A network of collection, charging and distribution machines collect, charge and distribute portable electrical energy storage devices (e.g., batteries, supercapacitors or ultracapacitors). Locations of collection, charging and distribution machines having available charged portable electrical energy storage devices are communicated to or acquired by a mobile device of a user, or displayed on a collection, charging and distribution machine. The locations are indicated on a graphical user interface on a map on a user's mobile device relative to the user's current location. The user may use their mobile device select particular locations on the map to reserve an available portable electrical energy storage device. The system nay also warn the user that the user is near an edge of the pre-determined area having portable electrical energy storage device collection, charging and distribution machines. Reservations may also be made automatically based on information regarding a potential route of a user.

Systems and related methods of providing seamless transactions, including payments and promotion redemptions, are discussed herein. Some embodiments may provide for a system including a communication beacon and one or more servers. The communication beacon may be configured to communicate with consumer devices via a direct wireless connection when the consumer devices are within a wireless direct communicable range of the communication beacon. The one or more servers may be configured to associate the communication with a merchant and receive consumer presence data from the communication beacon such that consumer presence at the merchant may be determined. In response, the one or more servers may be configured to perform a seamless transaction on behalf the consumer that allows the consumer to provide payments or redeem promotions, among other things, simply by self-identifying with the merchant while carrying the consumer device.

Consistent with disclosed embodiments, systems, methods, and computer readable media for electronic security systems for preventing theft of returned goods may be provided. Embodiments may include an electronic article surveillance (EAS) gate in an establishment and at least one receiver configured to receive transmissions from wirelessly transmitting tags. Embodiments may also include at least one processor configured to receive, from a mobile communications device associated with a previous purchaser, a notification of intent to return a previously purchased product to the establishment; identify a unique tag ID of a specific wirelessly transmitting tag associated with the previously purchased product; update a data structure to indicate that the previously purchased product was returned to the establishment; and enable an ability to initiate an alarm when the at least one receiver receives a transmission from the specific tag associated with the previously purchased product in proximity to the EAS gate.

According to an advertisement service system, proposed in the present disclosure, for providing an advertisement to a local signage and a user terminal by using signage content and expanded content, the expanded content resulting from expansion for the user terminal is constructed by adding additional content to the signage content, and the signage content is provided to the local signage and the expanded content is provided to the user terminal. Accordingly, already produced signage content is used, so the use of the signage content produced at a high cost can be expanded, and providing the expanded content appropriate for the user terminal can appeal to the user and increase advertising effects. Furthermore, even after an advertising period with respect to the local signage ends, continuous advertising effects can be obtained using the expanded content.

Systems and methods are provided for directing advertising content to advertising media specific to one or more consumers proximate the advertising media. An example method includes receiving, by a computing device, a media proximity message (MPM) associated with an advertising medium. The method also includes accessing, by the computing device, location context for the advertising medium from an advertising media data structure, based on an advertising medium identifier in the MPM, and accessing a consumer profile for the consumer, based on a consumer identifier in the MPM, from a consumer profiles data structure. The method further includes selecting, by the computing device, an advertising content, from an advertising content data structure, based on at least the consumer profile and the location context, and causing the selected advertising content to be displayed at the advertising medium.

A mobile device generates a purchase incentive for use at a merchant, by analyzing location data (GPS coordinate data or wi-fi location data) to determine its location, receive a selection input by a user of the mobile device that indicates a distance from the location of the mobile device within which the user would like to receive purchase incentives from merchants, determine a merchant within the distance input by the user, and generate a purchase incentive for use by the mobile device at the merchant.

Systems and methods are described to enable delivery of streaming content while inhibiting or preventing removal, blocking, or skipping of portions within that streaming content. A content delivery system can generate a manifest indicating content portions that form the streaming content. Each content portion can be identified in the manifest using a concealed identifier, which conceals the actual identifier of the content portion from the client to inhibit or prevent the client from automatically removing or modifying the content portion. On receiving a request for a content portion, the content delivery system can convert the concealed identifier into the actual identifier, and return the appropriate content portion to the client. In some instances, the specific identifiers included within a concealed manifest may be modified or adapted based on monitoring information of the client device, to ensure clients view given portions of streaming content.

A wearable apparatus and method are provided for capturing image data. In one implementation, a wearable apparatus for capturing image data is provided. The wearable apparatus includes at least one image sensor for capturing image data of an environment of a user, wherein a field of view of the image sensor includes a chin of the user. The wearable apparatus includes two or more microphones, and an attachment mechanism configured to enable the image sensor and microphones to be worn by the user. The wearable apparatus includes a processing device programmed to capture at least one image, identify the chin of the user to obtain a location of the chin, select a microphone from the two or more microphones based on the location, process input from the selected microphone using a first processing scheme, and process input from a microphone that is not selected using a second processing scheme.

Presenting a content item and a question from an inquirer to a group of users in a first feedback session with a requirement for the users to provide predictions of how a member of a distinct target group will respond to the content item in the future, receiving, during the first feedback session, the first group's prediction of the target group's future responses, presenting, during a second feedback session, the same content item and the same question to the target group with a requirement for the target group to provide responses directed to their own responses, constructing a predictive model of the target group based on responses received from the target group during the second feedback session, measuring accuracy of the first group's prediction using the target group predictive model, and providing inquirer access to the predictive model of the target group and the most accurate prediction.

A highlight transmission service allows users of communication devices to view highlights of sporting events while the sporting events are occurring without having to watch the sporting events. For example, a computer-implemented method may comprise:

determining that a highlight of a sporting event is to be conveyed to a communication device; and transmitting data regarding the highlight of the sporting event to the communication device over a network during the sporting event in order to allow a user of the communication device to view the highlight of the sporting event.