Abstract: A cover member is provided for attachment to a contacted surface having a predetermined size and shape. The contacted surface is a surface that is regularly subjected to physical contact. The cover member includes a sheet-like substrate having a first and second surfaces, and an area that is sized and shaped to coincide with the predetermined size and shape of the contacted surface. An adhesive layer is disposed on the second surface of the substrate. A releasable backing member is attached to the adhesive layer, and an antimicrobial coating is disposed on the first surface of the substrate.

Abstract: Customers often have access to multiple payment methods for any given transaction. In one embodiment of the invention, a merchant obtains information regarding multiple payment methods from a customer, and sends said information to a transaction evaluator. Via computer networks, the transaction evaluator sends information about the transaction to the issuers of one or more of the payment methods. The issuers perform a cost/benefit analysis of the transactions and respond with a description of the terms under which they are willing to process the transaction. Based on the issuer response, the transaction evaluator selects one of the payment methods. By enabling participating issuers to select favorable transactions and avoid unprofitable ones, the invention can thus improve issuer profitability by directing profitable transactions to participating issuers while directing unprofitable transactions away from participating issuers or to alternate transaction methods that are more profitable or less costly.

Abstract: This invention provides a computer operated process control system and method for controlling an external process control system using a combined rule-based expert system in combination with a procedural control system. The computer operated process control system includes a first storage mechanism (18) which includes both the expert rule data on agenda (54) and scripts (52) which are procedurally based. Input data from the external process control system is as acquired in an acquisition system (46) where it is acquired and reduced and then inserted into a second storage system (20) where such as processed and where significant variances in data input are when output to a real time engine (100). An inference engine (16) accepts rules from the agenda (54) and outputs a second command signal to an interpreter (14) based upon the varying data and the appropriate commands from rules on agenda (54).