508 results about "Product distribution" patented technology

A real-time transaction processing Consumer Products Distribution System (PDMS) reduces distribution costs, facilitates the distribution of products to consumers and makes online shopping practical. The PDMS integrates Collaborative Inventory Sharing, Order Aggregation, Consumer Predictive Purchasing, Product Transport Support Service, Display Shops, Uniform Consumer Preference Codes, Integrated Virtual Technical Support Centers, and other convenient features. Consumers purchase products through web sites of local and remotely located retailers preferably using Predictive Purchasing. The items purchased from multiple retailers are aggregated at a consumer selected Order Aggregation Site (OAS) based upon a consumer specified schedule. The consumer can pick up the aggregated orders at the selected OAS or have the aggregated orders delivered to a residence. Commercial carriers process consumer parcels at OASs where they are combined with Aggregated Orders for pickup or delivery. Consumers are given incentive discounts to promote the use of Predictive Purchasing, which significantly improves supply chain productivity.

Information pertaining to characteristics of consumables such as metal welding electrode wire and shielding gas and which characteristics are useful in connection with adjusting welding parameters in an arc welding process and/or selecting between operating modes in a welding system are encoded on welding wire and/or on other memory components such as bar code labels and tags, RFID cards and tags, IC cards, and Touch Memory buttons, and the memory device is scanned prior to and/or at the point of use of the welding wire or shielding gas for enabling tracking of product distribution, manual and/or automatic selection of an operating mode for the welding system, manual and/or automatic adjustment of welding parameters in a given operating mode, consumables inventory, and the like.

A method and system for eliminating storage and transportation of products within a product distribution system is disclosed saving money and time since businesses do not need to have products shipped and stored. The method and system includes an online store through which designers can upload electronic files of printable products and consumers can view the printable products for purchase, download and printing on a 3D printer. The method and system also allows for implementation of protection systems for designers with the option of insuring the final design is not tampered with by anyone other than the designer.

Improved approaches for submission, management and/or distribution of updates to digital products, such as application programs (software programs), with respect to an online product distribution site are disclosed. Updates to numerous digital products can be centrally managed in a uniform and computer-assisted manner so that updates can be efficiently distributed to appropriate users.

Improved methods, systems, graphical user interfaces and computer program code for presenting representations or information concerning digital products are disclosed. The representations of digital products can serve to promote certain digital products at an online digital product distribution site. Information concerning a particular digital product can be rapidly accessible from a displayed page at an online digital product distribution site referencing a plurality of different digital products. According to one aspect, a plurality of representations (e.g., images) can be dynamically presented to facilitate access to corresponding digital product information. The representations being presented can be automatically changed on a periodic basis, unless user interaction requests otherwise. According to another aspect, digital product information can be presented in an overlay window that can be initiated by a user and present relevant information concerning a digital product. Advantageously, digital product information can be quickly presented to a user without having to navigate to a new page of an online distribution site.

A system and a method for providing shelf monitoring functions to a retail system including a video-based security system such that both the security and the current product distribution in a product storage area are monitored using the same video camera network. The method includes acquiring a video image of at least a portion of at least one shelf using at least one video camera mounted in a fixed location and directing the video image to a shelf monitoring module of a processing system and to a security module of the processing system

<heading lvl="0">Abstract of Disclosure</heading> An active package system comprising: a package; a first identification tag coupled to the package; a controller that stores identifying data coupled to the first identification tag; and, an interrogator located external to the package, wherein the first identification tag in response to a query from the interrogator communicates the identifying data and the first identification tag is adapted for initiating a query to a second identification tag.

A system and method for activating and funding prepaid cards at the point of sale by making innovative use of existing point-of-sale devices and existing credit/debit card acceptance networks and processes. The invention obviates the need to implement new/different technology at point-of-sale terminals that are widely used at retail outlets. This invention makes use of the existing credit and charge card systems and processes, including industry standard message formats, to settle funds and fees between the seller and the issuer of the prepaid card, thus further reducing the expense and time-to-market for product distribution.

A cobalt catalyst on which the distribution of Fischer-Tropsch synthesis is controllable is composed of metallic cobalt and a carrier by the weight percentage of 5-35% and 65-95% respectively. The catalyst is prepared by an impregnation method which aims at different carrier pore paths and pore diameter distribution as well as changes the interaction between the modulator cobalt and the carrier through adding a complexing agent during impregnation to achieve the even distribution of cobalt particle on the carrier surface, thus controlling the distribution of Fischer-Tropsch syntheses. The invention has the advantages of high reactivity and low selectivity of methane and achieving the selective synthesis of the products in the sections with specified carbon number.

