71results about How to "Encourage participation" patented technology

A full and complete Water Management System developed into a single programmable electronic controller specifically designed to both aid in Water Conservation, and provide full control and monitoring of all aspects of a plumbing system, including Water Usage Counting, Flow Control, Leak Detection, Water Heater on/off, hot water temperature and irrigation/sprinkler system(s); A device which allows the user to monitor, control, purge and adjust the entirity of a plumbing system; A device which applies the principle . . . ("increased pressure IS=decreased flow" . . . , therefore "stable pressure IS ALSO=absence of flow") . . . to facilitate a completely accurate method of leak detection in plumbing; A device which provides property damage prevention, reduced opportunity for toxic mold development resulting in more healthy living environment(s); An Innovative Technologies Approach to Water Conservation and user friendly tool, to develop, monitor and participate in the urgent need to conserve drinking (potable) water resources.

The disclosed embodiments relate to implementation of a trading system, which may also be referred to as a trading system architecture, having improved performance which further assures transactional determinism under increasing processing transaction loads while providing improved trading opportunities, fault tolerance, low latency processing, high volume capacity, risk mitigation and market protections with minimal impact, as well as improved and equitable access to information and opportunities.

A hand-held, electronic, bi-directional, wireless electronic communication device having a physical configuration which includes a relatively large, constantly visible display and an alphanumeric keyboard that can be concealed until needed.

The disclosed embodiments relate to implementation of a trading system, which may also be referred to as a trading system architecture, having improved performance which further assures transactional determinism under increasing processing transaction loads while providing improved trading opportunities, fault tolerance, low latency processing, high volume capacity, risk mitigation and market protections with minimal impact, as well as improved and equitable access to information and opportunities.

Tools for enhancing participation in an web-based social network of businesses. For instance, such tools may encourage members of such networks to invite other members, providing viral growth of the network. As another example, the tools may encourage members of such networks to improve their web sites, which effectively will produce more traffic at such web sites. Because, in an aspect, some embodiments also include serving advertisements on web pages at members' web sites, increased traffic at such web sites results in additional “hits” on the served advertisements, producing additional revenue for the member and for the provider that maintains the business social network and/or serves the advertisements.

An interactive, computer network based system presents consumers with multimedia brand information via a browser-based interface called the GraffitiWall®. Consumers can use the GraffitiWall® to modify and display a sponsor's brand information in any way desired, including use of avatars. Consumer modifications are immediately communicated to the other member consumers and the advertiser/sponsor. Consumers can rate the GraffitiWall®, or portions thereof, and email the GraffitiWall®. An archive of GraffitiWalls™ is maintained by the system. Consumers participate in online focus groups, one-to-one interviews and discussions, as well as games and promotions pertaining to the brand. Interaction with consumers through focus groups, one-to-one interviews, discussions, games and promotions allows the hosting company to reinforce brand equities; speak directly to their target audience; test new and updated products and services; and encourage participation to a brand via purchases and signups by rewarding the participant with coupons, samples, gift certificates, and the like. An ongoing dialogue between business and consumer, as well as consumer-to-consumer, nurtures customer participation, loyalty and satisfaction, and builds a community housed within the company's brand.

The present invention discloses a behavior monitoring system and method for tracking users' consumer behavior in real-time. Each participant of the system is equipped with a mobile device capable of decoding barcodes. Every time a participant makes a purchase, they scan the barcode located on the product and answer preliminary questions about the product. This information is then sent to a server via a wireless network and stored in a user database. The participant is then prompted with a series of more specific questions once the scanned barcode has been identified using a product database. The answers to the additional questions are also stored in the user database.

