Groupon, Inc.

Realnetworks Gmbh

Intel Corporation

Jeffrey M Ayars

Bradley D Hefta-Gaub

Jeffrey Alan Holden

Rahul Agarwal

Dale R Stammen

Sujal M Patel

Philip Rosedale

Gregory Joseph Conklin

Shafiq Shariff

Nathaniel Blake Scholl

Alan Francis Lippman

John C Kim

Gary S Greenbaum

Bryan D Vergato

Justin Michael Hughes

Daniel Sheeran

Alain Hamel

Peter S Haight

Darren P Schack

Joshua D Hug

David Thacker

Ruslan Gilfanov

Daniel M Roarty

Pete Prokopowicz

Xiaodong Fu

John Mark Nickels

Adam Cappio

Brent Newman

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

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

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

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 complete a purchase of a first item using transaction data provided the consumer. The circuitry may be further configured to provide additional items to the consumer for a subsequent instant transaction. Using the same transaction data for the instant transaction as the purchase of the first item, the instant transaction may be streamlined by minimizing required consumer inputs. Some embodiments may additionally or alternatively provide for streamlined consumer inputs for the purchase of the first item.

Systems and methods for providing streamlined multiple item transactions

A system and a method determine network conditions. The system includes a server computer and a client computer. The server computer is configured to transmit data packets comprising a data object from the server computer to the client computer. The client computer includes a transmission latency detector and a transmission bandwidth detector. The transmission latency detector uses transmission time and receipt time values to determine the changes in time it takes selected portions of the data object to be transmitted from the server computer to the client computer. The transmission bandwidth detector uses identified back-to-back data packets to determine the transmission bandwidth between the server computer and the client computer.

System and method for determining network conditions

Provided herein are systems, methods and computer readable media for creating and managing temporary virtual groups. An example apparatus may be configured enable an administrative entity to establish a temporary virtual group, enable the administrative entity to define configuration information for the temporary virtual group, the enabling of the administrative entity to define the configuration information comprising establishing membership criteria for admittance of one or more members to the temporary virtual group, establishing rules of interaction among the one or more members of that the temporary virtual group, establishing termination criteria, the termination criteria configured to determine when the temporary virtual group will terminate, and facilitate transmission of the message from the first member to a second member, and terminate the temporary virtual group upon determination that the termination criteria is met.

Method and system for enabling the creation and maintenance of temporary user groups

A system and method of providing universal digital rights management system protection is described. One feature of the invention concerns systems and methods for repackaging and securing data packaged under any file format type, compression technique, or digital rights management system. Another feature of the invention is directed to systems and methods for securing data by providing scalability through the use of modular data manipulation software objects.

Digital rights management handler and related methods

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

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 inter-communicate 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.

A system and method provide random access to a multimedia object over a network. One embodiment of the invention includes a streaming media server that is connected to a client computer over a network. The streaming media server includes at least one multimedia object that is adapted for transmission ('streaming') across the network. A pre-roll calculation program determines a pre-roll for each segment of the multimedia object and generates a modified multimedia object which includes a pre-roll for each of its segments, a pre-roll identifying a portion of the multimedia object to be transmitted by the streaming media server and received by the client computer prior to playback of the multimedia object at a selected segment. The pre-roll allows the client computer to present, starting at a selected segment, the multimedia object in its entirety without interruption. The pre-roll calculation program further facilitates the design of the multimedia object to minimize delays associated with random accesses to segments of the multimedia object.

System and method for providing random access to a multimedia object over a network

Growing community of inventors

North Bend, WA, United States of America

Jeffrey M Ayars