An improved system, device and method for accessing features of digital products with assistance from a product distribution site are disclosed. In one embodiment, a user of a client device may have previously acquired rights or permissions to access one or more supplemental features of one or more digital products (e.g., application programs). Typically, a user would purchase an application program and then sometime later also purchase supplemental features for use with the application program. In one implementation the supplemental features can be purchased using the application program with the assistance of a remotely located product distribution server. Sometime thereafter, in some cases, the user desires to make use of such previously acquired one or more supplemental features on another client device. For example, the user may wish or need to transfer from a former client device to a new client device. As another example, the user may wish to utilized (e.g., share) such previously acquired one or more supplemental features with another client device associated with the user, such as another client device within user's account.

A host computer stores stocked-product data and estimation data in an order placement and reception information database. In response to an inquiry request from the terminal, the host computer permits a terminal to refer to the stocked-product data and estimation data of parties relating to a relevant product distribution channel. The terminal refers to the data, creates estimation data, and transmits the estimation data to the host computer. The host computer stores the received estimation data in the order placement and reception information database as order placement data, and performs delivery management on the basis of the order placement data.

A vehicle including a ground speed sensor arranged to detect the speed of travel of the vehicle on the ground and including a wave transmitter arranged to transmit waves toward the ground, a wave receiver arranged to received waves reflected from the ground and a processor coupled to the transmitter and receiver to determine the speed of travel based on the transmitted waves and received waves. The waves are transmitted in pulses or modulated such that the processor is able to determine the distance between a wave-transmission and reception point and the ground (by time of flight for ultrasonic and electromagnetic waves or phase difference-for electromagnetic waves) and the velocity of the vehicle (using Doppler analysis).

A product distribution and payment system for limited use or otherwise restricted digital software products. Digital content data comprising a software product to be rented is made available to customers through a detachable local storage medium, such as a DVD or CD-ROM disc, or over a network connection. The product digital content is capable of being accessed and played back through a computer or game console at the customer site. The software product may comprise a limited use product that is restricted in the number of plays or duration of use. The customer is allowed to download and purchase the product using his computer or playback console. The product purchase information is encoded and transmitted to the content distributor. When the preset time or number of plays has elapsed the software program is frozen and access to the program is not allowed. In one embodiment of the present invention, a two-way, public key/private key encryption system is implemented to transmit the product and usage information between the server providing the software product and the customer computer system.

The catalytic cracking co-catalyst for increasing diesel oil yield is prepared through roasting kaolin at over 900 deg.c for in-situ crystallization. The co-catalyst contains type-Y zeolite in 5-20 wt%, as well as magnesia 0.5-3 wt%, RE oxide 0.5-5 wt%, and sodium oxide less than 0.6 wt%, and the zeolite has Si/Al ratio of 4.0-6.0. Adding certain amount of the catalytic cracking co-catalyst without altering the main catalyst in the oil refining apparatus can raise diesel oil yield of FCC catalyzed apparatus, improve product distribution, raise available catalyst utilization, and improve the activity stability of the catalyst system and heavy metal resistance.

The license manager provides an automated process that reduces the need for human interaction associated with licensing components, distribution of the same, product distribution, debugging, product building, assembly, installation, configuration and maintenance. In addition, there is an interface for use by regulators that allows the regulators to test and to receive notifications from the license manager. Finally, there is a third party interface to facilitate equipment add-ons to the system. The license management system provides enablement/disablement of software products, generation and maintenance of accounting records, and logs for licenses that are generated and distributed throughout the system. An audit trail is also created that includes who authorized the purchase of the license, as well as audit trails relating to different system levels to verify system security. Finally, a change notification system provides for the control of any changes to the system and monitors these changes on a multi-tiered level within the system.