The disclosed embodiments relate to implementation, such as by a message processing system architecture, of a message handling system and/or protocol which mitigates optimistic messaging behavior. As used herein optimistic messaging behavior may at least refer to the transmission, in whole or in part, of a message, or of one or more messages of a sequence thereof, to a receiving system, such as the system implemented by the disclosed embodiments, prior to the sender determining that the message(s) is/are desired, alone or in conjunction with subsequently canceling or otherwise invalidating the message(s) once it has been determined that it is not desired. The disclosed embodiments mitigate such behavior by detecting and taking action with respect to these types of messages to deter optimizing behavior which may or may not be manipulative, while maintaining reliable message handling under increasing processing loads with minimal impact on users being able to send messages to the system.

The invention provides an automated hand hygiene/infection control monitoring sensor-based system suitable for improving hand hygiene and multiple infection control measures and ensuring compliance by health care workers as well as visitors to hospitals and clinics. The use of biometric identification devices such as cameras for face recognition and profiling, microphones for voice recognition, etc. permit highly accurate identification without the use of removable identification devices such as identification badges which may include bar codes, magnetic strips or wireless devices such as RFIDS. Identification badges are removable and hence susceptible to being lost, misplaced, etc. Visitors are typically not assigned identification badges and hence enforcement of hand hygiene policies is minimal. Additional applications include reducing food contamination in food industry, the spread of diseases in schools, in businesses, in corporations and governmental facilities and public access facilities such as public restrooms, dining areas and transportation.

The disclosed embodiments relate to implementation of a trading system, which may also be referred to as a trading system architecture, having improved performance which further assures transactional determinism under increasing processing transaction loads while providing improved trading opportunities, fault tolerance, low latency processing, high volume capacity, risk mitigation and market protections with minimal impact, as well as improved and equitable access to information and opportunities.

The invention discloses a block chain consensus method and device based on a Raft algorithm, relates to the technical field of communication, and is used for solving the technical problems that in theprior art, abnormal nodes in a block chain based on a Raft algorithm are easily selected as candidates, and the node activity is relatively low, so that the security of a block chain system is relatively low. According to the invention, the consensus nodes and the supervisor nodes used for obtaining the node information of the consensus nodes can be constructed in the block chain; the height of each consensus node including the block height, Online duration, and node information of the average voting frequency are obtained through the supervisor node; when the consensus node of the leader state ends at any time, the consensus node of the leader state receives the node information of each consensus node sent by the supervisor node, determines and broadcasts the node information to at mostone recommended candidate consensus node according to the node information, converts the state of the recommended candidate consensus node into a candidate state, and enters a next election process. The invention is used for improving the security of the block chain system.

A method and apparatus for optimizing long-term revenues in online auctions of distinguishable units of an item. For example, the item might be a specific keyword in sponsored search where the distinguishable units could be different slots for putting ads. The system can estimate parameters such as relevance and value by using a notion of fairness and can optimize the revenue by effecting the users' incentives and by improving the bidding language. In general, the method and the system can also be used for equivalent offline auctions.

In one example, we describe methods and systems for automated online merchant charity donations. In one embodiment, a donation agent interacting with a merchant website can offer an online user an option to allocate at least a portion of a payment for or price of a purchase, associated with a transaction made by the user via the merchant website, to be donated by a merchant corresponding to the merchant website on behalf of the user to a charity of the user's choosing. If the online user exercises the option, the donation agent can calculate an amount of the donation to be made and store the calculated donation amount in a database. The donation agent can disburse the calculated donation amount to the charity selected by the customer. The method also works for the off-line model. The points earned can be combined with a college scholarship award mechanism.

Systems and methods for encouraging regular participation in training and collaborative activities by employees of an organization are provided through a gamified training platform. Preferably, these systems and methods are implemented in an Internet based environment accessed by the employees from various types of mobile devices. A training activity is determined based on training modules pertaining to the organization and made accessible to the employees for a specified period. When a first employee performs the training activity, the platform generates a collaborative review activity that allows other employees to review the first employee's training performance. When a second employee performs the collaborative review activity, the platform generates a collaborative feedback activity that allows yet other employees to rate the second employee's review. In certain embodiments, the platform may generate a leaderboard displaying the relative ranking of the employees based on the employees' performance of the training and collaborative activities.

