SOFTWARE LOCALIZATION THROUGH USER CONTRIBUTION
Granted: December 19, 2013
Application Number:
20130339870
A method to adapt a software application for a geographical region. The invention includes receiving, by a computer processor and from at least one of a plurality of users of the software application, a first translation of a localizable item in a user interface (UI) menu of the software application, wherein the first translation is based on a language of the geographical region, generating, by the computer processor, a tally of the first translation from the plurality of users,…
MOBILE PAYMENT VIA A VIRTUAL PERIPHERAL DEVICE
Granted: December 12, 2013
Application Number:
20130332293
During a financial transaction, a customer provides a token that identifies the customer to a peripheral device (which is other than a credit-authorization terminal or a magnetic-stripe reader) coupled to the point-of-sale terminal. Then, a unified point-of-sale service object executing on the point-of-sale terminal, which is a driver for a virtual peripheral device, performs one or more operations based on at least the token to obtain financial information associated with the customer.…
MANAGING FINANCIAL TRANSACTIONS USING TRANSACTION DATA FROM SMS NOTIFICATIONS
Granted: October 31, 2013
Application Number:
20130290169
The disclosed embodiments provide a system that facilitates management of a financial transaction. During operation, the system obtains transaction data for the financial transaction between a user and an organization from a Short Message Service (SMS) notification on an electronic device of the user. Next, the system determines a category of the financial transaction based on the transaction data. The system also displays the transaction data and the category on the electronic device.…
PRE-ALLOCATING MERCHANT ID IN A CREDIT CARD PROCESSOR ENTITY SYSTEM BY A MASTER MERCHANT
Granted: October 3, 2013
Application Number:
20130262307
A method to process credit card transactions, including obtaining available merchant account IDs allocated to a master merchant account at a credit card processor entity of a credit card transaction network, where the master merchant is authorized to set up merchant accounts based on the master merchant account and assumes merchant-side financial risks of the merchant accounts, receiving, after obtaining the available merchant account IDs, a request from a merchant to set up a merchant…
ACCURATELY EXTRACTING INFORMATION BASED ON ORTHOGONAL IMAGES
Granted: September 26, 2013
Application Number:
20130250368
During an information-extraction technique, a user of an electronic device may be instructed by an application executed by the electronic device (such as a software application) to acquire images, with different orientations (which are known to the user), of a target location on a document using an imaging sensor, which is integrated into the electronic device. After the user has taken a first image and before the user takes a second image in a different orientation of the electronic…
FINANCIAL OUTCOME BASED ON SHARED FINANCIAL OBJECTS
Granted: September 12, 2013
Application Number:
20130238434
During a financial transaction, functional representations of financial histories of users are exchanged between electronic devices, where a given functional representation specifies one or more output values based on input values. Then, one of the electronic devices identifies a subset of the group of functional representations having at least a common characteristic. For example, the characteristic may include a wide variety of attributes, such as a mathematical feature in the…
SYSTEM FOR DYNAMICALLY GENERATING FINANCIAL OBJECTS
Granted: September 12, 2013
Application Number:
20130238477
During a financial transaction, information related to a financial history of a user is collected. This information includes financial data of the user over time, and the information specifies a behavioral pattern of the user. Then, a functional representation that specifies a financial output value based on input values and the behavioral pattern is generated, where the input values include at least a portion of the financial data. Moreover, based on the financial data, the financial…
COUNTERFACTUAL TESTING OF FINANCES USING FINANCIAL OBJECTS
Granted: September 12, 2013
Application Number:
20130238476
During a financial transaction, a functional representation of a financial history of a user is accessed. This functional representation specifies a financial output value based on input values and a behavioral pattern, and the behavioral pattern specifies a relationship between at least a pair of the variables associated with a dimension in the financial history. Then, the functional representation is modified based on a financial circumstance that is different than financial…
GENERALIZED FINANCIAL OBJECTS
Granted: September 12, 2013
Application Number:
20130238475
During a financial transaction, a financial history of the user is accessed. This financial history may include financial data of the user over time, and the financial data may include multiple variables in a multidimensional space. Then, a behavioral pattern of the user is identified by determining a relationship between at least a pair of the variables along a dimension in the multidimensional space. Moreover, the functional representation is generated. This functional representation…
DETERMINING SHOPPING INTENT BASED ON FINANCIAL OBJECTS
Granted: September 12, 2013
Application Number:
20130238460
During a financial transaction, a functional representation of a financial history of the user is accessed. The functional representation specifies a financial output value based on input values and a behavioral pattern, and the behavioral pattern specifies a relationship between at least a pair of the variables associated with a dimension in the financial history. Then, information about actions and activities of the user is collected, where the information corresponds to the behavioral…
MOBILE MONEY ORDER
