Groupon, Inc.

Amazon Technologies, Inc.

Bytedance Inc.

Pelago, Inc.

Jeffrey Alan Holden

Shafiq Shariff

Jeffrey M Ayars

Gregory Joseph Conklin

Darren Erik Vengroff

Nathaniel Blake Scholl

Ruslan Gilfanov

John C Kim

Jeffrey P Bezos

David Crawford

David Thacker

Naresh Dhiman

Alison Allgor

Justin Michael Hughes

Ian McIntyre Silber

Charles Louis Ward

Nanyan Nicholls

Vijay Ravindran

Daniel M Roarty

Andrew Mason

David I Gellman

John Mark Nickels

Pete Prokopowicz

Jordan Fulghum

Eric Vadon

Michael T Sha

Dennis Lee

John Chenault

Randal Henne

Jeff Ayars

Gintaras Woss

Aaron Michael Donsbach

Brent Russell Smith

Ian W Freed

Amit Aggarwal

Suneel K Gupta

Jeffrey T Brownell

Lawrence Gordon Tesler

Richard Scott Brinkerhoff

Ron Kohavi

Eric R Vadon

Charles H Bell

John D Rodgers

Dan Nawara

Erich Braumoeller

David Hsu

John Kim

Gregory J Conklin

Lawrence G Tesler

Techniques are described for providing location-based information and functionality to people and computing devices in various ways. In at least some situations, the techniques include enabling multiple people in a common geographic area to interact in various ways, such as via devices capable of communications (e.g., cellular telephones, computing devices with wired and/or wireless communications capabilities, etc.), while in other situations at least some users who are remote from a particular geographic area may be allowed to intercommunicate with one or more other users or other entities in or related to that geographic area. In addition, the techniques include enabling the creation and maintenance of location-based virtual groups of users (also referred to as 'clouds'), such as for users of mobile and/or fixed-location devices. Such clouds may enable various types of interactions between group members, and may be temporary and/or mobile.

Method and system for enabling the creation and maintenance of proximity-related user groups

Techniques are described for providing location-based information and functionality to people and computing devices in various ways. In at least some situations, the techniques include enabling multiple people in a common geographic area to interact in various ways, such as via devices capable of communications (e.g., cellular telephones, computing devices with wired and/or wireless communications capabilities, etc.). In addition, the techniques include enabling the creation and maintenance of location-based virtual groups of users (also referred to as 'clouds'), such as for users of mobile and/or fixed-location devices. Such clouds may enable various types of interactions between group members, and may be temporary and/or mobile.

Facilitating user interactions based on proximity

A method, apparatus, and computer program product are disclosed to improve generation of electronic communications. The method may include providing a plurality of content slots each configured to receive content. The method may also include maintaining a database comprising a plurality of content generators, and determining, using a processor, one of the plurality of content generators for providing content to each of the plurality of content slots. The determining the one of the plurality of promotion content generators or non-promotion content generators may include providing a first content generator of the plurality of content generators with a set of selection parameters, and receiving a first bid for one of the plurality of content slots from the first content generator. The first content generator may determine the bid based at least in part on the set of selection parameters. The method may also include assigning the first content generator to the one of the plurality of content slots based on the bid.

Method and apparatus for generating an electronic communication

The pull-type searching system provides an effective and efficient way to navigate deals and assist the user in identifying a deal for selection. The pull-type searching system further enables identification of one or more alternative deals to present to the user when no deals are identified for the selected search criteria. The pull-type searching system includes a method and apparatus. The method includes communicating ordered selectable search criteria, the search criteria including one or more categories, subcategories and deal types based on a user profile or available deals, or redemption goals. The method further includes receiving a selection from the search criteria and searching a deals database for results associated with the selection. Further, the method includes communicating the results associated with the selection, one or more alternative categories, or one or more alternative deals. A similar apparatus is provided.

Pull-type searching system

Systems, apparatus, methods, and non-transitory media for providing user interfaces are discussed herein. Some examples may include an apparatus configured to determine one or more additional items based on relevance data related to a primary purchase item that is associated with a user profile, generate a user interface, determine at least one selected item from the one or more additional items, receive an expiration signal indicating expiration of an automatic completion time period, and execute an automatic purchase completion transition routine associated with the at least one selected item in response to receiving the expiration signal.

Systems and methods for generating a user interface including item selection interface elements arranged based on relevance data and configured for executing transition routines based on receipt of an expiration signal

Techniques are described for facilitating the awarding of prizes in chance-based contests in various ways, such as chance-based contests which are part of promotional advertising, etc. In at least some embodiments, the techniques include facilitating the awarding of prizes at the time a contestant enter or plays the contests, while awarding a selected number of prizes, which may be determined before the contest starts. In at least some embodiments, the techniques include employing an award counter to control awarding of prizes in a chance-based contest. For example, an award counter may be incremented at random or pseudo-random times. In at least some embodiments, the contest is associated with a location-based virtual group of users that has one or more associated geographical areas.

Dynamic awarding of prizes in chance-based contests

Systems, apparatus, methods, and non-transitory media for providing multiple items for purchase to consumers are discussed herein. Some embodiments may include a system including circuitry configured to initiate an add-to-order session timer subsequent to the primary purchase of a first item using transaction data of the consumer. The add-to-order session timer may indicate a period of time in which one or more additional items may selected for purchase using the same transaction data as the primary purchase. In some embodiments, the system may be further configured to provide incentives to the consumer for selecting an additional item prior to expiration of the add-to-order session timer.

Systems and methods for providing multiple items to consumers

In a promotion offering system, a consumer is more likely to purchase a promotion offering if the consumer finds the promotion to be interesting or fits a need of the consumer. In order to provide a more intelligent selection process for selecting promotions that are desirable to the consumer, a method and a promotion offering system for implementing the method are provided that takes into consideration a number of different factors associated with a consumer, including locations and deal types that are known or predicted to be of interest to the consumer, when determining one or more promotions to present to the consumer.

Promotion offering system

Growing community of inventors

Chicago, IL, United States of America

Jeffrey Alan Holden