Abstract: In one embodiment, an apparatus for managing software licenses comprises: a plurality of computers connected together in a peer to peer computer network wherein each computer is a computer node of the network; wherein each computer node comprises a software license management controller that operates in one of: a disconnected mode of operation of distributed license management without network connectivity and a normal online mode of operation of distributed license management.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a method of providing security operations in a secured facility in which access control operations are performed, wherein the secured facility includes a plurality of access control units physically distributed at different physical locations within the secured facility, comprises: processing the first data, by software executed on one or more processor based systems, against the defined topology to define second data that is reflective of role-based user norms within the secured facility across respective event sequences within the secured facility, wherein at least some of the event sequences include at least three event nodes; and processing substantially real-time event data, by software executed on one or more processor based systems, against the second data to identify current activity of users within the secured facility as anomalous user activity for increased security inspection.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a method of providing security operations in a secured facility in which access control operations are performed, wherein the secured facility includes a plurality of access control units, comprises: generating second data reflective of dynamic events within the secured facility, the second data being indicative of the user of the at least one of the access control cards initiating one of the at least two separate event sequences; and performing access control decisions for the user of the at least one card according to the first data and the second data, wherein (i) the access control decisions permit the user of the at least one access cards to traverse through an event sequence initiated by the user, and (ii) the access control decisions prevent the user from traversing through another event sequence until the user completes the event sequence initiated by the user.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a method of conducting operations for a social network application, comprises: generating a notification list of recent activities of users of the social network application, wherein the notification list includes (1) at least one activity within the social network application of a first user and (2) at least one hyperlink to an offer involving an activity that is directly related to at least one activity of the first user, wherein an account of the first user defines at least one notification rule for controlling visibility of the at least one activity to other users of the social network application; and providing the notification list to a second user, that is a friend of the first user within the social network application, according to the at least one notification rule of the first user.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a system processes access decisions for individuals where the system includes a portable handheld housing for the processor, display, internal memory, and card reader of the system.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a method of providing a location based service (LBS), comprises: (i) receiving location information over a period of time by one or more software programs from a plurality of wireless devices belonging to a plurality of subscribers; (ii) processing the location information to detect that respective subscribers tend to spend time at one or more locations with one or more other specific subscribers; (iii) storing data indicative of a tendency of each such subscriber to spend time with the subscriber's one or more other specific subscribers; (iv) detecting whether subscribers are present at locations with one or more specific subscribers identified in the stored data subsequent to performance of (ii) and (iii); and (v) comparing ad parameters against subscriber data, to select ads for communication to subscribers, wherein the comparing differentiates in selection of ads for communication to subscribers in response to (iv).

Abstract: In one embodiment, a method of providing a location based service (LBS), comprises: (i) receiving location information over a period of time by one or more software programs from a plurality of wireless devices belonging to a plurality of subscribers; (ii) processing the location information to detect that respective subscribers tend to spend time at one or more locations with one or more other specific subscribers; (iii) storing data indicative of a tendency of each such subscriber to spend time with the subscriber's one or more other specific subscribers; (iv) detecting whether subscribers are present at locations with one or more specific subscribers identified in the stored data subsequent to performance of (ii) and (iii); and (v) comparing ad parameters against subscriber data, to select ads for communication to subscribers, wherein the comparing differentiates in selection of ads for communication to subscribers in response to (iv).

Abstract: In one embodiment, access log information is written to portable cards of end-users of system that includes networked and non-networked processor based systems that control user access. In conjunction with processing of access attempts by non-networked processor-based systems, time stamps of accesses by each end-user for multiple accesses on multiple processor-based systems are analyzed against one or more access rules, the one or more rules defining one or more relative timing constraints or order constraints for accesses on multiple processor-based systems. Also, in conjunction with processing of the further access attempts by the non-networked processor-based systems, access decisions are controlled in response to determining whether the time stamps of respective end-users indicate that said respective end-users have violated the one or more access rules.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a method controls access rights within a system. The method comprises: physically transporting a portable card by the first end-user from a networked processor-based system to multiple non-networked processor-based systems; processing respective access attempts from the first end-user by the multiple non-networked processor-based systems, wherein the access attempts occur when the first-end user is in physical proximity to the multiple non-networked processor-based systems; and in conjunction with processing of the respective access attempts by the multiple non-networked processor-based systems, reading the revocation data from the portable card of the first-end user by the multiple non-networked processor-based systems and locally storing the revocation data by the multiple non-networked processor-based systems, wherein upon storing the updated revocation data, the multiple non-networked processor-based systems become operable to deny access to a second end-user.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a method controls access within a secured facility. The method comprises: temporarily denying access to the end-user by a non-networked access controller; indicating, by the non-networked access controller, to the end-user that the end-user should proceed to a validation point access controller, wherein the validation point access controller is a networked access controller; writing data to the access card by the non-networked access controller indicative of the temporarily denied access request; reading the access card of the end-user by a validation point access controller and, in response to the data written by the non-networked access controller, establishing a communication connection from the validation point access controller to permit auditory and/or visual data to be obtained from the end-user before authorization for the access is given; and writing access right data to the access card of the end-user by the validation point access controller.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a method of operating a search engine comprises: initiating a continuous search state from a user; receiving multiple search queries during the continuous search state; and providing search results to the user, wherein the providing filters search results previously presented to the user in response to prior search queries during the continuous search state.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a networked processor-based system is operated. Also, a non-network processor-based system is operated, wherein the networked and non-networked processor-based systems each include a security module that enables access to respective resources associated with the networked and non-networked processor-based systems. A handheld computer readable medium is received at the network processor-based system, wherein the handheld computer readable medium belongs to a first user. The networked processor-based system writes information to the handheld computer readable medium that indicates that a second user is not authorized to access the resource associated with the non-networked processor-based system.