computing costs based on a sum of costs associated with at least one of a reservation item and a reservation item's reservation inventory records. 17. The system as recited in claim 15, wherein the notification component transmits notifications to users associated with the reservation request. 18. The system as recited in claim 15, wherein the notification component transmits notifications to suppliers associated with the reservation requests. | 3,600 |
12,871 | 12,871 | 12,268,339 | 3,693 | One embodiment of the disclosure is a method, performed by a sponsor offering a financial plan to a customer, for transferring risk associated with a financial plan that includes receiving indemnification from an issuer managing the financial plan, such that the indemnification indemnifies the sponsor of the financial for one or more claims brought by the customer of the financial plan and associated with a financial account, such that the financial account is associated with the financial plan and comprising one or more financial investments. The method further includes generating a notice to the customer, such that the notice notifies the customer of the customer's enrollment in the financial plan unless the customer elects to opt out of one or more features of the financial plan, such that the notice includes an opt-out. The method further includes storing an acknowledgement of the opt-out by the customer. | 1. A 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:
generate a notice for an employee of a financial plan managed by an indemnitor, the employee being employed by an indemnitee, the notice notifying the employee that the employee will be enrolled in the financial plan unless the employee elects to opt out of one or more features of the financial plan, the indemnitor indemnifying the indemnitee for one or more claims that may be brought by the employee and associated with a financial account, the financial account associated with the financial plan, the financial account comprising one or more financial investments, and the notice comprising an opt-out; and
store an indicator in the one or more memory modules, the indicator representing an acknowledgement of the opt-out by the employee. 2. The system of claim 1, further comprising generating a second notice, the second notice notifying the employee of the implementation of one or more aspects of the financial plan unless the employee elects to opt out of the one or more aspects of the financial plan, the second notice comprising a second opt-out. 3. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more claims brought by the employee are associated with the selection or performance of the one or more financial investments in the financial account. 4. The system of claim 1, wherein the indicator is an element in a database stored within the one or more memory modules. 5. The system of claim 1, wherein the financial plan comprises provisions for increasing a balance of the financial account by at least one contribution and guaranteeing an annual income amount to a beneficiary. 6. The system of claim 1, wherein the financial plan is a 401(k) plan. 7. The system of claim 1, wherein the opt-out provides a statement that the employee waives future litigation claims associated with the financial account against the indemnitee if the employee opts out of the financial plan. 8. The system of claim 1, wherein the acknowledgment by the employee occurs when the employee clicks an electronic button in a graphical user interface to opt out of the financial plan. 9. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more financial investments are selected by the indemnitor. 10. The system of claim 1, wherein the notice further comprises a statement that enrolling in the financial plan is expected to provide the employee with a better financial outcome than opting out. 11. A method, performed by a sponsor offering a financial plan to a customer, for transferring risk associated with the financial plan, the method comprising:
receiving indemnification from an issuer managing the financial plan, the indemnification indemnifying the sponsor of the financial plan for one or more claims brought by the customer of the financial plan and associated with a financial account associated with the financial plan and comprising one or more financial investments; and using software stored on computer-readable media and, when executed by one or more processors, operable to:
generate a notice to the customer, the notice notifying the customer of the customer's enrollment in the financial plan unless the customer elects to opt out of one or more features of the financial plan and the notice comprising an opt-out; and
store an indicator, in one or more memory modules, the indicator representing an acknowledgement of the opt-out by the customer. 12. The method of claim 11, further comprising generating a second notice, the second notice notifying the customer of the implementation of one or more aspects of the financial plan unless the customer elects to opt out of the one or more aspects of the financial plan, the second notice comprising a second opt-out. 13. The method of claim 11, wherein the one or more claims brought by the employee are associated with the selection or performance of the one or more financial investments in the financial account. 14. The method of claim 11, wherein the indicator is an element in a database stored within the one or more memory modules. 15. The method of claim 11, wherein the financial plan comprises provisions for increasing a balance of the financial account by at least one contribution and guaranteeing an annual income amount to a beneficiary. 16. The method of claim 11, wherein the financial plan is a 401(k) plan. 17. The method of claim 11, wherein the opt-out provides a statement that the customer waives future litigation claims associated with the performance of the financial account against the plan sponsor if the customer opts out of the financial plan. 18. The method of claim 11, wherein the acknowledgment by the customer occurs when the customer clicks an electronic button in a graphical user interface to opt out of the financial plan. 19. The method of claim 11, wherein the one or more financial investments are selected by the issuer. 20. The method of claim 11, wherein the notice further comprises a statement that enrolling in the financial plan is expected to provide the customer with a better financial outcome than opting out. 21. A method, performed by an issuer of a financial plan for transferring risk associated with the financial plan, the method comprising:
providing indemnification to a sponsor that has offered the financial plan to a customer, the indemnification indemnifying the financial plan sponsor for one or more claims brought by the customer of the financial plan and associated with a financial account associated with the financial plan and comprising one or more financial investments; and using software stored on computer-readable media and, when executed by one or more processors, operable to:
generate a notice to the customer, the notice notifying the customer of the customer's enrollment in the financial plan unless the customer elects to opt out of one or more features of the financial plan and the notice comprising an opt-out; and
store an indicator, in one or more memory modules, the indicator representing an acknowledgement of the opt-out by the customer. 22. The method of claim 21, further comprising generating a second notice, the second notice notifying the customer of the implementation of one or more aspects of the financial plan unless the customer elects to opt out of the one or more aspects of the financial plan, the second notice comprising a second opt-out. 23. The method of claim 21, wherein the one or more claims brought by the employee are associated with the selection or performance of the one or more financial investments in the financial account. 24. The method of claim 21, wherein the indicator is an element in a database within the one or more memory modules. 25. The method of claim 21, wherein the financial plan comprises provisions for increasing a balance of the financial account by at least one contribution and guaranteeing an annual income amount to a beneficiary. 26. The method of claim 21, wherein the financial plan is a 401(k) plan. 27. The method of claim 21, wherein the opt-out provides a statement that the customer waives future litigation claims associated with the performance of the financial account against the plan sponsor if the customer opts out of the financial plan. 28. The method of claim 21, wherein the acknowledgment by the customer occurs when the customer clicks an electronic button in a graphical user interface to opt out of the financial plan. 29. The method of claim 21, wherein the one or more financial investments are selected by the issuer. 30. The method of claim 21, wherein the notice further comprises a statement that enrolling in the financial plan is expected to provide the customer with a better financial outcome than opting out. | One embodiment of the disclosure is a method, performed by a sponsor offering a financial plan to a customer, for transferring risk associated with a financial plan that includes receiving indemnification from an issuer managing the financial plan, such that the indemnification indemnifies the sponsor of the financial for one or more claims brought by the customer of the financial plan and associated with a financial account, such that the financial account is associated with the financial plan and comprising one or more financial investments. The method further includes generating a notice to the customer, such that the notice notifies the customer of the customer's enrollment in the financial plan unless the customer elects to opt out of one or more features of the financial plan, such that the notice includes an opt-out. The method further includes storing an acknowledgement of the opt-out by the customer.1. A 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:
generate a notice for an employee of a financial plan managed by an indemnitor, the employee being employed by an indemnitee, the notice notifying the employee that the employee will be enrolled in the financial plan unless the employee elects to opt out of one or more features of the financial plan, the indemnitor indemnifying the indemnitee for one or more claims that may be brought by the employee and associated with a financial account, the financial account associated with the financial plan, the financial account comprising one or more financial investments, and the notice comprising an opt-out; and
store an indicator in the one or more memory modules, the indicator representing an acknowledgement of the opt-out by the employee. 2. The system of claim 1, further comprising generating a second notice, the second notice notifying the employee of the implementation of one or more aspects of the financial plan unless the employee elects to opt out of the one or more aspects of the financial plan, the second notice comprising a second opt-out. 3. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more claims brought by the employee are associated with the selection or performance of the one or more financial investments in the financial account. 4. The system of claim 1, wherein the indicator is an element in a database stored within the one or more memory modules. 5. The system of claim 1, wherein the financial plan comprises provisions for increasing a balance of the financial account by at least one contribution and guaranteeing an annual income amount to a beneficiary. 6. The system of claim 1, wherein the financial plan is a 401(k) plan. 7. The system of claim 1, wherein the opt-out provides a statement that the employee waives future litigation claims associated with the financial account against the indemnitee if the employee opts out of the financial plan. 8. The system of claim 1, wherein the acknowledgment by the employee occurs when the employee clicks an electronic button in a graphical user interface to opt out of the financial plan. 9. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more financial investments are selected by the indemnitor. 10. The system of claim 1, wherein the notice further comprises a statement that enrolling in the financial plan is expected to provide the employee with a better financial outcome than opting out. 11. A method, performed by a sponsor offering a financial plan to a customer, for transferring risk associated with the financial plan, the method comprising:
receiving indemnification from an issuer managing the financial plan, the indemnification indemnifying the sponsor of the financial plan for one or more claims brought by the customer of the financial plan and associated with a financial account associated with the financial plan and comprising one or more financial investments; and using software stored on computer-readable media and, when executed by one or more processors, operable to:
generate a notice to the customer, the notice notifying the customer of the customer's enrollment in the financial plan unless the customer elects to opt out of one or more features of the financial plan and the notice comprising an opt-out; and
store an indicator, in one or more memory modules, the indicator representing an acknowledgement of the opt-out by the customer. 12. The method of claim 11, further comprising generating a second notice, the second notice notifying the customer of the implementation of one or more aspects of the financial plan unless the customer elects to opt out of the one or more aspects of the financial plan, the second notice comprising a second opt-out. 13. The method of claim 11, wherein the one or more claims brought by the employee are associated with the selection or performance of the one or more financial investments in the financial account. 14. The method of claim 11, wherein the indicator is an element in a database stored within the one or more memory modules. 15. The method of claim 11, wherein the financial plan comprises provisions for increasing a balance of the financial account by at least one contribution and guaranteeing an annual income amount to a beneficiary. 16. The method of claim 11, wherein the financial plan is a 401(k) plan. 17. The method of claim 11, wherein the opt-out provides a statement that the customer waives future litigation claims associated with the performance of the financial account against the plan sponsor if the customer opts out of the financial plan. 18. The method of claim 11, wherein the acknowledgment by the customer occurs when the customer clicks an electronic button in a graphical user interface to opt out of the financial plan. 19. The method of claim 11, wherein the one or more financial investments are selected by the issuer. 20. The method of claim 11, wherein the notice further comprises a statement that enrolling in the financial plan is expected to provide the customer with a better financial outcome than opting out. 21. A method, performed by an issuer of a financial plan for transferring risk associated with the financial plan, the method comprising:
providing indemnification to a sponsor that has offered the financial plan to a customer, the indemnification indemnifying the financial plan sponsor for one or more claims brought by the customer of the financial plan and associated with a financial account associated with the financial plan and comprising one or more financial investments; and using software stored on computer-readable media and, when executed by one or more processors, operable to:
generate a notice to the customer, the notice notifying the customer of the customer's enrollment in the financial plan unless the customer elects to opt out of one or more features of the financial plan and the notice comprising an opt-out; and
store an indicator, in one or more memory modules, the indicator representing an acknowledgement of the opt-out by the customer. 22. The method of claim 21, further comprising generating a second notice, the second notice notifying the customer of the implementation of one or more aspects of the financial plan unless the customer elects to opt out of the one or more aspects of the financial plan, the second notice comprising a second opt-out. 23. The method of claim 21, wherein the one or more claims brought by the employee are associated with the selection or performance of the one or more financial investments in the financial account. 24. The method of claim 21, wherein the indicator is an element in a database within the one or more memory modules. 25. The method of claim 21, wherein the financial plan comprises provisions for increasing a balance of the financial account by at least one contribution and guaranteeing an annual income amount to a beneficiary. 26. The method of claim 21, wherein the financial plan is a 401(k) plan. 27. The method of claim 21, wherein the opt-out provides a statement that the customer waives future litigation claims associated with the performance of the financial account against the plan sponsor if the customer opts out of the financial plan. 28. The method of claim 21, wherein the acknowledgment by the customer occurs when the customer clicks an electronic button in a graphical user interface to opt out of the financial plan. 29. The method of claim 21, wherein the one or more financial investments are selected by the issuer. 30. The method of claim 21, wherein the notice further comprises a statement that enrolling in the financial plan is expected to provide the customer with a better financial outcome than opting out. | 3,600 |
12,872 | 12,872 | 11,624,618 | 3,681 | Embodiments of a system method and computer program product for selecting an advertisement and presenting it to a user are described. Products and services offered by various merchants are read using a merchant specific catalog and stored in a common format. Categories for such products and services are normalized and virtual categories are created using various product attributes. Visual creatives, termed as ad-templates are created to control the visual and interactive aspects of the ad, including ad-size, color, as well as product attributes that are displayed in the ad. Ad-templates may be constrained to specific products or product categories. A learning algorithm uses an adaptive sampling process to sample various products, product categories and ad-templates independently for different learning units such as individual users, groups of users determined by some demographics, individual web pages and groups of web pages grouped using various similarity criteria. The performance of the ad is measured using various learning statistics, such as the click-through-rate, conversion rate, etc. The learning algorithm uses the learning statistics to optimize the return for the advertiser by favoring the products or categories that perform better on one or more specified criteria. | 1. A method for selecting an advertisement, comprising:
sampling, over a time period, input received in response to the presentment of an advertisement; using the sampled input to define a probability distribution model for an objective function representing one or more outcomes to the presentment of the advertisement; selecting input values from the probability distribution model that optimize the objective function; and generating content for an updated version of the advertisement based on the selected input values. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the updated version of the advertisement is displayed to a view of a webpage. 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the sampled input includes at least one of: attributes of goods and services associated with the advertisement, times when the advertisement is displayed, viewers of the advertisement, templates associated with the advertisement. 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the objective function is defined as a ratio of clicks on the advertisement to a number of times the advertisement is displayed. 5. The method of claim 1, wherein the objective function is defined as a ratio of advertisement commission paid by a merchant associated with the advertisement to a number of times the advertisement is displayed. 6. The method of claim 1, wherein the objective function is defined as a ratio of sales revenue shared by a merchant with an advertiser to a number of times that the advertisement is displayed. 7. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the input values selected from the probability distribution model has a highest confidence value in the probability distribution model for the objective function. 8. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the input values selected from the probability distribution model is selected to increase the confidence of the probability distribution model at the expense of maximizing the objective function. 9. The method of claim 1, wherein an advertising template is associated with the selected inputs to generate the content for the updated version of the advertisement. 10. The method of claim 9, wherein the advertising template controls presentation aspects of the content of the updated version of the advertisement. 11. The method of claim 9, wherein the advertising template is associated with attributes associated with the input. 12. The method of claim 1, wherein the objective function is calculated using one or more outcomes that are weighted to favor more recent outcomes over less recent outcomes. 13. A computer implemented system for selecting an advertisement, comprising:
an interface for sampling, over a time period, input received in response to the presentment of an advertisement; a processor having: a modeling module that uses the sampled input to define a probability distribution model for an objective function representing one or more outcomes to the presentment of the advertisement; an optimizing module that selects input values from the probability distribution model that optimize the objective function; and an advertisement generating module that generates content for an updated version of the advertisement based on the selected input various. 14. The system of claim 13, wherein the updated version of the advertisement is displayed to a view of a webpage. 15. The system of claim 13, wherein the sampled input includes at least one of: attributes of goods and services associated with the advertisement, times when the advertisement is displayed, viewers of the advertisement, templates associated with the advertisement. 16. The system of claim 13, wherein the objective function is defined as a ratio of clicks on the advertisement to a number of times the advertisement is displayed. 17. The system of claim 13, wherein the objective function is defined as a ratio of advertisement commission paid by a merchant associated with the advertisement to a number of times the advertisement is displayed. 18. The system of claim 13, wherein the objective function is defined as a ratio of sales revenue shared by a merchant with an advertiser to a number of times that the advertisement is displayed. 19. The system of claim 13, wherein at least one of the input values selected from the probability distribution model has a highest confidence value in the probability distribution model for the objective function. 20. A computer program product embodied on a computer readable medium for causing a computer to perform a method, comprising:
computer code for sampling, over a time period, input received in response to the presentment of an advertisement; computer code using the sampled input to define a probability distribution model for an objective function representing one or more outcomes to the presentment of the advertisement; computer code selecting input values from the probability distribution model that optimize the objective function; and computer code generating content for an updated version of the advertisement based on the selected input various. | Embodiments of a system method and computer program product for selecting an advertisement and presenting it to a user are described. Products and services offered by various merchants are read using a merchant specific catalog and stored in a common format. Categories for such products and services are normalized and virtual categories are created using various product attributes. Visual creatives, termed as ad-templates are created to control the visual and interactive aspects of the ad, including ad-size, color, as well as product attributes that are displayed in the ad. Ad-templates may be constrained to specific products or product categories. A learning algorithm uses an adaptive sampling process to sample various products, product categories and ad-templates independently for different learning units such as individual users, groups of users determined by some demographics, individual web pages and groups of web pages grouped using various similarity criteria. The performance of the ad is measured using various learning statistics, such as the click-through-rate, conversion rate, etc. The learning algorithm uses the learning statistics to optimize the return for the advertiser by favoring the products or categories that perform better on one or more specified criteria.1. A method for selecting an advertisement, comprising:
sampling, over a time period, input received in response to the presentment of an advertisement; using the sampled input to define a probability distribution model for an objective function representing one or more outcomes to the presentment of the advertisement; selecting input values from the probability distribution model that optimize the objective function; and generating content for an updated version of the advertisement based on the selected input values. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the updated version of the advertisement is displayed to a view of a webpage. 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the sampled input includes at least one of: attributes of goods and services associated with the advertisement, times when the advertisement is displayed, viewers of the advertisement, templates associated with the advertisement. 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the objective function is defined as a ratio of clicks on the advertisement to a number of times the advertisement is displayed. 5. The method of claim 1, wherein the objective function is defined as a ratio of advertisement commission paid by a merchant associated with the advertisement to a number of times the advertisement is displayed. 6. The method of claim 1, wherein the objective function is defined as a ratio of sales revenue shared by a merchant with an advertiser to a number of times that the advertisement is displayed. 7. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the input values selected from the probability distribution model has a highest confidence value in the probability distribution model for the objective function. 8. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the input values selected from the probability distribution model is selected to increase the confidence of the probability distribution model at the expense of maximizing the objective function. 9. The method of claim 1, wherein an advertising template is associated with the selected inputs to generate the content for the updated version of the advertisement. 10. The method of claim 9, wherein the advertising template controls presentation aspects of the content of the updated version of the advertisement. 11. The method of claim 9, wherein the advertising template is associated with attributes associated with the input. 12. The method of claim 1, wherein the objective function is calculated using one or more outcomes that are weighted to favor more recent outcomes over less recent outcomes. 13. A computer implemented system for selecting an advertisement, comprising:
an interface for sampling, over a time period, input received in response to the presentment of an advertisement; a processor having: a modeling module that uses the sampled input to define a probability distribution model for an objective function representing one or more outcomes to the presentment of the advertisement; an optimizing module that selects input values from the probability distribution model that optimize the objective function; and an advertisement generating module that generates content for an updated version of the advertisement based on the selected input various. 14. The system of claim 13, wherein the updated version of the advertisement is displayed to a view of a webpage. 15. The system of claim 13, wherein the sampled input includes at least one of: attributes of goods and services associated with the advertisement, times when the advertisement is displayed, viewers of the advertisement, templates associated with the advertisement. 16. The system of claim 13, wherein the objective function is defined as a ratio of clicks on the advertisement to a number of times the advertisement is displayed. 17. The system of claim 13, wherein the objective function is defined as a ratio of advertisement commission paid by a merchant associated with the advertisement to a number of times the advertisement is displayed. 18. The system of claim 13, wherein the objective function is defined as a ratio of sales revenue shared by a merchant with an advertiser to a number of times that the advertisement is displayed. 19. The system of claim 13, wherein at least one of the input values selected from the probability distribution model has a highest confidence value in the probability distribution model for the objective function. 20. A computer program product embodied on a computer readable medium for causing a computer to perform a method, comprising:
computer code for sampling, over a time period, input received in response to the presentment of an advertisement; computer code using the sampled input to define a probability distribution model for an objective function representing one or more outcomes to the presentment of the advertisement; computer code selecting input values from the probability distribution model that optimize the objective function; and computer code generating content for an updated version of the advertisement based on the selected input various. | 3,600 |
12,873 | 12,873 | 14,482,544 | 3,626 | The present invention relates to a healthcare system ( 10, 20 ) comprising a care plan unit ( 2 ) for obtaining a personalized care plan ( 13 ) for a user, said care plan defining a plurality of prescribed care plan elements to be adhered to by the user, a compliance score calculation unit ( 3 ) for calculating the user's compliance score indicating the user's compliance to his care plan based on measurements ( 14 ) of the user's adherence to prescribed care plan elements, and a care plan adjustment unit ( 4 ) for dynamically adjusting the user's care plan based on the user's calculated compliance score. | 1. A healthcare system comprising
a care plan unit for obtaining a personalized care plan for a user, said care plan defining a plurality of prescribed care plan elements to be adhered to by the user, a compliance score calculation unit for calculating the user's compliance score indicating the user's compliance to his care plan based on measurements of the user's adherence to prescribed care plan elements, and a care plan adjustment unit for dynamically adjusting the user's care plan based on the user's calculated compliance score. 2. The healthcare system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the compliance score calculation unit is configured to calculate the user's compliance score based on one or more of
the percentage of prescribed care plan elements adhered to by the user, the timeliness of adherence of prescribed care plan elements by the user, the amount of time required by a user for adhering to the respective prescribed care plan elements, and the performance, amount and/or accuracy of adherence to the respective prescribed care plan elements by the user. 3. The healthcare system as claimed in claim 1, further comprising adherence measurement elements for measuring the user's adherence to prescribed care plan elements, in particular for measuring one of more of
the percentage of prescribed care plan elements adhered to by the user, the timeliness of adherence of prescribed care plan elements by the user, the amount of time required by a user for adhering to the respective prescribed care plan elements, and the performance, amount and/or accuracy of adherence to the respective prescribed care plan elements by the user. 4. The healthcare system as claimed in claim 3, wherein said adherence measurement elements comprise one or more of
a user interface for requesting user input, one or more vital sign measurement units for measuring one or more vital signs of the user, a camera for monitoring the user, a medication intake monitoring unit for monitoring the user's adherence to a mediation intake scheme, and a multimedia unit for providing multimedia content to the user. 5. The healthcare system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the compliance score calculation unit is configured to calculate the user's compliance score based on one or more of
the user profile, the health status of the user, in particular the type of disease of the user, the complexity of the respective prescribed care plan elements, user trend information indicating the user's general trend with respect to his adherence to the prescribed care plan elements and/or with respect to his health condition, and the user's adherence to bonus exercises. 6. The healthcare system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the compliance score calculation unit is configured to compare the user's actual adherence to the respective prescribed care plan elements to the expected adherence to prescribed care plan elements, to determine adherence deviations between actual adherence and expected adherence and to calculate the user's compliance score based on the determined adherence deviations. 7. The healthcare system as claimed in claim 6, wherein the compliance score calculation unit is configured to weight the determined adherence deviations according to the relevance of the related care plan element and to calculate the user's compliance score based on the weighted adherence deviations. 8. The healthcare system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the care plan adjustment unit is configured to assign a compliance threshold score assigned to the prescribed care plan elements indicating the threshold of the user's compliance score below which the respective prescribed care plan element has to be adhered to by the user. 9. The healthcare system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the care plan adjustment unit is configured to adjust the frequency, intensity, type and/or number of prescribed care plan elements of the user's care plan based on the user's calculated compliance score. 10. The healthcare system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the care plan adjustment unit is configured to change the status of prescribed care plan elements between optional and mandatory, to provide bonus care plan elements and/or to provide break periods during which the care plan is suspended based on the user's calculated compliance score. 11. A healthcare method comprising the steps of:
obtaining a personalized care plan for a user, said care plan defining a plurality of prescribed care plan elements to be adhered to by the user, calculating the user's compliance score indicating the user's compliance to his care plan based on measurements of the user's adherence to prescribed care plan elements, and dynamically adjusting the user's care plan based on the user's calculated compliance score. 12. Computer program comprising program code means for causing a computer to carry out the steps of the method as claimed in claim 11 when said computer program is carried out on the computer. 13. A healthcare 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 the healthcare method as claimed in claim 11. | The present invention relates to a healthcare system ( 10, 20 ) comprising a care plan unit ( 2 ) for obtaining a personalized care plan ( 13 ) for a user, said care plan defining a plurality of prescribed care plan elements to be adhered to by the user, a compliance score calculation unit ( 3 ) for calculating the user's compliance score indicating the user's compliance to his care plan based on measurements ( 14 ) of the user's adherence to prescribed care plan elements, and a care plan adjustment unit ( 4 ) for dynamically adjusting the user's care plan based on the user's calculated compliance score.1. A healthcare system comprising
a care plan unit for obtaining a personalized care plan for a user, said care plan defining a plurality of prescribed care plan elements to be adhered to by the user, a compliance score calculation unit for calculating the user's compliance score indicating the user's compliance to his care plan based on measurements of the user's adherence to prescribed care plan elements, and a care plan adjustment unit for dynamically adjusting the user's care plan based on the user's calculated compliance score. 2. The healthcare system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the compliance score calculation unit is configured to calculate the user's compliance score based on one or more of
the percentage of prescribed care plan elements adhered to by the user, the timeliness of adherence of prescribed care plan elements by the user, the amount of time required by a user for adhering to the respective prescribed care plan elements, and the performance, amount and/or accuracy of adherence to the respective prescribed care plan elements by the user. 3. The healthcare system as claimed in claim 1, further comprising adherence measurement elements for measuring the user's adherence to prescribed care plan elements, in particular for measuring one of more of
the percentage of prescribed care plan elements adhered to by the user, the timeliness of adherence of prescribed care plan elements by the user, the amount of time required by a user for adhering to the respective prescribed care plan elements, and the performance, amount and/or accuracy of adherence to the respective prescribed care plan elements by the user. 4. The healthcare system as claimed in claim 3, wherein said adherence measurement elements comprise one or more of
a user interface for requesting user input, one or more vital sign measurement units for measuring one or more vital signs of the user, a camera for monitoring the user, a medication intake monitoring unit for monitoring the user's adherence to a mediation intake scheme, and a multimedia unit for providing multimedia content to the user. 5. The healthcare system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the compliance score calculation unit is configured to calculate the user's compliance score based on one or more of
the user profile, the health status of the user, in particular the type of disease of the user, the complexity of the respective prescribed care plan elements, user trend information indicating the user's general trend with respect to his adherence to the prescribed care plan elements and/or with respect to his health condition, and the user's adherence to bonus exercises. 6. The healthcare system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the compliance score calculation unit is configured to compare the user's actual adherence to the respective prescribed care plan elements to the expected adherence to prescribed care plan elements, to determine adherence deviations between actual adherence and expected adherence and to calculate the user's compliance score based on the determined adherence deviations. 7. The healthcare system as claimed in claim 6, wherein the compliance score calculation unit is configured to weight the determined adherence deviations according to the relevance of the related care plan element and to calculate the user's compliance score based on the weighted adherence deviations. 8. The healthcare system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the care plan adjustment unit is configured to assign a compliance threshold score assigned to the prescribed care plan elements indicating the threshold of the user's compliance score below which the respective prescribed care plan element has to be adhered to by the user. 9. The healthcare system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the care plan adjustment unit is configured to adjust the frequency, intensity, type and/or number of prescribed care plan elements of the user's care plan based on the user's calculated compliance score. 10. The healthcare system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the care plan adjustment unit is configured to change the status of prescribed care plan elements between optional and mandatory, to provide bonus care plan elements and/or to provide break periods during which the care plan is suspended based on the user's calculated compliance score. 11. A healthcare method comprising the steps of:
obtaining a personalized care plan for a user, said care plan defining a plurality of prescribed care plan elements to be adhered to by the user, calculating the user's compliance score indicating the user's compliance to his care plan based on measurements of the user's adherence to prescribed care plan elements, and dynamically adjusting the user's care plan based on the user's calculated compliance score. 12. Computer program comprising program code means for causing a computer to carry out the steps of the method as claimed in claim 11 when said computer program is carried out on the computer. 13. A healthcare 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 the healthcare method as claimed in claim 11. | 3,600 |
12,874 | 12,874 | 11,925,354 | 3,681 | Techniques for determining relevant advertisements in response to queries is disclosed. According to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the techniques may be realized as a computer implemented method for determining relevant advertisements in response to a query. The method may comprise: receiving a query from a user device; categorizing the query to identify one or more relevant advertisement sources; formatting the query according to one or more advertisement source specifics for the one or more advertisement sources; transmitting the formatted query to the one or more advertisement sources; merging results in response to the formatted query to the one or more advertisement sources; merging results based at least in part on one or more factors; and formatting the results for delivering to the user device. | 1. A computer implemented method for determining relevant advertisements in response to a query, the method comprising:
receiving a query from a user device; categorizing the query to identify one or more advertisement sources; formatting the query according to one or more advertisement source specifics for the one or more advertisement sources; transmitting the formatted query to the one or more advertisement sources; merging results in response to the formatted query from the one or more advertisement sources based at least in part on one or more factors; and formatting the results for delivering to the user device. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the user device comprises one or more of an internet-enabled input device, an internet or voice-enabled mobile device, a voice-enabled input device, a computer, and a kiosk. 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more factors comprise one or more global factors, local factors, editorial rating, response reliability, response latency, content relevance, content extensiveness or coverage, user preferences, usage statistics, query frequency, category frequency, distributor preferences, recommendation statistics, user-generated ratings, business relationships, user demographic characteristics, location, language, social networks, social groups, personalization characteristics, page size, graphic, text elements, source rating, reliability factor, business rules, business relationships, marketing goals, local ranking scores, source ordering values, source-specific general scores, statistics associated with results item textual or non-textual analysis, statistics associated with data or text mining analyses, statistics associated with data or textual clustering, statistics associated with non-textual pattern analysis, statistics associated with device specifics and/or statistics associated with formatting specifications. 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the query is classified into a category in one or more taxonomy or controlled vocabulary. 5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
dynamically computing one or more local ranking statistics for each results item related to one or more terms associated with the query and related to metadata in the query context in response to the query, at each advertisement source. 6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
computing at least one global and/or one local statistic related to one or more content items in the results sets; determining one or more relevancy scores for the results items from the one or more advertisement sources in accordance with the at least one global and/or one local statistic; computing a normalization factor; normalizing the one or more relevancy scores in accordance with the normalization factor; and combining the results into a single results set based on an ordering determined by the normalization factor. 7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
storing results from each advertisement source in one or more caches; accessing the one or more caches to retrieve existing results; and formatting the retrieved existing results based on one or more query context parameters. 8. The method of claim 1, wherein categorizing the query occurs dynamically at the time the query is received. 9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
identifying one or more duplicate result items. 10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:
removing the one or more duplicate result items according to one or more of user preference, device preference and distributor preference. 11. The method of claim 9, further comprising:
retaining the one or more duplicate results according to one or more of user preference, device preference and distributor preference. 12. A computer readable media comprising code to perform the acts of the method of claim 1. 13. A computer implemented system for determining relevant advertisements in response to a query, the system comprising:
a receiving module for receiving a query from a user device; a categorizing module for categorizing the query to identify one or more advertisement sources; a formatting module for formatting the query according to one or more advertisement source specifics for the one or more advertisement sources; a transmitting module for transmitting the formatted query to the one or more advertisement sources; a merging module for merging results in response to the formatted query from the one or more advertisement sources based at least in part on one or more factors; and a results module for formatting the results for delivering to the user device. 14. The system of claim 13, wherein the user device comprises one or more of an internet-enabled input device, an internet or voice-enabled mobile device, a voice-enabled input device, a computer, and a kiosk. 15. The system of claim 13, wherein the one or more factors comprise one or more global factors, local factors, editorial rating, response reliability, response latency, content relevance, content extensiveness or coverage, user preferences, usage statistics, query frequency, category frequency, distributor preferences, recommendation statistics, user-generated ratings, business relationships, user demographic characteristics, location, language, social networks, social groups, personalization characteristics, page size, graphic, text elements, source rating, reliability factor, business rules, business relationships, marketing goals, local ranking scores, source ordering values, source-specific general scores, statistics associated with results item textual or non-textual analysis, statistics associated with data or text mining analyses, statistics associated with data or textual clustering, statistics associated with non-textual pattern analysis, statistics associated with device specifics and/or statistics associated with formatting specifications. 16. The system of claim 13, wherein the query is classified into a category in one or more taxonomy or controlled vocabulary. 17. The system of claim 13, further comprising:
a module for dynamically computing one or more local ranking statistics for each results item related to one or more terms associated with the query and related to metadata in the query context in response to the query, at each advertisement source. 18. The system of claim 13, further comprising:
a module for computing at least one global and/or one local statistic related to one or more content items in the results sets, wherein one or more relevancy scores are determined for the results items from the one or more advertisement sources in accordance with the at least one global and/or one local statistic; and a module for computing a normalization factor, wherein the one or more relevancy scores are normalized in accordance with the normalization factor; and the results are combined into a single results set based on an ordering determined by the normalization factor. 19. The system of claim 13, further comprising:
one or more caches for storing results from each advertisement source, wherein the one or more caches are accessed to retrieve existing results; and wherein the retrieved existing results are formatted based on one or more query context parameters. 20. The system of claim 13, wherein categorizing the query occurs dynamically at the time the query is received. 21. The system of claim 13, wherein one or more duplicate results are identified. 22. The system of claim 21, wherein the one or more duplicate results are removed according to one or more of user, device and distributor preferences. 23. The system of claim 21, wherein the one or more duplicate results are retained according to one or more of user, device and distributor preferences. | Techniques for determining relevant advertisements in response to queries is disclosed. According to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the techniques may be realized as a computer implemented method for determining relevant advertisements in response to a query. The method may comprise: receiving a query from a user device; categorizing the query to identify one or more relevant advertisement sources; formatting the query according to one or more advertisement source specifics for the one or more advertisement sources; transmitting the formatted query to the one or more advertisement sources; merging results in response to the formatted query to the one or more advertisement sources; merging results based at least in part on one or more factors; and formatting the results for delivering to the user device.1. A computer implemented method for determining relevant advertisements in response to a query, the method comprising:
receiving a query from a user device; categorizing the query to identify one or more advertisement sources; formatting the query according to one or more advertisement source specifics for the one or more advertisement sources; transmitting the formatted query to the one or more advertisement sources; merging results in response to the formatted query from the one or more advertisement sources based at least in part on one or more factors; and formatting the results for delivering to the user device. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the user device comprises one or more of an internet-enabled input device, an internet or voice-enabled mobile device, a voice-enabled input device, a computer, and a kiosk. 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more factors comprise one or more global factors, local factors, editorial rating, response reliability, response latency, content relevance, content extensiveness or coverage, user preferences, usage statistics, query frequency, category frequency, distributor preferences, recommendation statistics, user-generated ratings, business relationships, user demographic characteristics, location, language, social networks, social groups, personalization characteristics, page size, graphic, text elements, source rating, reliability factor, business rules, business relationships, marketing goals, local ranking scores, source ordering values, source-specific general scores, statistics associated with results item textual or non-textual analysis, statistics associated with data or text mining analyses, statistics associated with data or textual clustering, statistics associated with non-textual pattern analysis, statistics associated with device specifics and/or statistics associated with formatting specifications. 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the query is classified into a category in one or more taxonomy or controlled vocabulary. 5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
dynamically computing one or more local ranking statistics for each results item related to one or more terms associated with the query and related to metadata in the query context in response to the query, at each advertisement source. 6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
computing at least one global and/or one local statistic related to one or more content items in the results sets; determining one or more relevancy scores for the results items from the one or more advertisement sources in accordance with the at least one global and/or one local statistic; computing a normalization factor; normalizing the one or more relevancy scores in accordance with the normalization factor; and combining the results into a single results set based on an ordering determined by the normalization factor. 7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
storing results from each advertisement source in one or more caches; accessing the one or more caches to retrieve existing results; and formatting the retrieved existing results based on one or more query context parameters. 8. The method of claim 1, wherein categorizing the query occurs dynamically at the time the query is received. 9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
identifying one or more duplicate result items. 10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:
removing the one or more duplicate result items according to one or more of user preference, device preference and distributor preference. 11. The method of claim 9, further comprising:
retaining the one or more duplicate results according to one or more of user preference, device preference and distributor preference. 12. A computer readable media comprising code to perform the acts of the method of claim 1. 13. A computer implemented system for determining relevant advertisements in response to a query, the system comprising:
a receiving module for receiving a query from a user device; a categorizing module for categorizing the query to identify one or more advertisement sources; a formatting module for formatting the query according to one or more advertisement source specifics for the one or more advertisement sources; a transmitting module for transmitting the formatted query to the one or more advertisement sources; a merging module for merging results in response to the formatted query from the one or more advertisement sources based at least in part on one or more factors; and a results module for formatting the results for delivering to the user device. 14. The system of claim 13, wherein the user device comprises one or more of an internet-enabled input device, an internet or voice-enabled mobile device, a voice-enabled input device, a computer, and a kiosk. 15. The system of claim 13, wherein the one or more factors comprise one or more global factors, local factors, editorial rating, response reliability, response latency, content relevance, content extensiveness or coverage, user preferences, usage statistics, query frequency, category frequency, distributor preferences, recommendation statistics, user-generated ratings, business relationships, user demographic characteristics, location, language, social networks, social groups, personalization characteristics, page size, graphic, text elements, source rating, reliability factor, business rules, business relationships, marketing goals, local ranking scores, source ordering values, source-specific general scores, statistics associated with results item textual or non-textual analysis, statistics associated with data or text mining analyses, statistics associated with data or textual clustering, statistics associated with non-textual pattern analysis, statistics associated with device specifics and/or statistics associated with formatting specifications. 16. The system of claim 13, wherein the query is classified into a category in one or more taxonomy or controlled vocabulary. 17. The system of claim 13, further comprising:
a module for dynamically computing one or more local ranking statistics for each results item related to one or more terms associated with the query and related to metadata in the query context in response to the query, at each advertisement source. 18. The system of claim 13, further comprising:
a module for computing at least one global and/or one local statistic related to one or more content items in the results sets, wherein one or more relevancy scores are determined for the results items from the one or more advertisement sources in accordance with the at least one global and/or one local statistic; and a module for computing a normalization factor, wherein the one or more relevancy scores are normalized in accordance with the normalization factor; and the results are combined into a single results set based on an ordering determined by the normalization factor. 19. The system of claim 13, further comprising:
one or more caches for storing results from each advertisement source, wherein the one or more caches are accessed to retrieve existing results; and wherein the retrieved existing results are formatted based on one or more query context parameters. 20. The system of claim 13, wherein categorizing the query occurs dynamically at the time the query is received. 21. The system of claim 13, wherein one or more duplicate results are identified. 22. The system of claim 21, wherein the one or more duplicate results are removed according to one or more of user, device and distributor preferences. 23. The system of claim 21, wherein the one or more duplicate results are retained according to one or more of user, device and distributor preferences. | 3,600 |
