Abstract: One embodiment of the present invention sets forth a method for sharing graphics objects between a compute unified device architecture (CUDA) application programming interface (API) and a graphics API. The CUDA API includes calls used to alias graphics objects allocated by the graphics API and, subsequently, synchronize accesses to the graphics objects. When an application program emits a “register” call that targets a particular graphics object, the CUDA API ensures that the graphics object is in the device memory, and maps the graphics object into the CUDA address space. Subsequently, when the application program emits “map” and “unmap” calls, the CUDA API respectively enables and disables accesses to the graphics object through the CUDA API. Further, the CUDA API uses semaphores to synchronize accesses to the shared graphics object. Finally, when the application program emits an “unregister” call, the CUDA API configures the computing system to disregard interoperability constraints.

Abstract: A predictive model, for example, a neural network, evaluates individual debt holder accounts and predicts the amount that will be collected on each account based on learned relationships among known variables. The predictive model is generated using historical data of delinquent debt accounts, the collection methods used to collect the debts in the accounts, and the success of the collection methods. In one embodiment, the predictive model is generated using profiles of delinquent debt accounts summarizing patterns of events in the accounts, and the success of the collection effort in each account. In another embodiment, the predictive model includes a mathematical representation of the collector's notes created during the collection period for each account.

Abstract: An electronic market for trading of securities includes a plurality of client stations for entering quotes for securities and a server process that receives quotes from the clients, aggregates the quotes and causes a total of all aggregated quotes to be displayed for a plurality of price levels on the client systems. The market uses a graphical user that depicts aggregated quotes in an aggregate window a plurality of price levels of a product traded in the market. The market also includes processes to handle lock/cross market conditions, match-off of order flow and provides a central quote/order collector that interfaces to disparate order delivery systems to minimize dual liability of market makers.

Abstract: Accounting and financial analyses are performed for an investment portfolio to produce comprehensive reports on the performance and/or current real net worth of this investment portfolio. These reports are generated in response to a user request that is received over the Internet based on automatically based on security price data retrieved from a real-time security price reporting service and transaction records of the investment portfolio that are retrieved from one or more of the user's trading accounts that are kept at different financial institutions. As a result, a single financial report that is representative of the collective performance of different accounts in different financial institutions can be generated.

Abstract: The invention relates to a computer-implemented method of trading securities, a computer-readable medium carrying one or more sequences of instructions for trading securities, and a computer program product for use with a graphics display device. The program determines a reference price for the security, monitors the value of the security over time, and receives an input corresponding to a differential in the value of the security. A trigger price is determined for the security as a function of the differential and the reference price. The program liquidates the security after determining that the value of the security reaches or passes the trigger price in a first direction. After liquidating the security, the program automatically acquires at least one position in the security when the value of the security reaches or passes the trigger price in a second direction opposite to the first direction.

Abstract: A platform and a securitization methodology that provides lenders with an opportunity to maximize the returns on their distressed commercial credit facilities and overcomes the obstacles that have historically precluded the securitization of distressed commercial loans. The present invention is based upon an underlying portfolio of at least 30% distressed commercial loans for securitization that emulates the predictability and regularity of the cash flow and recovery characteristics of a portfolio of generally performing commercial loans, thus eliminating crucial historical barriers to securitization of such distressed commercial loans, such as the absence of predictable and regular cash flows and predictable recoveries.

Abstract: A method for centrally creating a schedule for a group of company employees who may be geographically dispersed. The system operates over a distributed network thereby providing communication among employees and other data sources. The scheduling system assigns the employees to shifts while accommodating numerous factors including staffing requirements, employee preferences, and optimal settings based on forecasting. Forecasts derived from information concerning factors outside the company constitute extrinsic influences on the schedule generated according to the invention.

Abstract: A distributed bandwidth metering system (200) uses trusted elements throughout the system to collect and process usage data. The trusted elements in the distributed bandwidth metering system include subscriber units (210), at least one network controller (230), and at least one billing center (250). When subscriber unit (210) requests and obtains bandwidth from the system, subscriber unit (210) monitors its own usage and sends usage data to a network controller (230) in a predetermined manner. Network controller (230) assembles the data for a particular session and sends the data to a billing center. The billing center generates the billing and invoicing data using the session data.

