6140results about "Market data gathering" patented technology

Rights management information is used at least in part in a matching, narrowcasting, classifying and/or selecting process. A matching and classification utility system comprising a kind of Commerce Utility System is used to perform the matching, narrowcasting, classifying and/or selecting. The matching and classification utility system may match, narrowcast, classify and/or select people and/or things, non-limiting examples of which include software objects. The Matching and Classification Utility system may use any pre-existing classification schemes, including at least some rights management information and/or other qualitative and/or parameter data indicating and/or defining classes, classification systems, class hierarchies, category schemes, class assignments, category assignments, and/or class membership. The Matching and Classification Utility may also use at least some rights management information together with any artificial intelligence, expert system, statistical, computational, manual, or any other means to define new classes, class hierarchies, classification systems, category schemes, and/or assign persons, things, and/or groups of persons and/or things to at least one class.

A method for providing unequal allocation of rights among agents while operating according to fair principles, comprising assigning a hierarchal rank to each agent; providing a synthetic economic value to a first set of agents at the a high level of the hierarchy; allocating portions of the synthetic economic value by the first set of agents to a second set of agents at respectively different hierarchal rank than the first set of agents; and conducting an auction amongst agents using the synthetic economic value as the currency. A method for allocation among agents, comprising assigning a wealth generation function for generating future wealth to each of a plurality of agents, communicating subjective market information between agents, and transferring wealth generated by the secure wealth generation function between agents in consideration of a market transaction. The method may further comprise the step of transferring at least a portion of the wealth generation function between agents.

Management information is processed. A first set of computer data is acquired that represents a model of an organization of people having fundamental components, such as processes or capabilities, that are represented in the first set of computer data by data items. The first set of computer data is associated with a second set of computer data that represents a portfolio of management concepts, such as management goals. A report of management concepts is issued based on the second set of computer data and is sorted by fundamental component.

A system for electronic commerce (10) having personal agents (12 and 13) that represent consumers and providers in a virtual marketplace (28). Consumer personal agents conceal the identity of the consumer and are capable of creating decision agents (14) that shop for products and assist consumers in comparing and ranking products. Provider personal agents are capable of creating demand agents (16) that quantify demand and target specific consumers without learning the identity of the consumers. Based on data generated by the activities of the decision agents and on preference data maintained by consumer personal agents, provider personal agents can quantify current, historical, and future demand, simulate demand, and target specific consumers for advertising and other messages. Provider personal agents can cooperate with consumer personal agents to collect data about reasons for sales and lost sales and to offer consideration payments to consumers. Consumer personal agents can automatically reject unsolicited messages that do not satisfy the consumer's preferences.

A computer-implemented method for managing a plurality of customer relationship plans may include a step of collecting profile check values from a database of customer data, the collected profile check values including customer data corresponding to profile checks for each of the plurality of customer relationship plans. The collected profile check values may then be applied to predefined selection criteria in one or more of the plurality of customer relationship plans. The selection criteria determines whether a customer relationship plan of the plurality of customer relationship plans applies to a customer. One or more customer relationship plans may then be assigned or de-assigned to each of the selected customers, depending upon whether the applied profile check values satisfy or fail to satisfy the predefined selection criteria, respectively. The assigned customer relationship plan(s) may then be applied and one or more synchronous and/or an asynchronous actions may be carried out upon the occurrence of a selectable customer event, as called for by applied customer relationship plan(s). The profile checks may include one or more plan indicator, such as customer opportunity size, customer size, market segment or a user-definable business event, for example.

This invention relates to methods and apparatus for improving communications between humans and devices. The invention provides a method of modulating operation of a device, comprising providing an attentive user interface for obtaining information about an attentive state of a user; and modulating operation of a device on the basis of the obtained information, wherein the operation that is modulated is initiated by the device. Preferably, the information about the user's attentive state is eye contact of the user with the device that is sensed by the attentive user interface.

System and methods for intelligent routing of requests from customers to agents where a request is received at a service center from a customer. Identification information related to the customer is accessed. Background information on the customer is retrieved from a storage facility. Task and attitude information about the customer is gathered. A model of the customer is created. Models for at least two agents are created. A performance optimizing calculation is performed that matches the customer model and the models for the at least two agents. A best match agent from the at least two agents is determined based on the matching. The customer request is routed to the best match agent.