12,875 | 12,875 | 15,109,888 | 3,617 | A vehicle wheel comprising a wheel rim with a rim base made from fiber composite material and a wheel disc. The wheel disc is connected to the wheel rim by a connecting element which is guided through a passage of the rim base and is received in the wheel disc. The wheel rim comprises a connecting arrangement with at least one connecting element and a seal element which covers in a complete and hollow manner a part of one or more adjacent connecting arrangements that extends across the rim outer side of the rim base. A circumferential edge of the seal element is glued in air-tight manner to the rim well. Alternatively, the wheel rim comprises a connecting arrangement with a connecting element and a flexible sealing layer made from plastic and completely covers, by coating, a part of the connecting arrangement which extends over the rim outer side of the rim base. An edge region of the flexible seal layer is connected in an air-tight manner to the rim base. | 1.-20. (canceled) 21. A vehicle wheel comprising a wheel rim with a rim base of fiber composite material and a wheel disc, wherein the wheel disc is connected by at least one connecting element to the wheel rim, which element is guided through a passage in the rim base and received by the wheel disc, the wheel rim (i) comprising at least one connecting arrangement with at least one connecting element and further comprising a sealing element which in a complete and hollow manner covers a part of one or more adjacent connecting arrangements that extends across a rim outer side of the rim base, a circumferential edge of the sealing element being glued to the rim base in an air-tight manner; or (ii) comprising at least one connecting arrangement with at least one connecting element and further comprising a flexible sealing layer made of plastic, which by coating completely covers a part of one or more adjacent connecting arrangements that extend across a rim outer side of the rim base, a peripheral area of the flexible sealing layer being connected to the rim base in an air-tight manner. 22. The vehicle wheel of claim 21, wherein in (ii) the flexible sealing layer is made of viscoplastic plastic. 23. The vehicle wheel of claim 21, wherein the circumferential edge of the sealing element or the peripheral area of the flexible sealing layer is glued to a layer made of plastic that seals the rim base. 24. The vehicle wheel of claim 21, wherein the sealing element or the flexible sealing layer is completely covered with a sealing layer made of plastic that seals the rim base. 25. The vehicle wheel of claim 24, wherein the covering sealing layer is made of viscoplastic plastic. 26. The vehicle wheel of claim 21, wherein in (ii) the flexible sealing layer simultaneously is a layer that seals the rim base. 27. The vehicle wheel of claim 21, wherein the connecting arrangement comprises at least one bushing component in which the connecting element is guided. 28. The vehicle wheel of claim 27, wherein an outer bushing component of the connecting arrangement comprises a flange collar that extends across the rim outer side. 29. The vehicle wheel of claim 28, wherein the outer bushing component or the flange collar comprises a corresponding contact surface for a seating of the connecting element or of the part of the connecting element that extends across the rim outer side. 30. The vehicle wheel of claim 21, wherein the part of the connecting arrangement that extends across the rim outer side of the rim base is arranged in a recess of the rim outer side of the rim base. 31. The vehicle wheel of claim 21, wherein in (i) the sealing element is arranged in a recess of the rim outer side of the rim base. 32. The vehicle wheel of claim 21, wherein in (i) the sealing element is present in the form of a sealing cap or a sealing disc. 33. The vehicle wheel of claim 32, wherein the sealing cap or sealing disc is unsupported. 34. The vehicle wheel of claim 32, wherein the sealing cap or the sealing disc has a web structure for support on the part of the connecting arrangement that extends on the rim outer side. 35. The vehicle wheel of claim 32, wherein a flexible supporting body for support of the sealing cap is present or the sealing cap is provided on the part of connecting arrangement that extends on the rim outer side. 36. The vehicle wheel of claim 32, wherein the sealing cap or the sealing disc comprises a flexible filling layer on a side facing the rim outer side. 37. The vehicle wheel of claim 27, wherein an inner bushing component of the connecting arrangement comprises a flange collar that extends across a rim inner side of the rim base. 38. The vehicle wheel of claim 37, wherein the flange collar comprises a corresponding connecting surface for a seating of a connecting surface of the wheel disc. 39. The vehicle wheel of claim 37, wherein the flange collar comprises a protrusion above a contour of the rim inner side of the rim base. 40. The vehicle wheel of claim 27, wherein several hushing components of the connecting arrangement are arranged so as to be interlocking. | A vehicle wheel comprising a wheel rim with a rim base made from fiber composite material and a wheel disc. The wheel disc is connected to the wheel rim by a connecting element which is guided through a passage of the rim base and is received in the wheel disc. The wheel rim comprises a connecting arrangement with at least one connecting element and a seal element which covers in a complete and hollow manner a part of one or more adjacent connecting arrangements that extends across the rim outer side of the rim base. A circumferential edge of the seal element is glued in air-tight manner to the rim well. Alternatively, the wheel rim comprises a connecting arrangement with a connecting element and a flexible sealing layer made from plastic and completely covers, by coating, a part of the connecting arrangement which extends over the rim outer side of the rim base. An edge region of the flexible seal layer is connected in an air-tight manner to the rim base.1.-20. (canceled) 21. A vehicle wheel comprising a wheel rim with a rim base of fiber composite material and a wheel disc, wherein the wheel disc is connected by at least one connecting element to the wheel rim, which element is guided through a passage in the rim base and received by the wheel disc, the wheel rim (i) comprising at least one connecting arrangement with at least one connecting element and further comprising a sealing element which in a complete and hollow manner covers a part of one or more adjacent connecting arrangements that extends across a rim outer side of the rim base, a circumferential edge of the sealing element being glued to the rim base in an air-tight manner; or (ii) comprising at least one connecting arrangement with at least one connecting element and further comprising a flexible sealing layer made of plastic, which by coating completely covers a part of one or more adjacent connecting arrangements that extend across a rim outer side of the rim base, a peripheral area of the flexible sealing layer being connected to the rim base in an air-tight manner. 22. The vehicle wheel of claim 21, wherein in (ii) the flexible sealing layer is made of viscoplastic plastic. 23. The vehicle wheel of claim 21, wherein the circumferential edge of the sealing element or the peripheral area of the flexible sealing layer is glued to a layer made of plastic that seals the rim base. 24. The vehicle wheel of claim 21, wherein the sealing element or the flexible sealing layer is completely covered with a sealing layer made of plastic that seals the rim base. 25. The vehicle wheel of claim 24, wherein the covering sealing layer is made of viscoplastic plastic. 26. The vehicle wheel of claim 21, wherein in (ii) the flexible sealing layer simultaneously is a layer that seals the rim base. 27. The vehicle wheel of claim 21, wherein the connecting arrangement comprises at least one bushing component in which the connecting element is guided. 28. The vehicle wheel of claim 27, wherein an outer bushing component of the connecting arrangement comprises a flange collar that extends across the rim outer side. 29. The vehicle wheel of claim 28, wherein the outer bushing component or the flange collar comprises a corresponding contact surface for a seating of the connecting element or of the part of the connecting element that extends across the rim outer side. 30. The vehicle wheel of claim 21, wherein the part of the connecting arrangement that extends across the rim outer side of the rim base is arranged in a recess of the rim outer side of the rim base. 31. The vehicle wheel of claim 21, wherein in (i) the sealing element is arranged in a recess of the rim outer side of the rim base. 32. The vehicle wheel of claim 21, wherein in (i) the sealing element is present in the form of a sealing cap or a sealing disc. 33. The vehicle wheel of claim 32, wherein the sealing cap or sealing disc is unsupported. 34. The vehicle wheel of claim 32, wherein the sealing cap or the sealing disc has a web structure for support on the part of the connecting arrangement that extends on the rim outer side. 35. The vehicle wheel of claim 32, wherein a flexible supporting body for support of the sealing cap is present or the sealing cap is provided on the part of connecting arrangement that extends on the rim outer side. 36. The vehicle wheel of claim 32, wherein the sealing cap or the sealing disc comprises a flexible filling layer on a side facing the rim outer side. 37. The vehicle wheel of claim 27, wherein an inner bushing component of the connecting arrangement comprises a flange collar that extends across a rim inner side of the rim base. 38. The vehicle wheel of claim 37, wherein the flange collar comprises a corresponding connecting surface for a seating of a connecting surface of the wheel disc. 39. The vehicle wheel of claim 37, wherein the flange collar comprises a protrusion above a contour of the rim inner side of the rim base. 40. The vehicle wheel of claim 27, wherein several hushing components of the connecting arrangement are arranged so as to be interlocking. | 3,600 |
12,876 | 12,876 | 13,554,357 | 3,664 | Methods and systems for resolving problems are disclosed. The methods and systems receive a communication regarding a first symptom of an underlying problem. In addition, the methods and systems perform operations to resolve the problem. If the problem is resolved, the methods and systems identify the problem by comparing the performed operations to a model. The methods and systems wait for a first amount of time and, after waiting for the first amount of time, determine whether a second symptom indicative of the problem is present. In some embodiments, if the problem is present the methods and systems attempt to resolve the problem. In addition, in some embodiments, if the problem is not present, the methods and systems mark the problem as resolved. | 1. A method for resolving problems, comprising:
storing an identified problem associated with a communication regarding a first symptom of a first problem with a user device, wherein the identified problem corresponds to a particular problem, from a set of possible problems, selected by:
comparing, by a processor, a set of stored operations, performed to resolve the first problem, to a model, wherein the model comprises a mapping between a set of possible operations and the set of possible problems;
monitoring, by a processor, data from a computer system associated with the user device for a second symptom of the stored identified problem; determining, by a processor, that the second symptom of the identified problem is present in the monitored data; and performing a second set of operations to resolve the identified problem based on the determination that the second symptom of the identified problem is present in the monitored data. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the model comprises symptoms associated with the set of possible problems. 3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
waiting, after the resolution of the first problem, for a first predetermined amount of time before performing the monitoring. 4. (canceled) 5. The method of claim 3, further comprising:
waiting for a second predetermined amount of time after performing the second set of operations; and determining a third symptom indicative of the identified problem is present after waiting for the second predetermined amount of time. 6. The method of claim 5, wherein the first symptom, the second symptom, and the third symptom are the same symptom. 7. The method of claim 5, wherein the second predetermined amount of time is greater than the first predetermined amount of time. 8. The method of claim 1, wherein the first problem is a malfunctioning device. 9. The method of claim 8, wherein the set of stored operations are performed by a second device different from the malfunctioning device. 10. The method of claim 9, wherein the second device is in communication with the malfunctioning device. 11. A system for resolving problems, comprising:
a processor; a memory; program code stored in the memory, which, when executed by the processor, causes the system to perform the steps of:
storing an identified problem associated with communication regarding a first symptom of a first problem with a user device, wherein the identified problem corresponds to a particular problem, from a set of possible problems, selected by:
comparing a set of stored operations, performed to resolve the first problem, to a model, wherein the model comprises a mapping between a set of possible operations and a set of possible problems;
monitoring data from a computer system associated with the user device for a second symptom of the stored identified problem;
determining that the second symptom of the identified problem is present in the monitored data;
performing a second set of operations to resolve the identified problem based on the determination that the second symptom of the identified problem is present in the monitored data. 12. The system of claim 11, wherein the model comprises symptoms associated with the set of possible problems. 13. The system of claim 11, wherein the program code stored in the memory, when executed by the processor, further causes the system to perform the step of:
waiting, after the resolution of the first problem, for a first predetermined amount of time before performing the monitoring. 14. (canceled) 15. The system of claim 13, wherein the program code stored in the memory, when executed by the processor, further causes the system to perform the steps of:
waiting for a second predetermined amount of time after performing the second set of operations; and determining a third symptom indicative of the identified problem is present after waiting for the second predetermined amount of time. 16. The system of claim 15, wherein the first symptom, the second symptom, and the third symptom are the same symptom. 17. The system of claim 15, wherein the second predetermined amount of time is greater than the first predetermined amount of time. 18. The system of claim 11, wherein the first problem is a malfunctioning device. 19. The system of claim 18, wherein the set of stored operations are performed by a second device different from the malfunctioning device. 20. The system of claim 19, wherein the second device is in communication with the malfunctioning device. 21. The method of claim 1, wherein the first predetermined amount of time comprises a day, a week, or a month. 22. The system of claim 11, wherein the first predetermined amount of time comprises a day, a week, or a month. | Methods and systems for resolving problems are disclosed. The methods and systems receive a communication regarding a first symptom of an underlying problem. In addition, the methods and systems perform operations to resolve the problem. If the problem is resolved, the methods and systems identify the problem by comparing the performed operations to a model. The methods and systems wait for a first amount of time and, after waiting for the first amount of time, determine whether a second symptom indicative of the problem is present. In some embodiments, if the problem is present the methods and systems attempt to resolve the problem. In addition, in some embodiments, if the problem is not present, the methods and systems mark the problem as resolved.1. A method for resolving problems, comprising:
storing an identified problem associated with a communication regarding a first symptom of a first problem with a user device, wherein the identified problem corresponds to a particular problem, from a set of possible problems, selected by:
comparing, by a processor, a set of stored operations, performed to resolve the first problem, to a model, wherein the model comprises a mapping between a set of possible operations and the set of possible problems;
monitoring, by a processor, data from a computer system associated with the user device for a second symptom of the stored identified problem; determining, by a processor, that the second symptom of the identified problem is present in the monitored data; and performing a second set of operations to resolve the identified problem based on the determination that the second symptom of the identified problem is present in the monitored data. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the model comprises symptoms associated with the set of possible problems. 3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
waiting, after the resolution of the first problem, for a first predetermined amount of time before performing the monitoring. 4. (canceled) 5. The method of claim 3, further comprising:
waiting for a second predetermined amount of time after performing the second set of operations; and determining a third symptom indicative of the identified problem is present after waiting for the second predetermined amount of time. 6. The method of claim 5, wherein the first symptom, the second symptom, and the third symptom are the same symptom. 7. The method of claim 5, wherein the second predetermined amount of time is greater than the first predetermined amount of time. 8. The method of claim 1, wherein the first problem is a malfunctioning device. 9. The method of claim 8, wherein the set of stored operations are performed by a second device different from the malfunctioning device. 10. The method of claim 9, wherein the second device is in communication with the malfunctioning device. 11. A system for resolving problems, comprising:
a processor; a memory; program code stored in the memory, which, when executed by the processor, causes the system to perform the steps of:
storing an identified problem associated with communication regarding a first symptom of a first problem with a user device, wherein the identified problem corresponds to a particular problem, from a set of possible problems, selected by:
comparing a set of stored operations, performed to resolve the first problem, to a model, wherein the model comprises a mapping between a set of possible operations and a set of possible problems;
monitoring data from a computer system associated with the user device for a second symptom of the stored identified problem;
determining that the second symptom of the identified problem is present in the monitored data;
performing a second set of operations to resolve the identified problem based on the determination that the second symptom of the identified problem is present in the monitored data. 12. The system of claim 11, wherein the model comprises symptoms associated with the set of possible problems. 13. The system of claim 11, wherein the program code stored in the memory, when executed by the processor, further causes the system to perform the step of:
waiting, after the resolution of the first problem, for a first predetermined amount of time before performing the monitoring. 14. (canceled) 15. The system of claim 13, wherein the program code stored in the memory, when executed by the processor, further causes the system to perform the steps of:
waiting for a second predetermined amount of time after performing the second set of operations; and determining a third symptom indicative of the identified problem is present after waiting for the second predetermined amount of time. 16. The system of claim 15, wherein the first symptom, the second symptom, and the third symptom are the same symptom. 17. The system of claim 15, wherein the second predetermined amount of time is greater than the first predetermined amount of time. 18. The system of claim 11, wherein the first problem is a malfunctioning device. 19. The system of claim 18, wherein the set of stored operations are performed by a second device different from the malfunctioning device. 20. The system of claim 19, wherein the second device is in communication with the malfunctioning device. 21. The method of claim 1, wherein the first predetermined amount of time comprises a day, a week, or a month. 22. The system of claim 11, wherein the first predetermined amount of time comprises a day, a week, or a month. | 3,600 |
12,877 | 12,877 | 13,665,508 | 3,686 | A method of managing services in a health care facility includes receiving one or more messages associated with one or more actions to be performed in the hospital; placing the one or more messages in a queue, assessing a queued message, in combination with one or more other messages, against one or more misleading message patterns stored in a memory, determining whether the combination of the message and the one or more other messages matches one or more of the misleading message patterns so as to indicate or suggest that the message is misleading, and if one or more of the misleading message patterns indicates or suggests that the message is misleading, removing the message from the queue or modifying the message. | 1-43. (canceled) 44. A method of managing services in a health care facility, comprising:
receiving one or more messages associated with one or more actions to be performed in the hospital; placing the one or more messages in a queue; assessing a queued message, in combination with one or more other messages, against one or more misleading message patterns stored in a memory; determining whether the combination of the message and the one or more other messages matches one or more of the misleading message patterns so as to indicate or suggest that the message is misleading; and if one or more of the misleading message patterns indicates or suggests that the message is misleading, removing the message from the queue or modifying the message. 45. The method of claim 44, further comprising, if none of the misleading message patterns indicates or suggests that a message is misleading maintaining the message in the queue. 46. The method of claim 44, wherein at least one of the one or more messages comprises a call for cleaning services. 47. The method of claim 44, wherein the message is a bed cleaning request. 48. The method of claim 44, wherein the message is at least partially based on a fiction. 49. The method of claim 44, wherein the message is at least partially based on a fiction for administrative purposes. 50. The method of claim 44, wherein the message is at least partially based on a fiction for billing purposes. 51. The method of claim 44, wherein at least one of the misleading message patterns comprises one of the messages conflicting with at least one other message. 52. The method of claim 44, wherein at least one of the misleading message patterns comprises a later message cancelling or invalidating the message. 53. The method of claim 44, wherein at least one of the misleading message patterns comprises false discharge message. 54. The method of claim 44, wherein at least one of the misleading message patterns comprises a false indication that a patient is being moved from one bed to another. 55. The method of claim 44, wherein at least one of the misleading message patterns comprises a temporary absence of a patient from a bed. 56. The method of claim 44, wherein at least one of the misleading message patterns comprises a move from one bed to another for a specific procedure. 57. The method of claim 44, further comprising sending the message to an electronic bed board. 58. The method of claim 44, wherein the message is an admission/discharge/transfer message. 59. The method of claim 44, wherein the message is an HL7 message. 60. The method of claim 44, further comprising, before placing the message in the queue:
assessing whether or not at least one received message is a type of message to be held; and if the received message is a type of message to be held:
applying a hold to the message;
unholding the message after a period of time has elapsed. 61. The method of claim 60, wherein the message is placed on hold for a specified time period. 62. The method of claim 61, further comprising determining the time period for holding the message, wherein the time period for the hold depends on the type of message. 63. The method of claim 60, wherein the message is assessed against the one or more misleading message patterns after the message is unheld. 64. The method of claim 44, further comprising, upon determining that the message is a misleading message, deleting the message from the queue. 65. The method of claim 44, further comprising, upon determining that the message is a misleading message, deleting the messages that match the misleading message pattern from the queue. 66. The method of claim 44, further comprising performing at least one transformation of the message after determining that the one or more misleading message patterns indicate that the message is not misleading. 67. The method of claim 44, further comprising performing at least one transformation of the message after determining that the one or more misleading message patterns indicate that the message is not misleading. 68. The method of claim 44, wherein messages are processed through the queue on a first-in, first-out basis. 69. A method of managing services, comprising:
receiving one or more messages associated with one or more actions to be performed; placing the one or more messages in a queue; assessing whether or not at least one received message is a type of message to be held; if the received message is a type of message to be held, applying a hold to the message; unholding the message after a period of time has elapsed; assessing the unheld message, in combination with one or more other messages, against one or more misleading message patterns stored in a memory; determining whether the combination of the unheld message and the one or more other messages matches one or more of the misleading message patterns so as to indicate or suggest that the message is misleading; and if one or more of the misleading message patterns indicates or suggests that the message is misleading, removing the message from the queue or modifying the message. 70-83. (canceled) 84. A system for managing cleaning requests, comprising:
a processor; a memory coupled to the processor and configured to store program instructions executable by the processor to implement: receiving one or more messages associated with one or more actions to be performed in the hospital; placing the one or more messages in a queue; assessing a queued message, in combination with one or more other messages, against one or more misleading message patterns stored in a memory; determining whether the combination of the message and the one or more other messages matches one or more of the misleading message patterns so as to indicate or suggest that the message is misleading; and if one or more of the misleading message patterns indicates or suggests that the message is misleading, removing the message from the queue or modifying the message. 85-87. (canceled) | A method of managing services in a health care facility includes receiving one or more messages associated with one or more actions to be performed in the hospital; placing the one or more messages in a queue, assessing a queued message, in combination with one or more other messages, against one or more misleading message patterns stored in a memory, determining whether the combination of the message and the one or more other messages matches one or more of the misleading message patterns so as to indicate or suggest that the message is misleading, and if one or more of the misleading message patterns indicates or suggests that the message is misleading, removing the message from the queue or modifying the message.1-43. (canceled) 44. A method of managing services in a health care facility, comprising:
receiving one or more messages associated with one or more actions to be performed in the hospital; placing the one or more messages in a queue; assessing a queued message, in combination with one or more other messages, against one or more misleading message patterns stored in a memory; determining whether the combination of the message and the one or more other messages matches one or more of the misleading message patterns so as to indicate or suggest that the message is misleading; and if one or more of the misleading message patterns indicates or suggests that the message is misleading, removing the message from the queue or modifying the message. 45. The method of claim 44, further comprising, if none of the misleading message patterns indicates or suggests that a message is misleading maintaining the message in the queue. 46. The method of claim 44, wherein at least one of the one or more messages comprises a call for cleaning services. 47. The method of claim 44, wherein the message is a bed cleaning request. 48. The method of claim 44, wherein the message is at least partially based on a fiction. 49. The method of claim 44, wherein the message is at least partially based on a fiction for administrative purposes. 50. The method of claim 44, wherein the message is at least partially based on a fiction for billing purposes. 51. The method of claim 44, wherein at least one of the misleading message patterns comprises one of the messages conflicting with at least one other message. 52. The method of claim 44, wherein at least one of the misleading message patterns comprises a later message cancelling or invalidating the message. 53. The method of claim 44, wherein at least one of the misleading message patterns comprises false discharge message. 54. The method of claim 44, wherein at least one of the misleading message patterns comprises a false indication that a patient is being moved from one bed to another. 55. The method of claim 44, wherein at least one of the misleading message patterns comprises a temporary absence of a patient from a bed. 56. The method of claim 44, wherein at least one of the misleading message patterns comprises a move from one bed to another for a specific procedure. 57. The method of claim 44, further comprising sending the message to an electronic bed board. 58. The method of claim 44, wherein the message is an admission/discharge/transfer message. 59. The method of claim 44, wherein the message is an HL7 message. 60. The method of claim 44, further comprising, before placing the message in the queue:
assessing whether or not at least one received message is a type of message to be held; and if the received message is a type of message to be held:
applying a hold to the message;
unholding the message after a period of time has elapsed. 61. The method of claim 60, wherein the message is placed on hold for a specified time period. 62. The method of claim 61, further comprising determining the time period for holding the message, wherein the time period for the hold depends on the type of message. 63. The method of claim 60, wherein the message is assessed against the one or more misleading message patterns after the message is unheld. 64. The method of claim 44, further comprising, upon determining that the message is a misleading message, deleting the message from the queue. 65. The method of claim 44, further comprising, upon determining that the message is a misleading message, deleting the messages that match the misleading message pattern from the queue. 66. The method of claim 44, further comprising performing at least one transformation of the message after determining that the one or more misleading message patterns indicate that the message is not misleading. 67. The method of claim 44, further comprising performing at least one transformation of the message after determining that the one or more misleading message patterns indicate that the message is not misleading. 68. The method of claim 44, wherein messages are processed through the queue on a first-in, first-out basis. 69. A method of managing services, comprising:
receiving one or more messages associated with one or more actions to be performed; placing the one or more messages in a queue; assessing whether or not at least one received message is a type of message to be held; if the received message is a type of message to be held, applying a hold to the message; unholding the message after a period of time has elapsed; assessing the unheld message, in combination with one or more other messages, against one or more misleading message patterns stored in a memory; determining whether the combination of the unheld message and the one or more other messages matches one or more of the misleading message patterns so as to indicate or suggest that the message is misleading; and if one or more of the misleading message patterns indicates or suggests that the message is misleading, removing the message from the queue or modifying the message. 70-83. (canceled) 84. A system for managing cleaning requests, comprising:
a processor; a memory coupled to the processor and configured to store program instructions executable by the processor to implement: receiving one or more messages associated with one or more actions to be performed in the hospital; placing the one or more messages in a queue; assessing a queued message, in combination with one or more other messages, against one or more misleading message patterns stored in a memory; determining whether the combination of the message and the one or more other messages matches one or more of the misleading message patterns so as to indicate or suggest that the message is misleading; and if one or more of the misleading message patterns indicates or suggests that the message is misleading, removing the message from the queue or modifying the message. 85-87. (canceled) | 3,600 |
12,878 | 12,878 | 13,025,820 | 3,683 | A method, system and computer program product for coupling forecasting and planning in a production planning tool is provided. In an embodiment of the invention, a method for coupling forecasting and planning in a production planning tool is provided. The method includes invoking a forecasting module in a production planning tool executing in memory of a computer upon demand data to compute a forecasting model. The method also includes retrieving a stochastic vector from the computed forecasting model for a product, the stochastic vector expressing vector of expected values of demand for the product, and linearizing the stochastic vector in a matrix describing a linear model for demand of the product. The method further includes providing the linearized stochastic vector to a stochastic linear program (LP) relaxation of a planning module of the production planning tool. | 1. A method for coupling forecasting and planning in a production planning tool, the method comprising:
invoking a forecasting module in a production planning tool executing in memory of a computer upon demand data to compute a forecasting model; retrieving a stochastic vector from the computed forecasting model for a product, the stochastic vector expressing a vector of expected values of demand for the product; linearizing the stochastic vector in a matrix describing a linear model for demand of the product; and, providing the linearized stochastic vector to a stochastic linear programming (LP) relaxation of a planning module of the production planning tool. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein linearizing the stochastic vector in a matrix comprises linearizing the stochastic vector in a Jacobian matrix H, such that D=HV+m where D is the stochastic vector and v is a vector of independent normalized random variables. 3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
estimating a co-variance matrix together with the stochastic vector from past data in the forecasting model; and, deducing the matrix utilizing Cholesky decomposition. 4. A data processing system configured for coupling forecasting and planning in a production planning tool, the system comprising:
a computer with at least one processor and memory; a product environment loaded in the memory of the computer and rendered in a display of the computer; an product planning tool executing in the computer; and, a coupling manager executing in the memory of the computer, the coupling manager comprising program code enabled to invoke a forecasting module in a production planning tool executing in memory of a computer upon demand data to compute a forecasting model, to retrieve a stochastic vector from the computed forecasting model for a product, the stochastic vector expressing a vector of expected values of demand for the product to linearize the stochastic vector in a matrix describing a linear model for demand of the product and provide the linearized stochastic vector to a stochastic linear programming (LP) relaxation of a planning module of the production planning tool. 5. A computer program product for comprising:
a computer readable storage medium having computer readable program code embodied therewith, the computer readable program comprising: computer readable program code for invoking a forecasting module in a production planning tool executing in memory of a computer upon demand data to compute a forecasting model; computer readable program code for retrieving a stochastic vector from the computed forecasting model for a product, the stochastic vector expressing a vector of expected values of demand for the product; computer readable program code for linearizing the stochastic vector in a matrix describing a linear model for demand of the product; and, computer readable program code for providing the linearized stochastic vector to a stochastic linear programming (LP) relaxation of a planning module of the production planning tool. 6. The computer program product of claim 5, wherein the computer readable program code for linearizing the stochastic vector in a matrix comprises computer readable program code for comprises computer readable program code for linearizing the stochastic vector in a Jacobian matrix H, such that D=HV+m where D is the stochastic vector and v is a vector of independent normalized random variables, 7. The computer program product of claim 5, further comprising:
computer readable program code for estimating a co-variance matrix together with the stochastic vector from past data in the forecasting model; and, computer readable program code for deducing the matrix utilizing Cholesky decomposition. | A method, system and computer program product for coupling forecasting and planning in a production planning tool is provided. In an embodiment of the invention, a method for coupling forecasting and planning in a production planning tool is provided. The method includes invoking a forecasting module in a production planning tool executing in memory of a computer upon demand data to compute a forecasting model. The method also includes retrieving a stochastic vector from the computed forecasting model for a product, the stochastic vector expressing vector of expected values of demand for the product, and linearizing the stochastic vector in a matrix describing a linear model for demand of the product. The method further includes providing the linearized stochastic vector to a stochastic linear program (LP) relaxation of a planning module of the production planning tool.1. A method for coupling forecasting and planning in a production planning tool, the method comprising:
invoking a forecasting module in a production planning tool executing in memory of a computer upon demand data to compute a forecasting model; retrieving a stochastic vector from the computed forecasting model for a product, the stochastic vector expressing a vector of expected values of demand for the product; linearizing the stochastic vector in a matrix describing a linear model for demand of the product; and, providing the linearized stochastic vector to a stochastic linear programming (LP) relaxation of a planning module of the production planning tool. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein linearizing the stochastic vector in a matrix comprises linearizing the stochastic vector in a Jacobian matrix H, such that D=HV+m where D is the stochastic vector and v is a vector of independent normalized random variables. 3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
estimating a co-variance matrix together with the stochastic vector from past data in the forecasting model; and, deducing the matrix utilizing Cholesky decomposition. 4. A data processing system configured for coupling forecasting and planning in a production planning tool, the system comprising:
a computer with at least one processor and memory; a product environment loaded in the memory of the computer and rendered in a display of the computer; an product planning tool executing in the computer; and, a coupling manager executing in the memory of the computer, the coupling manager comprising program code enabled to invoke a forecasting module in a production planning tool executing in memory of a computer upon demand data to compute a forecasting model, to retrieve a stochastic vector from the computed forecasting model for a product, the stochastic vector expressing a vector of expected values of demand for the product to linearize the stochastic vector in a matrix describing a linear model for demand of the product and provide the linearized stochastic vector to a stochastic linear programming (LP) relaxation of a planning module of the production planning tool. 5. A computer program product for comprising:
a computer readable storage medium having computer readable program code embodied therewith, the computer readable program comprising: computer readable program code for invoking a forecasting module in a production planning tool executing in memory of a computer upon demand data to compute a forecasting model; computer readable program code for retrieving a stochastic vector from the computed forecasting model for a product, the stochastic vector expressing a vector of expected values of demand for the product; computer readable program code for linearizing the stochastic vector in a matrix describing a linear model for demand of the product; and, computer readable program code for providing the linearized stochastic vector to a stochastic linear programming (LP) relaxation of a planning module of the production planning tool. 6. The computer program product of claim 5, wherein the computer readable program code for linearizing the stochastic vector in a matrix comprises computer readable program code for comprises computer readable program code for linearizing the stochastic vector in a Jacobian matrix H, such that D=HV+m where D is the stochastic vector and v is a vector of independent normalized random variables, 7. The computer program product of claim 5, further comprising:
computer readable program code for estimating a co-variance matrix together with the stochastic vector from past data in the forecasting model; and, computer readable program code for deducing the matrix utilizing Cholesky decomposition. | 3,600 |
12,879 | 12,879 | 15,053,889 | 3,622 | In a method, system, and computer readable medium for distributing messages in a network environment, a message distribution system receives, from a device of a first user who is a follower of a second user, a selection of a plurality of communications endpoints for receiving messages from the second user. The system stores the selection in a storage. The system later receives, from a device of the second user, a message for distribution to one or more unspecified recipients. The system identifies the followers of the second user (including the first user) as recipients of the message, and identifies the plurality of communications endpoints selected by the first user. The system then sends the message to the followers of the second user, including the first user, sending including sending the message to each of the plurality of communications endpoints selected by the first user. | 1. A method of message distribution, comprising:
receiving, from a first computing device of a first user, a selection of a plurality of endpoints for receiving messages, wherein the first user is one of a plurality of users who are followers of a second user; storing the selection of the plurality of endpoints in a storage; receiving, from a second computing device of the second user, a message for distribution to one or more unspecified recipients; identifying, by a computer processor, the followers of the second user as recipients of the message; identifying, in the storage, the plurality of endpoints selected by the first user; and sending the message to the followers of the second user, including the first user, wherein the sending includes sending the message to each of the plurality of endpoints selected by the first user. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the second user is one of a plurality of users who are followers of the first user, and wherein the second user receives messages sent to followers of the first user, and wherein the plurality of endpoints comprises e-mail, short messaging service (SMS), and web. 3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
receiving, from the first computing device, an SMS registration message requesting creation of a new account of the first user; creating the new account in response to receiving the SMS registration message; and sending, to the first computing device, an acknowledgement message indicating that the new account is created, wherein the plurality of endpoints is associated with the new account in the storage. 4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
receiving, from the first computing device, an SMS message requesting to join the plurality of users who are followers of the second user; and adding the first user to the followers of the second user in response to receiving the SMS message. 5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
receiving, from the first computing device of the first user, an SMS configuration message comprising a plurality of message receipt preferences, wherein the sending of the message to the first user is based on the plurality of message receipt preferences. 6. The method of claim 5, wherein the plurality of message receipt preferences comprises a time window for receiving messages, and wherein the method further comprises:
making a determination that a current time is within the time window for receiving messages, wherein the sending of the message to the first user is based on the determination. 7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
identifying a hyperlink within the message; and displaying the hyperlink to the first user as an active link, wherein the active link comprises a shortened representation of the hyperlink. 8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
identifying, within the message, a reference to an image; and displaying, to the first user, the message with an indication of the image. 9. A message distribution system, comprising:
a computer processor; a routing engine executing on the computer processor and configured to:
receive, from a first computing device of a first user a selection of a plurality of endpoints for receiving messages, wherein the first user is one of a plurality of users who are followers of a second user;
store the selection of the plurality of endpoints in a data repository;
receive, from a second computing device of the second user, a message for distribution to one or more unspecified recipients;
identify the followers of the second user as recipients of the message; and
identify, in the data repository, the plurality of endpoints selected by the first user; and
a transmission engine configured to send the message to the followers of the second user, including the first user, wherein the transmission engine sends the message to each of the plurality of endpoints selected by the first user. 10. The message distribution system of claim 9, wherein the second user is one of a plurality of users who are followers of the first user, and wherein the second user receives messages sent to followers of the first user. 11. The message distribution system of claim 9, wherein the routing engine is further configured to:
receive, from the first computing device, an SMS registration message requesting creation of a new account of the first user; and create the new account in response to receiving the SMS registration message, and wherein the transmission engine is further configured to send, to the first computing device, an acknowledgement message indicating that the new account is created wherein the plurality of endpoints is associated with the new account in the data repository. 12. The message distribution system of claim 11, wherein the routing engine is further configured to receive, from the first computing device, an SMS message requesting to join the plurality of users who are followers of the second user and wherein the message distribution system further comprises a group expansion module configured to:
add the first user to the followers of the second user in response to receiving the SMS message. 13. The message distribution system of claim 9, wherein the message distribution system further comprises a rules module configured to:
identify, for the first user, a plurality of message receipt preferences comprising a time window for receiving messages; and make a determination that a current time is within the time window for receiving messages, wherein the sending of the message to the first user is based on the determination. 14. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising a plurality of instructions for message distribution the plurality of instructions comprising functionality to:
receive, from a first computing device of a first user a selection of a plurality of endpoints for receiving messages, wherein the first user is one of a plurality of users who are followers of a second user; store the selection of the plurality of endpoints in a storage; receive, from a second computing device of the second user, a message for distribution to one or more unspecified recipients; identify the followers of the second user as recipients of the message; identify, in the storage, the plurality of endpoints selected by the first user; and send the message to the followers of the second user including the first user, wherein the sending includes sending the message to each of the plurality of endpoints selected by first user. 15. A message distribution system for distributing messages, the message distribution system comprising:
a computer processor; a routing engine executing on the computer processor and configured to:
receive, from a first computing device of a first user, a request for joining a follower group of users following a second user;
in response to receiving the request for joining, store information about the first user in a data repository for storing follower group information about the follower group of users;
receive, from the first computing device of the first user, a selection of a plurality of endpoints for receiving messages, the plurality of endpoints including two or more of email, short messaging service (SMS) and web;
store selection information regarding the selection of the plurality of endpoints in the data repository;
receive, from a second computing device of the second user, a message for distribution to one or more unspecified recipients;
identify, based on the stored follower group information, the users in the follower group as recipients of the message; and
identify, based on the stored selection information the plurality of endpoints selected by the first user; and
a transmission engine configured to send the message to each of the users in the follower group, including the first user, wherein the transmission engine is configured to send the message to each of the plurality of endpoints selected by the first user. | In a method, system, and computer readable medium for distributing messages in a network environment, a message distribution system receives, from a device of a first user who is a follower of a second user, a selection of a plurality of communications endpoints for receiving messages from the second user. The system stores the selection in a storage. The system later receives, from a device of the second user, a message for distribution to one or more unspecified recipients. The system identifies the followers of the second user (including the first user) as recipients of the message, and identifies the plurality of communications endpoints selected by the first user. The system then sends the message to the followers of the second user, including the first user, sending including sending the message to each of the plurality of communications endpoints selected by the first user.1. A method of message distribution, comprising:
receiving, from a first computing device of a first user, a selection of a plurality of endpoints for receiving messages, wherein the first user is one of a plurality of users who are followers of a second user; storing the selection of the plurality of endpoints in a storage; receiving, from a second computing device of the second user, a message for distribution to one or more unspecified recipients; identifying, by a computer processor, the followers of the second user as recipients of the message; identifying, in the storage, the plurality of endpoints selected by the first user; and sending the message to the followers of the second user, including the first user, wherein the sending includes sending the message to each of the plurality of endpoints selected by the first user. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the second user is one of a plurality of users who are followers of the first user, and wherein the second user receives messages sent to followers of the first user, and wherein the plurality of endpoints comprises e-mail, short messaging service (SMS), and web. 3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
receiving, from the first computing device, an SMS registration message requesting creation of a new account of the first user; creating the new account in response to receiving the SMS registration message; and sending, to the first computing device, an acknowledgement message indicating that the new account is created, wherein the plurality of endpoints is associated with the new account in the storage. 4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
receiving, from the first computing device, an SMS message requesting to join the plurality of users who are followers of the second user; and adding the first user to the followers of the second user in response to receiving the SMS message. 5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
receiving, from the first computing device of the first user, an SMS configuration message comprising a plurality of message receipt preferences, wherein the sending of the message to the first user is based on the plurality of message receipt preferences. 6. The method of claim 5, wherein the plurality of message receipt preferences comprises a time window for receiving messages, and wherein the method further comprises:
making a determination that a current time is within the time window for receiving messages, wherein the sending of the message to the first user is based on the determination. 7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
identifying a hyperlink within the message; and displaying the hyperlink to the first user as an active link, wherein the active link comprises a shortened representation of the hyperlink. 8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
identifying, within the message, a reference to an image; and displaying, to the first user, the message with an indication of the image. 9. A message distribution system, comprising:
a computer processor; a routing engine executing on the computer processor and configured to:
receive, from a first computing device of a first user a selection of a plurality of endpoints for receiving messages, wherein the first user is one of a plurality of users who are followers of a second user;
store the selection of the plurality of endpoints in a data repository;
receive, from a second computing device of the second user, a message for distribution to one or more unspecified recipients;
identify the followers of the second user as recipients of the message; and
identify, in the data repository, the plurality of endpoints selected by the first user; and
a transmission engine configured to send the message to the followers of the second user, including the first user, wherein the transmission engine sends the message to each of the plurality of endpoints selected by the first user. 10. The message distribution system of claim 9, wherein the second user is one of a plurality of users who are followers of the first user, and wherein the second user receives messages sent to followers of the first user. 11. The message distribution system of claim 9, wherein the routing engine is further configured to:
receive, from the first computing device, an SMS registration message requesting creation of a new account of the first user; and create the new account in response to receiving the SMS registration message, and wherein the transmission engine is further configured to send, to the first computing device, an acknowledgement message indicating that the new account is created wherein the plurality of endpoints is associated with the new account in the data repository. 12. The message distribution system of claim 11, wherein the routing engine is further configured to receive, from the first computing device, an SMS message requesting to join the plurality of users who are followers of the second user and wherein the message distribution system further comprises a group expansion module configured to:
add the first user to the followers of the second user in response to receiving the SMS message. 13. The message distribution system of claim 9, wherein the message distribution system further comprises a rules module configured to:
identify, for the first user, a plurality of message receipt preferences comprising a time window for receiving messages; and make a determination that a current time is within the time window for receiving messages, wherein the sending of the message to the first user is based on the determination. 14. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising a plurality of instructions for message distribution the plurality of instructions comprising functionality to:
receive, from a first computing device of a first user a selection of a plurality of endpoints for receiving messages, wherein the first user is one of a plurality of users who are followers of a second user; store the selection of the plurality of endpoints in a storage; receive, from a second computing device of the second user, a message for distribution to one or more unspecified recipients; identify the followers of the second user as recipients of the message; identify, in the storage, the plurality of endpoints selected by the first user; and send the message to the followers of the second user including the first user, wherein the sending includes sending the message to each of the plurality of endpoints selected by first user. 15. A message distribution system for distributing messages, the message distribution system comprising:
a computer processor; a routing engine executing on the computer processor and configured to:
receive, from a first computing device of a first user, a request for joining a follower group of users following a second user;
in response to receiving the request for joining, store information about the first user in a data repository for storing follower group information about the follower group of users;
receive, from the first computing device of the first user, a selection of a plurality of endpoints for receiving messages, the plurality of endpoints including two or more of email, short messaging service (SMS) and web;
store selection information regarding the selection of the plurality of endpoints in the data repository;
receive, from a second computing device of the second user, a message for distribution to one or more unspecified recipients;
identify, based on the stored follower group information, the users in the follower group as recipients of the message; and
identify, based on the stored selection information the plurality of endpoints selected by the first user; and
a transmission engine configured to send the message to each of the users in the follower group, including the first user, wherein the transmission engine is configured to send the message to each of the plurality of endpoints selected by the first user. | 3,600 |
12,880 | 12,880 | 13,144,211 | 3,649 | The present invention relates to barrier film structures and, more particularly, to film structures having EVOH and fluoropolymer in skin layer. The addition of fluoropolymer in the skin layer allows trim recycling and improves the metal appearance in the metallization by reducing die lines and scratches. Improved barrier performances have been achieved by using plasma treatment during metal vacuum deposition in the vacuum chamber. | 1. A process of making multilayer polymer film, comprising:
(a) forming a film substrate having a core layer comprising polyolefin and a skin layer comprising EVOH and at least 1 wppm of fluoropolymer; (b) treating said skin layer with plasma; then (c) metallizing said plasma treated film substrate with metal. 2. The process according to claim 1, wherein said skin layer comprises EVOH and at least 100 wppm of fluoropolymer. 3. The process according to claim 1, wherein said core layer comprises polypropylene. 4. The process according to claim 1, wherein plasma treating step is conducted in a metallization vacuum chamber of step (c). 5. The process according to claim 4, wherein said plasma treating step is conducted with at least one of nitrogen or argon. 6. The process according to claim 1, wherein said core layer further comprises cavitating agent. 7. The process according to claim 1, wherein said polyolefin is polypropylene. 8. A film structure produced by the process of claim 1. 9. The film of claim 8, wherein said film has an OTR measured at 73° F. 0% RH is at least 1% lower than the OTR of a same film without the plasma treatment step and an WVTR measured at 100° F. 90% RH is at least 1% lower than the WVTR of a same film without the plasma treatment step. 10. The film of claim 8 has an OTR measured at 73° F. 0% RH equal or less than the OTR of a same film without said fluoropolymer and the plasma treatment step and an WVTR measured at 100° F. 90% RH equal or less than the WVTR of a same film without said fluoropolymer and the plasma treatment step. | The present invention relates to barrier film structures and, more particularly, to film structures having EVOH and fluoropolymer in skin layer. The addition of fluoropolymer in the skin layer allows trim recycling and improves the metal appearance in the metallization by reducing die lines and scratches. Improved barrier performances have been achieved by using plasma treatment during metal vacuum deposition in the vacuum chamber.1. A process of making multilayer polymer film, comprising:
(a) forming a film substrate having a core layer comprising polyolefin and a skin layer comprising EVOH and at least 1 wppm of fluoropolymer; (b) treating said skin layer with plasma; then (c) metallizing said plasma treated film substrate with metal. 2. The process according to claim 1, wherein said skin layer comprises EVOH and at least 100 wppm of fluoropolymer. 3. The process according to claim 1, wherein said core layer comprises polypropylene. 4. The process according to claim 1, wherein plasma treating step is conducted in a metallization vacuum chamber of step (c). 5. The process according to claim 4, wherein said plasma treating step is conducted with at least one of nitrogen or argon. 6. The process according to claim 1, wherein said core layer further comprises cavitating agent. 7. The process according to claim 1, wherein said polyolefin is polypropylene. 8. A film structure produced by the process of claim 1. 9. The film of claim 8, wherein said film has an OTR measured at 73° F. 0% RH is at least 1% lower than the OTR of a same film without the plasma treatment step and an WVTR measured at 100° F. 90% RH is at least 1% lower than the WVTR of a same film without the plasma treatment step. 10. The film of claim 8 has an OTR measured at 73° F. 0% RH equal or less than the OTR of a same film without said fluoropolymer and the plasma treatment step and an WVTR measured at 100° F. 90% RH equal or less than the WVTR of a same film without said fluoropolymer and the plasma treatment step. | 3,600 |
12,881 | 12,881 | 13,847,805 | 3,625 | Various systems and methods that may relate to referral and/or delivery services are described. Some embodiments may include communication using a payment processing device. Various other embodiments are described. | 1. A method comprising:
receiving, by a computing device of a referral service from a remote device of a user, an indication of an order of physical goods from a merchant that does not have a proprietary delivery service; in response to receiving the indication of the order for the plurality of goods from the merchant that does not have the proprietary delivery service, performing, by the computing device, an auction to determine a delivery service provider from a plurality of delivery service providers to provide a delivery service for the order by:
providing information about the order to the plurality of delivery service providers,
receiving a first bid of a first amount of money from a first delivery service provider of the plurality of service provides and a second bid of a second amount of money from a second delivery service provider of the plurality of delivery service providers, and
determining, by the computing device, based on the first bid and second bid, that the first delivery service provider should provide the delivery service for the order; and
in response to determining that the first delivery service provider should provide the delivery service, facilitating, by the computing device, delivery of the order to the user by the first delivery service provider. 2. An apparatus comprising:
a computing device; and a non-transitory medium having stored thereon a plurality of instructions that when executed by the computing device cause the apparatus to: receive, from a remote device of a user, an indication of an order of physical goods from a merchant that does not have a proprietary delivery service; in response to receiving the indication of the order for the plurality of goods from the merchant that does not have the proprietary delivery service, perform, by the computing device, an auction to determine a delivery service provider from a plurality of delivery service providers to provide a delivery service for the order by:
providing information about the order to the plurality of delivery service providers,
receiving a first bid of a first amount of money from a first delivery service provider of the plurality of service provides and a second bid of a second amount of money from a second delivery service provider of the plurality of delivery service providers, and
determining, by the computing device, based on the first bid and second bid, that the first delivery service provider should provide the delivery service for the order; and
in response to determining that the first delivery service provider should provide the delivery service, facilitate delivery of the order to the user by the first delivery service provider. 3. The apparatus of claim 2, in which to provide the information, the instructions cause the apparatus to provide through at least one of an email, a website, and an electronic message. 4. The apparatus of claim 2, in which to facilitate delivery the instructions cause the apparatus to transmit a request to perform the delivery, in which the request includes order details that are not included in the information. 5. The apparatus of claim 2, in which each of the first and second bid identifies at least one of a respective time and a respective time frame for delivery. 6. The apparatus of claim 5, in which to determine that the first delivery service provider should provide the delivery service, the instructions cause the apparatus to determine based each of the identified at least one of the respective time and the respective time frame for delivery. 7. The apparatus of claim 2, in which the provided information includes a location of the merchant and a location of the user. 8. The apparatus of claim 2, in which the provided information includes an indication of at least one of a time and a time frame for delivery. 9. The apparatus of claim 2, in which to determine that the first delivery service provider should provide the delivery service, the instructions cause the apparatus to determine that the first amount of money is lower than the second amount of money. 10. The apparatus of claim 2, in which to determine that the first delivery service provider should provide the delivery service, the instructions cause the apparatus to determine that the first amount of money is higher than the second amount of money and the first bid includes a first at least one of a time and a time frame that matches the order. 11. The apparatus of claim 2, in which to determine that the first delivery service provider should provide the delivery service, the instructions cause the apparatus to determine based on an algorithm with inputs that include at least one of a time and a time frame associated with the order, the first amount of money, the second amount of money, and respective at least one of a time and a time frame from each of the first bid and the second bid. 12. The apparatus of claim 2, in which to perform the auction, the instructions cause the apparatus to:
provide information about each bid to the plurality of delivery service providers; and receive more than one bid from at least one of the plurality of delivery service providers. 13. The apparatus of claim 2, in which each bid includes a bid to perform delivery for at least one of a plurality of orders and a period of time relative to the order, and in which to determine that the first deliver service provider should provide the delivery service for the order the instructions cause the apparatus to determine that the first delivery service provider should provider delivery services for the at least one of the plurality of orders and the period of time. 14. The apparatus of claim 2, in which the respective bid includes at least one of a time and a time frame for the delivery, in which the at least one of the time and the time frame is based on a location of an employee of the delivery service provider, the location of the merchant, and the location of the user, and in which a price of the respective bid is based on a location of an employee of the delivery service provider, the location of the merchant, the location of the user and a risk of providing the delivery. 15. An apparatus comprising:
a computing device; and a non-transitory medium having stored thereon a plurality of instructions that when executed by the computing device cause the apparatus to: receive, from a remote device of a user, an indication of a delivery order of physical goods from a merchant that does not have a proprietary delivery service; in response to receiving the information about the order to deliver the plurality of physical goods, determine a first bid from a delivery service provider for providing a delivery service for the order based on a cost to the delivery service provider to provide the delivery service; in response to determining the first bid, transmitting the first bid to the remote device; receiving an indication, based on the first bid, from the remote device that the delivery service provider has been selected to deliver the plurality of physical goods from the merchant to the user; and in response to receiving the indication that the delivery service provider has been selected, facilitating the delivery of the plurality of physical goods from the merchant to the user. 16. The apparatus of claim 15, in which the information about the order includes at least one of a time and a time frame for delivery of the order. 17. The apparatus of claim 15, in which the information includes a location of the user and a location of the merchant. 18. The apparatus of claim 15, in which the first bid includes a price for the delivery. 19. The apparatus of claim 18, in which the price is based on a location of an employee of the delivery service provider, the location of the merchant, and the location of the user. 20. The apparatus of claim 18, in which the price is based on a cost of the plurality of physical goods. 21. The apparatus of claim 18, in which the price is based on a risk of providing the delivery. 22. The apparatus of claim 21, in which the risk includes a risk of being stuck in traffic while making the delivery. 23. The apparatus of claim 15, in which the first bid includes at least one of a time and a time frame for the delivery. 24. The apparatus of claim 23, in which the at least one of the time and the time frame is based on a location of an employee of the delivery service provider, the location of the merchant, and the location of the user. 25. The apparatus of claim 24, in which the price is based on a location of an employee of the delivery service provider, the location of the merchant, and the location of the user and a risk of providing the delivery. 26. The apparatus of claim 15, in which to facilitate delivery, the instructions cause the apparatus to notify an employee of the delivery service provider. 27. The apparatus of claim 16, in which the instructions cause the apparatus to:
receive an indication of a second bid made by another delivery service provider; in response to receiving the indication of the second bid, determine a third bid for providing a delivery service for the order; and in response to determining the third bid, transmit the third bid to the remote device. | Various systems and methods that may relate to referral and/or delivery services are described. Some embodiments may include communication using a payment processing device. Various other embodiments are described.1. A method comprising:
receiving, by a computing device of a referral service from a remote device of a user, an indication of an order of physical goods from a merchant that does not have a proprietary delivery service; in response to receiving the indication of the order for the plurality of goods from the merchant that does not have the proprietary delivery service, performing, by the computing device, an auction to determine a delivery service provider from a plurality of delivery service providers to provide a delivery service for the order by:
providing information about the order to the plurality of delivery service providers,
receiving a first bid of a first amount of money from a first delivery service provider of the plurality of service provides and a second bid of a second amount of money from a second delivery service provider of the plurality of delivery service providers, and
determining, by the computing device, based on the first bid and second bid, that the first delivery service provider should provide the delivery service for the order; and
in response to determining that the first delivery service provider should provide the delivery service, facilitating, by the computing device, delivery of the order to the user by the first delivery service provider. 2. An apparatus comprising:
a computing device; and a non-transitory medium having stored thereon a plurality of instructions that when executed by the computing device cause the apparatus to: receive, from a remote device of a user, an indication of an order of physical goods from a merchant that does not have a proprietary delivery service; in response to receiving the indication of the order for the plurality of goods from the merchant that does not have the proprietary delivery service, perform, by the computing device, an auction to determine a delivery service provider from a plurality of delivery service providers to provide a delivery service for the order by:
providing information about the order to the plurality of delivery service providers,
receiving a first bid of a first amount of money from a first delivery service provider of the plurality of service provides and a second bid of a second amount of money from a second delivery service provider of the plurality of delivery service providers, and
determining, by the computing device, based on the first bid and second bid, that the first delivery service provider should provide the delivery service for the order; and
in response to determining that the first delivery service provider should provide the delivery service, facilitate delivery of the order to the user by the first delivery service provider. 3. The apparatus of claim 2, in which to provide the information, the instructions cause the apparatus to provide through at least one of an email, a website, and an electronic message. 4. The apparatus of claim 2, in which to facilitate delivery the instructions cause the apparatus to transmit a request to perform the delivery, in which the request includes order details that are not included in the information. 5. The apparatus of claim 2, in which each of the first and second bid identifies at least one of a respective time and a respective time frame for delivery. 6. The apparatus of claim 5, in which to determine that the first delivery service provider should provide the delivery service, the instructions cause the apparatus to determine based each of the identified at least one of the respective time and the respective time frame for delivery. 7. The apparatus of claim 2, in which the provided information includes a location of the merchant and a location of the user. 8. The apparatus of claim 2, in which the provided information includes an indication of at least one of a time and a time frame for delivery. 9. The apparatus of claim 2, in which to determine that the first delivery service provider should provide the delivery service, the instructions cause the apparatus to determine that the first amount of money is lower than the second amount of money. 10. The apparatus of claim 2, in which to determine that the first delivery service provider should provide the delivery service, the instructions cause the apparatus to determine that the first amount of money is higher than the second amount of money and the first bid includes a first at least one of a time and a time frame that matches the order. 11. The apparatus of claim 2, in which to determine that the first delivery service provider should provide the delivery service, the instructions cause the apparatus to determine based on an algorithm with inputs that include at least one of a time and a time frame associated with the order, the first amount of money, the second amount of money, and respective at least one of a time and a time frame from each of the first bid and the second bid. 12. The apparatus of claim 2, in which to perform the auction, the instructions cause the apparatus to:
provide information about each bid to the plurality of delivery service providers; and receive more than one bid from at least one of the plurality of delivery service providers. 13. The apparatus of claim 2, in which each bid includes a bid to perform delivery for at least one of a plurality of orders and a period of time relative to the order, and in which to determine that the first deliver service provider should provide the delivery service for the order the instructions cause the apparatus to determine that the first delivery service provider should provider delivery services for the at least one of the plurality of orders and the period of time. 14. The apparatus of claim 2, in which the respective bid includes at least one of a time and a time frame for the delivery, in which the at least one of the time and the time frame is based on a location of an employee of the delivery service provider, the location of the merchant, and the location of the user, and in which a price of the respective bid is based on a location of an employee of the delivery service provider, the location of the merchant, the location of the user and a risk of providing the delivery. 15. An apparatus comprising:
a computing device; and a non-transitory medium having stored thereon a plurality of instructions that when executed by the computing device cause the apparatus to: receive, from a remote device of a user, an indication of a delivery order of physical goods from a merchant that does not have a proprietary delivery service; in response to receiving the information about the order to deliver the plurality of physical goods, determine a first bid from a delivery service provider for providing a delivery service for the order based on a cost to the delivery service provider to provide the delivery service; in response to determining the first bid, transmitting the first bid to the remote device; receiving an indication, based on the first bid, from the remote device that the delivery service provider has been selected to deliver the plurality of physical goods from the merchant to the user; and in response to receiving the indication that the delivery service provider has been selected, facilitating the delivery of the plurality of physical goods from the merchant to the user. 16. The apparatus of claim 15, in which the information about the order includes at least one of a time and a time frame for delivery of the order. 17. The apparatus of claim 15, in which the information includes a location of the user and a location of the merchant. 18. The apparatus of claim 15, in which the first bid includes a price for the delivery. 19. The apparatus of claim 18, in which the price is based on a location of an employee of the delivery service provider, the location of the merchant, and the location of the user. 20. The apparatus of claim 18, in which the price is based on a cost of the plurality of physical goods. 21. The apparatus of claim 18, in which the price is based on a risk of providing the delivery. 22. The apparatus of claim 21, in which the risk includes a risk of being stuck in traffic while making the delivery. 23. The apparatus of claim 15, in which the first bid includes at least one of a time and a time frame for the delivery. 24. The apparatus of claim 23, in which the at least one of the time and the time frame is based on a location of an employee of the delivery service provider, the location of the merchant, and the location of the user. 25. The apparatus of claim 24, in which the price is based on a location of an employee of the delivery service provider, the location of the merchant, and the location of the user and a risk of providing the delivery. 26. The apparatus of claim 15, in which to facilitate delivery, the instructions cause the apparatus to notify an employee of the delivery service provider. 27. The apparatus of claim 16, in which the instructions cause the apparatus to:
receive an indication of a second bid made by another delivery service provider; in response to receiving the indication of the second bid, determine a third bid for providing a delivery service for the order; and in response to determining the third bid, transmit the third bid to the remote device. | 3,600 |
12,882 | 12,882 | 14,673,939 | 3,683 | The invention may generally related to systems and methods for valuing used electronic, computing, and/or telecommunications equipment. Some embodiments may enable valuation to approach an efficient market value based on historical sales data and forward projection methods, and/or may also provide improved calculation efficiency. | 1. A product valuation method comprising the steps of:
providing a database of historical sales including a predetermined set of fields for containing data characterizing historical sales, the set of fields comprising buyer identity, quantity bought, sale price, historical sale date, model number, Common Language Equipment Identification (CLEI) code, SKU number, revision number, firmware version, service hours, and scrap sale; reading inventory item data fields into memory comprising one or more of a model number, Common Language Equipment Identification (CLEI) code, or a SKU number, and one or more of a revision number, firmware version, or service hours; selecting one or more inventory table data fields corresponding to an inventory item to be valued and determinative of a monetary value of the inventory item; equating the selected one or more inventory table data fields to a matrix variable; and querying the database of historical sales against the matrix variable and reading historical sales data into memory corresponding to the matrix variable; applying a predetermined set of valuation methods to the historical sales data corresponding to the matrix variable; and recording the valuation results in a lookup table in association with the corresponding matrix variable. 2. (canceled) 3. (canceled) 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the matrix variable is defined by the set of model number, revision number, firmware version number, and service hours. 5. The method of claim 1, wherein the set of valuation methods comprise a current used value method, a current scrap value method, and a current as-is value method. 6. The method of claim 5, wherein each of the current used value method, current scrap value method, and current as-is value method comprise the steps of:
applying a moving average method to historical used sale price data, scrap sale price data, and as-is sale price data; and applying a regression method to the historical used sale price data, scrap sale price data, and as-is sale price data, each as a function of a date of sale. 7. The method of claim 6, wherein the results of the moving average method are discarded if the regression method results produce an equation having an R-squared value of at least 90%. 8. The method of claim 1, wherein the set of valuation methods comprise a forecast used value method, a forecast scrap value method, and a forecast as-is value method. 9. The method of claim 8, wherein each of the forecast used value method, forecast scrap value method, and forecast as-is value method comprise the step of applying a regression method to the historical used sale price data, scrap sale price data, and as-is sale price data, each as a function of a date of sale. 10. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of determining whether a set of valuations have been calculated corresponding to the matrix variable, and if a set of valuations have not been calculated then executing the steps of querying, applying, and recording. 11. The method of claim 10, further comprising the steps of:
incrementing a counter variable corresponding to the matrix variable after executing the step of applying; repeating each of the foregoing steps on a next inventory item; and multiplying the value of the counter variable corresponding to the item identifier matrix variable by each of the valuation results corresponding to the same matrix variable value. 12. The method of claim 9, wherein each of the forecast used value methods are calculated using data restricted to historical sales to a predetermined buyer. 13. The method of claim 9, wherein forecast sale price is a function of a current supply versus demand multiplier where the multiplier is greater than one when supply is less than demand, the multiplier is less than one when supply is greater than demand, and the multiplier is one when supply equals demand. 14. The method of claim 13, wherein the current supply versus demand multiplier is a liner function of the number open orders for an item divided by the quantity of the item available to fill orders. 15. The method of claim 1, wherein a scrap sale price is one or more of the most recent scrap sale price, the most recent scrap sale price paid by a particular buyer, or a moving average of scrap sale prices. 16. The method of claim 15, wherein scrap value is directly proportional to a percent content by mass of one or more of aluminum, copper, silver, gold, nickel, palladium, platinum, rhodium, iridium, ruthenium, osmium, rhenium, scandium, yttrium, lanthanum, cerium, praseodymium, neodymium, samarium, europium, gadolinium, terbium, dysprosium, holmium, erbium, thulium, ytterbium, lutetium, actinium, thorium, protactinium, uranium, neptunium, plutonium, americium, curium, berkelium, californium, einsteinium, fermium, mendelevium, nobelium, or lawrencium. 17. The method of claim 16, wherein the scrap value is directly proportional to the market value of one or more of aluminum, copper, silver, gold, nickel, palladium, platinum, rhodium, iridium, ruthenium, osmium, rhenium, scandium, yttrium, lanthanum, cerium, praseodymium, neodymium, samarium, europium, gadolinium, terbium, dysprosium, holmium, erbium, thulium, ytterbium, lutetium, actinium, thorium, protactinium, uranium, neptunium, plutonium, americium, curium, berkelium, californium, einsteinium, fermium, mendelevium, nobelium, or lawrencium. 18. The method of claim 1 further comprising the steps of:
retrieving premium sales data relating to each item of the list from the database according to the matrix variable;
calculating a premium sale value for each item of the list by multiplying a quantity of each item read into memory bearing the same item identifier by a premium sale price for each item having the same item identifier; and
calculating a premium sale total value by summing the premium sale values for each item. 19. The method of claim 18, wherein the premium sale data relate to items that are deemed critical spares, items that are ranked in the top two hundred most searched items, the set of items that collectively account for 50% or more of total product search volume. 20. The method of claim 19, wherein premium sale price is one or more of the most recent historical sale price of any buyer, the most recent historical sale price of a particular buyer, a predicted sale price according to an extrapolation of historical sale prices, or one or more offers to buy at a specified price, wherein the predicted sale price is calculated according to a regression method, wherein the predicted sale price is a function of a current supply versus demand multiplier where the multiplier is greater than one when supply is less than demand, the multiplier is less than one when supply is greater than demand, and the multiplier is one when supply equals demand, and wherein the current supply versus demand multiplier is a liner function of the number open orders for an item divided by the quantity of the item available to fill orders. | The invention may generally related to systems and methods for valuing used electronic, computing, and/or telecommunications equipment. Some embodiments may enable valuation to approach an efficient market value based on historical sales data and forward projection methods, and/or may also provide improved calculation efficiency.1. A product valuation method comprising the steps of:
providing a database of historical sales including a predetermined set of fields for containing data characterizing historical sales, the set of fields comprising buyer identity, quantity bought, sale price, historical sale date, model number, Common Language Equipment Identification (CLEI) code, SKU number, revision number, firmware version, service hours, and scrap sale; reading inventory item data fields into memory comprising one or more of a model number, Common Language Equipment Identification (CLEI) code, or a SKU number, and one or more of a revision number, firmware version, or service hours; selecting one or more inventory table data fields corresponding to an inventory item to be valued and determinative of a monetary value of the inventory item; equating the selected one or more inventory table data fields to a matrix variable; and querying the database of historical sales against the matrix variable and reading historical sales data into memory corresponding to the matrix variable; applying a predetermined set of valuation methods to the historical sales data corresponding to the matrix variable; and recording the valuation results in a lookup table in association with the corresponding matrix variable. 2. (canceled) 3. (canceled) 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the matrix variable is defined by the set of model number, revision number, firmware version number, and service hours. 5. The method of claim 1, wherein the set of valuation methods comprise a current used value method, a current scrap value method, and a current as-is value method. 6. The method of claim 5, wherein each of the current used value method, current scrap value method, and current as-is value method comprise the steps of:
applying a moving average method to historical used sale price data, scrap sale price data, and as-is sale price data; and applying a regression method to the historical used sale price data, scrap sale price data, and as-is sale price data, each as a function of a date of sale. 7. The method of claim 6, wherein the results of the moving average method are discarded if the regression method results produce an equation having an R-squared value of at least 90%. 8. The method of claim 1, wherein the set of valuation methods comprise a forecast used value method, a forecast scrap value method, and a forecast as-is value method. 9. The method of claim 8, wherein each of the forecast used value method, forecast scrap value method, and forecast as-is value method comprise the step of applying a regression method to the historical used sale price data, scrap sale price data, and as-is sale price data, each as a function of a date of sale. 10. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of determining whether a set of valuations have been calculated corresponding to the matrix variable, and if a set of valuations have not been calculated then executing the steps of querying, applying, and recording. 11. The method of claim 10, further comprising the steps of:
incrementing a counter variable corresponding to the matrix variable after executing the step of applying; repeating each of the foregoing steps on a next inventory item; and multiplying the value of the counter variable corresponding to the item identifier matrix variable by each of the valuation results corresponding to the same matrix variable value. 12. The method of claim 9, wherein each of the forecast used value methods are calculated using data restricted to historical sales to a predetermined buyer. 13. The method of claim 9, wherein forecast sale price is a function of a current supply versus demand multiplier where the multiplier is greater than one when supply is less than demand, the multiplier is less than one when supply is greater than demand, and the multiplier is one when supply equals demand. 14. The method of claim 13, wherein the current supply versus demand multiplier is a liner function of the number open orders for an item divided by the quantity of the item available to fill orders. 15. The method of claim 1, wherein a scrap sale price is one or more of the most recent scrap sale price, the most recent scrap sale price paid by a particular buyer, or a moving average of scrap sale prices. 16. The method of claim 15, wherein scrap value is directly proportional to a percent content by mass of one or more of aluminum, copper, silver, gold, nickel, palladium, platinum, rhodium, iridium, ruthenium, osmium, rhenium, scandium, yttrium, lanthanum, cerium, praseodymium, neodymium, samarium, europium, gadolinium, terbium, dysprosium, holmium, erbium, thulium, ytterbium, lutetium, actinium, thorium, protactinium, uranium, neptunium, plutonium, americium, curium, berkelium, californium, einsteinium, fermium, mendelevium, nobelium, or lawrencium. 17. The method of claim 16, wherein the scrap value is directly proportional to the market value of one or more of aluminum, copper, silver, gold, nickel, palladium, platinum, rhodium, iridium, ruthenium, osmium, rhenium, scandium, yttrium, lanthanum, cerium, praseodymium, neodymium, samarium, europium, gadolinium, terbium, dysprosium, holmium, erbium, thulium, ytterbium, lutetium, actinium, thorium, protactinium, uranium, neptunium, plutonium, americium, curium, berkelium, californium, einsteinium, fermium, mendelevium, nobelium, or lawrencium. 18. The method of claim 1 further comprising the steps of:
retrieving premium sales data relating to each item of the list from the database according to the matrix variable;
calculating a premium sale value for each item of the list by multiplying a quantity of each item read into memory bearing the same item identifier by a premium sale price for each item having the same item identifier; and
calculating a premium sale total value by summing the premium sale values for each item. 19. The method of claim 18, wherein the premium sale data relate to items that are deemed critical spares, items that are ranked in the top two hundred most searched items, the set of items that collectively account for 50% or more of total product search volume. 20. The method of claim 19, wherein premium sale price is one or more of the most recent historical sale price of any buyer, the most recent historical sale price of a particular buyer, a predicted sale price according to an extrapolation of historical sale prices, or one or more offers to buy at a specified price, wherein the predicted sale price is calculated according to a regression method, wherein the predicted sale price is a function of a current supply versus demand multiplier where the multiplier is greater than one when supply is less than demand, the multiplier is less than one when supply is greater than demand, and the multiplier is one when supply equals demand, and wherein the current supply versus demand multiplier is a liner function of the number open orders for an item divided by the quantity of the item available to fill orders. | 3,600 |
12,883 | 12,883 | 13,926,720 | 3,694 | Approaches to facilitating targeted-advertisement-based event savings programs are provided. In certain implementations, a product or service type may be associated with a user. An advertisement identifying a product or service that relates to the associated product or service type may be provided for presentation to the user. A purchase of the product or service by the user responsive to providing the advertisement may be determined. An amount may be credited to an account on behalf of a beneficiary associated with user based on the purchase of the product or service by the user. In some implementations, a credit amount associated with purchasing the product or service may be determined. An estimated future value of the credit amount with respect to a time that corresponds to a predetermined life event associated with the account may be determined. The estimated future value may be provided for presentation to the user. | 1. A computer-implemented method of facilitating a targeted-advertisement-based event savings program, the method being implemented on a computer system that includes one or more physical processors, the method comprising:
associating, by an association module, one or more product or service types with a user; providing, by an advertising module, one or more advertisements that identify one or more products or services relating to the associated product or service types for presentation to the user; determining, by a transaction module, a purchase of at least one of the products or services by the user responsive to providing the advertisements; and crediting, by a benefit module, an amount to an account on behalf of a beneficiary associated with the user based on the purchase of the at least one product or service by the user. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein providing the advertisements comprise:
providing, by the advertising module, the advertisements that identify the products or services based on a determination that the products or services relate to the associated product or service types and one or more pre-selected product or service brands. 3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:
providing, by the benefit module, an indication of an association of at least one of the pre-selected product or service brands with the crediting of the amount to the account, wherein the indication is directed to the user or the beneficiary. 4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
determining, by a financial education module, one or more credit amounts associated with purchasing the products or services; determining, by the financial education module, one or more estimated future values of the credit amounts; and providing, by the financial education module, the estimated future values for presentation to the user. 5. The method of claim 4, wherein determining the estimated future values of the credit amounts comprise:
determining, by the financial education module, at least one estimated value of at least one of the credit amounts with respect to a time that corresponds to a predetermined life event associated with the account. 6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
associating, by the association module, one or more other product or service types with another user; providing, by the advertising module, one or more other advertisements that identify one or more other products or services relating to the associated other product or service types for presentation to the other user; determining, by the transaction module, a purchase of at least one of the other product or services by the other user responsive to providing the other advertisements; and crediting, by the benefit module, another amount to the account based on the purchase of the at least one other product or service by the other user, wherein the beneficiary is associated with the other user. 7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
crediting, by the benefit module, another amount to another account on behalf of another beneficiary associated with the user based on the purchase of the at least one product or service by the user. 8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
determining, by the association module, demographic information associated with the user, wherein the product or service types are associated with the user based on the demographic information. 9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
determining, by the association module, one or more selections of the product or service types by the user, wherein the product or service types are associated with the user based on the selections of the product or service types. 10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
determining, by the association module, one or more predetermined life events associated with the account; determining, by the association module, a selection of at least one of the predetermined life events by the user to be associated with contributions of the user; and allocating, by the benefit module, the credited amount for the at least one predetermined life event based on the selection of the at least one predetermined life event. 11. A system for facilitating a targeted-advertisement-based event savings program, the system comprising:
one or more physical processors configured to execute one or more computer program modules, the computer program modules comprising: an association module configured to one or more product or service types with a user; an advertising module configured to provide one or more advertisements that identify one or more products or services relating to the associated product or service types for presentation to the user; a transaction module configured to determine a purchase of at least one of the products or services by the user responsive to providing the advertisements; and a benefit module configured to credit an amount to an account on behalf of a beneficiary associated with the user based on the purchase of the at least one product or service by the user. 12. The system of claim 11, wherein the advertising module is configured to provide the advertisements that identify the products or services based on a determination that the products or services relate to the associated product or service types and one or more pre-selected product or service brands. 13. The system of claim 12, wherein the benefit module is configured to provide an indication of an association of at least one of the pre-selected product or service brands with the crediting of the amount to the account, wherein the indication is directed to the user or the beneficiary. 14. The system of claim 11, wherein the computer program modules further comprise a financial education module configured to:
determine one or more credit amounts associated with purchasing the products or services; determine one or more estimated future values of the credit amounts; and provide the estimated future values for presentation to the user. 15. The system of claim 14, wherein the financial education module is configured to:
determine at least one estimated value of at least one of the credit amounts with respect to a time that corresponds to a predetermined life event associated with the account; and provide the at least one estimated value of the at least one credit amount for presentation to the user. 16. The system of claim 11, wherein the association module is configured to associate one or more other product or service types with another user, wherein the advertising module is configured to provide one or more other advertisements that identify one or more other products or services relating to the associated other product or service types for presentation to the other user, wherein the transaction module is configured to determine a purchase of at least one of the other product or services by the other user responsive to providing the other advertisements, wherein the benefit module is configured to credit another amount to the account based on the purchase of the at least one other product or service by the other user, and wherein the beneficiary is associated with the other user. 17. The system of claim 11, wherein the benefit module is configured to credit another amount to another account on behalf of another beneficiary associated with the user based on the purchase of the at least one product or service by the user. 18. The system of claim 11, wherein the association module is configured to:
determine demographic information associated with the user; and associate the product or service types with the user based on the demographic information. 19. The system of claim 11, wherein the association module is configured to:
determine one or more selections of the product or service types by the user; and associate the product or service types with the user based on the selections of the product or service types. 20. The system of claim 11, wherein the association module is configured to determine one or more predetermined life events associated with the account, and determine a selection of at least one of the predetermined life events by the user to be associated with contributions of the user, and wherein the benefit module is configured to allocate the credited amount for the at least one predetermined life event based on the selection of the at least one predetermined life event. | Approaches to facilitating targeted-advertisement-based event savings programs are provided. In certain implementations, a product or service type may be associated with a user. An advertisement identifying a product or service that relates to the associated product or service type may be provided for presentation to the user. A purchase of the product or service by the user responsive to providing the advertisement may be determined. An amount may be credited to an account on behalf of a beneficiary associated with user based on the purchase of the product or service by the user. In some implementations, a credit amount associated with purchasing the product or service may be determined. An estimated future value of the credit amount with respect to a time that corresponds to a predetermined life event associated with the account may be determined. The estimated future value may be provided for presentation to the user.1. A computer-implemented method of facilitating a targeted-advertisement-based event savings program, the method being implemented on a computer system that includes one or more physical processors, the method comprising:
associating, by an association module, one or more product or service types with a user; providing, by an advertising module, one or more advertisements that identify one or more products or services relating to the associated product or service types for presentation to the user; determining, by a transaction module, a purchase of at least one of the products or services by the user responsive to providing the advertisements; and crediting, by a benefit module, an amount to an account on behalf of a beneficiary associated with the user based on the purchase of the at least one product or service by the user. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein providing the advertisements comprise:
providing, by the advertising module, the advertisements that identify the products or services based on a determination that the products or services relate to the associated product or service types and one or more pre-selected product or service brands. 3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:
providing, by the benefit module, an indication of an association of at least one of the pre-selected product or service brands with the crediting of the amount to the account, wherein the indication is directed to the user or the beneficiary. 4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
determining, by a financial education module, one or more credit amounts associated with purchasing the products or services; determining, by the financial education module, one or more estimated future values of the credit amounts; and providing, by the financial education module, the estimated future values for presentation to the user. 5. The method of claim 4, wherein determining the estimated future values of the credit amounts comprise:
determining, by the financial education module, at least one estimated value of at least one of the credit amounts with respect to a time that corresponds to a predetermined life event associated with the account. 6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
associating, by the association module, one or more other product or service types with another user; providing, by the advertising module, one or more other advertisements that identify one or more other products or services relating to the associated other product or service types for presentation to the other user; determining, by the transaction module, a purchase of at least one of the other product or services by the other user responsive to providing the other advertisements; and crediting, by the benefit module, another amount to the account based on the purchase of the at least one other product or service by the other user, wherein the beneficiary is associated with the other user. 7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
crediting, by the benefit module, another amount to another account on behalf of another beneficiary associated with the user based on the purchase of the at least one product or service by the user. 8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
determining, by the association module, demographic information associated with the user, wherein the product or service types are associated with the user based on the demographic information. 9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
determining, by the association module, one or more selections of the product or service types by the user, wherein the product or service types are associated with the user based on the selections of the product or service types. 10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
determining, by the association module, one or more predetermined life events associated with the account; determining, by the association module, a selection of at least one of the predetermined life events by the user to be associated with contributions of the user; and allocating, by the benefit module, the credited amount for the at least one predetermined life event based on the selection of the at least one predetermined life event. 11. A system for facilitating a targeted-advertisement-based event savings program, the system comprising:
one or more physical processors configured to execute one or more computer program modules, the computer program modules comprising: an association module configured to one or more product or service types with a user; an advertising module configured to provide one or more advertisements that identify one or more products or services relating to the associated product or service types for presentation to the user; a transaction module configured to determine a purchase of at least one of the products or services by the user responsive to providing the advertisements; and a benefit module configured to credit an amount to an account on behalf of a beneficiary associated with the user based on the purchase of the at least one product or service by the user. 12. The system of claim 11, wherein the advertising module is configured to provide the advertisements that identify the products or services based on a determination that the products or services relate to the associated product or service types and one or more pre-selected product or service brands. 13. The system of claim 12, wherein the benefit module is configured to provide an indication of an association of at least one of the pre-selected product or service brands with the crediting of the amount to the account, wherein the indication is directed to the user or the beneficiary. 14. The system of claim 11, wherein the computer program modules further comprise a financial education module configured to:
determine one or more credit amounts associated with purchasing the products or services; determine one or more estimated future values of the credit amounts; and provide the estimated future values for presentation to the user. 15. The system of claim 14, wherein the financial education module is configured to:
determine at least one estimated value of at least one of the credit amounts with respect to a time that corresponds to a predetermined life event associated with the account; and provide the at least one estimated value of the at least one credit amount for presentation to the user. 16. The system of claim 11, wherein the association module is configured to associate one or more other product or service types with another user, wherein the advertising module is configured to provide one or more other advertisements that identify one or more other products or services relating to the associated other product or service types for presentation to the other user, wherein the transaction module is configured to determine a purchase of at least one of the other product or services by the other user responsive to providing the other advertisements, wherein the benefit module is configured to credit another amount to the account based on the purchase of the at least one other product or service by the other user, and wherein the beneficiary is associated with the other user. 17. The system of claim 11, wherein the benefit module is configured to credit another amount to another account on behalf of another beneficiary associated with the user based on the purchase of the at least one product or service by the user. 18. The system of claim 11, wherein the association module is configured to:
determine demographic information associated with the user; and associate the product or service types with the user based on the demographic information. 19. The system of claim 11, wherein the association module is configured to:
determine one or more selections of the product or service types by the user; and associate the product or service types with the user based on the selections of the product or service types. 20. The system of claim 11, wherein the association module is configured to determine one or more predetermined life events associated with the account, and determine a selection of at least one of the predetermined life events by the user to be associated with contributions of the user, and wherein the benefit module is configured to allocate the credited amount for the at least one predetermined life event based on the selection of the at least one predetermined life event. | 3,600 |
12,884 | 12,884 | 13,346,600 | 3,685 | Certain exemplary embodiments relate to techniques for detecting unlicensed music on a digital jukebox device. A monitoring module, system, subsystem or the like determines whether audio is being provided to the digital jukebox device from an external source for reproduction via a speaker system connected to the jukebox device in place of jukebox media available directly to the jukebox device. When audio is being provided from the external source: at least a portion of the audio being provided to the digital jukebox device from the external source for reproduction via the jukebox device is captured; it is detected whether the captured portion corresponds to audio content that should be licensed; and a log of possible license violations is updated as appropriate. A notification concerning the log of possible violations is generated when a number of possible violations meets or exceeds a predetermined threshold in a predetermined time period. | 1. A method for detecting unlicensed music on a digital jukebox device, the method comprising:
determining whether audio is being provided to the digital jukebox device from an external source for reproduction via a speaker system connected to the jukebox device in place of jukebox media available directly to the jukebox device; when the determining indicates that audio is being provided to the digital jukebox device from the external source for reproduction via the speaker system:
capturing at least a portion of the audio being provided to the digital jukebox device from the external source for reproduction via the jukebox device;
detecting whether the captured portion corresponds to audio content that should be licensed; and
updating a log of possible license violations when the detecting indicates that the captured portion corresponds to audio content that should be licensed; and
generating a notification concerning the log of possible violations when a number of possible violations meets or exceeds a predetermined threshold in a predetermined time period. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the detecting comprises:
forwarding the captured portion to a fingerprinting or watermark service to create a digital fingerprint or watermark; and comparing the digital fingerprint or watermark against a database of media known to require a license in detecting whether the captured portion corresponds to audio content that should be licensed. 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the detecting comprises searching for a digital fingerprint or watermark embedded in the captured portion in detecting whether the captured portion corresponds to audio content that should be licensed. 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the log file includes a date and time of each possible license violation. 5. The method of claim 4, wherein the log file further includes an indication of a song or songs suspected to be associated with each possible license violation. 6. The method of claim 1, further comprising electronically sending the notification to an operator responsible for the digital jukebox device. 7. The method of claim 1, further comprising at least temporarily disabling the input connected to the external source. 8. The method of claim 1, further comprising searching for patterns in the log of possible license violations. 9. The method of claim 1, wherein the capturing is performed at a plurality of times. 10. The method of claim 9, wherein the capturing is performed at random intervals. 11. The method of claim 9, further comprising waiting a predetermined amount of time between successive capture operations. 12. The method of claim 1, further comprising automatically identifying a suspected beginning and/or an ending of a selection. 13. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium tangibly storing instructions that, when executed by a processor of an electronic device deployed in a digital jukebox system, perform a method comprising:
determining whether audio is being provided to a digital jukebox device from an external source for reproduction via a speaker system connected to the jukebox device in place of jukebox media available directly to the jukebox device; when the determining indicates that audio is being provided to the digital jukebox device from the external source for reproduction via the speaker system:
capturing at least a portion of the audio being provided to the digital jukebox device from the external source for reproduction via the jukebox device;
detecting whether the captured portion corresponds to audio content that should be licensed; and
updating a log of possible license violations when the detecting indicates that the captured portion corresponds to audio content that should be licensed; and
generating a notification concerning the log of possible violations when a number of possible violations meets or exceeds a predetermined threshold in a predetermined time period. 14. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the detecting comprises:
forwarding the captured portion to a fingerprinting or watermark service to create a digital fingerprint or watermark; and comparing the digital fingerprint or watermark against a database of media known to require a license in detecting whether the captured portion corresponds to audio content that should be licensed. 15. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the detecting comprises searching for a digital fingerprint or watermark embedded in the captured portion in detecting whether the captured portion corresponds to audio content that should be licensed. 16. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the log file includes a date and time of each possible license violation. 17. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the log file further includes an indication of a song or songs suspected to be associated with each possible license violation. 18. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, further comprising instructions for electronically sending the notification to an operator responsible for the digital jukebox device. 19. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, further comprising instructions for at least temporarily disabling the input connected to the external source. 20. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, further comprising instructions for searching for patterns in the log of possible license violations. 21. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the capturing is performed at a plurality of times. 22. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 21, wherein the capturing is performed at random intervals. 23. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 21, further comprising instructions for waiting a predetermined amount of time between successive capture operations. 24. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, further comprising instructions for automatically identifying a suspected beginning and/or an ending of a selection. 25. A digital jukebox device, comprising:
at least one processor; a media catalog storing a plurality of instances of media available for playback via the jukebox device; a user interface configured to enable a user to cause an instance of media to be played by the jukebox device upon receipt of a fee; an output connectable to at least one speaker system; an input connectable to an external source of audio; and a monitor subsystem configured to detect whether unlicensed music is being played on the jukebox device, the monitor subsystem being further configured to work with the at least one processor to:
determine whether audio is being provided to the digital jukebox device from an external source for reproduction on the jukebox device in place of instances of media from the media catalog,
when the determining indicates that audio is being provided to the digital jukebox device from the external source for reproduction via the speaker system:
capture at least a portion of the audio being provided to the digital jukebox device from the external source for reproduction via the jukebox device,
detect whether the captured portion corresponds to audio content that should be licensed,
update a log of possible license violations when the detecting indicates that the captured portion corresponds to audio content that should be licensed, and
generate a notification concerning the log of possible violations when a number of possible violations meets or exceeds a predetermined threshold in a predetermined time period. 26. The digital jukebox device of claim 25, wherein the monitor subsystem is further configured to:
forward the captured portion to a fingerprinting or watermark service to create a digital fingerprint or watermark; and compare the digital fingerprint or watermark against a database of media known to require a license in detecting whether the captured portion corresponds to audio content that should be licensed. 27. The digital jukebox device of claim 25, wherein the monitor subsystem is further configured to initiate a search for a digital fingerprint or watermark embedded in the captured portion in detecting whether the captured portion corresponds to audio content that should be licensed. 28. The digital jukebox device of claim 25, wherein the log file includes a date and time of each possible license violation. 29. The digital jukebox device of claim 28, wherein the log file further includes an indication of a song or songs suspected to be associated with each possible license violation. 30. The method of claim 1, further comprising electronically sending the notification to an operator responsible for the digital jukebox device. 31. The digital jukebox device of claim 25, wherein the monitor subsystem is further configured to at least temporarily disable the input connected to the external source. 32. The digital jukebox device of claim 25, wherein the monitor subsystem is further configured to search for patterns in the log of possible license violations. 33. The digital jukebox device of claim 25, wherein the capturing is performed at a plurality of times. 34. The digital jukebox device of claim 33, wherein the capturing is performed at random intervals. 35. The digital jukebox device of claim 33, wherein the monitor subsystem is further configured to wait a predetermined amount of time between successive capture operations. 36. The digital jukebox device of claim 25, wherein the monitor subsystem is further configured to automatically identify a suspected beginning and/or an ending of a selection. | Certain exemplary embodiments relate to techniques for detecting unlicensed music on a digital jukebox device. A monitoring module, system, subsystem or the like determines whether audio is being provided to the digital jukebox device from an external source for reproduction via a speaker system connected to the jukebox device in place of jukebox media available directly to the jukebox device. When audio is being provided from the external source: at least a portion of the audio being provided to the digital jukebox device from the external source for reproduction via the jukebox device is captured; it is detected whether the captured portion corresponds to audio content that should be licensed; and a log of possible license violations is updated as appropriate. A notification concerning the log of possible violations is generated when a number of possible violations meets or exceeds a predetermined threshold in a predetermined time period.1. A method for detecting unlicensed music on a digital jukebox device, the method comprising:
determining whether audio is being provided to the digital jukebox device from an external source for reproduction via a speaker system connected to the jukebox device in place of jukebox media available directly to the jukebox device; when the determining indicates that audio is being provided to the digital jukebox device from the external source for reproduction via the speaker system:
capturing at least a portion of the audio being provided to the digital jukebox device from the external source for reproduction via the jukebox device;
detecting whether the captured portion corresponds to audio content that should be licensed; and
updating a log of possible license violations when the detecting indicates that the captured portion corresponds to audio content that should be licensed; and
generating a notification concerning the log of possible violations when a number of possible violations meets or exceeds a predetermined threshold in a predetermined time period. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the detecting comprises:
forwarding the captured portion to a fingerprinting or watermark service to create a digital fingerprint or watermark; and comparing the digital fingerprint or watermark against a database of media known to require a license in detecting whether the captured portion corresponds to audio content that should be licensed. 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the detecting comprises searching for a digital fingerprint or watermark embedded in the captured portion in detecting whether the captured portion corresponds to audio content that should be licensed. 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the log file includes a date and time of each possible license violation. 5. The method of claim 4, wherein the log file further includes an indication of a song or songs suspected to be associated with each possible license violation. 6. The method of claim 1, further comprising electronically sending the notification to an operator responsible for the digital jukebox device. 7. The method of claim 1, further comprising at least temporarily disabling the input connected to the external source. 8. The method of claim 1, further comprising searching for patterns in the log of possible license violations. 9. The method of claim 1, wherein the capturing is performed at a plurality of times. 10. The method of claim 9, wherein the capturing is performed at random intervals. 11. The method of claim 9, further comprising waiting a predetermined amount of time between successive capture operations. 12. The method of claim 1, further comprising automatically identifying a suspected beginning and/or an ending of a selection. 13. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium tangibly storing instructions that, when executed by a processor of an electronic device deployed in a digital jukebox system, perform a method comprising:
determining whether audio is being provided to a digital jukebox device from an external source for reproduction via a speaker system connected to the jukebox device in place of jukebox media available directly to the jukebox device; when the determining indicates that audio is being provided to the digital jukebox device from the external source for reproduction via the speaker system:
capturing at least a portion of the audio being provided to the digital jukebox device from the external source for reproduction via the jukebox device;
detecting whether the captured portion corresponds to audio content that should be licensed; and
updating a log of possible license violations when the detecting indicates that the captured portion corresponds to audio content that should be licensed; and
generating a notification concerning the log of possible violations when a number of possible violations meets or exceeds a predetermined threshold in a predetermined time period. 14. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the detecting comprises:
forwarding the captured portion to a fingerprinting or watermark service to create a digital fingerprint or watermark; and comparing the digital fingerprint or watermark against a database of media known to require a license in detecting whether the captured portion corresponds to audio content that should be licensed. 15. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the detecting comprises searching for a digital fingerprint or watermark embedded in the captured portion in detecting whether the captured portion corresponds to audio content that should be licensed. 16. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the log file includes a date and time of each possible license violation. 17. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the log file further includes an indication of a song or songs suspected to be associated with each possible license violation. 18. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, further comprising instructions for electronically sending the notification to an operator responsible for the digital jukebox device. 19. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, further comprising instructions for at least temporarily disabling the input connected to the external source. 20. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, further comprising instructions for searching for patterns in the log of possible license violations. 21. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the capturing is performed at a plurality of times. 22. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 21, wherein the capturing is performed at random intervals. 23. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 21, further comprising instructions for waiting a predetermined amount of time between successive capture operations. 24. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, further comprising instructions for automatically identifying a suspected beginning and/or an ending of a selection. 25. A digital jukebox device, comprising:
at least one processor; a media catalog storing a plurality of instances of media available for playback via the jukebox device; a user interface configured to enable a user to cause an instance of media to be played by the jukebox device upon receipt of a fee; an output connectable to at least one speaker system; an input connectable to an external source of audio; and a monitor subsystem configured to detect whether unlicensed music is being played on the jukebox device, the monitor subsystem being further configured to work with the at least one processor to:
determine whether audio is being provided to the digital jukebox device from an external source for reproduction on the jukebox device in place of instances of media from the media catalog,
when the determining indicates that audio is being provided to the digital jukebox device from the external source for reproduction via the speaker system:
capture at least a portion of the audio being provided to the digital jukebox device from the external source for reproduction via the jukebox device,
detect whether the captured portion corresponds to audio content that should be licensed,
update a log of possible license violations when the detecting indicates that the captured portion corresponds to audio content that should be licensed, and
generate a notification concerning the log of possible violations when a number of possible violations meets or exceeds a predetermined threshold in a predetermined time period. 26. The digital jukebox device of claim 25, wherein the monitor subsystem is further configured to:
forward the captured portion to a fingerprinting or watermark service to create a digital fingerprint or watermark; and compare the digital fingerprint or watermark against a database of media known to require a license in detecting whether the captured portion corresponds to audio content that should be licensed. 27. The digital jukebox device of claim 25, wherein the monitor subsystem is further configured to initiate a search for a digital fingerprint or watermark embedded in the captured portion in detecting whether the captured portion corresponds to audio content that should be licensed. 28. The digital jukebox device of claim 25, wherein the log file includes a date and time of each possible license violation. 29. The digital jukebox device of claim 28, wherein the log file further includes an indication of a song or songs suspected to be associated with each possible license violation. 30. The method of claim 1, further comprising electronically sending the notification to an operator responsible for the digital jukebox device. 31. The digital jukebox device of claim 25, wherein the monitor subsystem is further configured to at least temporarily disable the input connected to the external source. 32. The digital jukebox device of claim 25, wherein the monitor subsystem is further configured to search for patterns in the log of possible license violations. 33. The digital jukebox device of claim 25, wherein the capturing is performed at a plurality of times. 34. The digital jukebox device of claim 33, wherein the capturing is performed at random intervals. 35. The digital jukebox device of claim 33, wherein the monitor subsystem is further configured to wait a predetermined amount of time between successive capture operations. 36. The digital jukebox device of claim 25, wherein the monitor subsystem is further configured to automatically identify a suspected beginning and/or an ending of a selection. | 3,600 |
12,885 | 12,885 | 14,469,372 | 3,694 | The systems and methods of the present invention allow users to perform various transactions using a mobile device. This is accomplished by building custom software to interact with a variety of hardware systems. Various transactions performed by the systems and methods of the present invention include collection and validation of various information. In some cases, information is obtained directly from the user. In other cases, information is obtained from a third party, such as a government agency. The system and methods of the present invention further improve upon the execution of transactions by including a unique system architecture and providing robust user and third-party interfaces. | 1. A payment processing system, the system comprising:
a processor; a database accessible by said processor and configured to receive and store information related to a plurality of electronic payment work flows; a plurality of integration interfaces operably connecting said processor to processing systems associated with each of said plurality of electronic payment work flows; and a user application interface operably connecting said processor to an application on a remote user device; wherein said processor communicates payment work flow information of at least one of said plurality of electronic payment work flows to said user application and receives user information required pursuant to said payment work flow information to complete a payment transaction; and wherein said processor communicates said user information to a processing system associated with said at least one of said plurality of electronic payment work flows to complete said payment transaction. 2. The system as claimed in claim 1 wherein said plurality of electronic payment work flows includes a first payment work flow and a second payment work flow that requires completion of said first payment work flow prior to completion of said second payment work flow and wherein said processor integrates said first and second work flows to complete appropriately said second payment work flow. 3. A mobile payment processing system, the system comprising:
a mobile application operating on a device of a user; a database accessible by said mobile application to store information regarding said user; a user application interface operably connecting said mobile application to a payment platform configured to receive and store information related to a plurality of electronic payment work flows and including a plurality of integration interfaces operably connecting said platform to processing systems associated with each of said plurality of electronic payment work flows; wherein said mobile application receives from said platform payment work flow information of at least one of said plurality of electronic payment work flows to transmits to said platform user information required pursuant to said payment work flow information to complete a payment transaction by communicating said user information from said platform to a processing system associated with said at least one of said plurality of electronic payment work flows to complete said payment transaction. 4. The system as claimed in claim 3 wherein said plurality of electronic payment work flows includes a first payment work flow and a second payment work flow that requires completion of said first payment work flow prior to completion of said second payment work flow and wherein said first and second work flows are integrated together to complete appropriately said second payment work flow. 5. A method of collecting payment from the user and processing the payment from the user, the method comprising the steps of:
storing in a database information related to a plurality of electronic payment work flows; transmitting from a processor via a user application interface operably connecting said processor to an application on a remote user device information regarding at least one of said plurality of electronic payment work flows; receiving at said processor from said application information required pursuant to said at least one of said plurality of electronic payment work flows to complete a payment transaction; communicating said information to a processing system associated with said at least one of said plurality of electronic payment work flows to complete said payment transaction. 6. The method as claimed in claim 5 wherein said plurality of electronic payment work flows includes a first payment work flow and a second payment work flow that requires completion of said first payment work flow prior to completion of said second payment work flow and wherein said first and second work flows are integrated together by said processor to complete appropriately said second payment work flow. | The systems and methods of the present invention allow users to perform various transactions using a mobile device. This is accomplished by building custom software to interact with a variety of hardware systems. Various transactions performed by the systems and methods of the present invention include collection and validation of various information. In some cases, information is obtained directly from the user. In other cases, information is obtained from a third party, such as a government agency. The system and methods of the present invention further improve upon the execution of transactions by including a unique system architecture and providing robust user and third-party interfaces.1. A payment processing system, the system comprising:
a processor; a database accessible by said processor and configured to receive and store information related to a plurality of electronic payment work flows; a plurality of integration interfaces operably connecting said processor to processing systems associated with each of said plurality of electronic payment work flows; and a user application interface operably connecting said processor to an application on a remote user device; wherein said processor communicates payment work flow information of at least one of said plurality of electronic payment work flows to said user application and receives user information required pursuant to said payment work flow information to complete a payment transaction; and wherein said processor communicates said user information to a processing system associated with said at least one of said plurality of electronic payment work flows to complete said payment transaction. 2. The system as claimed in claim 1 wherein said plurality of electronic payment work flows includes a first payment work flow and a second payment work flow that requires completion of said first payment work flow prior to completion of said second payment work flow and wherein said processor integrates said first and second work flows to complete appropriately said second payment work flow. 3. A mobile payment processing system, the system comprising:
a mobile application operating on a device of a user; a database accessible by said mobile application to store information regarding said user; a user application interface operably connecting said mobile application to a payment platform configured to receive and store information related to a plurality of electronic payment work flows and including a plurality of integration interfaces operably connecting said platform to processing systems associated with each of said plurality of electronic payment work flows; wherein said mobile application receives from said platform payment work flow information of at least one of said plurality of electronic payment work flows to transmits to said platform user information required pursuant to said payment work flow information to complete a payment transaction by communicating said user information from said platform to a processing system associated with said at least one of said plurality of electronic payment work flows to complete said payment transaction. 4. The system as claimed in claim 3 wherein said plurality of electronic payment work flows includes a first payment work flow and a second payment work flow that requires completion of said first payment work flow prior to completion of said second payment work flow and wherein said first and second work flows are integrated together to complete appropriately said second payment work flow. 5. A method of collecting payment from the user and processing the payment from the user, the method comprising the steps of:
storing in a database information related to a plurality of electronic payment work flows; transmitting from a processor via a user application interface operably connecting said processor to an application on a remote user device information regarding at least one of said plurality of electronic payment work flows; receiving at said processor from said application information required pursuant to said at least one of said plurality of electronic payment work flows to complete a payment transaction; communicating said information to a processing system associated with said at least one of said plurality of electronic payment work flows to complete said payment transaction. 6. The method as claimed in claim 5 wherein said plurality of electronic payment work flows includes a first payment work flow and a second payment work flow that requires completion of said first payment work flow prior to completion of said second payment work flow and wherein said first and second work flows are integrated together by said processor to complete appropriately said second payment work flow. | 3,600 |
12,886 | 12,886 | 14,341,776 | 3,685 | A transaction system avoids the storage of any single information item that can be used to provide access to sensitive information. To gain access to the sensitive information, information elements from at least two different databases must be provided, none of the information elements being sufficient to gain access to the sensitive information. In an example embodiment, a payment company encrypts the sensitive information, then partitions the encrypted information into at least two parts. These at least two parts are stored in at least two databases, each database being controlled by a different entity. To gain access to the sensitive information, each of the different entities must provide their part of the encrypted information. Absent any one of the parts of the encrypted information, it is virtually impossible to access the sensitive information. | 1. A transaction system comprising:
a first party that, during a first time interval:
receives sensitive information from a second party,
encrypts the sensitive information to form an encryption of the sensitive information,
partitions the encryption into at least a first piece and a second piece,
stores the first piece in a first database, and
sends the second piece to the second party for storage in a second database; and
during a second time interval:
receives the second piece from the second party,
retrieves the first piece from the first database,
combines the first piece and the second piece to re-create the encryption, and
decrypts the encryption to re-create the sensitive information. 2. The transaction system of claim 1, including the second party that receives the second piece and stores at least a part of the second piece in the second database. 3. The transaction system of claim 2, including a third party that provides the sensitive information to the second party during the first time interval. 4. The transaction system of claim 3, wherein the third party receives an other piece of the encryption from the second party during the first time interval and provides the other piece to the second party during the second time interval. 5. The transaction system of claim 3, wherein the second party does not retain the sensitive information. 6. The transaction system of claim 1, wherein the first party:
generates a token associated with the sensitive information, and sends the token to the second party during the first time interval, and receives the token from the second party during the second time interval and uses the token to retrieve the first piece from the first database. 7. The transaction system of claim 6, wherein the second party stores the token with the second piece in the second database. 8. The transaction system of claim 1, wherein the first party is a payment company, the second party is a merchant, and the sensitive information includes an account number associated with a customer. 9. The transaction system of claim 8, wherein the transaction system conforms to the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS). 10. A non-transitory computer readable medium that includes a program that, when executed by a processor, causes the processor to:
during a first time interval:
receive sensitive information from a second party,
encrypt the sensitive information to form an encryption of the sensitive information,
partition the encryption into at least a first piece and a second piece,
store the first piece in a first database, and
send the second piece to the second party for storage in a second database; and
during a second time interval:
receive the second piece from the second party,
retrieve the first piece from the first database,
combine the first piece and the second piece to re-create the encryption, and
decrypt the encryption to re-create the sensitive information. 11. The medium of claim 10, in which the program prevents the processor from storing the sensitive information at the first database. 12. The medium of claim 10, in which the program causes the processor to:
generate a token associated with the sensitive information, and send the token to the second party during the first time interval, and receive the token from the second party during the second time interval and uses the token to retrieve the first piece from the first database. 13. The medium of claim 10, wherein the sensitive information includes an account number associated with a customer. 14. A non-transitory computer readable medium that includes a program that, when executed by a processor, causes the processor to,
during a first time interval:
receive sensitive information from a first party,
send the sensitive information to a second party,
receive a first piece of an encryption of the sensitive information from the second party, the first piece being smaller than an entirety of the encryption of the sensitive information, and
stores the first piece in a database; and
during a second time interval:
receive an identification of the first party,
retrieve the first piece from the database based on the identification of the first party, and
send the first piece to the second party to enable the second party to decrypt the sensitive information. 15. The medium of claim 14, wherein the program causes the processor to:
send an other piece of the encryption of the sensitive information to the first party during the first time interval, receive the other piece of the encryption from the first party during the second time interval, and include the other piece in the first piece that is sent to the second party. 16. The medium of claim 14, wherein the program prevents the processor from storing the sensitive information. 17. The medium of claim 14, wherein the program causes the processor to:
receive a token associated with the sensitive information from the second party, store the token in a database during the first time interval, retrieve the token from the database during the second time interval, and send the token to the second party. 18. A method comprising:
during a first time interval:
receiving sensitive information from a second party,
encrypting the sensitive information to form an encryption of the sensitive information,
partitioning the encryption into at least a first piece and a second piece,
storing the first piece in a first database, and
sending the second piece to the second party for storage in a second database; and
during a second time interval:
receiving the second piece from the second party,
retrieving the first piece from the first database,
combining the first piece and the second piece to re-create the encryption, and
decrypting the encryption to re-create the sensitive information. 19. The method of claim 18, including:
generating a token associated with the sensitive information, sending the token to the second party during the first time interval, receiving the token from the second party during the second time interval, and retrieving the first piece from the first database based on the token. 20. A method comprising,
during a first time interval:
receiving sensitive information from a first party,
sending the sensitive information to a second party,
receiving a first piece of an encryption of the sensitive information from the second party, the first piece being smaller than an entirety of the encryption of the sensitive information, and
storing the first piece in a database; and
during a second time interval:
receiving an identification of the first party,
retrieving the first piece from the database based on the identification of the first party, and
sending the first piece to the second party to enable the second party to decrypt the sensitive information. 21. The method of claim 20, including:
sending an other piece of the encryption of the sensitive information to the first party during the first time interval, receiving the other piece of the encryption from the first party during the second time interval, and including the other piece in the first piece that is sent to the second party. 22. The method of claim 20, including:
receiving a token associated with the sensitive information from the second party, storing the token in a database during the first time interval, retrieving the token from the database during the second time interval, and sending the token to the second party. | A transaction system avoids the storage of any single information item that can be used to provide access to sensitive information. To gain access to the sensitive information, information elements from at least two different databases must be provided, none of the information elements being sufficient to gain access to the sensitive information. In an example embodiment, a payment company encrypts the sensitive information, then partitions the encrypted information into at least two parts. These at least two parts are stored in at least two databases, each database being controlled by a different entity. To gain access to the sensitive information, each of the different entities must provide their part of the encrypted information. Absent any one of the parts of the encrypted information, it is virtually impossible to access the sensitive information.1. A transaction system comprising:
a first party that, during a first time interval:
receives sensitive information from a second party,
encrypts the sensitive information to form an encryption of the sensitive information,
partitions the encryption into at least a first piece and a second piece,
stores the first piece in a first database, and
sends the second piece to the second party for storage in a second database; and
during a second time interval:
receives the second piece from the second party,
retrieves the first piece from the first database,
combines the first piece and the second piece to re-create the encryption, and
decrypts the encryption to re-create the sensitive information. 2. The transaction system of claim 1, including the second party that receives the second piece and stores at least a part of the second piece in the second database. 3. The transaction system of claim 2, including a third party that provides the sensitive information to the second party during the first time interval. 4. The transaction system of claim 3, wherein the third party receives an other piece of the encryption from the second party during the first time interval and provides the other piece to the second party during the second time interval. 5. The transaction system of claim 3, wherein the second party does not retain the sensitive information. 6. The transaction system of claim 1, wherein the first party:
generates a token associated with the sensitive information, and sends the token to the second party during the first time interval, and receives the token from the second party during the second time interval and uses the token to retrieve the first piece from the first database. 7. The transaction system of claim 6, wherein the second party stores the token with the second piece in the second database. 8. The transaction system of claim 1, wherein the first party is a payment company, the second party is a merchant, and the sensitive information includes an account number associated with a customer. 9. The transaction system of claim 8, wherein the transaction system conforms to the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS). 10. A non-transitory computer readable medium that includes a program that, when executed by a processor, causes the processor to:
during a first time interval:
receive sensitive information from a second party,
encrypt the sensitive information to form an encryption of the sensitive information,
partition the encryption into at least a first piece and a second piece,
store the first piece in a first database, and
send the second piece to the second party for storage in a second database; and
during a second time interval:
receive the second piece from the second party,
retrieve the first piece from the first database,
combine the first piece and the second piece to re-create the encryption, and
decrypt the encryption to re-create the sensitive information. 11. The medium of claim 10, in which the program prevents the processor from storing the sensitive information at the first database. 12. The medium of claim 10, in which the program causes the processor to:
generate a token associated with the sensitive information, and send the token to the second party during the first time interval, and receive the token from the second party during the second time interval and uses the token to retrieve the first piece from the first database. 13. The medium of claim 10, wherein the sensitive information includes an account number associated with a customer. 14. A non-transitory computer readable medium that includes a program that, when executed by a processor, causes the processor to,
during a first time interval:
receive sensitive information from a first party,
send the sensitive information to a second party,
receive a first piece of an encryption of the sensitive information from the second party, the first piece being smaller than an entirety of the encryption of the sensitive information, and
stores the first piece in a database; and
during a second time interval:
receive an identification of the first party,
retrieve the first piece from the database based on the identification of the first party, and
send the first piece to the second party to enable the second party to decrypt the sensitive information. 15. The medium of claim 14, wherein the program causes the processor to:
send an other piece of the encryption of the sensitive information to the first party during the first time interval, receive the other piece of the encryption from the first party during the second time interval, and include the other piece in the first piece that is sent to the second party. 16. The medium of claim 14, wherein the program prevents the processor from storing the sensitive information. 17. The medium of claim 14, wherein the program causes the processor to:
receive a token associated with the sensitive information from the second party, store the token in a database during the first time interval, retrieve the token from the database during the second time interval, and send the token to the second party. 18. A method comprising:
during a first time interval:
receiving sensitive information from a second party,
encrypting the sensitive information to form an encryption of the sensitive information,
partitioning the encryption into at least a first piece and a second piece,
storing the first piece in a first database, and
sending the second piece to the second party for storage in a second database; and
during a second time interval:
receiving the second piece from the second party,
retrieving the first piece from the first database,
combining the first piece and the second piece to re-create the encryption, and
decrypting the encryption to re-create the sensitive information. 19. The method of claim 18, including:
generating a token associated with the sensitive information, sending the token to the second party during the first time interval, receiving the token from the second party during the second time interval, and retrieving the first piece from the first database based on the token. 20. A method comprising,
during a first time interval:
receiving sensitive information from a first party,
sending the sensitive information to a second party,
receiving a first piece of an encryption of the sensitive information from the second party, the first piece being smaller than an entirety of the encryption of the sensitive information, and
storing the first piece in a database; and
during a second time interval:
receiving an identification of the first party,
retrieving the first piece from the database based on the identification of the first party, and
sending the first piece to the second party to enable the second party to decrypt the sensitive information. 21. The method of claim 20, including:
sending an other piece of the encryption of the sensitive information to the first party during the first time interval, receiving the other piece of the encryption from the first party during the second time interval, and including the other piece in the first piece that is sent to the second party. 22. The method of claim 20, including:
receiving a token associated with the sensitive information from the second party, storing the token in a database during the first time interval, retrieving the token from the database during the second time interval, and sending the token to the second party. | 3,600 |
12,887 | 12,887 | 15,332,490 | 3,687 | Systems and methods for storing in a first database a user personal profile, storing in a second database per-restaurant profiles for a plurality of restaurants, enabling the user to connect to a cognitive computer, enabling the user to interact with the cognitive computer for generating a personalized recipe based on user culinary selections and the user profile in the first database, the personalized recipe including a first list of ingredients, determining by the cognitive computer whether there are one or more first type candidate restaurants for preparing the personalized recipe based on the per-restaurant profiles in the second database, the first type candidate restaurant being determined to be able to prepare the personalized recipe with the first list of ingredients, receiving a selection of a selected restaurant from the first type candidate restaurant and contracting out the preparation of the personalized recipe to the selected restaurant. | 1. A computer implemented method for automatically modifying a personalized recipe based on restaurant profiles stored in a database comprising the steps of:
storing in a first database a user personal profile, the user personal profile comprising one or more of user dietary requirements, user culinary preferences, user medical conditions and user location information; storing in a second database per-restaurant profiles for a plurality of restaurants, each per-restaurant profile comprising one or more of types of cuisines, recipe ingredients, location information and reputation wherein a cognitive computer has access to the first database and the second database; generating by the cognitive computer a first personalized recipe based on user culinary selections and the user profile in the first database, the first personalized recipe comprising a first list of ingredients; determining by the cognitive computer whether there are one or more first type candidate restaurants that are able to prepare the first personalized recipe based on the per-restaurant profiles in the second database, the first type candidate restaurant being determined to be able to prepare the first personalized recipe based on the first list of ingredients; determining by the cognitive computer that no first type candidate restaurants are able to prepare the personalized recipe; automatically modifying the personalized recipe, based on the determination by the cognitive computer that there is no first type candidate restaurant able to prepare the personalized recipe, to create a first modified personalized recipe having at least one ingredient different from the ingredients in the first list of ingredients, the cognitive computer providing the first modified personalized recipe that meets the user profile and have similar taste to the first personalized recipe, prior to the step of receiving a selection; providing by the cognitive computer a historical price range of recipes that have been accepted by the user for the first modified personalized recipe and for at least one second modified personalized recipe, the at least one second modified personalized recipe having at least one ingredient different from the ingredients in the first list of ingredients; determining by the cognitive computer a similarity between the first modified personalized recipe and the at least one second modified personalized recipe; automatically selecting by the cognitive computer one or more of the first modified personalized recipe and the at least one second modified personalized recipe that are within a range of similarity to the personalized recipe; determining by the cognitive computer whether there are one or more second type candidate restaurants that are able to prepare the selected one or more of the first modified personalized recipe and the at least one second modified personalized recipe based on the per-restaurant profiles in the second database; automatically selecting one of the second type candidate restaurants based on the similarity; and contracting out the preparation of the personalized recipe to the selected restaurant. 2. The computer implemented method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of
presenting the first candidate restaurant type to the user for selection prior to receiving the selection, and wherein the selection of a selected restaurant is received from the user. 3. (canceled) 4. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the cognitive computer provides a historical price range of the personalized recipe to the first type of candidate restaurants. 5. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the cognitive computer provides a historical price range of the personalized recipe and/or a similar personalized recipe to the first type of candidate restaurants. 6. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the cognitive computer provides an average price for one or more previously selected personalized recipes within a recipe similarity threshold. 7. The computer implemented method of claim 1, further comprising a step of contacting a third party delivery service provider for delivery from the selected restaurant to the user. 8. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein software is provided as a service in a cloud environment. 9. A system for automatically modifying a personalized recipe based on restaurant profiles stored in a database, comprising:
one or more storage devices; one or more hardware processors coupled to the one or more storage devices; one or more hardware processors operable to store in a first database a user personal profile, the user personal profile comprising one or more of user dietary requirements, user culinary preferences, user medical conditions and user location information; one or more hardware processors operable to store in a second database per-restaurant profiles for a plurality of restaurants, each per-restaurant profile comprising one or more of types of cuisines, recipe ingredients, location information and reputation wherein a cognitive computer has access to the first database and the second database; one or more hardware processors operable to generate by the cognitive computer a first personalized recipe based on user culinary selections and the user profile in the first database, the first personalized recipe comprising a first list of ingredients; one or more hardware processors operable to determine by the cognitive computer whether there are one or more first type candidate restaurants that are able to prepare the first personalized recipe based on the per-restaurant profiles in the second database, the first type candidate restaurant being determined to be able to prepare the first personalized recipe based on the first list of ingredients; one or more hardware processors operable to determine by the cognitive computer that no first type candidate restaurants are able to prepare the personalized recipe; one or more hardware processors configured to automatically modify the personalized recipe, based on the determination by the cognitive computer that there is no first type candidate restaurant able to prepare the personalized recipe, to create a first modified personalized recipe having at least one ingredient different from the ingredients in the first list of ingredients, the cognitive computer providing the first modified personalized recipe that meets the user profile and have similar taste to the first personalized recipe, prior to the step of receiving a selection; one or more hardware processors configured to provide by the cognitive computer a historical price range of recipes that have been accepted by the user for the first modified personalized recipe and for at least one second modified personalized recipe, the at least one second modified personalized recipe having at least one ingredient different from the ingredients in the first list of ingredients; one or more hardware processors configured to determine by the cognitive computer a similarity between the first modified personalized recipe and the at least one second modified personalized recipe; one or more hardware processors configured to automatically select by the cognitive computer one or more of the first modified personalized recipe and the at least one second modified personalized recipe that are within a range of similarity to the personalized recipe; one or more hardware processors configured to determine by the cognitive computer whether there are one or more second type candidate restaurants that are able to prepare the selected one or more of the first modified personalized recipe and the at least one second modified personalized recipe based on the per-restaurant profiles in the second database; one or more hardware processors operable to automatically select one of the second type candidate restaurants based on the similarity; and one or more hardware processors operable to contract out the preparation of the personalized recipe to the selected restaurant. 10. The system of claim 9, wherein the system further comprises one or more hardware processors operable to present the first candidate restaurant type to the user for selection prior to receiving the selection, and wherein the selection of a selected restaurant is received from the user. 11. (canceled) 12. The system of claim 9, wherein the cognitive computer provides a historical price range of the personalized recipe to the first type of candidate restaurants. 13. The system of claim 9, wherein the cognitive computer provides a historical price range of the personalized recipe and/or a similar personalized recipe to the first type of candidate restaurants. 14. The system of claim 9, wherein the cognitive computer provides an average price for one or more previously selected personalized recipes within a recipe similarity threshold. 15. The system of claim 9, wherein the system further comprises one or more hardware processors configured to contact a third party delivery service provider for delivery from the selected restaurant to the user. 16. A computer readable storage medium storing a program of instructions executable by a machine to perform a method for automatically modifying a personalized recipe based on restaurant profiles stored in a database, the method comprising:
storing in a first database a user personal profile, the user personal profile comprising one or more of user dietary requirements, user culinary preferences, user medical conditions and user location information; storing in a second database per-restaurant profiles for a plurality of restaurants, each per-restaurant profile comprising one or more of types of cuisines, recipe ingredients, location information and reputation wherein a cognitive computer has access to the first database and the second database; generating by the cognitive computer a first personalized recipe based on user culinary selections and the user profile in the first database, the first personalized recipe comprising a first list of ingredients; determining by the cognitive computer whether there are one or more first type candidate restaurants that are able to prepare the first personalized recipe based on the per-restaurant profiles in the second database, the first type candidate restaurant being determined to be able to prepare the first personalized recipe based on the first list of ingredients; determining by the cognitive computer that no first type candidate restaurants are able to prepare the personalized recipe; automatically modifying the personalized recipe, based on the determination by the cognitive computer that there is no first type candidate restaurant able to prepare the personalized recipe, to create a first modified personalized recipe having at least one ingredient different from the ingredients in the first list of ingredients, the cognitive computer providing the first modified personalized recipe that meets the user profile and have similar taste to the first personalized recipe, prior to the step of receiving a selection; providing by the cognitive computer a historical price range of recipes that have been accepted by the user for the first modified personalized recipe and for at least one second modified personalized recipe, the at least one second modified personalized recipe having at least one ingredient different from the ingredients in the first list of ingredients; determining by the cognitive computer a similarity between the first modified personalized recipe and the at least one second modified personalized recipe; automatically selecting by the cognitive computer one or more of the first modified personalized recipe and the at least one second modified personalized recipe that are within a range of similarity to the personalized recipe; determining by the cognitive computer whether there are one or more second type candidate restaurants that are able to prepare the selected one or more of the first modified personalized recipe and the at least one second modified personalized recipe based on the per-restaurant profiles in the second database; automatically selecting one of the second type candidate restaurants based on the similarity; and contracting out the preparation of the personalized recipe to the selected restaurant. 17. The computer readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the method further comprises the steps of:
presenting the first candidate restaurant type to the user for selection prior to receiving the selection, and wherein the selection of a selected restaurant is received from the user. 18. (canceled) 19. The computer readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the cognitive computer provides a historical price range of the personalized recipe to the first type of candidate restaurants. 20. The computer readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the cognitive computer provides a historical price range of the personalized recipe and/or a similar personalized recipe to the first type of candidate restaurants. 21. The computer implemented method of claim 1, further comprising a step of notifying the one or more unselected restaurants of one or more notifications selected from the group consisting of a notification that the one or more unselected restaurants has not been selected to prepare the modified personalized recipe, a notification of a price of the personalized recipe of the selected restaurant and a notification of a name of the selected restaurant. 22. The system of claim 9, wherein the system further comprises one or more hardware processors operable to notify the one or more unselected restaurants of one or more notifications selected from the group consisting of a notification that the one or more unselected restaurants has not been selected to prepare the modified personalized recipe, a notification of a price of the personalized recipe of the selected restaurant and a notification of a name of the selected restaurant. 23. The computer readable storage medium of claim 16, notifying the one or more unselected restaurants of one or more notifications selected from the group consisting of a notification that the one or more unselected restaurants has not been selected to prepare the modified personalized recipe, a notification of a price of the personalized recipe of the selected restaurant and a notification of a name of the selected restaurant. | Systems and methods for storing in a first database a user personal profile, storing in a second database per-restaurant profiles for a plurality of restaurants, enabling the user to connect to a cognitive computer, enabling the user to interact with the cognitive computer for generating a personalized recipe based on user culinary selections and the user profile in the first database, the personalized recipe including a first list of ingredients, determining by the cognitive computer whether there are one or more first type candidate restaurants for preparing the personalized recipe based on the per-restaurant profiles in the second database, the first type candidate restaurant being determined to be able to prepare the personalized recipe with the first list of ingredients, receiving a selection of a selected restaurant from the first type candidate restaurant and contracting out the preparation of the personalized recipe to the selected restaurant.1. A computer implemented method for automatically modifying a personalized recipe based on restaurant profiles stored in a database comprising the steps of:
storing in a first database a user personal profile, the user personal profile comprising one or more of user dietary requirements, user culinary preferences, user medical conditions and user location information; storing in a second database per-restaurant profiles for a plurality of restaurants, each per-restaurant profile comprising one or more of types of cuisines, recipe ingredients, location information and reputation wherein a cognitive computer has access to the first database and the second database; generating by the cognitive computer a first personalized recipe based on user culinary selections and the user profile in the first database, the first personalized recipe comprising a first list of ingredients; determining by the cognitive computer whether there are one or more first type candidate restaurants that are able to prepare the first personalized recipe based on the per-restaurant profiles in the second database, the first type candidate restaurant being determined to be able to prepare the first personalized recipe based on the first list of ingredients; determining by the cognitive computer that no first type candidate restaurants are able to prepare the personalized recipe; automatically modifying the personalized recipe, based on the determination by the cognitive computer that there is no first type candidate restaurant able to prepare the personalized recipe, to create a first modified personalized recipe having at least one ingredient different from the ingredients in the first list of ingredients, the cognitive computer providing the first modified personalized recipe that meets the user profile and have similar taste to the first personalized recipe, prior to the step of receiving a selection; providing by the cognitive computer a historical price range of recipes that have been accepted by the user for the first modified personalized recipe and for at least one second modified personalized recipe, the at least one second modified personalized recipe having at least one ingredient different from the ingredients in the first list of ingredients; determining by the cognitive computer a similarity between the first modified personalized recipe and the at least one second modified personalized recipe; automatically selecting by the cognitive computer one or more of the first modified personalized recipe and the at least one second modified personalized recipe that are within a range of similarity to the personalized recipe; determining by the cognitive computer whether there are one or more second type candidate restaurants that are able to prepare the selected one or more of the first modified personalized recipe and the at least one second modified personalized recipe based on the per-restaurant profiles in the second database; automatically selecting one of the second type candidate restaurants based on the similarity; and contracting out the preparation of the personalized recipe to the selected restaurant. 2. The computer implemented method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of
presenting the first candidate restaurant type to the user for selection prior to receiving the selection, and wherein the selection of a selected restaurant is received from the user. 3. (canceled) 4. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the cognitive computer provides a historical price range of the personalized recipe to the first type of candidate restaurants. 5. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the cognitive computer provides a historical price range of the personalized recipe and/or a similar personalized recipe to the first type of candidate restaurants. 6. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the cognitive computer provides an average price for one or more previously selected personalized recipes within a recipe similarity threshold. 7. The computer implemented method of claim 1, further comprising a step of contacting a third party delivery service provider for delivery from the selected restaurant to the user. 8. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein software is provided as a service in a cloud environment. 9. A system for automatically modifying a personalized recipe based on restaurant profiles stored in a database, comprising:
one or more storage devices; one or more hardware processors coupled to the one or more storage devices; one or more hardware processors operable to store in a first database a user personal profile, the user personal profile comprising one or more of user dietary requirements, user culinary preferences, user medical conditions and user location information; one or more hardware processors operable to store in a second database per-restaurant profiles for a plurality of restaurants, each per-restaurant profile comprising one or more of types of cuisines, recipe ingredients, location information and reputation wherein a cognitive computer has access to the first database and the second database; one or more hardware processors operable to generate by the cognitive computer a first personalized recipe based on user culinary selections and the user profile in the first database, the first personalized recipe comprising a first list of ingredients; one or more hardware processors operable to determine by the cognitive computer whether there are one or more first type candidate restaurants that are able to prepare the first personalized recipe based on the per-restaurant profiles in the second database, the first type candidate restaurant being determined to be able to prepare the first personalized recipe based on the first list of ingredients; one or more hardware processors operable to determine by the cognitive computer that no first type candidate restaurants are able to prepare the personalized recipe; one or more hardware processors configured to automatically modify the personalized recipe, based on the determination by the cognitive computer that there is no first type candidate restaurant able to prepare the personalized recipe, to create a first modified personalized recipe having at least one ingredient different from the ingredients in the first list of ingredients, the cognitive computer providing the first modified personalized recipe that meets the user profile and have similar taste to the first personalized recipe, prior to the step of receiving a selection; one or more hardware processors configured to provide by the cognitive computer a historical price range of recipes that have been accepted by the user for the first modified personalized recipe and for at least one second modified personalized recipe, the at least one second modified personalized recipe having at least one ingredient different from the ingredients in the first list of ingredients; one or more hardware processors configured to determine by the cognitive computer a similarity between the first modified personalized recipe and the at least one second modified personalized recipe; one or more hardware processors configured to automatically select by the cognitive computer one or more of the first modified personalized recipe and the at least one second modified personalized recipe that are within a range of similarity to the personalized recipe; one or more hardware processors configured to determine by the cognitive computer whether there are one or more second type candidate restaurants that are able to prepare the selected one or more of the first modified personalized recipe and the at least one second modified personalized recipe based on the per-restaurant profiles in the second database; one or more hardware processors operable to automatically select one of the second type candidate restaurants based on the similarity; and one or more hardware processors operable to contract out the preparation of the personalized recipe to the selected restaurant. 10. The system of claim 9, wherein the system further comprises one or more hardware processors operable to present the first candidate restaurant type to the user for selection prior to receiving the selection, and wherein the selection of a selected restaurant is received from the user. 11. (canceled) 12. The system of claim 9, wherein the cognitive computer provides a historical price range of the personalized recipe to the first type of candidate restaurants. 13. The system of claim 9, wherein the cognitive computer provides a historical price range of the personalized recipe and/or a similar personalized recipe to the first type of candidate restaurants. 14. The system of claim 9, wherein the cognitive computer provides an average price for one or more previously selected personalized recipes within a recipe similarity threshold. 15. The system of claim 9, wherein the system further comprises one or more hardware processors configured to contact a third party delivery service provider for delivery from the selected restaurant to the user. 16. A computer readable storage medium storing a program of instructions executable by a machine to perform a method for automatically modifying a personalized recipe based on restaurant profiles stored in a database, the method comprising:
storing in a first database a user personal profile, the user personal profile comprising one or more of user dietary requirements, user culinary preferences, user medical conditions and user location information; storing in a second database per-restaurant profiles for a plurality of restaurants, each per-restaurant profile comprising one or more of types of cuisines, recipe ingredients, location information and reputation wherein a cognitive computer has access to the first database and the second database; generating by the cognitive computer a first personalized recipe based on user culinary selections and the user profile in the first database, the first personalized recipe comprising a first list of ingredients; determining by the cognitive computer whether there are one or more first type candidate restaurants that are able to prepare the first personalized recipe based on the per-restaurant profiles in the second database, the first type candidate restaurant being determined to be able to prepare the first personalized recipe based on the first list of ingredients; determining by the cognitive computer that no first type candidate restaurants are able to prepare the personalized recipe; automatically modifying the personalized recipe, based on the determination by the cognitive computer that there is no first type candidate restaurant able to prepare the personalized recipe, to create a first modified personalized recipe having at least one ingredient different from the ingredients in the first list of ingredients, the cognitive computer providing the first modified personalized recipe that meets the user profile and have similar taste to the first personalized recipe, prior to the step of receiving a selection; providing by the cognitive computer a historical price range of recipes that have been accepted by the user for the first modified personalized recipe and for at least one second modified personalized recipe, the at least one second modified personalized recipe having at least one ingredient different from the ingredients in the first list of ingredients; determining by the cognitive computer a similarity between the first modified personalized recipe and the at least one second modified personalized recipe; automatically selecting by the cognitive computer one or more of the first modified personalized recipe and the at least one second modified personalized recipe that are within a range of similarity to the personalized recipe; determining by the cognitive computer whether there are one or more second type candidate restaurants that are able to prepare the selected one or more of the first modified personalized recipe and the at least one second modified personalized recipe based on the per-restaurant profiles in the second database; automatically selecting one of the second type candidate restaurants based on the similarity; and contracting out the preparation of the personalized recipe to the selected restaurant. 17. The computer readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the method further comprises the steps of:
presenting the first candidate restaurant type to the user for selection prior to receiving the selection, and wherein the selection of a selected restaurant is received from the user. 18. (canceled) 19. The computer readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the cognitive computer provides a historical price range of the personalized recipe to the first type of candidate restaurants. 20. The computer readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the cognitive computer provides a historical price range of the personalized recipe and/or a similar personalized recipe to the first type of candidate restaurants. 21. The computer implemented method of claim 1, further comprising a step of notifying the one or more unselected restaurants of one or more notifications selected from the group consisting of a notification that the one or more unselected restaurants has not been selected to prepare the modified personalized recipe, a notification of a price of the personalized recipe of the selected restaurant and a notification of a name of the selected restaurant. 22. The system of claim 9, wherein the system further comprises one or more hardware processors operable to notify the one or more unselected restaurants of one or more notifications selected from the group consisting of a notification that the one or more unselected restaurants has not been selected to prepare the modified personalized recipe, a notification of a price of the personalized recipe of the selected restaurant and a notification of a name of the selected restaurant. 23. The computer readable storage medium of claim 16, notifying the one or more unselected restaurants of one or more notifications selected from the group consisting of a notification that the one or more unselected restaurants has not been selected to prepare the modified personalized recipe, a notification of a price of the personalized recipe of the selected restaurant and a notification of a name of the selected restaurant. | 3,600 |
12,888 | 12,888 | 15,874,423 | 3,633 | A reinforcing plate and method for use in sistering to a wood member to create a composite floor joist or stud. The reinforcing plate is mounted to the wood member and includes preformed first openings and preformed second openings. The preformed first openings are provided proximate to edges of the reinforcing plate and are dimensioned to allow for attachment members to be inserted therethrough to attach the reinforcing plate to the wood member. The preformed second openings are larger than the first opening and are dimensioned to allow for building materials to extend therethrough. The reinforcing plate resists bending stresses and increase the shearing resistance of the wood member. | 1. A reinforcing plate for use in sistering to a wood stud to create a composite floor joist, the reinforcing plate comprising:
preformed first openings provided proximate to edges of the reinforcing plate, the first openings configured to allow for attachment members to be inserted therethrough to attach the reinforcing plate to the wood stud; preformed second openings, the second openings are larger than the first opening and are dimensioned to allow for building materials to extend therethrough; wherein the reinforcing plate resists bending stresses and increase the shearing resistance of the wood stud. 2. The reinforcing plate as recited in claim 1, wherein the reinforcing plate is a metal plate. 3. The reinforcing plate as recited in claim 1, wherein the first openings extend proximate to a first edge of the reinforcing plate and a second edge of the reinforcing plate. 4. The reinforcing plate as recited in claim 1, wherein the first openings are positioned at predetermined intervals along the length of the reinforcing plate. 5. The reinforcing plate as recited in claim 1, wherein the second openings are spaced equidistant along a longitudinal axis of the reinforcing plate. 6. The plate as recited in claim 1, wherein the second openings are spaced from the first and second edges of the reinforcing plate by at least 2 inches. 7. A joist or stud used to support a structure, the joist or stud comprising:
a wood member having a first surface and an oppositely facing second surface, end surfaces extend between the first surface and the second surface, edge surfaces extend between the first surface, the second surface, and the end surfaces; a rigid reinforcing plate mounted to the first surface of the wood member, the reinforcing plate comprising:
longitudinal edges positioned proximate to or adjacent to the edge surfaces of the wood member;
preformed first openings spaced from the longitudinal edges, the first openings allow for building materials to extend therethrough;
wherein the longitudinal edges of the rigid reinforcing plate do not cooperate or interfere with the edge surfaces of the wood member; wherein the reinforcing plate is mounted to the first surface of the wood member to resist bending stresses applied to the joist or stud and to increase the shearing resistance of the joist or stud. 8. The joist or stud as recited in claim 7, wherein a second reinforcing plate is mounted on the second surface. 9. The joist or stud as recited in claim 7, wherein a longitudinal upper edge of the longitudinal edges of the reinforcing plate is positioned in the same plane as an upper longitudinal edge surface of the edge surface of the wood member and a longitudinal lower edge of the longitudinal edges of the reinforcing plate is positioned in the same plane as a lower longitudinal edge of the edge surface of the wood member. 10. The joist or stud as recited in claim 7, wherein the reinforcing plate is fixedly secured to the wood member to form a composite floor joist or stud. 11. The joist or stud as recited in claim 10, wherein the reinforcing plate is fixedly secured to the wood member by screws. 12. The joist or stud as recited in claim 11, wherein the reinforcing plate is additionally fixedly secured to the wood member by adhesive. 13. The joist or stud as recited in claim 7, wherein the reinforcing plate is a metal plate. 14. The joist or stud as recited in claim 7, wherein preformed second openings are provided proximate to the longitudinal edges of the reinforcing plate, the second openings are to allow attachment members to be inserted therethrough to attach the reinforcing plate to the wood member. 15. The joist or stud as recited in claim 14, wherein the second openings are smaller than the first openings, the second openings are positioned at predetermined intervals along the length of the reinforcing plate. 16. The joist or stud as recited in claim 7, wherein the first openings are spaced along a longitudinal axis of the reinforcing plate to allow sufficient material to be provided across the length and width of the reinforcing plate wherein the integrity and performance of the reinforcing plate is maintained to allow the reinforcing plate to resist the bending stresses applied to the joist or stud without failure of the reinforcing plate or the joist or stud. 17. A method of sistering a joist or stud, the method comprising:
mounting a first rigid reinforcing plate to a first surface of a wood member; inserting conduit through preformed first openings provided in the first rigid reinforcing plate, the first openings being spaced from longitudinal edges of the first rigid reinforcing plate, the longitudinal edges of the first rigid reinforcing plate do not cooperate or interfere with edge surfaces of the wood member; wherein the first rigid reinforcing plate is mounted to the wood member to resist bending stresses applied to the floor joist or stud and to increase shearing resistance of the joist or stud. 18. The method of sistering the joist or stud as recited in claim 17, comprising:
adhering the first rigid reinforcing plate to the wood member with an adhesive to form a composite floor joist. 19. The method of sistering the joist or stud as recited in claim 17, comprising:
inserting mounting members through preformed second openings provided proximate the longitudinal edges of the first rigid reinforcing plate. 20. The method of sistering the joist or stud as recited in claim 17, comprising:
mounting a second rigid reinforcing plate to a second surface of a wood member; inserting conduit through preformed first openings provided in the second rigid reinforcing plate, the first openings being spaced from longitudinal edges of the second rigid reinforcing plate, the longitudinal edges of the second rigid reinforcing plate do not cooperate or interfere with the edge surfaces of the wood member; wherein the second rigid reinforcing plate is mounted to the wood member to resist bending stresses applied to the floor joist or stud and to increase shearing resistance of the joist or stud. 21. The method of sistering the joist or stud as recited in claim 20, comprising:
adhering the second rigid reinforcing plate to the wood member with an adhesive. 22. The method of sistering the joist or stud as recited in claim 20, comprising:
inserting mounting members through preformed second openings provided proximate the longitudinal edges of the second rigid reinforcing plate. | A reinforcing plate and method for use in sistering to a wood member to create a composite floor joist or stud. The reinforcing plate is mounted to the wood member and includes preformed first openings and preformed second openings. The preformed first openings are provided proximate to edges of the reinforcing plate and are dimensioned to allow for attachment members to be inserted therethrough to attach the reinforcing plate to the wood member. The preformed second openings are larger than the first opening and are dimensioned to allow for building materials to extend therethrough. The reinforcing plate resists bending stresses and increase the shearing resistance of the wood member.1. A reinforcing plate for use in sistering to a wood stud to create a composite floor joist, the reinforcing plate comprising:
preformed first openings provided proximate to edges of the reinforcing plate, the first openings configured to allow for attachment members to be inserted therethrough to attach the reinforcing plate to the wood stud; preformed second openings, the second openings are larger than the first opening and are dimensioned to allow for building materials to extend therethrough; wherein the reinforcing plate resists bending stresses and increase the shearing resistance of the wood stud. 2. The reinforcing plate as recited in claim 1, wherein the reinforcing plate is a metal plate. 3. The reinforcing plate as recited in claim 1, wherein the first openings extend proximate to a first edge of the reinforcing plate and a second edge of the reinforcing plate. 4. The reinforcing plate as recited in claim 1, wherein the first openings are positioned at predetermined intervals along the length of the reinforcing plate. 5. The reinforcing plate as recited in claim 1, wherein the second openings are spaced equidistant along a longitudinal axis of the reinforcing plate. 6. The plate as recited in claim 1, wherein the second openings are spaced from the first and second edges of the reinforcing plate by at least 2 inches. 7. A joist or stud used to support a structure, the joist or stud comprising:
a wood member having a first surface and an oppositely facing second surface, end surfaces extend between the first surface and the second surface, edge surfaces extend between the first surface, the second surface, and the end surfaces; a rigid reinforcing plate mounted to the first surface of the wood member, the reinforcing plate comprising:
longitudinal edges positioned proximate to or adjacent to the edge surfaces of the wood member;
preformed first openings spaced from the longitudinal edges, the first openings allow for building materials to extend therethrough;
wherein the longitudinal edges of the rigid reinforcing plate do not cooperate or interfere with the edge surfaces of the wood member; wherein the reinforcing plate is mounted to the first surface of the wood member to resist bending stresses applied to the joist or stud and to increase the shearing resistance of the joist or stud. 8. The joist or stud as recited in claim 7, wherein a second reinforcing plate is mounted on the second surface. 9. The joist or stud as recited in claim 7, wherein a longitudinal upper edge of the longitudinal edges of the reinforcing plate is positioned in the same plane as an upper longitudinal edge surface of the edge surface of the wood member and a longitudinal lower edge of the longitudinal edges of the reinforcing plate is positioned in the same plane as a lower longitudinal edge of the edge surface of the wood member. 10. The joist or stud as recited in claim 7, wherein the reinforcing plate is fixedly secured to the wood member to form a composite floor joist or stud. 11. The joist or stud as recited in claim 10, wherein the reinforcing plate is fixedly secured to the wood member by screws. 12. The joist or stud as recited in claim 11, wherein the reinforcing plate is additionally fixedly secured to the wood member by adhesive. 13. The joist or stud as recited in claim 7, wherein the reinforcing plate is a metal plate. 14. The joist or stud as recited in claim 7, wherein preformed second openings are provided proximate to the longitudinal edges of the reinforcing plate, the second openings are to allow attachment members to be inserted therethrough to attach the reinforcing plate to the wood member. 15. The joist or stud as recited in claim 14, wherein the second openings are smaller than the first openings, the second openings are positioned at predetermined intervals along the length of the reinforcing plate. 16. The joist or stud as recited in claim 7, wherein the first openings are spaced along a longitudinal axis of the reinforcing plate to allow sufficient material to be provided across the length and width of the reinforcing plate wherein the integrity and performance of the reinforcing plate is maintained to allow the reinforcing plate to resist the bending stresses applied to the joist or stud without failure of the reinforcing plate or the joist or stud. 17. A method of sistering a joist or stud, the method comprising:
mounting a first rigid reinforcing plate to a first surface of a wood member; inserting conduit through preformed first openings provided in the first rigid reinforcing plate, the first openings being spaced from longitudinal edges of the first rigid reinforcing plate, the longitudinal edges of the first rigid reinforcing plate do not cooperate or interfere with edge surfaces of the wood member; wherein the first rigid reinforcing plate is mounted to the wood member to resist bending stresses applied to the floor joist or stud and to increase shearing resistance of the joist or stud. 18. The method of sistering the joist or stud as recited in claim 17, comprising:
adhering the first rigid reinforcing plate to the wood member with an adhesive to form a composite floor joist. 19. The method of sistering the joist or stud as recited in claim 17, comprising:
inserting mounting members through preformed second openings provided proximate the longitudinal edges of the first rigid reinforcing plate. 20. The method of sistering the joist or stud as recited in claim 17, comprising:
mounting a second rigid reinforcing plate to a second surface of a wood member; inserting conduit through preformed first openings provided in the second rigid reinforcing plate, the first openings being spaced from longitudinal edges of the second rigid reinforcing plate, the longitudinal edges of the second rigid reinforcing plate do not cooperate or interfere with the edge surfaces of the wood member; wherein the second rigid reinforcing plate is mounted to the wood member to resist bending stresses applied to the floor joist or stud and to increase shearing resistance of the joist or stud. 21. The method of sistering the joist or stud as recited in claim 20, comprising:
adhering the second rigid reinforcing plate to the wood member with an adhesive. 22. The method of sistering the joist or stud as recited in claim 20, comprising:
inserting mounting members through preformed second openings provided proximate the longitudinal edges of the second rigid reinforcing plate. | 3,600 |
12,889 | 12,889 | 12,079,717 | 3,694 | There is provided a method that includes (a) determining a first risk score that characterizes a first party, based on a presented characteristic of the first party, (b) associating the first party with a second party, based on the first risk score, (c) determining a second risk score that characterizes the first party, based on an activity that involves the second party, and (d) determining a resultant risk score that characterizes the first party, based on the first and second risk scores. There is also provided a system that performs the method, and a storage media having a program encoded thereon that is executable in a processor to perform the method. | 1. A method comprising:
determining a first risk score that characterizes a first party, based on a presented characteristic of said first party; associating said first party with a second party, based on said first risk score; determining a second risk score that characterizes said first party, based on an activity that involves said second party; and determining a resultant risk score that characterizes said first party, based on said first and second risk scores. 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
determining a third risk score that characterizes said first party, based on an activity that involves said first party, wherein said resultant risk score is also based on said third risk score. 3. The method of claim 1, wherein said presented characteristic is selected from the group consisting of a name of said first party, an address of said first party, an occupation of said first party, a geographic location of said first party, and a combination thereof. 4. The method of claim 1, wherein said activity is selected from the group consisting of payment activity of said second party, an account inquiry made by said second party, an address change of said party, and a combination thereof. 5. The method of claim 1,
wherein said activity is conducted by a third party. 6. The method of claim 1, wherein said second risk score is indicative of a likelihood of a behavior selected from the group consisting of a financial misdeed, a financial crime, money laundering, and a combination thereof. 7. A system comprising:
a module that determines a first risk score that characterizes a first party, based on a presented characteristic of said first party; a module that associates said first party with a second party, based on said first risk score; a module that determines a second risk score that characterizes said first party, based on an activity that involves said second party; and a module that determines a resultant risk score that characterizes said first party, based on said first and second risk scores. 8. The system of claim 7, further comprising:
a module that determines a third risk score that characterizes said first party, based on an activity that involves said first party, wherein said resultant risk score is also based on said third risk score. 9. The system of claim 7, wherein said presented characteristic is selected from the group consisting of a name of said first party, an address of said first party, an occupation of said first party, a geographic location of said first party, and a combination thereof. 10. The system of claim 7, wherein said activity is selected from the group consisting of payment activity of said second party, an account inquiry made by said second party, an address change of said party, and a combination thereof. 11. The system of claim 7,
wherein said activity is conducted by a third party. 12. The system of claim 7, wherein said second risk score is indicative of a likelihood of a behavior selected from the group consisting of a financial misdeed, a financial crime, money laundering, and a combination thereof. 13. A storage medium comprising a program encoded thereon that is executable in a processor to perform a method that includes:
determining a first risk score that characterizes a first party, based on a presented characteristic of said first party; associating said first party with a second party, based on said first risk score; determining a second risk score that characterizes said first party, based on an activity that involves said second party; and determining a resultant risk score that characterizes said first party, based on said first and second risk scores. 14. The storage medium of claim 13, further comprising:
determining a third risk score that characterizes said first party, based on an activity that involves said first party, wherein said resultant risk score is also based on said third risk score. 15. The storage medium of claim 13, wherein said presented characteristic is selected from the group consisting of a name of said first party, an address of said first party, an occupation of said first party, a geographic location of said first party, and a combination thereof. 16. The storage medium of claim 13, wherein said activity is selected from the group consisting of payment activity of said second party, an account inquiry made by said second party, an address change of said party, and a combination thereof. 17. The storage medium of claim 13,
wherein said activity is conducted by a third party. 18. The storage medium of claim 13, wherein said second risk score is indicative of a likelihood of a behavior selected from the group consisting of a financial misdeed, a financial crime, money laundering, and a combination thereof. | There is provided a method that includes (a) determining a first risk score that characterizes a first party, based on a presented characteristic of the first party, (b) associating the first party with a second party, based on the first risk score, (c) determining a second risk score that characterizes the first party, based on an activity that involves the second party, and (d) determining a resultant risk score that characterizes the first party, based on the first and second risk scores. There is also provided a system that performs the method, and a storage media having a program encoded thereon that is executable in a processor to perform the method.1. A method comprising:
determining a first risk score that characterizes a first party, based on a presented characteristic of said first party; associating said first party with a second party, based on said first risk score; determining a second risk score that characterizes said first party, based on an activity that involves said second party; and determining a resultant risk score that characterizes said first party, based on said first and second risk scores. 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
determining a third risk score that characterizes said first party, based on an activity that involves said first party, wherein said resultant risk score is also based on said third risk score. 3. The method of claim 1, wherein said presented characteristic is selected from the group consisting of a name of said first party, an address of said first party, an occupation of said first party, a geographic location of said first party, and a combination thereof. 4. The method of claim 1, wherein said activity is selected from the group consisting of payment activity of said second party, an account inquiry made by said second party, an address change of said party, and a combination thereof. 5. The method of claim 1,
wherein said activity is conducted by a third party. 6. The method of claim 1, wherein said second risk score is indicative of a likelihood of a behavior selected from the group consisting of a financial misdeed, a financial crime, money laundering, and a combination thereof. 7. A system comprising:
a module that determines a first risk score that characterizes a first party, based on a presented characteristic of said first party; a module that associates said first party with a second party, based on said first risk score; a module that determines a second risk score that characterizes said first party, based on an activity that involves said second party; and a module that determines a resultant risk score that characterizes said first party, based on said first and second risk scores. 8. The system of claim 7, further comprising:
a module that determines a third risk score that characterizes said first party, based on an activity that involves said first party, wherein said resultant risk score is also based on said third risk score. 9. The system of claim 7, wherein said presented characteristic is selected from the group consisting of a name of said first party, an address of said first party, an occupation of said first party, a geographic location of said first party, and a combination thereof. 10. The system of claim 7, wherein said activity is selected from the group consisting of payment activity of said second party, an account inquiry made by said second party, an address change of said party, and a combination thereof. 11. The system of claim 7,
wherein said activity is conducted by a third party. 12. The system of claim 7, wherein said second risk score is indicative of a likelihood of a behavior selected from the group consisting of a financial misdeed, a financial crime, money laundering, and a combination thereof. 13. A storage medium comprising a program encoded thereon that is executable in a processor to perform a method that includes:
determining a first risk score that characterizes a first party, based on a presented characteristic of said first party; associating said first party with a second party, based on said first risk score; determining a second risk score that characterizes said first party, based on an activity that involves said second party; and determining a resultant risk score that characterizes said first party, based on said first and second risk scores. 14. The storage medium of claim 13, further comprising:
determining a third risk score that characterizes said first party, based on an activity that involves said first party, wherein said resultant risk score is also based on said third risk score. 15. The storage medium of claim 13, wherein said presented characteristic is selected from the group consisting of a name of said first party, an address of said first party, an occupation of said first party, a geographic location of said first party, and a combination thereof. 16. The storage medium of claim 13, wherein said activity is selected from the group consisting of payment activity of said second party, an account inquiry made by said second party, an address change of said party, and a combination thereof. 17. The storage medium of claim 13,
wherein said activity is conducted by a third party. 18. The storage medium of claim 13, wherein said second risk score is indicative of a likelihood of a behavior selected from the group consisting of a financial misdeed, a financial crime, money laundering, and a combination thereof. | 3,600 |
12,890 | 12,890 | 14,312,442 | 3,689 | A method for collecting returned items or information about returned items and evaluating return policy criteria with respect to collected items, and a system for the same, are disclosed. The method includes providing a station, such as a kiosk terminal, preferably at a pharmacy location. The station includes a computer and a user interface including a touch screen interface. Items, for example, pharmaceutical items to be returned are brought to the station. The user enters information at the station, such as by scanning a bar code on a container of the item, weighing the item or its contents, and entering lot number and expiration date associated with the item. A system and method for facilitating recalls is also provided. | 1. A method for collecting returnable items and determining return policy compliance comprising the steps of:
providing a station having a first receptacle adapted to receive a returnable item, providing said station with a computer and a user interface adapted to enable a user to enter information related to a returnable item, receiving said information related to the returnable item at said station, evaluating at least a portion of said information with respect to a return policy associated with the returnable item, and determining whether or to what extend the item complies with the return policy. 2. The method for collecting returnable items and determining return policy compliance according to claim 1, further comprising the steps of:
providing a database server having return policy parameters, providing a networked connection between said database server and said computer, wherein said database server is configured to receive said information from said computer over said networked connection. 3. The method for collecting returnable items and determining return policy compliance according to claim 2, further comprising the steps of:
providing a second receptacle within said station adapted to receive a returnable item, determining an item category based on at least a portion of said information, providing a pathway to enable a user to deposit the returnable item in one of said first receptacle or said second receptacle based on the item category. 4. The method for collecting returnable items and determining return policy compliance according to claim 3, wherein said item is a pharmaceutical item and wherein said item category is either a non-controlled pharmaceutical substance or a controlled pharmaceutical substance. 5. The method for collecting returnable items and determining return policy compliance according to claim 4, wherein the step of providing a station comprises providing the station at a pharmacy location. 6. The method for collecting returnable items and determining return policy compliance according to claim 5, wherein a portion of said information is an indication of a reason for returning the item. 7. The method for collecting returnable items and determining return policy compliance according to claim 6, wherein a portion of said information includes a product number or bar code data. 8. The method for collecting returnable items and determining return policy compliance according to claim 7, wherein a portion of said information includes a quantity of said pharmaceutical item. 9. The method for collecting returnable items and determining return policy compliance according to claim 8, wherein a portion of said information includes an expiration date of said pharmaceutical item. 10. The method for collecting returnable items and determining return policy compliance according to claim 9, wherein a portion of said information includes a lot number associated with said pharmaceutical item. 11. The method for collecting returnable items and determining return policy compliance according to claim 10, further comprising the steps of:
providing said station with a scale adapted to measure the weight of said pharmaceutical item, and sensing a weight associated with said pharmaceutical item once said item is placed on said scale. 12. The method for collecting returnable items and determining return policy compliance according to claim 11, further comprising the step of arranging for removing said first receptacle from said station and transporting it substantially directly from said pharmacy location to a waste disposal facility. 13. A collection station comprising:
a station device having a computer and a user interface, a first receptacle disposed in the interior of said station device adapted to receive a deposited pharmaceutical item, a second receptacle disposed in the interior of said station device adapted to receive a deposited pharmaceutical item, a first chute having a first selectively controlled openable and closable access door adapted to selectively provide access to said first receptacle, a second chute having a second selectively controlled openable and closable access door adapted to selectively provide access to said second receptacle, software and hardware functionality adapted to receive information from a user and determine from at least a portion of said information whether a pharmaceutical item being deposited is a controlled or non-controlled pharmaceutical item, and based on a determination of whether such item is a controlled or non-controlled pharmaceutical item, adapted to open a selective one of first access door or said second access door. 14. The collection station according to claim 13, further comprising:
at least one camera disposed at said station and positioned to view a user depositing a pharmaceutical item. 15. The collection station according to claim 14, further comprising a pharmaceutical scale adapted to allow a user to weigh a pharmaceutical item, and the scale adapted to provide output weight information to said computer. 16. The collection station according to claim 15, wherein said scale includes a manual pill counting tray at a top surface adapted to allow a user to place and count tablets, capsules, or pills associated with said pharmaceutical item. 17. The collection station according to claim 16, wherein said user interface comprises a touch screen interface, and further comprising a scanner adapted to scan a bar code on a pharmaceutical item. 18. The collection station according to claim 17, further comprising a networked connection between said computer and an off site database server adapted to receive information from said computer and evaluate said information in view of return policy compliance rules. 19. A system for collecting items comprising:
a station having at least a first receptacle adapted to receive an item, said station further comprises a computing device having a user interface adapted to enable a user to enter at least a first piece of information associated with such an item, a database containing return policy information related to such an item, and software adapted to function to assist in determining whether such item meets requirements of a return policy related to such an item based on at least the first piece of information. 20. The system for collecting items according to claim 19, further comprising a second receptacle adapted to receive an item,
wherein said first receptacle is disposed within an interior of said station, and wherein said second receptacle is disposed within the interior of said station, wherein said user interface is adapted to enable such a user to enter a second piece of information, and wherein said computing device is adapted to determine into which of said first receptacle and said second receptacle such an items should be placed, said computing device adapted to provide a signal to selectively cause a first passageway to open to allow a user to deposit such an item in said first receptacle or a second passageway to open to allow a user to deposit such an item in said second receptacle based on the second piece of information. 21. A system for collecting return item data comprising:
a station having an identification system and computing device having software and a user interface adapted to enable a user to enter at least a first piece of information associated with an item to be returned, said station having access to a database containing return policy information related to such an item, and software adapted to function to assist in determining whether such item meets requirements of a return policy related to such an item based on at least the first piece of information. 22. The system for collecting return item data according to claim 21, wherein said identification system includes a fingerprint scanner. 23. The system for collecting return item data according to claim 21. further comprising an input system for a barcode. 24. The system for collecting return item data according to claim 23, wherein said input system for a barcode comprises a barcode scanner. 25. The system for collecting return item data according to claim 22, wherein a product is identified when a barcode is input, and wherein the user is enabled to select packaging associated with such an item. 26. The system for collecting return item data according to claim 25, further comprising a counting tray. 27. The system for collecting return item data according to claim 25, further comprising an automatic pill counter. 28. The system for collecting return item data according to claim 25, further comprising a scale adapted to weigh a container including fluid. 29. The system for collecting return item data according to claim 25, further comprising at least one camera adapted to photograph at least a portion of such an item. 30. The system for collecting return item data according to claim 25, wherein said system further enables a user to enter lot number information. 31. The system for collecting return item data according to claim 30, wherein an expiration date is determined by said system based on said lot number. 32. The system for collecting return item data according to claim 30, wherein said system includes a label printer, and wherein said system generates a return shipping label after said return item data is entered. 33. The system for collecting return item data according to claim 32, wherein said system further generates an item identification label. 34. The system for collecting return item data according to claim 21, wherein said system is adapted to connect with a network. 35. The system for collecting return item data according to claim 34, wherein said system generates a recall notice when such a notice is sent via said network. 36. A method for determining return policy compliance comprising the steps of:
providing a networked station having a computing device and a user interface adapted to enable a user to enter information related to a returnable item, receiving said information related to the returnable item at said station, enabling said information to be transmitted from said station to a server, evaluating at least a portion of said information with respect to a return policy associated with the returnable item, and determining whether or to what extend the item complies with the return policy. 37. The method for determining return policy compliance according to claim 36, wherein the step of evaluating is performed at said server. 38. The method for determining return policy compliance according to claim 37, wherein the step of evaluating employs a database accessed at said server. 39. The method for determining return policy compliance according to claim 38, wherein the step of evaluating is part of a batch process. 40. A method for facilitating a recall comprising the steps of:
providing a networked station having a computing device and a user interface adapted to enable a user to enter information related to a recalled item, sending an electronic recall notification to said station, enabling a user to send an electronic response card from said station to another networked system. 41. The method according to claim 40, further comprising the step of enabling a user to print a shipping label associated with the recall item from said station. | A method for collecting returned items or information about returned items and evaluating return policy criteria with respect to collected items, and a system for the same, are disclosed. The method includes providing a station, such as a kiosk terminal, preferably at a pharmacy location. The station includes a computer and a user interface including a touch screen interface. Items, for example, pharmaceutical items to be returned are brought to the station. The user enters information at the station, such as by scanning a bar code on a container of the item, weighing the item or its contents, and entering lot number and expiration date associated with the item. A system and method for facilitating recalls is also provided.1. A method for collecting returnable items and determining return policy compliance comprising the steps of:
providing a station having a first receptacle adapted to receive a returnable item, providing said station with a computer and a user interface adapted to enable a user to enter information related to a returnable item, receiving said information related to the returnable item at said station, evaluating at least a portion of said information with respect to a return policy associated with the returnable item, and determining whether or to what extend the item complies with the return policy. 2. The method for collecting returnable items and determining return policy compliance according to claim 1, further comprising the steps of:
providing a database server having return policy parameters, providing a networked connection between said database server and said computer, wherein said database server is configured to receive said information from said computer over said networked connection. 3. The method for collecting returnable items and determining return policy compliance according to claim 2, further comprising the steps of:
providing a second receptacle within said station adapted to receive a returnable item, determining an item category based on at least a portion of said information, providing a pathway to enable a user to deposit the returnable item in one of said first receptacle or said second receptacle based on the item category. 4. The method for collecting returnable items and determining return policy compliance according to claim 3, wherein said item is a pharmaceutical item and wherein said item category is either a non-controlled pharmaceutical substance or a controlled pharmaceutical substance. 5. The method for collecting returnable items and determining return policy compliance according to claim 4, wherein the step of providing a station comprises providing the station at a pharmacy location. 6. The method for collecting returnable items and determining return policy compliance according to claim 5, wherein a portion of said information is an indication of a reason for returning the item. 7. The method for collecting returnable items and determining return policy compliance according to claim 6, wherein a portion of said information includes a product number or bar code data. 8. The method for collecting returnable items and determining return policy compliance according to claim 7, wherein a portion of said information includes a quantity of said pharmaceutical item. 9. The method for collecting returnable items and determining return policy compliance according to claim 8, wherein a portion of said information includes an expiration date of said pharmaceutical item. 10. The method for collecting returnable items and determining return policy compliance according to claim 9, wherein a portion of said information includes a lot number associated with said pharmaceutical item. 11. The method for collecting returnable items and determining return policy compliance according to claim 10, further comprising the steps of:
providing said station with a scale adapted to measure the weight of said pharmaceutical item, and sensing a weight associated with said pharmaceutical item once said item is placed on said scale. 12. The method for collecting returnable items and determining return policy compliance according to claim 11, further comprising the step of arranging for removing said first receptacle from said station and transporting it substantially directly from said pharmacy location to a waste disposal facility. 13. A collection station comprising:
a station device having a computer and a user interface, a first receptacle disposed in the interior of said station device adapted to receive a deposited pharmaceutical item, a second receptacle disposed in the interior of said station device adapted to receive a deposited pharmaceutical item, a first chute having a first selectively controlled openable and closable access door adapted to selectively provide access to said first receptacle, a second chute having a second selectively controlled openable and closable access door adapted to selectively provide access to said second receptacle, software and hardware functionality adapted to receive information from a user and determine from at least a portion of said information whether a pharmaceutical item being deposited is a controlled or non-controlled pharmaceutical item, and based on a determination of whether such item is a controlled or non-controlled pharmaceutical item, adapted to open a selective one of first access door or said second access door. 14. The collection station according to claim 13, further comprising:
at least one camera disposed at said station and positioned to view a user depositing a pharmaceutical item. 15. The collection station according to claim 14, further comprising a pharmaceutical scale adapted to allow a user to weigh a pharmaceutical item, and the scale adapted to provide output weight information to said computer. 16. The collection station according to claim 15, wherein said scale includes a manual pill counting tray at a top surface adapted to allow a user to place and count tablets, capsules, or pills associated with said pharmaceutical item. 17. The collection station according to claim 16, wherein said user interface comprises a touch screen interface, and further comprising a scanner adapted to scan a bar code on a pharmaceutical item. 18. The collection station according to claim 17, further comprising a networked connection between said computer and an off site database server adapted to receive information from said computer and evaluate said information in view of return policy compliance rules. 19. A system for collecting items comprising:
a station having at least a first receptacle adapted to receive an item, said station further comprises a computing device having a user interface adapted to enable a user to enter at least a first piece of information associated with such an item, a database containing return policy information related to such an item, and software adapted to function to assist in determining whether such item meets requirements of a return policy related to such an item based on at least the first piece of information. 20. The system for collecting items according to claim 19, further comprising a second receptacle adapted to receive an item,
wherein said first receptacle is disposed within an interior of said station, and wherein said second receptacle is disposed within the interior of said station, wherein said user interface is adapted to enable such a user to enter a second piece of information, and wherein said computing device is adapted to determine into which of said first receptacle and said second receptacle such an items should be placed, said computing device adapted to provide a signal to selectively cause a first passageway to open to allow a user to deposit such an item in said first receptacle or a second passageway to open to allow a user to deposit such an item in said second receptacle based on the second piece of information. 21. A system for collecting return item data comprising:
a station having an identification system and computing device having software and a user interface adapted to enable a user to enter at least a first piece of information associated with an item to be returned, said station having access to a database containing return policy information related to such an item, and software adapted to function to assist in determining whether such item meets requirements of a return policy related to such an item based on at least the first piece of information. 22. The system for collecting return item data according to claim 21, wherein said identification system includes a fingerprint scanner. 23. The system for collecting return item data according to claim 21. further comprising an input system for a barcode. 24. The system for collecting return item data according to claim 23, wherein said input system for a barcode comprises a barcode scanner. 25. The system for collecting return item data according to claim 22, wherein a product is identified when a barcode is input, and wherein the user is enabled to select packaging associated with such an item. 26. The system for collecting return item data according to claim 25, further comprising a counting tray. 27. The system for collecting return item data according to claim 25, further comprising an automatic pill counter. 28. The system for collecting return item data according to claim 25, further comprising a scale adapted to weigh a container including fluid. 29. The system for collecting return item data according to claim 25, further comprising at least one camera adapted to photograph at least a portion of such an item. 30. The system for collecting return item data according to claim 25, wherein said system further enables a user to enter lot number information. 31. The system for collecting return item data according to claim 30, wherein an expiration date is determined by said system based on said lot number. 32. The system for collecting return item data according to claim 30, wherein said system includes a label printer, and wherein said system generates a return shipping label after said return item data is entered. 33. The system for collecting return item data according to claim 32, wherein said system further generates an item identification label. 34. The system for collecting return item data according to claim 21, wherein said system is adapted to connect with a network. 35. The system for collecting return item data according to claim 34, wherein said system generates a recall notice when such a notice is sent via said network. 36. A method for determining return policy compliance comprising the steps of:
providing a networked station having a computing device and a user interface adapted to enable a user to enter information related to a returnable item, receiving said information related to the returnable item at said station, enabling said information to be transmitted from said station to a server, evaluating at least a portion of said information with respect to a return policy associated with the returnable item, and determining whether or to what extend the item complies with the return policy. 37. The method for determining return policy compliance according to claim 36, wherein the step of evaluating is performed at said server. 38. The method for determining return policy compliance according to claim 37, wherein the step of evaluating employs a database accessed at said server. 39. The method for determining return policy compliance according to claim 38, wherein the step of evaluating is part of a batch process. 40. A method for facilitating a recall comprising the steps of:
providing a networked station having a computing device and a user interface adapted to enable a user to enter information related to a recalled item, sending an electronic recall notification to said station, enabling a user to send an electronic response card from said station to another networked system. 41. The method according to claim 40, further comprising the step of enabling a user to print a shipping label associated with the recall item from said station. | 3,600 |
12,891 | 12,891 | 11,669,349 | 3,683 | A method and apparatus are provided for matching resources and co-resources within a system. The method includes the steps of providing a plurality of resources and co-resources where a first type of resource of the plurality of resources are preferentially matched with a first type of co-resource of the plurality of co-resources and a second type of resource of the plurality of resources is preferentially matched with a second type of co-resource of the plurality of co-resources and where any match between a resource of the first type and a co-resource of the second type or a resource of the second type and co-resource of the first type is a non-preferential match, matching each of the plurality of resources with each respective co-resource of the plurality of co-resources, forming a tempered match from each matched resource and co-resource by associating a time of the match with the match, ordering the tempered matches based upon the associated time; and releasing at least some of the tempered matches for use within the system based upon the ordering of the tempered matches. | 1. A method of matching resources and co-resources within a system, the method comprising:
providing a plurality of resources and co-resources where a first type of resource of the plurality of resources are preferentially matched with a first type of co-resource of the plurality of co-resources and a second type of resource of the plurality of resources is preferentially matched with a second type of co-resource of the plurality of co-resources and where any match between a resource of the first type and a co-resource of the second type or a resource of the second type and co-resource of the first type is a non-preferential match; matching each of the plurality of resources with each respective co-resource of the plurality of co-resources; forming a tempered match from each matched resource and co-resource by associating a time of the match with the match; ordering the tempered matches based upon the associated time; and releasing at least some of the tempered matches for use within the system based upon the ordering of the tempered matches. 2. The method of matching resources and co-resources as in claim 1 further comprising forming a list of tempered matches. 3. The method of matching resources as in claim 2 further comprising determining the associated time of any match by the evaluation of a predetermined function whose value depends on the current time in the system, the times of arrival of the matched resource and co-resource, and other properties of the matched resource and co-resource, including their types. 4. The method of matching resources as in claim 3 further comprising ordering the tempered matches within the formed list based first upon the adjusted associated times of the tempered matches and second upon the detected times of arrival of the resource and co-resources of the respective tempered matches. 5. The method of matching resources and co-resources as in claim 4 further comprising releasing the at least some of the tempered matches for use within the system when a current time equals or exceeds the adjusted associated time of the at least some tempered matches. 6. The method of matching resources as in claim 5 further comprising deleting any released tempered pair from the ordered list. 7. The method of matching resources as in claim 6 further comprising forming a list of detected resources and a list of detected co-resources. 8. The method of matching resources and co-resources as in claim 7 further comprising deleting from the ordered list any tempered match with a co-resource type identical to any released tempered match. 9. The method of matching resources and co-resources as in claim 7 further comprising deleting from the ordered list any tempered match with a resource type identical to any released tempered match. 10. The method of matching resources and co-resources as in claim 7 further comprising deleting from the list of detected co-resources any co-resource of a type identical to the co-resource of any released tempered match. 11. The method of matching resources and co-resources as in claim 7 further comprising deleting from the list of detected resources any resource of a type identical to the resource of any released tempered match. 12. The method of matching resources and co-resources as in claim 3 further comprising calculating the predetermined time interval for each match based upon a quality of the match. 13. An apparatus for matching resources and co-resources within a system, the method comprising:
means for providing a plurality of resources and co-resources where a first type of resource of the plurality of resources are preferentially matched with a first type of co-resource of the plurality of co-resources and a second type of resource of the plurality of resources is preferentially matched with a second type of co-resource of the plurality of co-resources and where any match between a resource of the first type and a co-resource of the second type or a resource of the second type and co-resource of the first type is a non-preferential match; means for detecting a time of availability of each resource of the plurality of resources and each co-resource of the plurality of resources to the system; means for matching each of the detected resources with each respective detected co-resource; means for forming a tempered match from each matched resource and co-resource by associating a time of the match with the match; means for ordering the tempered matches based upon the associated time; and means for releasing at least some of the tempered matches for use within the system based upon the ordering of the tempered matches. 14. The apparatus for matching resources as in claim 13 further comprising means for incrementing the associated time of each non-preferential match of the tempered matches by a predetermined time to form an adjusted associated time for the tempered matches. 15. The apparatus for matching resources as in claim 13 further comprising ordering the tempered matches within an ordered list based first upon the adjusted associated times of the tempered matches and second upon the detected times of arrival of the resource and co-resources of the respective tempered matches. 16. The apparatus for matching resources as in claim 15 further comprising means for releasing at least some of the tempered matches for use within the system when a current time equals or exceeds the adjusted associated time of the at least some tempered matches. 17. The apparatus for matching resources as in claim 15 further comprising deleting any released tempered pair from the ordered list. 18. The apparatus for matching resources as in claim 15 further comprising forming a list of detected resources and a list of detected co-resources. 19. The apparatus for matching resources and co-resources as in claim 18 further comprising deleting from the ordered list any tempered match with a co-resource type identical to any released tempered match. 20. The apparatus for matching resources and co-resources as in claim 18 further comprising deleting from the ordered list any tempered match with a resource type identical to any released tempered match. 21. The apparatus for matching resources and co-resources as in claim 18 further comprising deleting from the list of detected co-resources any co-resource of a type identical to the co-resource of any released tempered match. 22. The apparatus for matching resources and co-resources as in claim 18 further comprising deleting from the list of detected resources any resource of a type identical to the resource of any released tempered match. 23. The apparatus for matching resources and co-resources as in claim 19 further comprising deleting from the list of detected resources any resource of a type identical to the resource of any released tempered match. 24. The apparatus for matching resources and co-resources as in claim 14 further comprising calculating the predetermined time interval for each match based upon a quality of the match. 25. An apparatus for matching resources and co-resources within a system, the method comprising:
a plurality of resources and co-resources where a first type of resource of the plurality of resources are preferentially matched with a first type of co-resource of the plurality of co-resources and a second type of resource of the plurality of resources is preferentially matched with a second type of co-resource of the plurality of co-resources and where any match between a resource of the first type and a co-resource of the second type or a resource of the second type and co-resource of the first type is a non-preferential match; an arrival processor that detects a time of availability of each resource of the plurality of resources and each co-resource of the plurality of resources to the system; a matching processor that matches each of the detected resources with each respective detected co-resource; a tempering processor that forms a tempered match from each matched resource and co-resource by associating a time of the match with the match; an ordering processor that orders the tempered matches based upon the associated time and a release processor that releases at least some of the ordered tempered matches based upon the ordering of the tempered matches. 26. The apparatus for matching resources as in claim 25 further comprising a signature processor that adjusts the associated time of each non-preferential match of the tempered matches by a predetermined time value. 27. The apparatus for matching resources as in claim 26 wherein the release processor releases at least some of the tempered matches for use within the system when a current time equals or exceeds the associated time of the at least some tempered matches. 28. The apparatus for matching resources as in claim 26 wherein the tempered matches further comprises an ordered list based first upon the associated times of the tempered matches and second upon the detected times of arrival of the resource and co-resources of the respective tempered matches. 29. The apparatus for matching resources as in claim 28 wherein the arrival processor further comprises a resource list and a co-resource list into which the arrival processor places resources and co-resources, respectively. 30. The apparatus for matching resources as in claim 29 further comprising a list editor routine that deletes any entries from the ordered list of tempered matches, the resource list and co-resource that match any resource and co-resource of a released tempered match. 31. The apparatus for matching resources as in claim 28 wherein the release processor increments the associated time by the predetermined time value when a tempered match are of different types. | A method and apparatus are provided for matching resources and co-resources within a system. The method includes the steps of providing a plurality of resources and co-resources where a first type of resource of the plurality of resources are preferentially matched with a first type of co-resource of the plurality of co-resources and a second type of resource of the plurality of resources is preferentially matched with a second type of co-resource of the plurality of co-resources and where any match between a resource of the first type and a co-resource of the second type or a resource of the second type and co-resource of the first type is a non-preferential match, matching each of the plurality of resources with each respective co-resource of the plurality of co-resources, forming a tempered match from each matched resource and co-resource by associating a time of the match with the match, ordering the tempered matches based upon the associated time; and releasing at least some of the tempered matches for use within the system based upon the ordering of the tempered matches.1. A method of matching resources and co-resources within a system, the method comprising:
providing a plurality of resources and co-resources where a first type of resource of the plurality of resources are preferentially matched with a first type of co-resource of the plurality of co-resources and a second type of resource of the plurality of resources is preferentially matched with a second type of co-resource of the plurality of co-resources and where any match between a resource of the first type and a co-resource of the second type or a resource of the second type and co-resource of the first type is a non-preferential match; matching each of the plurality of resources with each respective co-resource of the plurality of co-resources; forming a tempered match from each matched resource and co-resource by associating a time of the match with the match; ordering the tempered matches based upon the associated time; and releasing at least some of the tempered matches for use within the system based upon the ordering of the tempered matches. 2. The method of matching resources and co-resources as in claim 1 further comprising forming a list of tempered matches. 3. The method of matching resources as in claim 2 further comprising determining the associated time of any match by the evaluation of a predetermined function whose value depends on the current time in the system, the times of arrival of the matched resource and co-resource, and other properties of the matched resource and co-resource, including their types. 4. The method of matching resources as in claim 3 further comprising ordering the tempered matches within the formed list based first upon the adjusted associated times of the tempered matches and second upon the detected times of arrival of the resource and co-resources of the respective tempered matches. 5. The method of matching resources and co-resources as in claim 4 further comprising releasing the at least some of the tempered matches for use within the system when a current time equals or exceeds the adjusted associated time of the at least some tempered matches. 6. The method of matching resources as in claim 5 further comprising deleting any released tempered pair from the ordered list. 7. The method of matching resources as in claim 6 further comprising forming a list of detected resources and a list of detected co-resources. 8. The method of matching resources and co-resources as in claim 7 further comprising deleting from the ordered list any tempered match with a co-resource type identical to any released tempered match. 9. The method of matching resources and co-resources as in claim 7 further comprising deleting from the ordered list any tempered match with a resource type identical to any released tempered match. 10. The method of matching resources and co-resources as in claim 7 further comprising deleting from the list of detected co-resources any co-resource of a type identical to the co-resource of any released tempered match. 11. The method of matching resources and co-resources as in claim 7 further comprising deleting from the list of detected resources any resource of a type identical to the resource of any released tempered match. 12. The method of matching resources and co-resources as in claim 3 further comprising calculating the predetermined time interval for each match based upon a quality of the match. 13. An apparatus for matching resources and co-resources within a system, the method comprising:
means for providing a plurality of resources and co-resources where a first type of resource of the plurality of resources are preferentially matched with a first type of co-resource of the plurality of co-resources and a second type of resource of the plurality of resources is preferentially matched with a second type of co-resource of the plurality of co-resources and where any match between a resource of the first type and a co-resource of the second type or a resource of the second type and co-resource of the first type is a non-preferential match; means for detecting a time of availability of each resource of the plurality of resources and each co-resource of the plurality of resources to the system; means for matching each of the detected resources with each respective detected co-resource; means for forming a tempered match from each matched resource and co-resource by associating a time of the match with the match; means for ordering the tempered matches based upon the associated time; and means for releasing at least some of the tempered matches for use within the system based upon the ordering of the tempered matches. 14. The apparatus for matching resources as in claim 13 further comprising means for incrementing the associated time of each non-preferential match of the tempered matches by a predetermined time to form an adjusted associated time for the tempered matches. 15. The apparatus for matching resources as in claim 13 further comprising ordering the tempered matches within an ordered list based first upon the adjusted associated times of the tempered matches and second upon the detected times of arrival of the resource and co-resources of the respective tempered matches. 16. The apparatus for matching resources as in claim 15 further comprising means for releasing at least some of the tempered matches for use within the system when a current time equals or exceeds the adjusted associated time of the at least some tempered matches. 17. The apparatus for matching resources as in claim 15 further comprising deleting any released tempered pair from the ordered list. 18. The apparatus for matching resources as in claim 15 further comprising forming a list of detected resources and a list of detected co-resources. 19. The apparatus for matching resources and co-resources as in claim 18 further comprising deleting from the ordered list any tempered match with a co-resource type identical to any released tempered match. 20. The apparatus for matching resources and co-resources as in claim 18 further comprising deleting from the ordered list any tempered match with a resource type identical to any released tempered match. 21. The apparatus for matching resources and co-resources as in claim 18 further comprising deleting from the list of detected co-resources any co-resource of a type identical to the co-resource of any released tempered match. 22. The apparatus for matching resources and co-resources as in claim 18 further comprising deleting from the list of detected resources any resource of a type identical to the resource of any released tempered match. 23. The apparatus for matching resources and co-resources as in claim 19 further comprising deleting from the list of detected resources any resource of a type identical to the resource of any released tempered match. 24. The apparatus for matching resources and co-resources as in claim 14 further comprising calculating the predetermined time interval for each match based upon a quality of the match. 25. An apparatus for matching resources and co-resources within a system, the method comprising:
a plurality of resources and co-resources where a first type of resource of the plurality of resources are preferentially matched with a first type of co-resource of the plurality of co-resources and a second type of resource of the plurality of resources is preferentially matched with a second type of co-resource of the plurality of co-resources and where any match between a resource of the first type and a co-resource of the second type or a resource of the second type and co-resource of the first type is a non-preferential match; an arrival processor that detects a time of availability of each resource of the plurality of resources and each co-resource of the plurality of resources to the system; a matching processor that matches each of the detected resources with each respective detected co-resource; a tempering processor that forms a tempered match from each matched resource and co-resource by associating a time of the match with the match; an ordering processor that orders the tempered matches based upon the associated time and a release processor that releases at least some of the ordered tempered matches based upon the ordering of the tempered matches. 26. The apparatus for matching resources as in claim 25 further comprising a signature processor that adjusts the associated time of each non-preferential match of the tempered matches by a predetermined time value. 27. The apparatus for matching resources as in claim 26 wherein the release processor releases at least some of the tempered matches for use within the system when a current time equals or exceeds the associated time of the at least some tempered matches. 28. The apparatus for matching resources as in claim 26 wherein the tempered matches further comprises an ordered list based first upon the associated times of the tempered matches and second upon the detected times of arrival of the resource and co-resources of the respective tempered matches. 29. The apparatus for matching resources as in claim 28 wherein the arrival processor further comprises a resource list and a co-resource list into which the arrival processor places resources and co-resources, respectively. 30. The apparatus for matching resources as in claim 29 further comprising a list editor routine that deletes any entries from the ordered list of tempered matches, the resource list and co-resource that match any resource and co-resource of a released tempered match. 31. The apparatus for matching resources as in claim 28 wherein the release processor increments the associated time by the predetermined time value when a tempered match are of different types. | 3,600 |
12,892 | 12,892 | 10,667,755 | 3,689 | A method of managing bets includes receiving a first bet at a first quote, the first bet having an associated first unit stake, the first quote corresponding with the total number of units potentially earned by a participant in a plurality of events. Results of each of the plurality of events are received, which may include the positioning of the particular participant in each of the plurality of events. The total number of units earned by the participant in the plurality of events may be determined based at least in part on the results of each of the plurality of events. An amount of a payout for the first bet may be determined based at least in part on the first unit stake, the first quote, and the total number of units earned by the participant in the plurality of events. | 1. A method of managing bets, comprising:
receiving a first bet at a first quote, the first bet having an associated first unit stake, the first quote corresponding with the total number of units potentially earned by a participant in a plurality of events; receiving results of each of the plurality of events, the results comprising the positioning of the particular participant in each of the plurality of events; for each of the plurality of events, determining a number of units earned by the participant based at least in part on the positioning of the participant in the event and a purse distribution structure defining a distribution of a purse over a plurality of positions in the event; and determining an amount of a payout for the first bet based at least in part on the first unit stake, the first quote, and the total number of units earned by the participant in the plurality of events. 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
providing a spread quote comprising an upper index number and a lower index number, both the upper index number and the lower index number associated with the total number of units potentially earned by the participant in the plurality of events; wherein the first quote comprises the upper index number and the first bet comprises a bet that the total number of units earned by the participant will be greater than the upper index number; and receiving a second bet that the total number of units earned by the participant will be less than the lower index number. 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the number of units earned by the participant comprises the amount of money earned by the participant over the course of the plurality of events. 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of events comprises a plurality of horse races and the plurality of participants comprises a plurality of jockeys. 5. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of events comprises a plurality of races and the plurality of participants comprises a plurality of drivers. 6. The method of claim 1, wherein the first bet comprises a bet that the total number of units earned by the participant will be greater than the first quote. 7. The method of claim 1, wherein the first bet comprises a bet that the total number of units earned by the participant will be less than the first quote. 8. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the payout for the first bet comprises multiplying the unit stake by the difference between the first quote and the total number of units earned by the participant in the plurality of events. 9. The method of claim 1, further comprising, after one or more of the plurality of events has occurred, receiving a second bet defined at least by a second unit stake and a second quote, the second quote corresponding with the total number of units potentially earned by the participant in the plurality of events excluding the one or more events that have occurred. 10. The method of claim 9, wherein the second bets locks in a gain or loss associated with the first bet. 11. The method of claim 9, further comprising, after one or more of the plurality of events has occurred:
receiving a request to settle the first bet; and determining an amount of a settlement payment for the first bet based at least in part on the first unit stake, the first quote, and the second quote; paying out the settlement payment; and canceling the first bet. 12. The method of claim 1, further comprising, after one or more of the plurality of events has occurred:
receiving a request to settle the first bet; determining an amount of a settlement payment for the first bet based at least in part on the first unit stake, the first quote, and the positioning of the participant in each of the one or more events that has occurred; paying out the settlement payment; and canceling the first bet. 13. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of events occur over an extended period of time. 14. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of events occur over a period of time greater than one week. 15. A system for managing bets, comprising:
a memory operable to store:
a first bet at a first quote, the first bet having an associated first unit stake, the first quote corresponding with the total number of units potentially earned by a participant in a plurality of events; and
results of each of the plurality of events, the results comprising the positioning of the particular participant in each of the plurality of events; and
a processor operable to:
determine, for each of the plurality of events, a number of units earned by the participant based at least in part on the positioning of the participant in the event and a purse distribution structure defining a distribution of a purse over a plurality of positions in the event; and
determine an amount of a payout for the first bet based at least in part on the first unit stake, the first quote, and the total number of units earned by the participant in the plurality of events. 16. The system of claim 15, wherein the memory is further operable to store:
a spread quote comprising an upper index number and an lower index number, both the upper index number and the lower index number associated with the total number of units potentially earned by the participant in the plurality of events; wherein the first quote comprises the upper index number and the first bet comprises a bet that the total number of units earned by the participant will be greater than the upper index number; and a second bet comprising a bet that the total number of units earned by the participant will be less than the lower index number. 17. The system of claim 15, wherein the first bet comprises a bet that the total number of units earned by the participant will be greater than the first quote. 18. The system of claim 15, wherein the first bet comprises a bet that the total number of units earned by the participant will be less than the first quote. 19. The system of claim 15, wherein determining the payout for the first bet comprises multiplying the unit stake by the difference between the first quote and the total number of units earned by the participant in the plurality of events. 20. The system of claim 15, wherein the memory is further operable to store a second bet defined at least in part by a second unit stake and a second quote, the second quote corresponding with the total number of units potentially earned by the participant in the plurality of events excluding each of one or more of the plurality of events that has occurred. 21. The system of claim 20, wherein the second bets locks in a gain or loss associated with the first bet. 22. The system of claim 20, wherein the processor is further operable to perform the following functions for a particular participant bet after one or more of the plurality of events has occurred:
receive a request to settle the first bet; and determine an amount of a settlement payment for the first bet based at least in part on the first unit stake, the first quote, and the second quote; and cancel the first bet. 23. The system of claim 15, wherein the processor is further operable to perform the following functions for a particular participant bet after one or more of the plurality of events has occurred:
receive a request to settle the first bet; determine an amount of a settlement payment for the first bet based at least in part on the first unit stake, the first quote, and the positioning of the participant in each of the one or more events that has occurred; and cancel the first bet. | A method of managing bets includes receiving a first bet at a first quote, the first bet having an associated first unit stake, the first quote corresponding with the total number of units potentially earned by a participant in a plurality of events. Results of each of the plurality of events are received, which may include the positioning of the particular participant in each of the plurality of events. The total number of units earned by the participant in the plurality of events may be determined based at least in part on the results of each of the plurality of events. An amount of a payout for the first bet may be determined based at least in part on the first unit stake, the first quote, and the total number of units earned by the participant in the plurality of events.1. A method of managing bets, comprising:
receiving a first bet at a first quote, the first bet having an associated first unit stake, the first quote corresponding with the total number of units potentially earned by a participant in a plurality of events; receiving results of each of the plurality of events, the results comprising the positioning of the particular participant in each of the plurality of events; for each of the plurality of events, determining a number of units earned by the participant based at least in part on the positioning of the participant in the event and a purse distribution structure defining a distribution of a purse over a plurality of positions in the event; and determining an amount of a payout for the first bet based at least in part on the first unit stake, the first quote, and the total number of units earned by the participant in the plurality of events. 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
providing a spread quote comprising an upper index number and a lower index number, both the upper index number and the lower index number associated with the total number of units potentially earned by the participant in the plurality of events; wherein the first quote comprises the upper index number and the first bet comprises a bet that the total number of units earned by the participant will be greater than the upper index number; and receiving a second bet that the total number of units earned by the participant will be less than the lower index number. 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the number of units earned by the participant comprises the amount of money earned by the participant over the course of the plurality of events. 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of events comprises a plurality of horse races and the plurality of participants comprises a plurality of jockeys. 5. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of events comprises a plurality of races and the plurality of participants comprises a plurality of drivers. 6. The method of claim 1, wherein the first bet comprises a bet that the total number of units earned by the participant will be greater than the first quote. 7. The method of claim 1, wherein the first bet comprises a bet that the total number of units earned by the participant will be less than the first quote. 8. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the payout for the first bet comprises multiplying the unit stake by the difference between the first quote and the total number of units earned by the participant in the plurality of events. 9. The method of claim 1, further comprising, after one or more of the plurality of events has occurred, receiving a second bet defined at least by a second unit stake and a second quote, the second quote corresponding with the total number of units potentially earned by the participant in the plurality of events excluding the one or more events that have occurred. 10. The method of claim 9, wherein the second bets locks in a gain or loss associated with the first bet. 11. The method of claim 9, further comprising, after one or more of the plurality of events has occurred:
receiving a request to settle the first bet; and determining an amount of a settlement payment for the first bet based at least in part on the first unit stake, the first quote, and the second quote; paying out the settlement payment; and canceling the first bet. 12. The method of claim 1, further comprising, after one or more of the plurality of events has occurred:
receiving a request to settle the first bet; determining an amount of a settlement payment for the first bet based at least in part on the first unit stake, the first quote, and the positioning of the participant in each of the one or more events that has occurred; paying out the settlement payment; and canceling the first bet. 13. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of events occur over an extended period of time. 14. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of events occur over a period of time greater than one week. 15. A system for managing bets, comprising:
a memory operable to store:
a first bet at a first quote, the first bet having an associated first unit stake, the first quote corresponding with the total number of units potentially earned by a participant in a plurality of events; and
results of each of the plurality of events, the results comprising the positioning of the particular participant in each of the plurality of events; and
a processor operable to:
determine, for each of the plurality of events, a number of units earned by the participant based at least in part on the positioning of the participant in the event and a purse distribution structure defining a distribution of a purse over a plurality of positions in the event; and
determine an amount of a payout for the first bet based at least in part on the first unit stake, the first quote, and the total number of units earned by the participant in the plurality of events. 16. The system of claim 15, wherein the memory is further operable to store:
a spread quote comprising an upper index number and an lower index number, both the upper index number and the lower index number associated with the total number of units potentially earned by the participant in the plurality of events; wherein the first quote comprises the upper index number and the first bet comprises a bet that the total number of units earned by the participant will be greater than the upper index number; and a second bet comprising a bet that the total number of units earned by the participant will be less than the lower index number. 17. The system of claim 15, wherein the first bet comprises a bet that the total number of units earned by the participant will be greater than the first quote. 18. The system of claim 15, wherein the first bet comprises a bet that the total number of units earned by the participant will be less than the first quote. 19. The system of claim 15, wherein determining the payout for the first bet comprises multiplying the unit stake by the difference between the first quote and the total number of units earned by the participant in the plurality of events. 20. The system of claim 15, wherein the memory is further operable to store a second bet defined at least in part by a second unit stake and a second quote, the second quote corresponding with the total number of units potentially earned by the participant in the plurality of events excluding each of one or more of the plurality of events that has occurred. 21. The system of claim 20, wherein the second bets locks in a gain or loss associated with the first bet. 22. The system of claim 20, wherein the processor is further operable to perform the following functions for a particular participant bet after one or more of the plurality of events has occurred:
receive a request to settle the first bet; and determine an amount of a settlement payment for the first bet based at least in part on the first unit stake, the first quote, and the second quote; and cancel the first bet. 23. The system of claim 15, wherein the processor is further operable to perform the following functions for a particular participant bet after one or more of the plurality of events has occurred:
receive a request to settle the first bet; determine an amount of a settlement payment for the first bet based at least in part on the first unit stake, the first quote, and the positioning of the participant in each of the one or more events that has occurred; and cancel the first bet. | 3,600 |
12,893 | 12,893 | 10,729,997 | 3,696 | Systems and methods are disclosed for offering a credit card account to a consumer at a point-of-sale location. The systems and methods may include offering a product to the consumer at the point-of-sale location. In addition, the systems and methods may include offering a credit card account to the consumer at the point-of-sale location. Moreover, the product offer may be conditioned based on the consumer's acceptance of the credit card account, fees allocating charges associated with the product may be required to be charged to the credit card account. The fees allocating charges associated with the product may comprise periodic subscription fees associated with the product's use. | 1. A method for marketing a credit card account to a consumer, the method comprising:
receiving an application for the credit card account from the consumer through a point-of-sale location; receiving a notification that the consumer requests to purchase a product at the point-of-sale location; and determining whether to approve the application based upon receiving the notification that the consumer requests to purchase the product. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the application further comprises receiving information about the consumer sufficient to perform a consumer credit analysis. 3. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the notification further comprises determining, as a result of receiving the application, that the consumer requests to purchase the product. 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the notification and the application are received together. 5. The method of claim 4, wherein receiving the application constitutes receiving the notification that the consumer requests to purchase the product. 6. The method of claim 1, wherein the notification and the application are received separately. 7. The method of claim 1, further comprising notifying at least one of the consumer and the point-of-sale location that the application has been approved. 8. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether to approve the application further comprises performing a credit analysis at least using information associated with the consumer. 9. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether to approve the application further comprises denying the application if the consumer does not purchase the product. 10. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether to approve the application further comprises approving the application even though the consumer does not purchase the product. 11. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether to approve the application further comprises causing the point-of-sale location to prevent the consumer's purchase of the product if the application is not approved. 12. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether to approve the application further comprises notifying the point-of-sale location to prevent the consumer's purchase of the product if the application is not approved. 13. The method of claim 1, further comprising charging a purchase cost of the product to the credit card account. 14. The method of claim 1, wherein the credit card account is configured for use in subsequent purchase transactions unrelated to the product. 15. The method of claim 1, further comprising charging fees associated with the product to the credit card account. 16. The method of claim 15, wherein the charged fees correspond to service fees charged to the credit card account during subsequent statement cycles. 17. The method of claim 15, wherein the charged fees correspond to the consumer's usage of the purchased product. 18. The method of claim 15, wherein the charged fees correspond to at least one function of the product. 19. The method of claim 18, wherein the at least one function comprises at least one of cellular telephone service, pager service, instant messaging service, and internet service. 20. The method of claim 18, further comprising causing the at least one function to be inoperable if the credit card account is at least one of closed and delinquent. 21. A method for offering a credit card account to a consumer at a point-of-sale location, the method comprising:
offering a product to the consumer at the point-of-sale location; offering a credit card account to the consumer at the point-of-sale location; and conditioning the offer of the product to the consumer based on the consumer's acceptance of the credit card account, fees allocating charges associated with the product being required to be charged to the credit card account. 22. The method of claim 21, wherein offering the credit card account further comprises receiving an application from the consumer for the credit card account. 23. The method of claim 22, further comprising notifying at least one of the consumer and the point-of-sale location that the application has been approved. 24. The method of claim 21, further comprising charging a purchase cost of the product to the credit card account. 25. The method of claim 21, wherein the credit card account is configured for use in subsequent purchase transactions unrelated to the product. 26. The method of claim 21, further comprising charging fees associated with the product to the credit card account. 27. The method of claim 26, wherein the charged fees correspond to service fees charged to the credit card account during subsequent statement cycles. 28. The method of claim 26, wherein the charged fees correspond to the consumer's usage of the purchased product. 29. The method of claim 26, wherein the charged fees correspond to at least one function of the product. 30. The method of claim 29, wherein the at least one function comprises at least one of cellular telephone service, pager service, instant messaging service, and internet service. 31. The method of claim 29, further comprising causing the at least one function to be inoperable if the credit card account is at least one of closed and delinquent. 32. A system for marketing a credit card account to a consumer, the system comprising:
a memory storage for maintaining a database; and a processing unit coupled to the memory storage, wherein the processing unit is operative to
receive an application for the credit card account from the consumer through a point-of-sale location;
receive a notification that the consumer requests to purchase a product at the point-of-sale location; and
determine whether to approve the application based upon receiving the notification that the consumer requests to purchase the product. 33. The system of claim 32, wherein operative to receive the application further comprises being operative to receive information about the consumer sufficient to perform a consumer credit analysis. 34. The system of claim 32, wherein operative to receive the notification further comprises being operative to determine, as a result of receiving the application, that the consumer requests to purchase the product. 35. The system of claim 32, wherein the notification and the application are received together. 36. The system of claim 35, wherein operative to receive the application further comprise being operative to receive the notification that the consumer requests to purchase the product. 37. The system of claim 32, wherein the notification and the application are received separately. 38. The system of claim 32, wherein the processing unit is operative to notify at least one of the consumer and the point-of-sale location that the application has been approved. 39. The system of claim 32, wherein operative to determine whether to approve the application further comprises being operative to perform a credit analysis at least using information associated with the consumer. 40. The system of claim 32, wherein operative to determine whether to approve the application further comprises being operative to deny the application if the consumer does not purchase the product. 41. The system of claim 32, wherein operative to determine whether to approve the application further comprises being operative to approve the application even though the consumer does not purchase the product. 42. The system of claim 32, wherein operative to determine whether to approve the application further comprises operative to cause the point-of-sale location to prevent the consumer's purchase of the product if the application is not approved. 43. The system of claim 32, wherein operative to determine whether to approve the application further comprises being operative to notify the point-of-sale location to prevent the consumer's purchase of the product if the application is not approved. 44. The system of claim 32, wherein the processing unit is further operative to charge a purchase cost of the product to the credit card account. 45. The system of claim 32, wherein the credit card account is configured for use in subsequent purchase transactions unrelated to the product. 46. The system of claim 32, wherein the processing unit is further operative to charge fees associated with the product to the credit card account. 47. The system of claim 46, wherein the charged fees correspond to service fees charged to the credit card account during subsequent statement cycles. 48. The system of claim 46, wherein the charged fees correspond to the consumer's usage of the purchased product. 49. The system of claim 46, wherein the charged fees correspond to at least one function of the product. 50. The system of claim 49, wherein the at least one function comprises at least one of cellular telephone service, pager service, instant messaging service, and internet service. 51. The system of claim 49, wherein the processing unit is further operative to cause the at least one function to be inoperable if the credit card account is at least one of closed and delinquent. 52. A system for offering a credit card account to a consumer at a point-of-sale location, the system comprising:
a component for offering a product to the consumer at the point-of-sale location; a component for offering a credit card account to the consumer at the point-of-sale location; and a component for conditioning the offer of the product to the consumer based on the consumer's acceptance of the credit card account, fees allocating charges associated with the product being required to be charged to the credit card account. 53. The system of claim 52, wherein the component for offering the credit card account is further configured for receiving an application from the consumer for the credit card account. 54. The system of claim 53, further comprising a component for notifying at least one of the consumer and the point-of-sale location that the application has been approved. 55. The system of claim 52, further comprising a component for charging a purchase cost of the product to the credit card account. 56. The system of claim 52, wherein the credit card account is configured for use in subsequent purchase transactions unrelated to the product. 57. The system of claim 52, further comprising a component for charging fees associated with the product to the credit card account. 58. The system of claim 57, wherein the charged fees correspond to service fees charged to the credit card account during subsequent statement cycles. 59. The system of claim 57, wherein the charged fees correspond to the consumer's usage of the purchased product. 60. The system of claim 57, wherein the charged fees correspond to at least one function of the product. 61. The system of claim 60, wherein the at least one function comprises at least one of cellular telephone service, pager service, instant messaging service, and internet service. 62. The system of claim 60, further comprising a component for causing the at least one function to be inoperable if the credit card account is at least one of closed and delinquent. 63. A computer-readable medium comprising a set of instructions which when executed perform a method for marketing a credit card account to a consumer, the method comprising:
receiving an application for the credit card account from the consumer through a point-of-sale location; receiving a notification that the consumer requests to purchase a product at the point-of-sale location; and determining whether to approve the application based upon receiving the notification that the consumer requests to purchase the product. 64. The computer-readable medium of claim 63, wherein receiving the application further comprises receiving information about the consumer sufficient to perform a consumer credit analysis. 65. The computer-readable medium of claim 63, wherein receiving the notification further comprises determining, as a result of receiving the application, that the consumer requests to purchase the product. 66. The computer-readable medium of claim 63, wherein the notification and the application are received together. 67. The computer-readable medium of claim 66, wherein receiving the application constitutes receiving the notification that the consumer requests to purchase the product. 68. The computer-readable medium of claim 63, wherein the notification and the application are received separately. 69. The computer-readable medium of claim 63, the method further comprising notifying at least one of the consumer and the point-of-sale location that the application has been approved. 70. The computer-readable medium of claim 63, wherein determining whether to approve the application further comprises performing a credit analysis at least using information associated with the consumer. 71. The computer-readable medium of claim 63, wherein determining whether to approve the application further comprises denying the application if the consumer does not purchase the product. 72. The computer-readable medium of claim 63, wherein determining whether to approve the application further comprises approving the application even though the consumer does not purchase the product. 73. The computer-readable medium of claim 63, wherein determining whether to approve the application further comprises causing the point-of-sale location to prevent the consumer's purchase of the product if the application is not approved. 74. The computer-readable medium of claim 63, wherein determining whether to approve the application further comprises notifing the point-of-sale location to prevent the consumer's purchase of the product if the application is not approved. 75. The computer-readable medium of claim 63, the method further comprising charging a purchase cost of the product to the credit card account. 76. The computer-readable medium of claim 63, wherein the credit card account is configured for use in subsequent purchase transactions unrelated to the product. 77. The computer-readable medium of claim 63, the method further comprising charging fees associated with the product to the credit card account. 78. The computer-readable medium of claim 77, wherein the charged fees correspond to service fees charged to the credit card account during subsequent statement cycles. 79. The computer-readable medium of claim 77, wherein the charged fees correspond to the consumer's usage of the purchased product. 80. The computer-readable medium of claim 77, wherein the charged fees correspond to at least one function of the product. 81. The computer-readable medium of claim 80, wherein the at least one function comprises at least one of cellular telephone service, pager service, instant messaging service, and internet service. 82. The computer-readable medium of claim 80, the method further comprising causing the at least one function to be inoperable if the credit card account is at least one of closed and delinquent. 83. A computer-readable medium comprising a set of instructions which when executed perform a method for offering a credit card account to a consumer at a point-of-sale location, the method comprising:
offering a product to the consumer at the point-of-sale location; offering a credit card account to the consumer at the point-of-sale location; and conditioning the offer of the product to the consumer based on the consumer's acceptance of the credit card account, fees allocating charges associated with the product being required to be charged to the credit card account. 84. The computer-readable medium of claim 83, wherein offering the credit card account further comprises receiving an application from the consumer for the credit card account. 85. The computer-readable medium of claim 84, the method further comprising notifying at least one of the consumer and the point-of-sale location that the application has been approved. 86. The computer-readable medium of claim 83, the method further comprising charging a purchase cost of the product to the credit card account. 87. The computer-readable medium of claim 83, wherein the credit card account is configured for use in subsequent purchase transactions unrelated to the product. 88. The computer-readable medium of claim 83, the method further comprising charging fees associated with the product to the credit card account. 89. The computer-readable medium of claim 88, wherein the charged fees correspond to service fees charged to the credit card account during subsequent statement cycles. 90. The computer-readable medium of claim 88, wherein the charged fees correspond to the consumer's usage of the purchased product. 91. The computer-readable medium of claim 88, wherein the charged fees correspond to at least one function of the product. 92. The computer-readable medium of claim 91, wherein the at least one function comprises at least one of cellular telephone service, pager service, instant messaging service, and internet service. 93. The computer-readable medium of claim 91, the method further comprising causing the at least one function to be inoperable if the credit card account is at least one of closed and delinquent. | Systems and methods are disclosed for offering a credit card account to a consumer at a point-of-sale location. The systems and methods may include offering a product to the consumer at the point-of-sale location. In addition, the systems and methods may include offering a credit card account to the consumer at the point-of-sale location. Moreover, the product offer may be conditioned based on the consumer's acceptance of the credit card account, fees allocating charges associated with the product may be required to be charged to the credit card account. The fees allocating charges associated with the product may comprise periodic subscription fees associated with the product's use.1. A method for marketing a credit card account to a consumer, the method comprising:
receiving an application for the credit card account from the consumer through a point-of-sale location; receiving a notification that the consumer requests to purchase a product at the point-of-sale location; and determining whether to approve the application based upon receiving the notification that the consumer requests to purchase the product. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the application further comprises receiving information about the consumer sufficient to perform a consumer credit analysis. 3. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the notification further comprises determining, as a result of receiving the application, that the consumer requests to purchase the product. 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the notification and the application are received together. 5. The method of claim 4, wherein receiving the application constitutes receiving the notification that the consumer requests to purchase the product. 6. The method of claim 1, wherein the notification and the application are received separately. 7. The method of claim 1, further comprising notifying at least one of the consumer and the point-of-sale location that the application has been approved. 8. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether to approve the application further comprises performing a credit analysis at least using information associated with the consumer. 9. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether to approve the application further comprises denying the application if the consumer does not purchase the product. 10. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether to approve the application further comprises approving the application even though the consumer does not purchase the product. 11. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether to approve the application further comprises causing the point-of-sale location to prevent the consumer's purchase of the product if the application is not approved. 12. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether to approve the application further comprises notifying the point-of-sale location to prevent the consumer's purchase of the product if the application is not approved. 13. The method of claim 1, further comprising charging a purchase cost of the product to the credit card account. 14. The method of claim 1, wherein the credit card account is configured for use in subsequent purchase transactions unrelated to the product. 15. The method of claim 1, further comprising charging fees associated with the product to the credit card account. 16. The method of claim 15, wherein the charged fees correspond to service fees charged to the credit card account during subsequent statement cycles. 17. The method of claim 15, wherein the charged fees correspond to the consumer's usage of the purchased product. 18. The method of claim 15, wherein the charged fees correspond to at least one function of the product. 19. The method of claim 18, wherein the at least one function comprises at least one of cellular telephone service, pager service, instant messaging service, and internet service. 20. The method of claim 18, further comprising causing the at least one function to be inoperable if the credit card account is at least one of closed and delinquent. 21. A method for offering a credit card account to a consumer at a point-of-sale location, the method comprising:
offering a product to the consumer at the point-of-sale location; offering a credit card account to the consumer at the point-of-sale location; and conditioning the offer of the product to the consumer based on the consumer's acceptance of the credit card account, fees allocating charges associated with the product being required to be charged to the credit card account. 22. The method of claim 21, wherein offering the credit card account further comprises receiving an application from the consumer for the credit card account. 23. The method of claim 22, further comprising notifying at least one of the consumer and the point-of-sale location that the application has been approved. 24. The method of claim 21, further comprising charging a purchase cost of the product to the credit card account. 25. The method of claim 21, wherein the credit card account is configured for use in subsequent purchase transactions unrelated to the product. 26. The method of claim 21, further comprising charging fees associated with the product to the credit card account. 27. The method of claim 26, wherein the charged fees correspond to service fees charged to the credit card account during subsequent statement cycles. 28. The method of claim 26, wherein the charged fees correspond to the consumer's usage of the purchased product. 29. The method of claim 26, wherein the charged fees correspond to at least one function of the product. 30. The method of claim 29, wherein the at least one function comprises at least one of cellular telephone service, pager service, instant messaging service, and internet service. 31. The method of claim 29, further comprising causing the at least one function to be inoperable if the credit card account is at least one of closed and delinquent. 32. A system for marketing a credit card account to a consumer, the system comprising:
a memory storage for maintaining a database; and a processing unit coupled to the memory storage, wherein the processing unit is operative to
receive an application for the credit card account from the consumer through a point-of-sale location;
receive a notification that the consumer requests to purchase a product at the point-of-sale location; and
determine whether to approve the application based upon receiving the notification that the consumer requests to purchase the product. 33. The system of claim 32, wherein operative to receive the application further comprises being operative to receive information about the consumer sufficient to perform a consumer credit analysis. 34. The system of claim 32, wherein operative to receive the notification further comprises being operative to determine, as a result of receiving the application, that the consumer requests to purchase the product. 35. The system of claim 32, wherein the notification and the application are received together. 36. The system of claim 35, wherein operative to receive the application further comprise being operative to receive the notification that the consumer requests to purchase the product. 37. The system of claim 32, wherein the notification and the application are received separately. 38. The system of claim 32, wherein the processing unit is operative to notify at least one of the consumer and the point-of-sale location that the application has been approved. 39. The system of claim 32, wherein operative to determine whether to approve the application further comprises being operative to perform a credit analysis at least using information associated with the consumer. 40. The system of claim 32, wherein operative to determine whether to approve the application further comprises being operative to deny the application if the consumer does not purchase the product. 41. The system of claim 32, wherein operative to determine whether to approve the application further comprises being operative to approve the application even though the consumer does not purchase the product. 42. The system of claim 32, wherein operative to determine whether to approve the application further comprises operative to cause the point-of-sale location to prevent the consumer's purchase of the product if the application is not approved. 43. The system of claim 32, wherein operative to determine whether to approve the application further comprises being operative to notify the point-of-sale location to prevent the consumer's purchase of the product if the application is not approved. 44. The system of claim 32, wherein the processing unit is further operative to charge a purchase cost of the product to the credit card account. 45. The system of claim 32, wherein the credit card account is configured for use in subsequent purchase transactions unrelated to the product. 46. The system of claim 32, wherein the processing unit is further operative to charge fees associated with the product to the credit card account. 47. The system of claim 46, wherein the charged fees correspond to service fees charged to the credit card account during subsequent statement cycles. 48. The system of claim 46, wherein the charged fees correspond to the consumer's usage of the purchased product. 49. The system of claim 46, wherein the charged fees correspond to at least one function of the product. 50. The system of claim 49, wherein the at least one function comprises at least one of cellular telephone service, pager service, instant messaging service, and internet service. 51. The system of claim 49, wherein the processing unit is further operative to cause the at least one function to be inoperable if the credit card account is at least one of closed and delinquent. 52. A system for offering a credit card account to a consumer at a point-of-sale location, the system comprising:
a component for offering a product to the consumer at the point-of-sale location; a component for offering a credit card account to the consumer at the point-of-sale location; and a component for conditioning the offer of the product to the consumer based on the consumer's acceptance of the credit card account, fees allocating charges associated with the product being required to be charged to the credit card account. 53. The system of claim 52, wherein the component for offering the credit card account is further configured for receiving an application from the consumer for the credit card account. 54. The system of claim 53, further comprising a component for notifying at least one of the consumer and the point-of-sale location that the application has been approved. 55. The system of claim 52, further comprising a component for charging a purchase cost of the product to the credit card account. 56. The system of claim 52, wherein the credit card account is configured for use in subsequent purchase transactions unrelated to the product. 57. The system of claim 52, further comprising a component for charging fees associated with the product to the credit card account. 58. The system of claim 57, wherein the charged fees correspond to service fees charged to the credit card account during subsequent statement cycles. 59. The system of claim 57, wherein the charged fees correspond to the consumer's usage of the purchased product. 60. The system of claim 57, wherein the charged fees correspond to at least one function of the product. 61. The system of claim 60, wherein the at least one function comprises at least one of cellular telephone service, pager service, instant messaging service, and internet service. 62. The system of claim 60, further comprising a component for causing the at least one function to be inoperable if the credit card account is at least one of closed and delinquent. 63. A computer-readable medium comprising a set of instructions which when executed perform a method for marketing a credit card account to a consumer, the method comprising:
receiving an application for the credit card account from the consumer through a point-of-sale location; receiving a notification that the consumer requests to purchase a product at the point-of-sale location; and determining whether to approve the application based upon receiving the notification that the consumer requests to purchase the product. 64. The computer-readable medium of claim 63, wherein receiving the application further comprises receiving information about the consumer sufficient to perform a consumer credit analysis. 65. The computer-readable medium of claim 63, wherein receiving the notification further comprises determining, as a result of receiving the application, that the consumer requests to purchase the product. 66. The computer-readable medium of claim 63, wherein the notification and the application are received together. 67. The computer-readable medium of claim 66, wherein receiving the application constitutes receiving the notification that the consumer requests to purchase the product. 68. The computer-readable medium of claim 63, wherein the notification and the application are received separately. 69. The computer-readable medium of claim 63, the method further comprising notifying at least one of the consumer and the point-of-sale location that the application has been approved. 70. The computer-readable medium of claim 63, wherein determining whether to approve the application further comprises performing a credit analysis at least using information associated with the consumer. 71. The computer-readable medium of claim 63, wherein determining whether to approve the application further comprises denying the application if the consumer does not purchase the product. 72. The computer-readable medium of claim 63, wherein determining whether to approve the application further comprises approving the application even though the consumer does not purchase the product. 73. The computer-readable medium of claim 63, wherein determining whether to approve the application further comprises causing the point-of-sale location to prevent the consumer's purchase of the product if the application is not approved. 74. The computer-readable medium of claim 63, wherein determining whether to approve the application further comprises notifing the point-of-sale location to prevent the consumer's purchase of the product if the application is not approved. 75. The computer-readable medium of claim 63, the method further comprising charging a purchase cost of the product to the credit card account. 76. The computer-readable medium of claim 63, wherein the credit card account is configured for use in subsequent purchase transactions unrelated to the product. 77. The computer-readable medium of claim 63, the method further comprising charging fees associated with the product to the credit card account. 78. The computer-readable medium of claim 77, wherein the charged fees correspond to service fees charged to the credit card account during subsequent statement cycles. 79. The computer-readable medium of claim 77, wherein the charged fees correspond to the consumer's usage of the purchased product. 80. The computer-readable medium of claim 77, wherein the charged fees correspond to at least one function of the product. 81. The computer-readable medium of claim 80, wherein the at least one function comprises at least one of cellular telephone service, pager service, instant messaging service, and internet service. 82. The computer-readable medium of claim 80, the method further comprising causing the at least one function to be inoperable if the credit card account is at least one of closed and delinquent. 83. A computer-readable medium comprising a set of instructions which when executed perform a method for offering a credit card account to a consumer at a point-of-sale location, the method comprising:
offering a product to the consumer at the point-of-sale location; offering a credit card account to the consumer at the point-of-sale location; and conditioning the offer of the product to the consumer based on the consumer's acceptance of the credit card account, fees allocating charges associated with the product being required to be charged to the credit card account. 84. The computer-readable medium of claim 83, wherein offering the credit card account further comprises receiving an application from the consumer for the credit card account. 85. The computer-readable medium of claim 84, the method further comprising notifying at least one of the consumer and the point-of-sale location that the application has been approved. 86. The computer-readable medium of claim 83, the method further comprising charging a purchase cost of the product to the credit card account. 87. The computer-readable medium of claim 83, wherein the credit card account is configured for use in subsequent purchase transactions unrelated to the product. 88. The computer-readable medium of claim 83, the method further comprising charging fees associated with the product to the credit card account. 89. The computer-readable medium of claim 88, wherein the charged fees correspond to service fees charged to the credit card account during subsequent statement cycles. 90. The computer-readable medium of claim 88, wherein the charged fees correspond to the consumer's usage of the purchased product. 91. The computer-readable medium of claim 88, wherein the charged fees correspond to at least one function of the product. 92. The computer-readable medium of claim 91, wherein the at least one function comprises at least one of cellular telephone service, pager service, instant messaging service, and internet service. 93. The computer-readable medium of claim 91, the method further comprising causing the at least one function to be inoperable if the credit card account is at least one of closed and delinquent. | 3,600 |
12,894 | 12,894 | 14,992,951 | 3,644 | An electric propulsion and lift system for an aircraft that includes a plurality of electric motor/propeller assemblies on the flaps of the aircraft so that when the flaps are deflected for take-off and landings, the propellers are directed downward to provide thrust for power lift and increased airflow over the wing for aerodynamic lift. The motor/propeller assemblies are spaced apart and positioned along the entire length of the flaps to provide a distributed airflow. | 1. An aircraft comprising:
a fuselage; a first wing mounted on one side of the fuselage and a second wing mounted on an opposite side of the fuselage, each of the wings including a trailing edge having a flap pivotally mounted thereto; and a plurality of electric motor/propeller assemblies mounted to each of the flaps and being positioned when the flaps are extended so that propellers on the assemblies are oriented downward to provide power lift and increased aerodynamic lift. 2. The aircraft according to claim 1 wherein the plurality of motor/propeller assemblies mounted to each flap are spaced apart and extend an entire length of the flaps. 3. The aircraft according to claim 1 further comprising main cruise engines that provide thrust for the aircraft. 4. The aircraft according to claim 3 wherein the engines are mounted to a leading edge of the wings. 5. The aircraft according to claim 1 wherein the plurality of electric motor/propeller assemblies are the only propulsion devices on the aircraft. 6. The aircraft according to claim 1 further comprising a power source for providing electrical power to the motor/propeller assemblies. 7. The aircraft according to claim 6 wherein the power source is a generator. 8. The aircraft according to claim 6 wherein the power source is at least one battery. 9. The aircraft according to claim 8 wherein a separate battery is provided for each motor/propeller assembly. 10. The aircraft according to claim 1 wherein the plurality of electric motors are the same size. 11. The aircraft according to claim 1 wherein the plurality of electric motor/propeller assemblies have different sizes. 12. The aircraft according to claim 1 wherein each propeller has a certain number of blades as determined by its location on the flap. 13. A propulsion and lift system for an aircraft comprising a plurality of electric motor/propeller assemblies mounted to a flap positioned at a trailing edge of a wing on the aircraft, said plurality of electric motor/propeller assemblies being positioned when the flap is extended so that propellers on the assemblies are oriented downward to provide power lift and increased aerodynamic lift. 14. The system according to claim 13 wherein the plurality of motor/propeller assemblies mounted to the flap are spaced apart and extend an entire length of the flap. 15. The system according to claim 13 wherein the plurality of electric motor/propeller assemblies are the only propulsion devices on the aircraft. 16. The system according to claim 13 further comprising a power source for providing electrical power to the motor/propeller assemblies. 17. The system according to claim 16 wherein the power source is a generator. 18. The system according to claim 16 wherein the power source is at least one battery. 19. The system according to claim 18 wherein a separate battery is provided for each motor/propeller assembly. 20. The system according to claim 13 wherein the plurality of electric motors are the same size. | An electric propulsion and lift system for an aircraft that includes a plurality of electric motor/propeller assemblies on the flaps of the aircraft so that when the flaps are deflected for take-off and landings, the propellers are directed downward to provide thrust for power lift and increased airflow over the wing for aerodynamic lift. The motor/propeller assemblies are spaced apart and positioned along the entire length of the flaps to provide a distributed airflow.1. An aircraft comprising:
a fuselage; a first wing mounted on one side of the fuselage and a second wing mounted on an opposite side of the fuselage, each of the wings including a trailing edge having a flap pivotally mounted thereto; and a plurality of electric motor/propeller assemblies mounted to each of the flaps and being positioned when the flaps are extended so that propellers on the assemblies are oriented downward to provide power lift and increased aerodynamic lift. 2. The aircraft according to claim 1 wherein the plurality of motor/propeller assemblies mounted to each flap are spaced apart and extend an entire length of the flaps. 3. The aircraft according to claim 1 further comprising main cruise engines that provide thrust for the aircraft. 4. The aircraft according to claim 3 wherein the engines are mounted to a leading edge of the wings. 5. The aircraft according to claim 1 wherein the plurality of electric motor/propeller assemblies are the only propulsion devices on the aircraft. 6. The aircraft according to claim 1 further comprising a power source for providing electrical power to the motor/propeller assemblies. 7. The aircraft according to claim 6 wherein the power source is a generator. 8. The aircraft according to claim 6 wherein the power source is at least one battery. 9. The aircraft according to claim 8 wherein a separate battery is provided for each motor/propeller assembly. 10. The aircraft according to claim 1 wherein the plurality of electric motors are the same size. 11. The aircraft according to claim 1 wherein the plurality of electric motor/propeller assemblies have different sizes. 12. The aircraft according to claim 1 wherein each propeller has a certain number of blades as determined by its location on the flap. 13. A propulsion and lift system for an aircraft comprising a plurality of electric motor/propeller assemblies mounted to a flap positioned at a trailing edge of a wing on the aircraft, said plurality of electric motor/propeller assemblies being positioned when the flap is extended so that propellers on the assemblies are oriented downward to provide power lift and increased aerodynamic lift. 14. The system according to claim 13 wherein the plurality of motor/propeller assemblies mounted to the flap are spaced apart and extend an entire length of the flap. 15. The system according to claim 13 wherein the plurality of electric motor/propeller assemblies are the only propulsion devices on the aircraft. 16. The system according to claim 13 further comprising a power source for providing electrical power to the motor/propeller assemblies. 17. The system according to claim 16 wherein the power source is a generator. 18. The system according to claim 16 wherein the power source is at least one battery. 19. The system according to claim 18 wherein a separate battery is provided for each motor/propeller assembly. 20. The system according to claim 13 wherein the plurality of electric motors are the same size. | 3,600 |
12,895 | 12,895 | 13,186,733 | 3,689 | A schedule and recommendations associated with one or more points of interest can be identified. The points of interest can be associated with a geographical region. Telemetry associated with a one or more computing devices can be received. The computing devices (e.g., mobile phone with sensors) can be associated with one or more points of interest. Telemetry data can be evaluated against a recommendation criteria and the user preference. A schedule and recommendations can be determined based on the evaluating telemetry information, historic data, criteria and preferences. The schedule and recommendation(s) enhance visits to points of interest. | 1. A method for providing real-time or near real-time schedules and recommendations comprising:
identifying a user preference associated with a plurality of points of interest, wherein the points of interest are associated with a geographical region; receiving telemetry associated with a plurality of computing devices, wherein the plurality of computing devices is associated with at least one of the plurality of points of interest; evaluating telemetry data against at least one recommendation criteria and the user preference; and determining at least one schedule and recommendations based on the evaluating, wherein the schedule is an itinerary of at least one of the plurality of points of interest. 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
enabling a schedule and recommendation(s) to the plurality of computing devices. 3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:
presenting the schedule and recommendation(s) within a user interface associated with the plurality of computing devices. 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the telemetry data is automatically collected from a computing device during a pre-defined interval. 5. The method of claim 1, wherein the telemetry data is automatically collected in response to a polling event. 6. The method of claim 1, wherein the telemetry is at least one of a video stream, an audio stream, a temperature, a humidity metric, a pressure metric, an odor metric, a speed metric, and a metric. 7. The method of claim 1, wherein the recommendation criteria is one or more threshold values. 8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
generating a schedule associated with one or more of the plurality of points of interest. 9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
creating a linked network associated with a plurality of computing devices, wherein the plurality of computing devices are associated with the plurality of points of interest. 10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
updating a schedule based on one or more recommendations. 11. A system for providing recommendations comprising:
a recommendation engine configured to generate at least one recommendation associated with telemetry received from a plurality of computing devices linked to a plurality of points of interest, wherein the at least one recommendation is at least one of the plurality of points of interest, wherein the at least one recommendation is generated utilizing at least one of a historic data, a recommendation criteria, and a preference, wherein the plurality of points of interest is associated with a geographical region; and a data store able to store the at least one recommendation and the recommendation criteria, wherein the recommendation criteria is a threshold value evaluated against the telemetry to determine the state of at least one of the plurality of points of interest. 12. The system of claim 11, further comprising:
an analytics component able to examine the telemetry, historical data, criteria and preferences to determine a state associated with at least one of the plurality of points of interest; a suggestion engine configured to determine the at least one recommendation associated with at least one of the plurality of points of interest; and an optimization handler capable of improving the at least one recommendation. 13. The system of claim 11, wherein the telemetry is automatically collected via a computing device. 14. The system of claim 11, wherein the telemetry is automatically collected via a computing device embedded within a wristband. 15. The system of claim 11, wherein the telemetry is at least one of a video stream, an audio stream, a temperature, a humidity metric, a pressure metric, an odor metric, a speed metric, and a metric. 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 a storage medium, if said computer usable program code is run by a processor it is operable to identify a user preference associated with a plurality of points of interest, wherein the points of interest are associated with a geographical region; computer usable program code stored in a storage medium, if said computer usable program code is run by a processor it is operable to receive telemetry associated with a plurality of computing devices, wherein the plurality of computing devices is associated with at least one of the plurality of points of interest; computer usable program code stored in a storage medium, if said computer usable program code is run by a processor it is operable to evaluate telemetry data against at least one recommendation criteria and the user preference; and computer usable program code stored in a storage medium, if said computer usable program code is run by a processor it is operable to determine at least one recommendation based on the evaluating, wherein the recommendation is at least one of the plurality of points of interest. 17. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the telemetry data is automatically collected from a computing device during a pre-defined interval. 18. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the telemetry data is automatically collected in response to a polling event. 19. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the telemetry is at least one of a video stream, an audio stream, a temperature, a humidity metric, a pressure metric, an odor metric, a speed metric. 20. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the telemetry is automatically collected via a computing device embedded within a wristband. 21. A system comprising hardware and software, wherein said software when run on the system causes the system to:
identify a user preferences associated with a plurality of points of interest, wherein the points of interest are associated with a geographical region; receive telemetry associated with a plurality of computing devices, wherein the plurality of computing devices is associated with at least one of the plurality of points of interest; evaluate telemetry data against at least one recommendation criteria and the user preference; and determine at least one schedule and recommendations based on the evaluating, wherein the schedule is an itinerary of at least one of the plurality of points of interest. 22. The system of claim 21, wherein said software when run on the system causes the system to:
enable a schedule and recommendation(s) to the plurality of computing devices. 23. The system of claim 22, wherein said software when run on the system causes the system to:
present the schedule and recommendation(s) within a user interface associated with the plurality of computing devices. 24. The system of claim 21, wherein said software when run on the system causes the system to:
generate a schedule associated with one or more of the plurality of points of interest. 25. The system of claim 21, wherein said software when run on the system causes the system to:
create a linked network associated with a plurality of computing devices, wherein the plurality of computing devices are associated with the plurality of points of interest. | A schedule and recommendations associated with one or more points of interest can be identified. The points of interest can be associated with a geographical region. Telemetry associated with a one or more computing devices can be received. The computing devices (e.g., mobile phone with sensors) can be associated with one or more points of interest. Telemetry data can be evaluated against a recommendation criteria and the user preference. A schedule and recommendations can be determined based on the evaluating telemetry information, historic data, criteria and preferences. The schedule and recommendation(s) enhance visits to points of interest.1. A method for providing real-time or near real-time schedules and recommendations comprising:
identifying a user preference associated with a plurality of points of interest, wherein the points of interest are associated with a geographical region; receiving telemetry associated with a plurality of computing devices, wherein the plurality of computing devices is associated with at least one of the plurality of points of interest; evaluating telemetry data against at least one recommendation criteria and the user preference; and determining at least one schedule and recommendations based on the evaluating, wherein the schedule is an itinerary of at least one of the plurality of points of interest. 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
enabling a schedule and recommendation(s) to the plurality of computing devices. 3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:
presenting the schedule and recommendation(s) within a user interface associated with the plurality of computing devices. 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the telemetry data is automatically collected from a computing device during a pre-defined interval. 5. The method of claim 1, wherein the telemetry data is automatically collected in response to a polling event. 6. The method of claim 1, wherein the telemetry is at least one of a video stream, an audio stream, a temperature, a humidity metric, a pressure metric, an odor metric, a speed metric, and a metric. 7. The method of claim 1, wherein the recommendation criteria is one or more threshold values. 8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
generating a schedule associated with one or more of the plurality of points of interest. 9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
creating a linked network associated with a plurality of computing devices, wherein the plurality of computing devices are associated with the plurality of points of interest. 10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
updating a schedule based on one or more recommendations. 11. A system for providing recommendations comprising:
a recommendation engine configured to generate at least one recommendation associated with telemetry received from a plurality of computing devices linked to a plurality of points of interest, wherein the at least one recommendation is at least one of the plurality of points of interest, wherein the at least one recommendation is generated utilizing at least one of a historic data, a recommendation criteria, and a preference, wherein the plurality of points of interest is associated with a geographical region; and a data store able to store the at least one recommendation and the recommendation criteria, wherein the recommendation criteria is a threshold value evaluated against the telemetry to determine the state of at least one of the plurality of points of interest. 12. The system of claim 11, further comprising:
an analytics component able to examine the telemetry, historical data, criteria and preferences to determine a state associated with at least one of the plurality of points of interest; a suggestion engine configured to determine the at least one recommendation associated with at least one of the plurality of points of interest; and an optimization handler capable of improving the at least one recommendation. 13. The system of claim 11, wherein the telemetry is automatically collected via a computing device. 14. The system of claim 11, wherein the telemetry is automatically collected via a computing device embedded within a wristband. 15. The system of claim 11, wherein the telemetry is at least one of a video stream, an audio stream, a temperature, a humidity metric, a pressure metric, an odor metric, a speed metric, and a metric. 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 a storage medium, if said computer usable program code is run by a processor it is operable to identify a user preference associated with a plurality of points of interest, wherein the points of interest are associated with a geographical region; computer usable program code stored in a storage medium, if said computer usable program code is run by a processor it is operable to receive telemetry associated with a plurality of computing devices, wherein the plurality of computing devices is associated with at least one of the plurality of points of interest; computer usable program code stored in a storage medium, if said computer usable program code is run by a processor it is operable to evaluate telemetry data against at least one recommendation criteria and the user preference; and computer usable program code stored in a storage medium, if said computer usable program code is run by a processor it is operable to determine at least one recommendation based on the evaluating, wherein the recommendation is at least one of the plurality of points of interest. 17. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the telemetry data is automatically collected from a computing device during a pre-defined interval. 18. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the telemetry data is automatically collected in response to a polling event. 19. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the telemetry is at least one of a video stream, an audio stream, a temperature, a humidity metric, a pressure metric, an odor metric, a speed metric. 20. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the telemetry is automatically collected via a computing device embedded within a wristband. 21. A system comprising hardware and software, wherein said software when run on the system causes the system to:
identify a user preferences associated with a plurality of points of interest, wherein the points of interest are associated with a geographical region; receive telemetry associated with a plurality of computing devices, wherein the plurality of computing devices is associated with at least one of the plurality of points of interest; evaluate telemetry data against at least one recommendation criteria and the user preference; and determine at least one schedule and recommendations based on the evaluating, wherein the schedule is an itinerary of at least one of the plurality of points of interest. 22. The system of claim 21, wherein said software when run on the system causes the system to:
enable a schedule and recommendation(s) to the plurality of computing devices. 23. The system of claim 22, wherein said software when run on the system causes the system to:
present the schedule and recommendation(s) within a user interface associated with the plurality of computing devices. 24. The system of claim 21, wherein said software when run on the system causes the system to:
generate a schedule associated with one or more of the plurality of points of interest. 25. The system of claim 21, wherein said software when run on the system causes the system to:
create a linked network associated with a plurality of computing devices, wherein the plurality of computing devices are associated with the plurality of points of interest. | 3,600 |
12,896 | 12,896 | 14,521,491 | 3,697 | An exchange through which swap contracts may be traded. Embodiments may allow a trader to announce a potential crossing before the crossing is requested. The user may then request the crossing between two parties. An announcement window may be kept open through a chaining of announcements. An interloper with a same price but better time than a party to the cross may be kept out of interloping in the cross. A ticker symbol system may list a clearinghouse to be used to execute a requested cross. | 1. An apparatus comprising:
one or more processors; and one or more non-transitory media having stored thereon a plurality of instructions that when executed by the one or more processors, cause the apparatus to: receive an indication of a swap contract from a market participant; in response to receiving the indication of the swap contract, announce a potential crossing of the swap contract to a plurality of market participants; in response to receiving the indication of the swap contract, intentionally constrain a facilitation of a request for cross in the swap contract by the market participant for a time period; after the period of intentional delay has passed, allow facilitation of the request for cross in the swap contract by the market participant; receive the request for cross from the market participant, in which the request for cross identifies a price and a quantity; determine that no better price for the request for cross for either of the two parties exists in the market; determine that an equal price for the request for cross for one of the two parties with a better time priority than the cross exists in the market; and facilitate execution of the cross between the two parties at the price and for the quantity. 2. The apparatus of claim 1, in which allowing facilitation includes allowing for a limited amount of time and in which the request for cross is received during that limited amount of time. 3. The apparatus of claim 1, in which the indication of the swap contract includes a ticker symbol that identifies a clearinghouse to be used for trades involving the swap contract, and in which facilitating execution includes facilitating execution using the clearinghouse. 4. The apparatus of claim 1, in which allowing facilitation includes allowing for a limited amount of time and in which the apparatus is controlled to:
at a time equal in length to the period of time before the limited amount of time ends, receive a second indication of the swap contract from the market participant; in response to receiving the second indication of the swap contract, re-announce the potential crossing of the swap contract to the plurality of market participants; and in response to receiving the second indication of the swap contract, continuing to allow facilitation for an extra period of time after the limited amount of time. 5. The apparatus of claim 1, in which the market participant includes a broker. 6. An apparatus comprising:
one or more processors; and one or more non-transitory media having stored thereon a plurality of instructions that when executed by the one or more processors, cause the apparatus to: receive an indication of a ticker symbol of a swap contract from a market participant, in which the ticker symbol identifies a clearinghouse to be used for trades in the swap contract; in response to receiving the indication of the ticker symbol, announce a potential crossing of the swap contract to a plurality of market participants; in response to receiving the indication of the ticker symbol, intentionally constrain a facilitation of a request for cross in the swap contract by the market participant for a time period; after the period of intentional delay has passed, allow facilitation of the request for cross in the swap contract by the market participant; receive the request for cross identifying the ticker symbol, in which the request for cross identifies a price, a quantity, and two parties; determine the clearinghouse based on the ticker symbol; and facilitate execution of the cross using the clearinghouse. 7. The apparatus of claim 6, in which allowing facilitation includes allowing for a limited amount of time and in which the request for cross is received during that limited amount of time. 8. The apparatus of claim 6, in which the apparatus is configured to:
determine that an equal price for the request for cross for one of the two parties with a better time priority than the cross exists in the market; and in which facilitating the execution includes facilitate execution of the cross between the two parties at the price and for the quantity. 9. The apparatus of claim 6, in which allowing facilitation includes allowing for a limited amount of time and in which the apparatus is controlled to:
at a time equal in length to the period of time before the limited amount of time ends, receive a second indication of the ticker symbol from the market participant; in response to receiving the second indication of the swap contract, re-announce the potential crossing of the swap contract to the plurality of market participants; and in response to receiving the second indication of the swap contract, continuing to allow facilitation for an extra period of time after the limited amount of time. 10. The apparatus of claim 6, in which the apparatus is controlled to:
determine that, compared to the price, a better price for fulfilling at least a portion of the request for cross for at least one of the two parties exists in the market; and in which facilitating execution of the cross includes facilitating execution of the at least the portion at the better price. 11. The apparatus of claim 10, in which facilitating execution includes facilitating execution with the at least one party and another party that is different from either of the two parties. 12. The apparatus of claim 10, in which facilitating execution includes facilitating execution between the two parties. 13. An apparatus comprising:
one or more processors; and one or more non-transitory media having stored thereon a plurality of instructions that when executed by the one or more processors, cause the apparatus to: receive a first indication of a swap contract from a market participant; in response to receiving the first indication of the swap contract, announce a potential crossing of the swap contract to a plurality of market participants; in response to receiving the first indication of the swap contract, intentionally constrain a facilitation of a request for cross in the swap contract by the market participant for a first amount of time; after the first amount of time of intentional delay has passed, allow facilitation of the request for cross in the swap contract by the market participant for a second amount of time; the first amount of time before the second amount of time ends, receive a second indication of a swap contract from the market participant; in response to receiving the second indication of the swap contract, re-announce the potential crossing of the swap contract to the plurality of market participants; in response to receiving the second indication of the swap contract, allow facilitation of the request for cross in the swap contract by the market participant for the second amount of time after receiving the second indication so that a total amount of time that facilitation of the request for cross is allowed by the market participant includes twice the second amount of time based on the first and second indications of the swap contract; receive the request for cross from the market participant, in which the request for cross identifies a price, a quantity and two parties; facilitate execution of the cross. 14. The apparatus of claim 13, in which the apparatus is caused to:
at a time when twice the second amount of time has passed from receiving the first indication of the swap contract, receive a third indication of the swap contract from the market participant; in response to receiving the third indication of the swap contract, re-announce the potential crossing of the swap contract to the plurality of market participants; in response to receiving the third indication of the swap contract, allow facilitation of the request for cross in the swap contract by the market participant for the second amount of time after receiving the third indication so that a total amount of time that facilitation of the request for cross is allowed by the market participant includes three times the second amount of time based on the first, second, and third indications of the swap contract. 15. The apparatus of claim 13, in which the apparatus is configured to:
determine that an equal price for the request for cross for one of the two parties with a better time priority than the cross exists in the market; and in which facilitating the execution includes facilitate execution of the cross between the two parties at the price and for the quantity. 16. The apparatus of claim 13, in which the indication of the swap contract includes a ticker symbol that identifies a clearinghouse to be used for trades involving the swap contract, and in which facilitating execution includes facilitating execution using the clearinghouse. 17. The apparatus of claim 13, in which the apparatus is controlled to:
determine that, compared to the price, a better price for fulfilling at least a portion of the request for cross for at least one of the two parties exists in the market; and in which facilitating execution of the cross includes facilitating execution of the at least the portion at the better price. 18. The apparatus of claim 17, in which facilitating execution includes facilitating execution with the at least one party and another party that is different from either of the two parties. 19. The apparatus of claim 17, in which facilitating execution includes facilitating execution between the two parties. 20. An apparatus comprising:
one or more processors; and one or more non-transitory media having stored thereon a plurality of instructions that when executed by the one or more processors, cause the apparatus to: receive a request to announce a potential cross of a swap contract between two parties; in response to receiving the request to announce, transmit an announcement to a marketplace, adjust an interface to show a countdown of an announcement time period, and control the interface to prevent submission of a request for cross during the announcement time period; in response to an end of the announcement time period, adjusting the interface to show that the announcement time period is over, adjust the interface show a countdown of a submission time period during which a request for cross is allowed to be submitted, and adjust the interface to allow submission of the request for cross during the submission time period; receive a request to submit the request for cross to the marketplace through the interface during the submission time period; and in response to receiving the request to submit the request for cross during the submission time period, transmit the request for cross of a swap contract to the marketplace. 21. The apparatus of claim 20, in which the apparatus is controlled to:
receive a change through the interface of one of the two parties during the submission time; and in which the request for cross indicates the changed party instead of one of the two parties. 22. The apparatus of claim 20, in which the apparatus is controlled to:
receive a request to extend the submission time at least an amount of time equal to the announcement time period before the submission time period ends; submit a second request to announce during the submission time at least an amount of time equal to the announcement time period before the submission time period ends; and in response to submitting the second request, transmit a second announcement to the marketplace and extend the submission time. 23. The apparatus of claim 20, in which the announcement includes a ticker symbol that identifies a clearinghouse to be used for trades involving the swap contract. 24. The apparatus of claim 20, in which controlling the interface to prevent submission of the request for cross during the announcement time period includes disabling a button and in which adjusting the interface to allow submission of the request for cross during the submission time period includes enabling the button. | An exchange through which swap contracts may be traded. Embodiments may allow a trader to announce a potential crossing before the crossing is requested. The user may then request the crossing between two parties. An announcement window may be kept open through a chaining of announcements. An interloper with a same price but better time than a party to the cross may be kept out of interloping in the cross. A ticker symbol system may list a clearinghouse to be used to execute a requested cross.1. An apparatus comprising:
one or more processors; and one or more non-transitory media having stored thereon a plurality of instructions that when executed by the one or more processors, cause the apparatus to: receive an indication of a swap contract from a market participant; in response to receiving the indication of the swap contract, announce a potential crossing of the swap contract to a plurality of market participants; in response to receiving the indication of the swap contract, intentionally constrain a facilitation of a request for cross in the swap contract by the market participant for a time period; after the period of intentional delay has passed, allow facilitation of the request for cross in the swap contract by the market participant; receive the request for cross from the market participant, in which the request for cross identifies a price and a quantity; determine that no better price for the request for cross for either of the two parties exists in the market; determine that an equal price for the request for cross for one of the two parties with a better time priority than the cross exists in the market; and facilitate execution of the cross between the two parties at the price and for the quantity. 2. The apparatus of claim 1, in which allowing facilitation includes allowing for a limited amount of time and in which the request for cross is received during that limited amount of time. 3. The apparatus of claim 1, in which the indication of the swap contract includes a ticker symbol that identifies a clearinghouse to be used for trades involving the swap contract, and in which facilitating execution includes facilitating execution using the clearinghouse. 4. The apparatus of claim 1, in which allowing facilitation includes allowing for a limited amount of time and in which the apparatus is controlled to:
at a time equal in length to the period of time before the limited amount of time ends, receive a second indication of the swap contract from the market participant; in response to receiving the second indication of the swap contract, re-announce the potential crossing of the swap contract to the plurality of market participants; and in response to receiving the second indication of the swap contract, continuing to allow facilitation for an extra period of time after the limited amount of time. 5. The apparatus of claim 1, in which the market participant includes a broker. 6. An apparatus comprising:
one or more processors; and one or more non-transitory media having stored thereon a plurality of instructions that when executed by the one or more processors, cause the apparatus to: receive an indication of a ticker symbol of a swap contract from a market participant, in which the ticker symbol identifies a clearinghouse to be used for trades in the swap contract; in response to receiving the indication of the ticker symbol, announce a potential crossing of the swap contract to a plurality of market participants; in response to receiving the indication of the ticker symbol, intentionally constrain a facilitation of a request for cross in the swap contract by the market participant for a time period; after the period of intentional delay has passed, allow facilitation of the request for cross in the swap contract by the market participant; receive the request for cross identifying the ticker symbol, in which the request for cross identifies a price, a quantity, and two parties; determine the clearinghouse based on the ticker symbol; and facilitate execution of the cross using the clearinghouse. 7. The apparatus of claim 6, in which allowing facilitation includes allowing for a limited amount of time and in which the request for cross is received during that limited amount of time. 8. The apparatus of claim 6, in which the apparatus is configured to:
determine that an equal price for the request for cross for one of the two parties with a better time priority than the cross exists in the market; and in which facilitating the execution includes facilitate execution of the cross between the two parties at the price and for the quantity. 9. The apparatus of claim 6, in which allowing facilitation includes allowing for a limited amount of time and in which the apparatus is controlled to:
at a time equal in length to the period of time before the limited amount of time ends, receive a second indication of the ticker symbol from the market participant; in response to receiving the second indication of the swap contract, re-announce the potential crossing of the swap contract to the plurality of market participants; and in response to receiving the second indication of the swap contract, continuing to allow facilitation for an extra period of time after the limited amount of time. 10. The apparatus of claim 6, in which the apparatus is controlled to:
determine that, compared to the price, a better price for fulfilling at least a portion of the request for cross for at least one of the two parties exists in the market; and in which facilitating execution of the cross includes facilitating execution of the at least the portion at the better price. 11. The apparatus of claim 10, in which facilitating execution includes facilitating execution with the at least one party and another party that is different from either of the two parties. 12. The apparatus of claim 10, in which facilitating execution includes facilitating execution between the two parties. 13. An apparatus comprising:
one or more processors; and one or more non-transitory media having stored thereon a plurality of instructions that when executed by the one or more processors, cause the apparatus to: receive a first indication of a swap contract from a market participant; in response to receiving the first indication of the swap contract, announce a potential crossing of the swap contract to a plurality of market participants; in response to receiving the first indication of the swap contract, intentionally constrain a facilitation of a request for cross in the swap contract by the market participant for a first amount of time; after the first amount of time of intentional delay has passed, allow facilitation of the request for cross in the swap contract by the market participant for a second amount of time; the first amount of time before the second amount of time ends, receive a second indication of a swap contract from the market participant; in response to receiving the second indication of the swap contract, re-announce the potential crossing of the swap contract to the plurality of market participants; in response to receiving the second indication of the swap contract, allow facilitation of the request for cross in the swap contract by the market participant for the second amount of time after receiving the second indication so that a total amount of time that facilitation of the request for cross is allowed by the market participant includes twice the second amount of time based on the first and second indications of the swap contract; receive the request for cross from the market participant, in which the request for cross identifies a price, a quantity and two parties; facilitate execution of the cross. 14. The apparatus of claim 13, in which the apparatus is caused to:
at a time when twice the second amount of time has passed from receiving the first indication of the swap contract, receive a third indication of the swap contract from the market participant; in response to receiving the third indication of the swap contract, re-announce the potential crossing of the swap contract to the plurality of market participants; in response to receiving the third indication of the swap contract, allow facilitation of the request for cross in the swap contract by the market participant for the second amount of time after receiving the third indication so that a total amount of time that facilitation of the request for cross is allowed by the market participant includes three times the second amount of time based on the first, second, and third indications of the swap contract. 15. The apparatus of claim 13, in which the apparatus is configured to:
determine that an equal price for the request for cross for one of the two parties with a better time priority than the cross exists in the market; and in which facilitating the execution includes facilitate execution of the cross between the two parties at the price and for the quantity. 16. The apparatus of claim 13, in which the indication of the swap contract includes a ticker symbol that identifies a clearinghouse to be used for trades involving the swap contract, and in which facilitating execution includes facilitating execution using the clearinghouse. 17. The apparatus of claim 13, in which the apparatus is controlled to:
determine that, compared to the price, a better price for fulfilling at least a portion of the request for cross for at least one of the two parties exists in the market; and in which facilitating execution of the cross includes facilitating execution of the at least the portion at the better price. 18. The apparatus of claim 17, in which facilitating execution includes facilitating execution with the at least one party and another party that is different from either of the two parties. 19. The apparatus of claim 17, in which facilitating execution includes facilitating execution between the two parties. 20. An apparatus comprising:
one or more processors; and one or more non-transitory media having stored thereon a plurality of instructions that when executed by the one or more processors, cause the apparatus to: receive a request to announce a potential cross of a swap contract between two parties; in response to receiving the request to announce, transmit an announcement to a marketplace, adjust an interface to show a countdown of an announcement time period, and control the interface to prevent submission of a request for cross during the announcement time period; in response to an end of the announcement time period, adjusting the interface to show that the announcement time period is over, adjust the interface show a countdown of a submission time period during which a request for cross is allowed to be submitted, and adjust the interface to allow submission of the request for cross during the submission time period; receive a request to submit the request for cross to the marketplace through the interface during the submission time period; and in response to receiving the request to submit the request for cross during the submission time period, transmit the request for cross of a swap contract to the marketplace. 21. The apparatus of claim 20, in which the apparatus is controlled to:
receive a change through the interface of one of the two parties during the submission time; and in which the request for cross indicates the changed party instead of one of the two parties. 22. The apparatus of claim 20, in which the apparatus is controlled to:
receive a request to extend the submission time at least an amount of time equal to the announcement time period before the submission time period ends; submit a second request to announce during the submission time at least an amount of time equal to the announcement time period before the submission time period ends; and in response to submitting the second request, transmit a second announcement to the marketplace and extend the submission time. 23. The apparatus of claim 20, in which the announcement includes a ticker symbol that identifies a clearinghouse to be used for trades involving the swap contract. 24. The apparatus of claim 20, in which controlling the interface to prevent submission of the request for cross during the announcement time period includes disabling a button and in which adjusting the interface to allow submission of the request for cross during the submission time period includes enabling the button. | 3,600 |
12,897 | 12,897 | 11,687,009 | 3,696 | A system for dispute data transfer in a distributed trading network includes a memory and a dispute manager. The memory stores information about a trading order associated with a client system. The dispute manager communicates a confirmation message to the client system, where the confirmation message provides an option to send a trading order dispute request that disputes processing of the trading order. The dispute manager receives a trading order dispute request generated in response to a selection of the option. The dispute manager obtains a decision that responds to the trading order dispute request and communicates the decision to the client system. | 1. A system for dispute data transfer in a distributed trading network, the system comprising:
a memory operable to store information about a trading order associated with a client system; and a dispute manager coupled to the memory and operable to:
communicate a confirmation message to the client system, the confirmation message providing an option to send a trading order dispute request that disputes processing of the trading order;
receive a trading order dispute request generated in response to a selection of the option;
obtain a decision that responds to the trading order dispute request; and
communicate the decision to the client system. 2. The system of claim 1, further comprising an order processor operable to process the trading order by determining whether the trading order can be satisfied. 3. The system of claim 1, wherein the dispute manager is further operable to obtain the decision that responds to the trading order dispute request by:
sending the trading order dispute request to a governing entity empowered to make the decision for the trading order dispute request; and receiving the decision made by the governing entity. 4. The system of claim 1, wherein the dispute manager is further operable to obtain the decision that responds to the trading order dispute request by providing trading information to a governing entity empowered to make the decision for the trading order dispute request, the trading information describing processing of the trading order. 5. The system of claim 1, wherein the dispute manager is further operable to obtain the decision that responds to the trading order dispute request by:
applying at least one dispute resolution rule; and establishing the decision in accordance with the application of the at least one dispute resolution rule. 6. The system of claim 1, wherein:
a processing parameter describes the processing of the trading order; and the trading order dispute request raises an objection to the processing parameter. 7. The system of claim 1, wherein:
the processing of the trading order comprises determining whether the trading order can be satisfied; and the trading order dispute request raises an objection to the determination. 8. The system of claim 1, wherein:
the processing of the trading order involves communication; and the trading order dispute request raises an objection indicating a technical problem with the communication. 9. The system of claim 1, wherein the decision performs at least one of the following:
at least partially accept or reject an objection; offer a remedy; request more information; cancel the trading order; request resubmission of the trading order; and request resubmission of another dispute request. 10. A method, comprising:
storing information about a trading order associated with a client system; communicating a confirmation message to the client system, the confirmation message providing an option to send a trading order dispute request that disputes processing of the trading order; receiving a trading order dispute request generated in response to a selection of the option; obtaining a decision that responds to the trading order dispute request; and communicating the decision to the client system. 11. The method of claim 10, further comprising processing the trading order by determining whether the trading order can be satisfied. 12. The method of claim 10, further comprising obtaining the decision that responds to the trading order dispute request by:
sending the trading order dispute request to a governing entity empowered to make the decision for the trading order dispute request; and receiving the decision made by the governing entity. 13. The method of claim 10, further comprising obtaining the decision that responds to the trading order dispute request by providing trading information to a governing entity empowered to make the decision for the trading order dispute request, the trading information describing processing of the trading order. 14. The method of claim 10, further comprising obtaining the decision that responds to the trading order dispute request by:
applying at least one dispute resolution rule; and establishing the decision in accordance with the application of the at least one dispute resolution rule. 15. The method of claim 10, wherein:
a processing parameter describes the processing of the trading order; and the trading order dispute request raises an objection to the processing parameter. 16. The method of claim 10, wherein:
the processing of the trading order comprises determining whether the trading order can be satisfied; and the trading order dispute request raises an objection to the determination. 17. The method of claim 10, wherein:
the processing of the trading order involves communication; and the trading order dispute request raises an objection indicating a technical problem with the communication. 18. The method of claim 10, wherein the decision performs at least one of the following:
at least partially accept or reject an objection; offer a remedy; request more information; cancel the trading order; request resubmission of the trading order; and request resubmission of another dispute request. 19. A system, comprising:
means for storing information about a trading order associated with a client system; means for communicating a confirmation message to the client system, the confirmation message providing an option to send a trading order dispute request that disputes processing of the trading order; means for receiving a trading order dispute request generated in response to a selection of the option; means for obtaining a decision that responds to the trading order dispute request; and means for communicating the decision to the client system. 20. A system, comprising:
a memory operable to:
store information about a trading order associated with a client system; and
a dispute manager coupled to the memory and operable to:
receive a trading order dispute request generated in response to selection of the option;
process the trading order by:
determining whether the trading order can be satisfied;
communicate a confirmation message to the client system, the confirmation message providing an option to send a trading order dispute request that disputes processing of the trading order;
receive a trading order dispute request generated in response to a selection of the option;
obtain a decision that responds to the trading order dispute request by:
sending the trading order dispute request to a governing entity empowered to make the decision for the trading order dispute request;
providing trading information to the governing entity, the trading information describing processing of the trading order;
receiving the decision made by the governing entity;
applying at least one dispute resolution rule; and
establishing the decision in accordance with the application of the at least one dispute resolution rule; and
communicate the decision to the client system. | A system for dispute data transfer in a distributed trading network includes a memory and a dispute manager. The memory stores information about a trading order associated with a client system. The dispute manager communicates a confirmation message to the client system, where the confirmation message provides an option to send a trading order dispute request that disputes processing of the trading order. The dispute manager receives a trading order dispute request generated in response to a selection of the option. The dispute manager obtains a decision that responds to the trading order dispute request and communicates the decision to the client system.1. A system for dispute data transfer in a distributed trading network, the system comprising:
a memory operable to store information about a trading order associated with a client system; and a dispute manager coupled to the memory and operable to:
communicate a confirmation message to the client system, the confirmation message providing an option to send a trading order dispute request that disputes processing of the trading order;
receive a trading order dispute request generated in response to a selection of the option;
obtain a decision that responds to the trading order dispute request; and
communicate the decision to the client system. 2. The system of claim 1, further comprising an order processor operable to process the trading order by determining whether the trading order can be satisfied. 3. The system of claim 1, wherein the dispute manager is further operable to obtain the decision that responds to the trading order dispute request by:
sending the trading order dispute request to a governing entity empowered to make the decision for the trading order dispute request; and receiving the decision made by the governing entity. 4. The system of claim 1, wherein the dispute manager is further operable to obtain the decision that responds to the trading order dispute request by providing trading information to a governing entity empowered to make the decision for the trading order dispute request, the trading information describing processing of the trading order. 5. The system of claim 1, wherein the dispute manager is further operable to obtain the decision that responds to the trading order dispute request by:
applying at least one dispute resolution rule; and establishing the decision in accordance with the application of the at least one dispute resolution rule. 6. The system of claim 1, wherein:
a processing parameter describes the processing of the trading order; and the trading order dispute request raises an objection to the processing parameter. 7. The system of claim 1, wherein:
the processing of the trading order comprises determining whether the trading order can be satisfied; and the trading order dispute request raises an objection to the determination. 8. The system of claim 1, wherein:
the processing of the trading order involves communication; and the trading order dispute request raises an objection indicating a technical problem with the communication. 9. The system of claim 1, wherein the decision performs at least one of the following:
at least partially accept or reject an objection; offer a remedy; request more information; cancel the trading order; request resubmission of the trading order; and request resubmission of another dispute request. 10. A method, comprising:
storing information about a trading order associated with a client system; communicating a confirmation message to the client system, the confirmation message providing an option to send a trading order dispute request that disputes processing of the trading order; receiving a trading order dispute request generated in response to a selection of the option; obtaining a decision that responds to the trading order dispute request; and communicating the decision to the client system. 11. The method of claim 10, further comprising processing the trading order by determining whether the trading order can be satisfied. 12. The method of claim 10, further comprising obtaining the decision that responds to the trading order dispute request by:
sending the trading order dispute request to a governing entity empowered to make the decision for the trading order dispute request; and receiving the decision made by the governing entity. 13. The method of claim 10, further comprising obtaining the decision that responds to the trading order dispute request by providing trading information to a governing entity empowered to make the decision for the trading order dispute request, the trading information describing processing of the trading order. 14. The method of claim 10, further comprising obtaining the decision that responds to the trading order dispute request by:
applying at least one dispute resolution rule; and establishing the decision in accordance with the application of the at least one dispute resolution rule. 15. The method of claim 10, wherein:
a processing parameter describes the processing of the trading order; and the trading order dispute request raises an objection to the processing parameter. 16. The method of claim 10, wherein:
the processing of the trading order comprises determining whether the trading order can be satisfied; and the trading order dispute request raises an objection to the determination. 17. The method of claim 10, wherein:
the processing of the trading order involves communication; and the trading order dispute request raises an objection indicating a technical problem with the communication. 18. The method of claim 10, wherein the decision performs at least one of the following:
at least partially accept or reject an objection; offer a remedy; request more information; cancel the trading order; request resubmission of the trading order; and request resubmission of another dispute request. 19. A system, comprising:
means for storing information about a trading order associated with a client system; means for communicating a confirmation message to the client system, the confirmation message providing an option to send a trading order dispute request that disputes processing of the trading order; means for receiving a trading order dispute request generated in response to a selection of the option; means for obtaining a decision that responds to the trading order dispute request; and means for communicating the decision to the client system. 20. A system, comprising:
a memory operable to:
store information about a trading order associated with a client system; and
a dispute manager coupled to the memory and operable to:
receive a trading order dispute request generated in response to selection of the option;
process the trading order by:
determining whether the trading order can be satisfied;
communicate a confirmation message to the client system, the confirmation message providing an option to send a trading order dispute request that disputes processing of the trading order;
receive a trading order dispute request generated in response to a selection of the option;
obtain a decision that responds to the trading order dispute request by:
sending the trading order dispute request to a governing entity empowered to make the decision for the trading order dispute request;
providing trading information to the governing entity, the trading information describing processing of the trading order;
receiving the decision made by the governing entity;
applying at least one dispute resolution rule; and
establishing the decision in accordance with the application of the at least one dispute resolution rule; and
communicate the decision to the client system. | 3,600 |
12,898 | 12,898 | 14,471,450 | 3,683 | A system includes determination of a total target value associated with N dimension members, determination of a set of historical values for each of the N dimension members, for each of the N dimension members, determination of a prediction interval based on the set of historical values of the dimension member, determination of an N-polytope in N-dimensional space based on the N determined prediction intervals, determination of an (N−1)-polytope of the N-dimensional space in which the sum of the N values of each coordinate of the (N−1)-polytope equals the total desired value, determination of an (N−1)-dimensional intersection of the N-polytope and the (N−1) polytope, and determination of a disaggregation of the total target value among the N dimension members based on the coordinates of the (N−1)-dimensional intersection. | 1. A method implemented by a computing system in response to execution of program code by a processor of the computing system, the method comprising:
determining a total target value associated with N dimension members; determining a set of historical values for each of the N dimension member; for each of the N dimension members, determining a prediction interval based on the set of historical values of the dimension members; determining an N-polytope in N-dimensional space based on the N determined prediction intervals; determining an (N−1)-polytope of the N-dimensional space in which the sum of the N values of each coordinate of the (N−1)-polytope equals the total desired value; determining an (N−1)-dimensional intersection of the N-polytope and the (N−1) polytope; and determining a disaggregation of the total target value among the N dimension members based on the coordinates of the (N−1)-dimensional intersection. 2. A method according to claim 1, wherein determining the disaggregation of the total target value comprises:
determining a center of mass of the (N−1)-dimensional intersection. 3. A method according to claim 2, wherein determining the center of mass of the (N−1)-dimensional intersection comprises:
determining intersections between the (N−1)-dimensional intersection and edges of the N-polytope. 4. A method according to claim 1, wherein determining the disaggregation of the total target value comprises:
determining a centroid of the (N−1)-dimensional intersection. 5. A method according to claim 4, wherein determining the centroid of the (N−1)-dimensional intersection comprises:
determining intersections between the (N−1)-dimensional intersection and edges of the N-polytope. 6. A method according to claim 1, wherein determining the disaggregation of the total target value comprises:
determining a coordinate of the (N−1)-dimensional intersection associated with a maximum probability based on N determined prediction intervals. 7. A method according to claim 1, wherein determining the disaggregation of the total target value comprises:
determining a line between a minimum coordinate associated with a minimum value of each of the N determined prediction intervals and a maximum coordinate associated with a maximum value of each of the N determined prediction intervals; and determining an intersection point between the line and the (N−1)-dimensional intersection. 8. A non-transitory medium storing processor-executable program code, the program code executable by a processor of a computing device to:
determine a total target value associated with N dimension members; determine a set of historical values for each of the N dimension members; for each of the N dimension members, determine a prediction interval based on the set of historical values of the dimension member; determine an N-polytope in N-dimensional space based on the N determined prediction intervals; determine an (N−1)-polytope of the N-dimensional space in which the sum of the N values of each coordinate of the (N−1)-polytope equals the total desired value; determine an (N−1)-dimensional intersection of the N-polytope and the (N−1) polytope; and determine a disaggregation of the total target value among the N dimension members based on the coordinates of the (N−1)-dimensional intersection. 9. A medium according to claim 8, wherein determination of the disaggregation of the total target value comprises:
determination of a center of mass of the (N−1)-dimensional intersection. 10. A medium according to claim 9, wherein determination of the center of mass of the (N−1)-dimensional intersection comprises:
determination of intersections between the (N−1)-dimensional intersection and edges of the N-polytope. 11. A medium according to claim 8, wherein determination of the disaggregation of the total target value comprises:
determination of a centroid of the (N−1)-dimensional intersection. 12. A medium according to claim 11, wherein determination of the centroid of the (N−1)-dimensional intersection comprises:
determination of intersections between the (N−1)-dimensional intersection and edges of the N-polytope. 13. A medium according to claim 8, wherein determination of the disaggregation of the total target value comprises:
determination of a coordinate of the (N−1)-dimensional intersection associated with a maximum probability based on N determined prediction intervals. 14. A medium according to claim 8, wherein determination of the disaggregation of the total target value comprises:
determination of a line between a minimum coordinate associated with a minimum value of each of the N determined prediction intervals and a maximum coordinate associated with a maximum value of each of the N determined prediction intervals; and determination of an intersection point between the line and the (N−1)-dimensional intersection. 15. A system comprising:
a memory storing processor-executable program code; and a processor to execute the processor-executable program code in order to cause the computing device to: determine a total target value associated with N dimension members; determine a set of historical values for each of the N dimension members; for each of the N dimension members, determine a prediction interval based on the set of historical values of the dimension member; determine an N-polytope in N-dimensional space based on the N determined prediction intervals; determine an (N−1)-polytope of the N-dimensional space in which the sum of the N values of each coordinate of the (N−1)-polytope equals the total desired value; determine an (N−1)-dimensional intersection of the N-polytope and the (N−1) polytope; and determine a disaggregation of the total target value among the N dimension members based on the coordinates of the (N−1)-dimensional intersection. 16. A system according to claim 15, wherein determination of the disaggregation of the total target value comprises:
determination of a center of mass of the (N−1)-dimensional intersection. 17. A system according to claim 15, wherein determination of the disaggregation of the total target value comprises:
determination of a centroid of the (N−1)-dimensional intersection. 18. A system according to claim 17, wherein determination of the centroid of the (N−1)-dimensional intersection comprises:
determination of intersections between the (N−1)-dimensional intersection and edges of the N-polytope. 19. A system according to claim 15, wherein determination of the disaggregation of the total target value comprises:
determination of a coordinate of the (N−1)-dimensional intersection associated with a maximum probability based on N determined prediction intervals. 20. A system according to claim 15, wherein determination of the disaggregation of the total target value comprises:
determination of a line between a minimum coordinate associated with a minimum value of each of the N determined prediction intervals and a maximum coordinate associated with a maximum value of each of the N determined prediction intervals; and determination of an intersection point between the line and the (N−1)-dimensional intersection. | A system includes determination of a total target value associated with N dimension members, determination of a set of historical values for each of the N dimension members, for each of the N dimension members, determination of a prediction interval based on the set of historical values of the dimension member, determination of an N-polytope in N-dimensional space based on the N determined prediction intervals, determination of an (N−1)-polytope of the N-dimensional space in which the sum of the N values of each coordinate of the (N−1)-polytope equals the total desired value, determination of an (N−1)-dimensional intersection of the N-polytope and the (N−1) polytope, and determination of a disaggregation of the total target value among the N dimension members based on the coordinates of the (N−1)-dimensional intersection.1. A method implemented by a computing system in response to execution of program code by a processor of the computing system, the method comprising:
determining a total target value associated with N dimension members; determining a set of historical values for each of the N dimension member; for each of the N dimension members, determining a prediction interval based on the set of historical values of the dimension members; determining an N-polytope in N-dimensional space based on the N determined prediction intervals; determining an (N−1)-polytope of the N-dimensional space in which the sum of the N values of each coordinate of the (N−1)-polytope equals the total desired value; determining an (N−1)-dimensional intersection of the N-polytope and the (N−1) polytope; and determining a disaggregation of the total target value among the N dimension members based on the coordinates of the (N−1)-dimensional intersection. 2. A method according to claim 1, wherein determining the disaggregation of the total target value comprises:
determining a center of mass of the (N−1)-dimensional intersection. 3. A method according to claim 2, wherein determining the center of mass of the (N−1)-dimensional intersection comprises:
determining intersections between the (N−1)-dimensional intersection and edges of the N-polytope. 4. A method according to claim 1, wherein determining the disaggregation of the total target value comprises:
determining a centroid of the (N−1)-dimensional intersection. 5. A method according to claim 4, wherein determining the centroid of the (N−1)-dimensional intersection comprises:
determining intersections between the (N−1)-dimensional intersection and edges of the N-polytope. 6. A method according to claim 1, wherein determining the disaggregation of the total target value comprises:
determining a coordinate of the (N−1)-dimensional intersection associated with a maximum probability based on N determined prediction intervals. 7. A method according to claim 1, wherein determining the disaggregation of the total target value comprises:
determining a line between a minimum coordinate associated with a minimum value of each of the N determined prediction intervals and a maximum coordinate associated with a maximum value of each of the N determined prediction intervals; and determining an intersection point between the line and the (N−1)-dimensional intersection. 8. A non-transitory medium storing processor-executable program code, the program code executable by a processor of a computing device to:
determine a total target value associated with N dimension members; determine a set of historical values for each of the N dimension members; for each of the N dimension members, determine a prediction interval based on the set of historical values of the dimension member; determine an N-polytope in N-dimensional space based on the N determined prediction intervals; determine an (N−1)-polytope of the N-dimensional space in which the sum of the N values of each coordinate of the (N−1)-polytope equals the total desired value; determine an (N−1)-dimensional intersection of the N-polytope and the (N−1) polytope; and determine a disaggregation of the total target value among the N dimension members based on the coordinates of the (N−1)-dimensional intersection. 9. A medium according to claim 8, wherein determination of the disaggregation of the total target value comprises:
determination of a center of mass of the (N−1)-dimensional intersection. 10. A medium according to claim 9, wherein determination of the center of mass of the (N−1)-dimensional intersection comprises:
determination of intersections between the (N−1)-dimensional intersection and edges of the N-polytope. 11. A medium according to claim 8, wherein determination of the disaggregation of the total target value comprises:
determination of a centroid of the (N−1)-dimensional intersection. 12. A medium according to claim 11, wherein determination of the centroid of the (N−1)-dimensional intersection comprises:
determination of intersections between the (N−1)-dimensional intersection and edges of the N-polytope. 13. A medium according to claim 8, wherein determination of the disaggregation of the total target value comprises:
determination of a coordinate of the (N−1)-dimensional intersection associated with a maximum probability based on N determined prediction intervals. 14. A medium according to claim 8, wherein determination of the disaggregation of the total target value comprises:
determination of a line between a minimum coordinate associated with a minimum value of each of the N determined prediction intervals and a maximum coordinate associated with a maximum value of each of the N determined prediction intervals; and determination of an intersection point between the line and the (N−1)-dimensional intersection. 15. A system comprising:
a memory storing processor-executable program code; and a processor to execute the processor-executable program code in order to cause the computing device to: determine a total target value associated with N dimension members; determine a set of historical values for each of the N dimension members; for each of the N dimension members, determine a prediction interval based on the set of historical values of the dimension member; determine an N-polytope in N-dimensional space based on the N determined prediction intervals; determine an (N−1)-polytope of the N-dimensional space in which the sum of the N values of each coordinate of the (N−1)-polytope equals the total desired value; determine an (N−1)-dimensional intersection of the N-polytope and the (N−1) polytope; and determine a disaggregation of the total target value among the N dimension members based on the coordinates of the (N−1)-dimensional intersection. 16. A system according to claim 15, wherein determination of the disaggregation of the total target value comprises:
determination of a center of mass of the (N−1)-dimensional intersection. 17. A system according to claim 15, wherein determination of the disaggregation of the total target value comprises:
determination of a centroid of the (N−1)-dimensional intersection. 18. A system according to claim 17, wherein determination of the centroid of the (N−1)-dimensional intersection comprises:
determination of intersections between the (N−1)-dimensional intersection and edges of the N-polytope. 19. A system according to claim 15, wherein determination of the disaggregation of the total target value comprises:
determination of a coordinate of the (N−1)-dimensional intersection associated with a maximum probability based on N determined prediction intervals. 20. A system according to claim 15, wherein determination of the disaggregation of the total target value comprises:
determination of a line between a minimum coordinate associated with a minimum value of each of the N determined prediction intervals and a maximum coordinate associated with a maximum value of each of the N determined prediction intervals; and determination of an intersection point between the line and the (N−1)-dimensional intersection. | 3,600 |
12,899 | 12,899 | 13,860,770 | 3,679 | A fitting has a first end conventional connector and a second end non-conventional connector of a given configuration that is matable only to a counterpart non-conventional connector having a configuration complementary to the given configuration. The body of the fitting has two extending wings that merge with a partition that separates the conventional connector from the body. A label may be mounted about the neck extension of the male connector to convey information to the user. The portion along the fitting between the label and the partition provides a location whereat the user can position his fingers to grasp the fitting. The partition prevents the fingers of the user from coming into contact with and contaminating the conventional connector, while the label, in addition to conveying information to the user, also acts a barrier to prevent contamination of the non-conventional connector by the fingers of the user. | 1. A fitting, comprising:
a body including a main portion, a first end and a second end, a through passage in the body connecting the first and second ends, the first end having a conventional connector, the second end having a non-conventional connector with a given configuration that prevents it from mating with a counterpart conventional connector but matable with a counterpart non-conventional connector having a configuration complementary to the given configuration; at least one wing extending from and longitudinally along at least a part of the main portion of the body; and a partition extending circumferentially about the body, the end of the wing facing the first end merging with the partition so that the partition separates the first end from the main portion of the body. 2. The fitting of claim 1, wherein the non-conventional connector at the second end includes an extension non-removably fitted to an opening at the second end of the body. 3. The fitting of claim 2, further comprising:
a substantially planar member mounted circumferentially about the extension of the non-conventional connector non-removably fitted to the second end of the body; wherein the location on the body between the member and the partition defines a position wherein the fingers of a user may grasp the fitting. 4. The fitting of claim 3, wherein the member is adapted to include indicia to convey information to the user, the information may include a message to inform the user that the fitting is to be used only for filling a fluid store from a fluid source. 5. The fitting of claim 1, wherein the non-conventional connector is integral to the second end of the body so that the fitting is a single one piece fitting. 6. The fitting of claim 1, wherein the fitting interposedly connects a fluid source to its first end and a fluid store to its second end to establish a fluid path between the fluid source and the fluid store so that fluid from the fluid source may be transferred to the fluid store to fill the fluid store, the non-conventional connector of the fitting mated to a counterpart non-conventional connector at the fluid store and the conventional connector of the fitting mated to a counterpart conventional connector at the fluid source to establish the fluid path. 7. The fitting of claim 6, wherein after the fluid store is filled with a desired amount of the fluid and the non-conventional connector of the fitting is disconnected from the counterpart non-conventional connector at the fluid store, the fluid in the fluid store may be infused to a patient when the counterpart non-conventional connector of the fluid store is coupled to a non-conventional connector of the given configuration of a patient infusion device to establish a fluid path between the fluid store and the device, the device infusing the fluid to the patient when it is inserted to the patient. 8. The fitting of claim 1, further comprising a tubing interposed between the conventional and non-conventional connectors, the tubing having one end bondedly connected to the conventional connector and an other end bondedly connected to the non-conventional connector, the tubing extending the through passage for fluid flow between the first and second ends of the fitting. 9. The fitting of claim 1, wherein there are two wings oppositely extending from and longitudinally along at least a part of the main portion of the body, the wings enabling a user to more readily grasp the fitting. 10. The fitting of claim 1, wherein the fitting has an orange color. 11. A method of manufacturing a fitting adapted to at least establish a fluid path between a fluid store and a fluid source, comprising the steps of:
(a) providing a body that includes a main portion, a first end and a second end, and a through passage in the body connecting the first and second ends; (b) providing a conventional connector at the first end; (c) providing a non-conventional connector at the second end, the non-conventional connector having a given configuration that prevents it from mating with a counterpart conventional connector but matable with a counterpart non-conventional connector having a configuration complementary to the given configuration; (d) extending at least one wing from and longitudinally along at least a part of the main portion of the body; and (e) extending a partition circumferentially about the body, the end of the wing facing the first end merging with the partition, the partition separating the first end from the main portion of the body. 12. The method of claim 11, wherein the step (c) comprises the steps of:
inserting an extension of the non-conventional connector into an opening of the through passage at the second end of the body; and fixedly retaining the extension of the non-conventional connector to the second end of the body so that the non-conventional connector is not removable from the second end. 13. The method of claim 11, further comprising the step of:
mounting a substantially planar member circumferentially about an extension of the non-conventional connector that inserts into the opening at the second end of the body before the extension is inserted into the opening so that the member non-removably extends circumferentially about the extension; wherein the planar member and the partition define therebetween a location on the body whereat the fingers of a user may be positioned to grasp the fitting. 14. The method of claim 13, further comprising the step of providing indicia on the member to convey information to a user of the fitting. 15. The method of claim 11, wherein the non-conventional connector is integrally formed at the second end of the body so that the fitting is a single one piece integral fitting. 16. The method of claim 11, further comprising the step of:
coloring the fitting to have an orange color. 17. The method of claim 11, wherein the step (d) comprises the step of:
extending two wings oppositely from and longitudinally along at least a part of the main portion of the body to assist a user in grasping the fitting. 18. The method of claim 11, wherein the fitting manufactured is used by:
mating the conventional connector at the first end of the fitting of the fitting to a counterpart conventional connector of a fluid source; and mating the non-conventional connector at the second end of the fitting to a counterpart non-conventional connector of a fluid store to establish a fluid path between the fluid source and the fluid store so that fluid may flow between the fluid source and the fluid store, and the fluid store may be filled with fluid from the fluid source. 19. The method of claim 18, further comprising the steps of:
disconnecting the non-conventional connector of the fitting from the counterpart non-conventional connector at the fluid store after the fluid store is filled with a desired amount of the fluid; and coupling the counterpart non-conventional connector of the fluid store to a non-conventional connector of the given configuration of a patient infusion device to establish a fluid path between the fluid store and the device; wherein the device may be inserted to the patient so that the fluid in the fluid store may be infused to a patient. 20. The method of claim 11, further comprising the steps of:
interposing a tubing between the conventional and non-conventional connectors; bondedly connecting one end of the tubing to the conventional connector; and bondedly connecting an other end of the tubing to the non-conventional connector; wherein the tubing extends the through passage for fluid flow between the first and second ends of the fitting. | A fitting has a first end conventional connector and a second end non-conventional connector of a given configuration that is matable only to a counterpart non-conventional connector having a configuration complementary to the given configuration. The body of the fitting has two extending wings that merge with a partition that separates the conventional connector from the body. A label may be mounted about the neck extension of the male connector to convey information to the user. The portion along the fitting between the label and the partition provides a location whereat the user can position his fingers to grasp the fitting. The partition prevents the fingers of the user from coming into contact with and contaminating the conventional connector, while the label, in addition to conveying information to the user, also acts a barrier to prevent contamination of the non-conventional connector by the fingers of the user.1. A fitting, comprising:
a body including a main portion, a first end and a second end, a through passage in the body connecting the first and second ends, the first end having a conventional connector, the second end having a non-conventional connector with a given configuration that prevents it from mating with a counterpart conventional connector but matable with a counterpart non-conventional connector having a configuration complementary to the given configuration; at least one wing extending from and longitudinally along at least a part of the main portion of the body; and a partition extending circumferentially about the body, the end of the wing facing the first end merging with the partition so that the partition separates the first end from the main portion of the body. 2. The fitting of claim 1, wherein the non-conventional connector at the second end includes an extension non-removably fitted to an opening at the second end of the body. 3. The fitting of claim 2, further comprising:
a substantially planar member mounted circumferentially about the extension of the non-conventional connector non-removably fitted to the second end of the body; wherein the location on the body between the member and the partition defines a position wherein the fingers of a user may grasp the fitting. 4. The fitting of claim 3, wherein the member is adapted to include indicia to convey information to the user, the information may include a message to inform the user that the fitting is to be used only for filling a fluid store from a fluid source. 5. The fitting of claim 1, wherein the non-conventional connector is integral to the second end of the body so that the fitting is a single one piece fitting. 6. The fitting of claim 1, wherein the fitting interposedly connects a fluid source to its first end and a fluid store to its second end to establish a fluid path between the fluid source and the fluid store so that fluid from the fluid source may be transferred to the fluid store to fill the fluid store, the non-conventional connector of the fitting mated to a counterpart non-conventional connector at the fluid store and the conventional connector of the fitting mated to a counterpart conventional connector at the fluid source to establish the fluid path. 7. The fitting of claim 6, wherein after the fluid store is filled with a desired amount of the fluid and the non-conventional connector of the fitting is disconnected from the counterpart non-conventional connector at the fluid store, the fluid in the fluid store may be infused to a patient when the counterpart non-conventional connector of the fluid store is coupled to a non-conventional connector of the given configuration of a patient infusion device to establish a fluid path between the fluid store and the device, the device infusing the fluid to the patient when it is inserted to the patient. 8. The fitting of claim 1, further comprising a tubing interposed between the conventional and non-conventional connectors, the tubing having one end bondedly connected to the conventional connector and an other end bondedly connected to the non-conventional connector, the tubing extending the through passage for fluid flow between the first and second ends of the fitting. 9. The fitting of claim 1, wherein there are two wings oppositely extending from and longitudinally along at least a part of the main portion of the body, the wings enabling a user to more readily grasp the fitting. 10. The fitting of claim 1, wherein the fitting has an orange color. 11. A method of manufacturing a fitting adapted to at least establish a fluid path between a fluid store and a fluid source, comprising the steps of:
(a) providing a body that includes a main portion, a first end and a second end, and a through passage in the body connecting the first and second ends; (b) providing a conventional connector at the first end; (c) providing a non-conventional connector at the second end, the non-conventional connector having a given configuration that prevents it from mating with a counterpart conventional connector but matable with a counterpart non-conventional connector having a configuration complementary to the given configuration; (d) extending at least one wing from and longitudinally along at least a part of the main portion of the body; and (e) extending a partition circumferentially about the body, the end of the wing facing the first end merging with the partition, the partition separating the first end from the main portion of the body. 12. The method of claim 11, wherein the step (c) comprises the steps of:
inserting an extension of the non-conventional connector into an opening of the through passage at the second end of the body; and fixedly retaining the extension of the non-conventional connector to the second end of the body so that the non-conventional connector is not removable from the second end. 13. The method of claim 11, further comprising the step of:
mounting a substantially planar member circumferentially about an extension of the non-conventional connector that inserts into the opening at the second end of the body before the extension is inserted into the opening so that the member non-removably extends circumferentially about the extension; wherein the planar member and the partition define therebetween a location on the body whereat the fingers of a user may be positioned to grasp the fitting. 14. The method of claim 13, further comprising the step of providing indicia on the member to convey information to a user of the fitting. 15. The method of claim 11, wherein the non-conventional connector is integrally formed at the second end of the body so that the fitting is a single one piece integral fitting. 16. The method of claim 11, further comprising the step of:
coloring the fitting to have an orange color. 17. The method of claim 11, wherein the step (d) comprises the step of:
extending two wings oppositely from and longitudinally along at least a part of the main portion of the body to assist a user in grasping the fitting. 18. The method of claim 11, wherein the fitting manufactured is used by:
mating the conventional connector at the first end of the fitting of the fitting to a counterpart conventional connector of a fluid source; and mating the non-conventional connector at the second end of the fitting to a counterpart non-conventional connector of a fluid store to establish a fluid path between the fluid source and the fluid store so that fluid may flow between the fluid source and the fluid store, and the fluid store may be filled with fluid from the fluid source. 19. The method of claim 18, further comprising the steps of:
disconnecting the non-conventional connector of the fitting from the counterpart non-conventional connector at the fluid store after the fluid store is filled with a desired amount of the fluid; and coupling the counterpart non-conventional connector of the fluid store to a non-conventional connector of the given configuration of a patient infusion device to establish a fluid path between the fluid store and the device; wherein the device may be inserted to the patient so that the fluid in the fluid store may be infused to a patient. 20. The method of claim 11, further comprising the steps of:
interposing a tubing between the conventional and non-conventional connectors; bondedly connecting one end of the tubing to the conventional connector; and bondedly connecting an other end of the tubing to the non-conventional connector; wherein the tubing extends the through passage for fluid flow between the first and second ends of the fitting. | 3,600 |
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