Abstract: A discrete iterative and recursive operator reminder system and method for modifying recognized unwanted behavior, such as nail biting or poor posture. The system uses a combination of manual operator input and prior history to establish the timing of future prompting signals and lead a user successively to the desired result. It calculates the timing of each future prompting signal based upon the most recent operator response indicating whether the operator was engaged in the monitored behavior at the time of prompting signal generation. The system houses its microprocessor in a familiar object used for another purpose, such as a writing implement, wristwatch, or pocket-sized trinket, or is adapted for use within the programmed structure of a personal computer, cell phone, electronic notebook, pager, hand-held organizer, or other similar electronic device. The system may optionally display behavior related data, such as current date, time, progress graph, and average signal interval.

Abstract: A user registers a user public key PKU as a pseudonym at a trustee or issuer and obtains an signature for the pseudonym as a license. The sends the pseudonym, PKU identification information IdU and the amount of withdrawal x to the issuer institution. The issuer increments a balance counter of the pseudonym by x, then generates an issuer signature SKI(PKU, x) with a secret key SKI, and sends the issuer signature as an electronic cash to the user. The user verifies the validity of the issuer signature with a public key SKI, and if valid, increments an electronic cash balance counter Balance by x. At the time of payment, user sends the public key PKU and the license to a shop, and the shop verifies the validity of the license, and if valid, sends a challenge to the user. The user attaches a signature to the challenge with user secret key SKU, then sends it to the shop together with the amount due y, and decrements the electronic cash balance counter by y.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method of obtaining a copy protected optical record carrier carrying information in different blocks, a method of accessing such a copy protected optical record carrier and such an optical record carrier itself. Access devices for optical carriers return different results when retrieving blocks, which contain incorrect address data in the corresponding subcode fields. A copy protection key will be implemented during manufacture of an optical record carrier by modifying the subcode address information of a predetermined pattern of blocks. It is normally not possible to copy incorrect address data onto an optical record carrier, since the address data will be newly generated during the copy process. Therefore, such a key can be utilized to distinguish between an original disc and a copied or non original disc. The key is preset before manufacturing of the optical record carrier itself and can therefore be used to encrypt the data stored on the optical record carrier.

Abstract: The present invention provides a system for electronic commerce that reduces the amount of data needed to be stored on a user computer or electronic device. A bank processor stores information corresponding to coins or funds and the user device (such as a payer or merchant processor) needs to only store a single secret key needed to access the data stored in the bank's memory. The user's device can be a smart card since only a minimal amount of data needs to be stored on the user's device. The bank processor of the present invention may hold disposable anonymous accounts in a bank memory. When a coin is spent, the corresponding account is deleted from the bank's memory and a new account is created which corresponds to a new coin. This completes a payment from a payer processor to a merchant processor. The new account is the merchant's account. This implementation avoids the threat of computer virus attacks since a smart card is far less susceptible to these.

Abstract: An aerosol dispensing system includes a metal cylindrical can having a plurality of wide and narrow recesses in an upper undulating portion and a smooth walled lower portion. A plastic spray dome snap-fits over the top of the metal can and includes a trigger actuator movable against a valve assembly for releasing concentrate and propellant maintained under pressure within the can. The annular recesses are ergonomically located to fit the thumb and fingers of the hand when the index finger is located on the actuator. The annular recesses are preferably recessed into the otherwise straight-walled can but can take a variety of other shapes.

Abstract: An automated banking machine (12) is operative to conduct transactions in response to HTML documents and TCP/IP messages exchanged with a local computer system (14) through an intranet (16), as well as in response to messages exchanged with foreign servers (20, 22, 24, 26, 28, 96) in a wide area network (18). The banking machine includes a computer (34) having an HTML document handling portion (76, 80, 82). The HTML document handling portion is operative to communicate through a proxy server (88), with a home HTTP server (90) in the intranet or the foreign servers in the wide area network. The computer further includes a device application portion (84) which interfaces with the HTML document handling portion and dispatches messages to operate devices (36) in the automated banking machine. The devices include a sheet dispenser mechanism (42) which dispenses currency as well as other transaction devices.