A search engine provides intelligent multi-dimensional searches, in which the search engine always presents a complete, holistic result, and in which the search engine presents knowledge (i.e. linked facts) and not just information (i.e. facts). The search engine is adaptive, such that the search results improve over time as the system learns about the user and develops a user profile. Thus, the search engine is self personalizing, i.e. it collects and analyzes the user history, and/or it has the user react to solutions and learns from such user reactions. The search engine generates profiles, e.g. it learns from all searches of all users and combines the user profiles and patterns of similar users. The search engine accepts direct user feedback to improve the next search iteration One feature of the invention is locking/unlocking, where a user may select specific attributes that are to remain locked while the search engine matches these locked attributes to all unlocked attributes. The user may also specify details about characteristics, provide and/or receive qualitative ratings of an overall result, and introduce additional criteria to the search strategy or select a search algorithm. Additionally, the system can be set up such that it does not require a keyboard and/or mouse interface, e.g. it can operate with a television remote control or other such human interface.

A method for managing appointments using a wireless device includes receiving scheduling data for a future appointment including a time associated with the future appointment. A current location of the wireless device is determined, and a reminder for the future appointment is provided at a time prior to the future appointment based on the current location of the wireless device. For example, the reminder may be provided at a time that varies based on the current location of the wireless device, a location associated with the future appointment, and an estimated travel time between the current location of the device and the location associated with the future appointment. Related methods, devices, and computer program products are also discussed.

A method, system, server architecture and/or tangible medium upgrade and award admittance of events to an event customer, preferably via a data communication network. The method includes, for example, receiving a communication from the event customer, the communication including a request to obtain admittance to at least one event, the communication also including an identifier associated with the event customer, admitting the event customer at the point of sale system after verification of the request, and updating a database indicating that the request was processed. The method also includes determining first predetermined criteria associated with the event indicative of at least one other event customer not attending the event, releasing an allocation associated with the at least one other event customer, and notifying at least another of the event customers to perform the upgrade and/or reallocation.

A computer-based method and system accomplish automatic optimization of a preferred merchandising figure of merit like revenue, profit, etc. by concurrent optimization of prices and in-store promotion schedules for groups of interrelated products in a supermarket or in a chain of supermarkets. The basis of the system is a statistical model that combines effects of prices, promotion schedules and other factors that could influence demands, and produces a flexible nonparametric predictive demand function that can be optimized simultaneously in prices and promotion schedules. The system generates demand predictions for groups of interrelated products by applying data mining procedures to historical database that contains sales data along with various sales conditions, adjusting statistical predictive demand models, and then optimizing them in prices and promotion schedules. The user can interact with the system by selecting and customizing optimization and prediction scenarios provided by the system, and by requesting customized reports with results of particular optimization and prediction schemes.

A method and system for placement of graphical objects on a page to optimize the occurrence of an event associated with such objects. The graphical objects might include, for instance, advertisements on a webpage, and the event would include a user clicking on that ad. The page includes positions for receipt of the object material. Data regarding the past performance of the objects is stored and updated as new data is received. A user requests a page from a server associated with system. The server uses the performance data to derive a prioritized arrangement of the objects on the page. The server performs a calculation regarding the likelihood that an event will occur for a given object, as displayed to a particular user. The objects are arranged according to this calculation and returned to the user on the requested page. The likelihood can also be multiplied by a weighting factor and the objects arranged according to this product.

The present invention is directed to generating audience analytics that includes providing a database containing a plurality of user input pattern profiles representing the group of users of terminal device, in which each user of the group is associated with one of the plurality of user input pattern profiles. A clickstream algorithm, tracking algorithm, neural network, Bayes classifier algorithm, or affinity-day part algorithm can be used to generate the user input pattern profiles. A user input pattern is detected based upon use of the terminal device by the current user and the user input pattern of the current user is dynamically matched with one of the user input pattern profiles contained in the database. The current user is identified based upon dynamic matching of the user input pattern generated by the current user with one of the user input pattern profiles. The present invention processes each user input pattern profile to identify a demographic type. A plurality of biometric behavior models are employed to identify a unique demographic type. Each user input pattern profile is compared against the plurality of biometric behavior models to match each user input pattern profile with one of the biometric behavior models such that each user input pattern profile is correlated with one demographic type. Audience analytics are then based upon the identified demographic types.

