A liquid product distribution network includes a liquid product distribution monitoring and reporting apparatus for operation in association with a tap handle flow monitoring and reporting apparatus. The liquid product distribution monitoring and reporting apparatus includes a radio transmitter device and sensing circuitry for sensing and communicating physical properties associating with the keg. A tap handle flow monitoring and reporting apparatus senses flow of a liquid through a tap includes a tap handle radio transmitter device for fitting within and protected by a tap handle and a low-energy consumption tap handle radio/processing module. A mobile communications device with geographic position sensing device and/or said tap handle flow monitoring and reporting apparatus passively and without user interaction within the liquid product distribution network, without using network uplink/gateway circuit devices for sensing and reporting fluid storage, flow, and financial operations relating to the distribution of said liquid product throughout the liquid product distribution network.

A method for a computer system includes receiving a first user communication, determining a first group of users, determining a target number of users, determining whether the first group of users includes the target number of users, and if not, providing the communication to the first group of users, determining a hierarchal mapping of groups of users in response to user memberships, determining a second group of users from the hierarchal mapping, determining a plurality of social network relationship factors for the second group of users with respect to the first user, and providing the communication to at least a subset of users in the second group of users in response to the first plurality of social network relationship factors.

An apparatus for monitoring consumption of flowing substance is provided. The apparatus, connectable to the end of a pipe where fluid is flowing, includes a generator (106) configured to generate electric power from the fluid passing through the generator, sensors (112, 114) to measure the temperature of the fluid and the amount of fluid flowing in the pipe and a processing unit (116). The apparatus detects that fluid starts flowing in the pipe at a first time instant and detects that fluid stops flowing in the pipe at a second time instant and determines the temperature of the fluid and the amount of fluid that flowed through the pipe between the first and the second time instant, stores the determined values and the time elapsed between the first and the second time instants as an entry in a memory (120); and transmits the entry.

The present disclosure describes transaction-enabling systems and methods. A system can include a controller and a fleet of machines, each having at least one of a compute task requirement, a networking task requirement, and an energy consumption task requirement. The controller may include a resource requirement circuit to determine an amount of a resource for each of the machines to service the task requirement for each machine, a forward resource market circuit to access a forward resource market, and a resource distribution circuit to execute an aggregated transaction of the resource on the forward resource market.

A service providing device includes a mobile unit, a providing unit, and an obtaining unit. The mobile unit moves to a destination. The providing unit moves together with the mobile unit and provides a service. The obtaining unit obtains information at a destination at which the providing unit provides a service.

Provided is a control method including: receiving, from first power equipment, first transaction data including, for example, transmitted power amount information indicating the amount of power transmitted to power accumulation equipment; obtaining, from the power accumulation equipment, received power information including, for example, received power amount information indicating the amount of power received from the first power equipment; verifying the first transaction data by referring to the received power information; executing a first consensus algorithm with second servers when the first transaction data is verified successfully; and recording a block including the first transaction data in a distributed ledger of a first server when the validity of the first transaction data is verified through the first consensus algorithm.

A selection of a fueling station item, graphically depicted on a display of a fuel dispenser and corresponding to an available fueling station product, can be received by at least one data processor of a fuel dispenser. A two dimensional barcode based on the selected fueling station item can be determined. The two dimensional barcode can be provided to the fuel dispenser display for graphical depiction on the fuel dispenser display.

A system for determining whether shoppers are eligible for frictionless checkout is disclosed. The system has a processor that obtains image data captured using image sensors positioned in a retail store. The processor analyzes the image data to identify at least one shopper at one or more locations of the retail store. The processor detects, based on the analysis of the image data, at least one product interaction event associated with an action of the at least one shopper at the one or more locations of the retail store. Further, based on the detected at least one product interaction event, the processor determines whether the at least one shopper is eligible for frictionless checkout. In response to a determination that the at least one shopper is ineligible for frictionless checkout, the processor causes delivery of an indicator that the at least one shopper is ineligible for frictionless checkout.

A computer implemented method for managing charge availability of a charge unit (CU) to obtain charge for a battery of an electric vehicle (EV) is provided. The CU includes a computer for processing at least part of the method and for communicating with a server over a network. The method includes receiving, by the server, status information from the computer of the CU. The method includes sending to the computer of the CU instructions to make a reservation for the CU. The reservation is for a user account that has requested a desire to charge the battery of the electric vehicle of the user at the CU or another CU. The method includes sending, by the server, a confirmation for the reservation to the user account. The confirmation is viewable via a device having access to the server via the user account. The method includes sending, by the server, a data regarding a time of availability of the CU to the user account for the reservation. The computer of the CU is configured to display a visual indicator regarding the reservation of the CU.

Systems and methods which utilize one or more social networking systems when creating, funding, and/or notifying a party of a transaction are provided. In accordance with one aspect, a money transfer transaction may be staged by a user whereupon a link corresponding to the staged transaction may be posted to one or more social networking services in order to allow for multiple users to access and fund the staged transaction. Additionally, in some aspects a user of a social networking service may generate a comment or post which then automatically triggers the staging of a money transfer transaction. Moreover, social networking services may be utilized to provide various notifications regarding money transfer transactions.