Games, lotteries, and/or sweepstakes as well as tickets, systems, technologies, and/or methods related thereto. In some embodiments, unique games and/or unique administrations of games and/or unique tickets useful for participating in games. In certain preferred embodiments, games which can be administrated or participated in contemporaneously with an event, such as a sporting event, music performance, or trade show (e.g., at the same time or during a live event). In certain of such preferred embodiments, participants in games make no payment to participate in the games.

The disclosed embodiments relate to implementation of a trading system, which may also be referred to as a trading system architecture, having improved performance which further assures transactional determinism under increasing processing transaction loads while providing improved trading opportunities, fault tolerance, low latency processing, high volume capacity, risk mitigation and market protections with minimal impact, as well as improved and equitable access to information and opportunities.

A game server connected to a plurality of game terminals via a communication network is disclosed including a receiver that receives a first request to register an invitation code for a game that is available for download, from a first game terminal operated by a first player, a memory, a processor connected to the memory and that causes the memory to register the invitation code in a state that allows acquisition from another game terminal, and a transmitter. The receiver receives a second request to acquire the invitation code from a second game terminal operated by a second player. The transmitter transmits the invitation code to the second game terminal in response to the reception of the second request. The processor causes the memory to register the invitation code based on the reception of the first request, regardless of whether or not the first player has a game play history.

This invention relates to a pooling method for an auction existing in a social network system wherein bidding back-up friends who provided the best bidder or raffle winner with bidding money, bidding ticket, or raffle ticket are compensated. The compensation is proportional to the amount of bidding money provided, and the order of the winner and the bidding back-up friend. The pooling method for an auction bid in a social network system comprises the steps of: providing users with bidding money, building a bidding back-up friendship among the users, providing the users with bidding tickets, providing one user's bidding money or bidding ticket to his bidding back-up friend who participates in an auction, and best bidder wins the auction and his bidding back-up friends are compensated.

The invention relates to systems and methods for behavioral modification of users in an online community where users store or share data to help one another reach informed decisions. One aspect of the invention provides a method for encouraging active participation in an online community. The method includes: receiving information from a first user regarding a topic, receiving a request from a second user for additional information desired from the first user, and sending a personalized message to the first user requesting the additional information. Another aspect of the invention provides a computer-readable medium whose contents cause a computer to perform a method for encouraging active participation in an online community. The method includes: receiving information from a first user regarding a topic; identifying additional information desired from the first user; and sending a personalized message to the first user requesting the additional information.

The disclosed embodiments relate to implementation of a trading system, which may also be referred to as a trading system architecture, having improved performance which further assures transactional determinism under increasing processing transaction loads while providing improved trading opportunities, fault tolerance, low latency processing, high volume capacity, risk mitigation and market protections with minimal impact, as well as improved and equitable access to information and opportunities.

The present inventors have determined that health services programs may be efficiently administered by providing a plurality of health services modules that are “horizontally integrated” on a platform. A rules engine is operative to identify enumerated events such that an event in one module triggers the rules engine to propagate a related event in one or more other modules. Such health services modules may be software architectural components operable for one or more of (1) live video conferencing, (2) scheduling, and/or (3) health services program data/content. Additional health services modules (“add-on modules”) may also be provided on the platform and horizontally integrated.

In one example, we describe methods and systems for automated online merchant charity donations. In one embodiment, a donation agent interacting with a merchant website can offer an online user an option to allocate at least a portion of a payment for or price of a purchase, associated with a transaction made by the user via the merchant website, to be donated by a merchant corresponding to the merchant website on behalf of the user to a charity of the user's choosing. If the online user exercises the option, the donation agent can calculate an amount of the donation to be made and store the calculated donation amount in a database. The donation agent can disburse the calculated donation amount to the charity selected by the customer. The method also works for the off-line model. The points earned can be combined with a college scholarship award mechanism.