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Thomas Pinckney

Bio: Thomas Pinckney is an academic researcher from eBay. The author has contributed to research in topics: The Internet & Preference learning. The author has an hindex of 5, co-authored 5 publications receiving 525 citations.

Papers
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Patent
15 Jan 2015
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors described improved capabilities for a computer program product embodied in a computer readable medium that, when executing on one or more computers, helps determine an unknown user's preferences through the use of internet based social interactive graphical representations on a computer facility by performing the steps of ascertaining preferences of a plurality of users who are part of an internet-based social interactive construct.
Abstract: In embodiments of the present invention improved capabilities are described for a computer program product embodied in a computer readable medium that, when executing on one or more computers, helps determine an unknown user's preferences through the use of internet based social interactive graphical representations on a computer facility by performing the steps of (1) ascertaining preferences of a plurality of users who are part of an internet based social interactive construct, wherein the plurality of users become a plurality of known users; (2) determining the internet based social interactive graphical representation for the plurality of known users; and (3) inferring the preferences of an unknown user present in the internet based social interactive graphical representation of the plurality of known users based on the interrelationships between the unknown user and the plurality of known users within the graphical representation.

215 citations

Patent
05 Jan 2012
TL;DR: In this article, the authors provide a geographically localized recommendation to a user through a computer-based advice facility, comprising collecting a recommendation from an Internet source, wherein the recommendation is determined to have an interestingness aspect and a geographic location aspect.
Abstract: The present disclosure provides a geographically localized recommendation to a user through a computer-based advice facility, comprising collecting a recommendation from an Internet source, wherein the recommendation is determined to have an interestingness aspect and a geographic location aspect, comparing the collected recommendation to a derived user taste and the user's current geographic location, determining at least one recommendation for the user based on processing on the comparison, and delivering at least one recommendation to a user's mobile communications device, wherein the user is enabled to at least one of view, save, and share the recommendation via an application at least in part resident on the computer-based advice facility.

129 citations

Patent
12 Jul 2012
TL;DR: In this paper, a ratings matrix including matrix values is generated, each row of the ratings matrix identifying one of a plurality of users, each column of the rating matrix identifying an item, and each of the matrix values corresponding to a known affinity rating describing a degree of affinity associated with one of the users and one of items.
Abstract: According to various embodiments, a ratings matrix including matrix values is generated, each row of the ratings matrix identifying one of a plurality of users, each column of the ratings matrix identifying one of a plurality of items, and each of the matrix values corresponding to a known affinity rating describing a degree of affinity associated with one of the users and one of the items. The ratings matrix may include a missing entry representing an unknown affinity rating. According to various embodiments, a revised ratings matrix is generated by factoring the ratings matrix into a user matrix and an item matrix, the revised ratings matrix being the product of the user matrix and the item matrix and including at least one entry representing a predicted affinity rating in place of the missing entry.

105 citations

Patent
11 Jun 2010
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors described improved capabilities for a computer program product embodied in a computer readable medium that, when executing on one or more computers, helps target responses returned to a user through the use of a computer facility.
Abstract: In embodiments of the present invention improved capabilities are described for a computer program product embodied in a computer readable medium that, when executing on one or more computers, helps target responses returned to a user through the use of a computer facility by performing the steps of (1) providing a user preference learning API to a third-party website to determine preferences of a user as related to a market of a third-party, wherein the preference learning API is executing as an extension of the computer facility; (2) receiving third-party information related to the market of the third-party; (3) collecting the preferences of the user and storing them as a user preference profile; (4) receiving a query from the user at the third-party website; and (5) using in the user preference learning API the third-party information related to the market of the third-party and the preferences of the user as stored in the user preference profile to provide a response back to the user that relates to the query from the user.

55 citations

Patent
11 Jun 2010
TL;DR: In this article, improved capabilities are described for targeting web-based responses returned to a user through the use of a computer facility by utilizing a user preference learning facility to determine preferences of a user.
Abstract: In embodiments of the present invention improved capabilities are described for targeting web-based responses returned to a user through the use of a computer facility by utilizing a user preference learning facility to determine preferences of a user.