Assessment of risk to a specified name that represents at least one of a brand name, a domain name, a trademark, a service mark or a business entity name, includes acquiring data relating to the specified name, and quantifying risks to the specified name in the event a third-party has obtained, or were to obtain, a registration to the same name or a variant of the name. Risk scores are associated with the potential and actual registrations. An interactive display showing the risk scores is provided. Monitoring domain names and parsing domain names also are disclosed.

A merchant scoring system predicts and reports the likelihood that a merchant is reliable (e.g., trustworthy, honest, and reputable), which is expected to translate into a positive consumer experience. The system collects data from a variety of data sources, including combinations of the merchant, third-parties, and/or customers who have transacted with the merchant. A scoring model is executed on this collected data to determine an independent and objective merchant reliability metric that predicts the expected reliability of a merchant within a range. The system may also track transactions of individual merchants, populating a transaction history database with information about each merchant for use in this collection and scoring process. The transaction history data and other data may also be accessible to a prospective customer to build his or her confidence in and understanding of the merchant reliability metric and his or her trust of the merchant.

Various systems for collecting individual post-sale market data for products or services, and determining aggregate post-sale market data therefrom, are provided. In such systems, a sale of a product or service may trigger a third party, such as a payment provider, to arrange for the collection of individual post-sale market data from the consumer. Dependent upon the type of product or service involved, a schedule for continuously submitting post-sale market data for the product or service may be provided and the consumer may be encouraged to submit post-sale market data in accordance therewith through a variety of incentives. The received, individual, post-sale market data may be aggregated by one or more sources to determine aggregate post-sale market data for the product or service. The submitted individual data and/or the determined aggregate post-sale market data may then be provided to consumers in order to assist them in making purchasing decisions.

A method for incorporating one-time-tokens, coupon and reward systems in conjunction with merchants' POS checkout systems in the physical or virtual environments includes providing a consumer computing device comprising an electronic wallet application, providing a One-time Token Redemption System(OTRS) and user electronic wallet accounts, logging into a user electronic wallet account through the electronic wallet application, sending a request for a one-time token valid for a specified time interval and then forwarding the request for the one-time token to the OTRS and upon approval sending the requested one-time token from the OTRS to the electronic wallet application. Next, presenting and entering the one-time token into a merchant point of sale checkout system within the specified time interval via the consumer computing device, sending the entered one-time token to a checkout application, and then processing payment via a secure payment application.

A method is disclosed for designing a coordinated content management and delivery system, using key considerations related to the client environment, and using key processes, and applying these to the design problem with the assistance of a template showing basic content management and delivery element relationships, whereby such a system can be implemented wherein coherent sales, training or marketing campaigns may be efficiently generated to web-based and other clients.

Systems and methods of online marketing, monitoring and control for merchants are disclosed. Third party providers are crawled to obtain information about a plurality of merchants and correlate the merchant information to create a merchant database. Third party providers are monitored for merchant information, and information about the merchants is stored. Alerts are provided to subscribing merchants when an alert trigger is identified within the system or at a third party provider. The method allows the subscribing merchant to view and respond to reviews, view and maintain online listings, prepare and send consumer offers, and prepare and send communications to consumers, all directly from the system. The method allows the subscribing merchant to view information and analyses for competing merchants. An overall marketing score for merchants is prepared and displayed. The method may be performed on a server and accessed via an Internet browser and mobile device applications.

The most preferred embodiment of the present invention is a computer-based decision support system that includes three main components: a database mining engine (DME); an advertising optimization mechanism; and a customized user interface that provides access to the various features of the invention. The user interface, in conjunction with the DME, provides a unique and innovative way to store, retrieve and manipulate data from existing databases containing media-related audience access data, which describe the access habits and preferences of the media audience. By using a database with a simplified storage and retrieval protocol, the data contained therein can be effectively manipulated in real time. This means that previously complex and lengthy information retrieval and analysis activities can be accomplished in very short periods of time (typically seconds instead of minutes or even hours). Further, by utilizing the advertising optimization mechanism of the present invention, businesses, networks, and advertising agencies can interactively create, score, rank and compare various proposed or actual advertising strategies in a simple and efficient manner. This allows the decision-makers to more effectively tailor their marketing efforts and successfully reach the desired target market while conserving scarce advertising capital. Finally, the user interface for the system provides access to both the DME and the optimization mechanism in a simple and straightforward manner, significantly reducing training time.

