PROVIDING FEEDBACK ABOUT AN IMAGE OF A FINANCIAL DOCUMENT
Granted: January 26, 2012
Application Number:
20120020532
A technique for providing feedback about an image of a financial document to a user is described. During this feedback technique, the user provides the image of a financial document, such as W-2 form. For example, the user may take a picture of or may scan the financial document. This image may be analyzed using predefined information in a set of financial documents (such as different types of income-tax documents), and a quality metric for the image may be determined using the analysis.…
METHODS SYSTEMS AND COMPUTER PROGRAM PRODUCTS FOR MASKING PHONE NUMBERS OF COMMUNICATION DEVICES
Granted: December 29, 2011
Application Number:
20110319063
Communications involving mobile communication devices and an intermediate compute of a trusted third party host such that people can communicate with each other through the intermediate computer while not disclosing their phone numbers and/or other contact information to each other. Users register with the intermediate computer using a first form of communication that may involve non-voice communications such as text messages. After registration, users may communicate with each other…
ASSESSING AND ADAPTING COMPONENT PARAMETERS
Granted: December 29, 2011
Application Number:
20110320424
A parameter-selection technique that allows preferred permutations to be rapidly identified based on real-world user behavior is described. In particular, a set of web pages that include different permutations of the set of parameters are generated. Then, at least a subset of these web pages is provided to the users in response to their requests. For example, the requests may be associated with user selections of search results, which are associated with search queries provided by the…
CONCEPT-BASED DATA PROCESSING
Granted: December 22, 2011
Application Number:
20110314034
The present embodiments provide a system that processes data. During operation, the system obtains, from a set of technical users, a set of concept definitions comprising filters against data in a data domain. Next, the system provides the concept definitions to a set of end users of the data. Finally, the system facilitates, for the end users, processing of the data by applying the concept definitions to the data.
SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR ASSIGNING A SENDERID
Granted: December 1, 2011
Application Number:
20110294479
A method for sending Short Message Service (SMS) messages includes receiving a request to generate a senderID, determining senderIDs based on a business name, and receiving a selected senderID from the senderIDs. The method further includes receiving a request to send an SMS message using the selected senderID, and sending a request to an SMS server to send the SMS message using the senderID.
METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR FACILITATING COST-OPTIMIZED MOBILE MESSAGING
Granted: November 17, 2011
Application Number:
20110281560
One embodiment of the present invention provides a system for facilitating cost-optimized mobile messaging. During operation, the system receives an encoded text message at a mobile device. Next, the system replaces a sub-string in the encoded text message with a corresponding sub-string from a data-dictionary to create a decoded text message. Finally, the system displays the decoded text message on the mobile device. Note that this helps to reduce costs since small sub-strings in the…
SECREGATING ANONYMOUS ACCESS TO DYNAMIC CONTENT ON A WEB SERVER, WITH CACHED LOGONS
Granted: November 17, 2011
Application Number:
20110282909
A system and method are provided for segregating access to dynamic content on multiple websites hosted by a web server. When a request is received for dynamic content from a website, a UserRetriever module identifies a path to the content and retrieves a username and password corresponding to the website, from a database that is separate from the web server and used for other purposes (e.g., billing). A UserImpersonator module requests a logon handle for that username from a logon cache…
METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR SECURE EXCHANGE AND USE OF ELECTRONIC BUSINESS CARDS
Granted: November 3, 2011
Application Number:
20110271108
Some embodiments provide a system that facilitates the use of an electronic business card. During operation, the system obtains one or more permissions for the electronic business card. Next, the system manages use of the electronic business card by a recipient of the electronic business card based on the permissions.