Abstract: An electronic payment device and its method using an unbalanced binary tree are disclosed. The total unit n of the amount of money that user purchases is decomposed first into a Matrix of p rows×q columns. Then, a first one-way function h1 and a second one-way function h2 serve to define the one-way function operation of the first row and each column, respectively. When two numbers of operation times a and b are calculated by their formulas respectively, they are substituted into formula Xk=h2b(h1a(Xpq)). Namely, by the first one-way function h1, a times of operation is performed, and then by the second one-way function h2, b times of operation is performed, thus, a first data Xk of current consumption can be derived rapidly. The present invention has only a few times of operation, thus the calculating efficiency is improved greatly.

Abstract: Data moves between multiple, disparate data sources and the object-oriented computer programs that process the data. A data access server is interposed between the object-oriented programs and the data sources, and acts as an intermediary. The intermediary server receives requests for data access from object-oriented computer programs, correlates each request to one or more interactions with one or more data sources, performs each required interaction, consolidates the results of the interactions, and presents a singular response to the requesting computer program. The consolidated response from the intermediary server contains data items requested by the computer program, information regarding the hierarchical topology that relates the data items, and an indication of the possible object types that might embody the data items. The application program receives the consolidated response and builds an object hierarchy to embody the data items and to interface them to the rest of the application program.

Abstract: According to the present invention, when electronic money is sent from a given network to another network, a money change apparatus performs a money change process to change electronic money current on the given network into electronic money current on another network, and therefore when a user of the given network uses a settling process, by managing this money change process, it is possible to manage the interchange of electronic money between each of the users of the given network and each of the users of another network without affecting the working environment of electronic commerce. Electronic money current on LAN20 is referred to as local electronic money current only on the network.

Abstract: An “active” calendar automatically analyzes a user's calendar entries and sends machine-readable messages to destinations appropriate to content of the calendar entry. A group of event categories is established, each category specifying one class of anticipated calendar entry. An action rule database pre-associates each event category with one or more message formats each having a content and a destination. The action rule database also contains data identifying sources containing the content and destination for each message format. These sources include records of the action rule database itself, subparts of calendar entries of the pre-associated event category, one or more other databases, or a combination of the foregoing. After the calendar receives a user-submitted computer calendar entry describing a planned event, it identifies one of the event categories of the established group that classifies the planned event.

Abstract: An automated banking machine (12) is operative to conduct transactions in response to HTML documents and TCP/IP messages exchanged with a local computer system (14) through an intranet (16), as well as in response to messages exchanged with foreign servers (20, 22, 24, 26, 28, 96) in a wide area network (18). The banking machine includes a computer (34) having an HTML document handling portion (76, 80, 82). The HTML document handling portion is operative to communicate through a proxy server (88), with a home HTTP server (90) in the intranet or the foreign servers in the wide area network. The computer further includes a device application portion (84) which interfaces with the HTML document handling portion and dispatches messages to operate devices (36) in the automated banking machine. The devices include a sheet dispenser mechanism (42) which dispenses currency as well as other transaction devices.

Abstract: A mail processing system has a printing machine base station controlled via a personal computer. A printhead for a purely electronic printing is driven by a printing control electronics and, together with a conveyor unit, forms which is adaptable to items of differing thicknesses printing station for mixed mail processing. The components of the personal computer are in communication via a PC system bus and include a security arrangement that is connected to the PC system bus via a parallel input/output interface and is connected to the printing machine base station via at least one fast interface. The fast interface is a specific data transmission unit for fast serial data transmission to the specific interface unit and/or to the printing control electronics of the machine base. The security arrangement contains a user-specific hardware circuit with units for the implementation of accounting and security functions.