A flexible product distribution and payment system for computer network based electronic commerce is disclosed. Primary content data is made available to customers through a detachable local storage medium, such as a DVD or CD-ROM disc, or over a network connection. The primary content is capable of being accessed and played back through a computer or game console at the customer site. The primary content distribution may comprise a superset of content that is intended to be used by the customer. The customer is allowed to view and access the encoded primary content, and is charged only for the primary content that is used. Content that is encoded on the medium but that is not used by the customer remains on the medium but is not charged. A content database and customer database maintained at the primary customer site maintain records of products ordered and used by the customer, as well as identification and use patterns associated with the user. Authentication and use trigger data associated with the distributed content alert the primary content server computer when customer use has occurred and when a charge to the customer is appropriate.

A system is disclosed that comprises a processor, and logic executable by the processor. The logic is configured to cause the processor to perform a method comprising receiving at least one attribute of a condition of a good, and using the at least one attribute to calculate an actual Intelligent Routing (IR) code for the good. Further, the method comprises calculating and storing a target IR code for each of at least two receivers, and comparing the actual IR code for the good to the target IR codes for each of the at least two receivers. Finally, the method comprises determining, based on the comparison of the actual IR code for the good to the target IR codes for each of the at least two receivers, which receiver of the at least two receivers will receive the good.

An improved system and method for configuring, submitting, distributing and/or managing add-ons for digital products previously submitted to a product distribution site are disclosed. The add-ons for digital products can be managed and made available for online purchase and distribution at the product distribution site. An add-on for a digital product can subsequently be offered to and acquired by an interested person that previously purchased the associated digital product through use of the digital product itself, which can interact with a product distribution site. The product distribution site can also be referred to as an online product hosting site. In one embodiment, the digital products are computer program products (e.g., computer software programs).

Various sensor unit configurations are disclosed within the context of a fluid quality monitoring system. The distribution of sensor units can be accomplished using existing product distribution channels to sell, distribute and install sensor units so that a fluid distribution monitoring system can be established at relatively low cost, on a wider basis, and by locating sensor units at the most desirable location from problem detection standpoint, the location of the end user.

Novel methods of Fischer-Tropsch synthesis are described. It has been discovered that conducting the Fischer-Tropsch synthesis over a catalyst with a catalytically active surface layer of 35 microns or less results in a liquid hydrocarbon product with a high ratio of C₅-C₂₀:C₂₀₊. Descriptions of novel Fischer-Tropsch catalysts and reactors are also provided. Novel hydrocarbon compositions with a high ratio of C₅-C₂₀:C₂₀₊ are also described.

The invention discloses a short-time early warning system for severe convection weather, and the system comprises a business management module which achieves duty shifting registration, system log, forecast grading, and business flow; a data preprocessing module which achieves real-time data collection, data quality control, data preprocessing, and severe convection weather diagnosis; a short-time temporary forecast early warning module which achieves a weather background and case library, severe convection monitoring analysis, severe convection potentiality forecast, severe convection short-time temporary forecast, and the manufacturing of forecast early warning products; and a product distribution module which achieves product packaging, early warning information inter-cut, short-message/audio-signal services, and fax/E-mail. The system constructs base information, and carries out the statistics of severe convection generation factors of the Tibet region in recent years. The system achieves the research of the large-scale conditions of severe convection weather in the Tibet region, and divides different circulation patterns for different regions. The system employs a method of composite analysis to synthesize the characteristics of an environment field, builds an early-warning model, and has higher forecast accuracy and long forecast time efficiency for the severe convection weather in the Tibet region.

A method for estimating the sales of specialty products includes defining a first product specific universe using wholesale purchasing data to determine a product specific store size for a first group of retail outlets. A second product specific universe is defined using sampled retail sales data to determine a product specific store size for a second group of retail outlets, which were not represented in the first group of outlets. Geo-spatial projection is applied to the first and second product specific universes to determine product specific projection factors for retail outlets in the first and second universe. The product specific projection factors are then applied to sampled retail sales data for the product to estimate the sales of said specialty product in unsampled outlets. Preferably, the retail sales data includes prescriber information and the resulting estimates are attributable to individual prescribers authorizing the specialty product sale.

The invention relates to a catalyst with cracking and gasifying function, on the basis of the weight of the catalyst, which comprises: 35-60 percent of pseudo-boehmite, 2-10 percent of alumina sol, 20-49.5 percent of kaolin, 5-30 percent of alkali metals and alkaline-earth metals (by oxide), wherein the atomic ratio of the alkali metals to the alkaline-earth metals is (0.05-0.9):1. The catalyst has the optimization effects on the hydrocarbon oil cracking products distribution and the gasification effective gas productivity.