21 citations


Cited by
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Patent
16 Feb 2012
TL;DR: The SNAP mobile payment application as mentioned in this paper transforms real-time generated merchant-product Quick Response codes via SNAP components into virtual wallet card-based transaction purchase notifications, which are then sent to a payment network for processing.
Abstract: The SNAP MOBILE PAYMENT APPARATUSES, METHODS AND SYSTEMS ("SNAP") transform real-time-generated merchant-product Quick Response codes via SNAP components into virtual wallet card-based transaction purchase notifications. In one embodiment, the SNAP obtains a snapshot of a QR code presented on a display screen of a point-of-sale device from a mobile device. The SNAP decodes the QR code to obtain product information included in a checkout request of the user, and merchant information for processing a user purchase transaction with a merchant providing the QR code. The SNAP accesses a user virtual wallet to obtain user account information to process the user purchase transaction with the merchant. Using the product information, merchant information and user account information, the SNAP generates a card authorization request, and which the SNAP provides to a payment network for transaction processing. Also, the SNAP obtains a purchase receipt confirming processing of the user purchase transaction.

339 citations

Patent
15 Jan 2015
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors described improved capabilities for a computer program product embodied in a computer readable medium that, when executing on one or more computers, helps determine an unknown user's preferences through the use of internet based social interactive graphical representations on a computer facility by performing the steps of ascertaining preferences of a plurality of users who are part of an internet-based social interactive construct.
Abstract: In embodiments of the present invention improved capabilities are described for a computer program product embodied in a computer readable medium that, when executing on one or more computers, helps determine an unknown user's preferences through the use of internet based social interactive graphical representations on a computer facility by performing the steps of (1) ascertaining preferences of a plurality of users who are part of an internet based social interactive construct, wherein the plurality of users become a plurality of known users; (2) determining the internet based social interactive graphical representation for the plurality of known users; and (3) inferring the preferences of an unknown user present in the internet based social interactive graphical representation of the plurality of known users based on the interrelationships between the unknown user and the plurality of known users within the graphical representation.

215 citations

Patent
11 Aug 2011
TL;DR: In this article, a user of a social networking system requests to check in a place near the user's current location, and the social network system generates a list of places near the users' current location and ranks the places in the list.
Abstract: In one embodiment, a user of a social networking system requests to check in a place near the user's current location. The social networking system generates a list of places near the user's current location, ranks the places in the list of places near the user's current location by a distance between each place and the user's current location, as well as activity of the user and the user's social contacts for each place, and returns the ranked list to the user.

215 citations

Patent
13 Mar 2013
TL;DR: The MULTI-DIRECTIONAL WALLET CONNECTOR APPARATUSES, METHODS and SYSTEMS (W-Connector) as discussed by the authors facilitates the enrollment of payment accounts in a consumer's virtual wallet.
Abstract: The MULTI-DIRECTIONAL WALLET CONNECTOR APPARATUSES, METHODS AND SYSTEMS (“W-CONNECTOR”) facilitates the enrollment of payment accounts in a consumer's virtual wallet. The consumer may be logged into their payment account issuer's web site and designate one or more payment accounts for enrollment in a virtual wallet. The issuer may then share account, billing and/or other relevant information with the virtual wallet provider to facilitate the enrollment of the designated payment accounts in the virtual wallet. The W-CONNECTOR may also be configured to facilitate the creation and funding of pre-paid accounts in a consumer's virtual wallet.

183 citations

Patent
23 Dec 2013
TL;DR: In this paper, a smartphone, tablet, or other computing device comprising of a touch sensitive display, one or more processors, computer memory, and one or several computer programs stored in the computer memory and configured to be executed by the processors was disclosed.
Abstract: There is disclosed a smartphone, tablet or other computing device comprising: (a) a touch sensitive display; (b) one or more processors; (c) computer memory; (d) one or more computer programs stored in the computer memory and configured to be executed by the one or more processors and including instructions for detecting a swipe in from each and any of the four edges of the touch sensitive display and, in response to the detected swipe, causing the device to behave in a manner that depends on the specific edge swiped-in from (e.g. left, right, top or bottom).

170 citations