Video surveillance data is received from multiple disparate, unaffiliated locations at which various items are offered for sale. Based on the content of the video surveillance data, consumer preference behavior is characterized with respect to at least some of the items. The data is consolidated and can be made available for analysis.

Share of Wallet (“SOW”) is a modeling approach that utilizes various data sources to provide outputs that describe a consumers spending capability, tradeline history including balance transfers, and balance information. These outputs can be appended to data profiles of customers and prospects and can be utilized to support decisions involving prospecting, new applicant evaluation, and customer management across the lifecycle. The outputs include the size of the consumer's spending wallet over a particular time period, the total number of the consumer's revolving cards, the consumer's revolving balance, the consumer's average pay-down percentage for revolving cards, total number of the consumer's transacting cards, the consumer's transacting balance, a number of balance transfers transacted by the consumer, the total amount of the consumer's balance transfers, the consumer's maximum revolving balance, the consumer's maximum transacting balance, the consumer's credit limit, size of the consumer's revolving spending, and the size of the consumer's transacting spending.

A method and system for monitoring users on one or more computer networks, disassociating personally identifiable information from the collected data, and storing it in a database so that the privacy of the users is protected. The system includes monitoring transactions at both a client and at a server, collecting network transaction data, and aggregating the data collected at the client and at the server. The system receives a user identifier and uses it to create an anonymized identifier. The anonymized identifier is then associated with one or more users' computer network transactions. The data is stored by a collection engine and then aggregated to a central database server across a computer network.

Techniques for providing friction-free transactions using geolocation and user identifiers are described herein. These techniques may ascertain a user's location based on a location of a mobile device. A transaction between the user and a merchant may be completed with zero or minimal input from the user based on the geolocation of the mobile device and the user identifiers. In some implementations, a transaction initiated earlier is completed when the mobile device arrives at the merchant. Additionally, a parent-child or similar relationship may be established between multiple devices. Security on the mobile device based may be provided by biometric identification and calculation of variance from regular movement patterns. Advertisements may be sent to the mobile device based on bids from merchants near to the mobile device. Promotions may be sent to the mobile device when more than a threshold number of mobile devices are located at the same merchant.

A computer system and method uses one or more virtual wish lists of one or more shoppers over a computer network. One process extracts information from online address books or other personal databases, and creates lists of recipients for whom a shopper wants to purchase products. A second process obtains virtual wish lists of recipients by observing their visits to online stores, and other online behavior. Recipients are asked for permission to make this data available to other shoppers, online stores, and other Web sites. Recipients can modify their virtual wish lists, and selectively approve of their use by other shoppers, etc. A third process creates shopping lists for the recipients, and generates lists of recommended products for shoppers to buy for intended recipients.

A method, apparatus, and system are directed towards making a user's online portal information available to members of an online social network. Portal information can include information entered by the user and information determined based on the user's online behaviors, such as frequenting a Web site, sending spam messages, and the like. The online social network enables multiple degrees of relationships among members of the online social network. At least a portion of the portal information is made accessible to at least some of the members of the online social network who have a relationship to the user. The relationship can be through a public activity available to all members and/or through a user-defined category of members, such as family, friends, business contacts, and the like. The portal information can be used to determine which relationships will be established and/or which information will be available to members.

The present invention is directed to a contact center 100 comprising (a) an input operable to receive a contact from a customer, the customer having an associated value to the contact center 100 and (b) a contact selector 216 operable to select a resource of the contact center 100 to service the contact based, at least in part, on the associated value. The associated value reflects one or more of a historic, predicted, and current monetary expense of the contact center to service the customer.

Ambiguities with respect to a user topic interest may be resolved so that useful topic-relevant ads can be presented. Such ambiguities may be resolved by monitoring user behavior, determining a user topic interest (e.g., from a plurality of different candidate topics) based on the monitored behavior, and serving ads relevant to the determined user topic interest.

A system and method for forecasting intermittent demand. The forecasting technique utilizes sample reuse techniques to build a distribution of predicted cumulative lead time demand values that can be analyzed using statistical methods, be used as input for an inventory control system, be used as input for a sales planning system, etc.

A text mining system for collecting business intelligence about a client, as well as for identifying prospective customers of the client, for use in a lead generation system accessible by the client via the Internet. The text mining system has various components, including a data acquisition process that extracts textual data from various Internet sources, a database for storing the extracted data, a text mining server that executes query-based searches of the database, and an output repository. A web server provides client access to the repository, and to the mining server.