Granted: August 15, 2013
Application Number:
20130212003
A method to track a money order transaction, including receiving, from a mobile device, a request to send the money order to a recipient, initiating, by a computer server in response to the request, a first transaction to transfer a money order amount from a funding account of the payer to a third party account held at a bank, initiating, in response to completing the first transaction, a second transaction to generate the money order by the bank, receiving, from the bank, an indication…
SECURE PEER DISCOVERY AND AUTHENTICATION USING A SHARED SECRET
Granted: August 1, 2013
Application Number:
20130198518
During a security technique, an electronic device determines a name by a applying a function to a shared secret, which is shared between a user and another user. This name is advertised in a network. After discovery by another electronic device (which is associated with the other user), the electronic device generates a first encrypted message from an unencrypted message using a cryptographic key. The electronic device provides the first encrypted message to the other electronic device,…
REMOTE CONFIGURATION OF EMV TERMINALS
Granted: August 1, 2013
Application Number:
20130198067
During a device programming technique, a merchant provides account information associated with a smart-card terminal to a portable electronic device (such as a cellular telephone), which is coupled to the smart-card terminal. In response, the portable electronic device provides the account information to a computer remotely located relative to the portable electronic device. Then, the computer provides a merchant identifier and a terminal identifier to the portable electronic device.…
LINKING A NAME TO A PHONE NUMBER IN A TEXT MESSAGE BASED ON A CONTACT LIST IN A MOBILE DEVICE
Granted: July 25, 2013
Application Number:
20130189961
A method to initiate a phone call to a contact. The method includes analyzing a text message to identify a first attribute of the contact, and selecting one or more entries from a contact list stored in the mobile device by matching the first attribute of the contact to a portion of each of the one or more entries. The method also includes identifying a second attribute of the contact from the one or more entries based on a first pre-determined criterion, and modifying the text message…
RULE-BASED CLASSIFICATION OF ELECTRONIC DEVICES
Granted: July 11, 2013
Application Number:
20130179561
The disclosed embodiments provide a system that facilitates interaction between an electronic device and a content provider. During operation, the system obtains a device profile containing a set of properties for the electronic device and a set of classification rules associated with the content provider. Next, the system identifies a device class of the electronic device based on the device profile and the classification rules. Finally, the system provides the device class to the…
SECURE FINANCIAL TRANSACTIONS USING MULTIPLE COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES
Granted: July 11, 2013
Application Number:
20130179353
During a financial technique, electronic devices may exchange, using a first communication technique, information with each other to establish a secure connection between the electronic devices when they are proximate to each other. After the secure connection is established, the electronic devices may hand off communication with each other from the first communication technique to a second communication technique that supports communication at a higher data rate and over longer…
AUTOMATED MECHANISM TO SWITCH USER DATA SETS IN A TOUCH-BASED DEVICE
Granted: July 11, 2013
Application Number:
20130176108
A method to use a single touch-based device for a set of users involves analyzing a biometric signal of a user, obtained using a biometric sensor of the single touch-based device, to generate a biometric data item; determining an identity of the user by comparing the biometric data item to a set of biometric data items stored in the single touch-based device; activating, in response solely to the biometric signal and based on the identity of the user, a user data set residing on the…
CONSUMER-INITIATED FINANCIAL TRANSACTION BASED ON SALES-SIDE INFORMATION
Granted: July 4, 2013
Application Number:
20130173425
During a financial transaction, an electronic device associated with a consumer receives an electronic package from a counterparty in the financial transaction. This electronic package includes sales-side information associated with the financial transaction. Then, the electronic device analyzes the electronic package to extract the sales-side information. Moreover, the electronic device provides the sales-side information and payment information to a third party that completes the…
DISTINGUISHING LEGITIMATE HARDWARE UPGRADES FROM UNAUTHORIZED INSTALLATIONS OF SOFTWARE ON ADDITIONAL COMPUTERS
Granted: May 9, 2013
Application Number:
20130117859
A client transmits requests to access features of a software program to a server. The requests include an identifier for a hardware profile of the computer on which the user is attempting to run the software. The client receives a response from the server that indicates whether the client is licensed to access the software and/or a feature of the software. The client creates a current identifier for the hardware configuration of the computer and compares the current identifier to the…
INTERACTIVE TECHNIQUE FOR COLLECTING INFORMATION
Granted: February 7, 2013
Application Number:
20130036347
In a collection technique, a user (such as a taxpayer) provides information (such as income-tax information) by submitting an image of a document, such as an income-tax summary or form. In particular, the user may provide a description of the document. In response, the user is prompted for the information associated with the field in the document. Then, the user provides the image of a region in the document that includes the field. Based on the image, the information is extracted, and…