MULTI-FACTOR PROMOTIONAL OFFER SUGGESTION
Granted: October 6, 2011
Application Number:
20110246277
The invention relates to a method to send a promotional offer from a business entity. The method steps include obtaining a profile of the business entity from a financial management application (FMA) executing on a central processing unit (CPU) and configured to manage operations of the business entity, analyzing a plurality of messages from a message source based on a pre-determined criterion to identify a keyword, qualifying the keyword to generate a qualified keyword with a keyword…
METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR MAINTAINING TEXTSITES ON A GLOBAL TEXTSITE PLATFORM
Granted: September 22, 2011
Application Number:
20110230213
A method for accessing content using a global textsite platform including registering a unique keyword received from a publisher, receiving content from the publisher for creating a textsite associated with the unique keyword, creating the textsite on behalf of the publisher, receiving, from a user, a request to access the textsite, processing the request from the user, and providing access to the textsite by sending the content of the textsite, via a text messaging service (TMS), to a…
ACCESSING TEXTSITES USING TEXT MESSAGING SERVICE
Granted: September 22, 2011
Application Number:
20110230214
A method for providing access to content using a global textsite platform (GTP) including receiving a user message identifying a registered unique keyword maintained by the GTP, wherein the registered unique keyword is registered with the GTP by a publisher for accessing a textsite comprising a plurality of text pages published by the publisher and indexed based on a plurality of navigating keywords defined by the publisher, retrieving authored content associated with the textsite based…
METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR REDUCING THE USE OF INSECURE PASSWORDS
Granted: September 15, 2011
Application Number:
20110225648
One embodiment of the present invention provides a system for reducing the use of insecure passwords. During operation, the system receives a login request at a computer system, wherein the login request includes a username and a password. Next, the system saves the password to an attempted password list, wherein the attempted password list includes passwords that have been attempted during login. The system then receives a password change request, wherein the password change request…
AUDIO AGREEMENT
Granted: September 1, 2011
Application Number:
20110213723
A method for providing a product use agreement. The method includes sending, to a user in response to a request for a product, a message that includes an address for accessing the product use agreement. The method further includes receiving, from the user, a call at the address and audibly playing, to the user, a pre-recorded product use agreement recording. The pre-recorded product use agreement recording includes a legal agreement for using the product between the user and a business…
MATCHING PARTIES TO A TRANSACTION FOR AN AGRICULTURAL COMMODITY
Granted: August 25, 2011
Application Number:
20110208636
In general, in one aspect, the invention relates to a method for matching parties to a transaction of an agricultural commodity. The method involves receiving buyer criteria (e.g., purchase quantity, buyer price, transaction location at which to buy the agricultural commodity) sent from a mobile device used by a primary and secondary buyer. The method further involves receiving seller criteria sent from a seller mobile device. The method further involves matching, within a predetermined…
TECHNIQUE FOR RECOMMENDING ADVERTISING MESSAGES
Granted: August 11, 2011
Application Number:
20110196734
A technique for identifying a recommended type of advertising message is described. In this technique, information about advertising messages directed from businesses to consumers and associated acceptance rates of the advertising messages by the consumers is received or accessed. Note that the advertising messages include different types of advertising messages for different types of businesses. Then, the recommended type of advertising message for a given business is identified based…
AUTHENTICATION OF TRANSACTIONS IN A NETWORK
Granted: July 14, 2011
Application Number:
20110173124
A technique for conducting a transaction via a network is described. In this technique, in response to receiving transaction information associated with the transaction via the network from a network browser in a computer, a computer system provides an encrypted version of the received transaction information via the network to an application that executes in the computer, which facilitates a comparison of the received transaction information with original transaction information…
METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR PERFORMING VOICE-BASED CREDIT CARD PROCESSING
Granted: May 5, 2011
Application Number:
20110106701
One embodiment of the present invention provides a system for performing voice-based credit card processing. During operation, the system receives voice input from a merchant at a computer via a telephone to initiate a credit card transaction. Next, the system authenticates the merchant. After authenticating the merchant, the system prompts the merchant for a credit card number. Next, the system authenticates a consumer associated with the credit card. Note that the system can…
CREATING A COMPOSITE PROGRAM MODULE IN A COMPUTING ECOSYSTEM
Granted: December 30, 2010
Application Number:
20100332581
Methods are provided for creating a composite program module within a computing ecosystem. The ecosystem comprises physical and/or virtual computing resources of a company, department or other organization. When a user discovers a grouping of modules that is useful to him, the ecosystem or his workspace allows him to create a composite module that comprises the group of modules. He can then access their combined functionality by activating just the composite module, in which case all the…
METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR INITIATING A FUNDS TRANSFER USING A MOBILE DEVICE
Granted: July 8, 2010
Application Number:
20100174647
The invention is directed to a method and apparatus for initiating an electronic funds transfer. The system includes a first mobile device, a payment engine, and a payment repository. The first mobile device includes functionality to display a notification of a sales transaction, obtain an authorization from the consumer to the electronic funds transfer based on the notification, instantiate a transfer entry form to obtain a transfer entry package, where the transfer entry package…
TECHNIQUE FOR PERFORMING FINANCIAL TRANSACTIONS OVER A NETWORK
Granted: June 24, 2010
Application Number:
20100161494
Embodiments of a system (such as a computer system), a method, and a computer-program product (e.g., software) for use with the computer system are described. These embodiments may be used to perform financial transactions over a network. In particular, the system allows customers to use personal PIN pads when conducting financial transactions (such as debit-card transactions) with multiple merchants and their associated acquirer processors (which assist the merchants in processing…
