Abstract: A platform- and browser-independent project tracking tool is described for tracking projects of interest to a large number of organizations connected via a wide area network. This project tracking tool includes a database server for managing project information and data, and a graphical user interface server for interacting with users in the interested organization. The graphical user interfaces are created such that they can be accessed over the wide area network using web browsers.

Abstract: A navigation system for a hierarchy of objects displayed by a computing system are rapidly navigated first by an automatic explosion module for exploding a displayed node of the hierarchy in response to a first characteristic stroke by a pointer control device while the pointer is within the boundary of the displayed node. In addition, an implosion module implodes nodes branching from a displayed node of the hierarchy in response to a second characteristic stroke by the pointer control device while the pointer is within the boundary of the displayed node. The first characteristic stroke by the pointer control device is movement of the pointer controlled by the pointer control device within the boundaries of the displayed node. The second characteristic stroke by the pointer control device is a mouse click while the pointer is within the boundaries of the displayed node or object. A keystroke module sets the level of further explosion of the node when the displayed node is exploded by the explosion module.

Abstract: Fees due from transactions in electronic commerce are processed by building a transaction information database with transaction event objects based on events in each transaction. After retrieving fee rules from a fee rule database, a determining step detects if the fee rule applies to information in a transaction event object. Then, if the fee rule applies, a calculating step calculates the fee based on the fee rule and the information in the transaction event object. A fee object for a recipient entity is created based on the fee calculated by said calculating step and is stored in a payment database. An accumulating step sums the payments for a recipient entity from the fee objects in the payment database. The fee rules are general fee rules and specific fee rules. The general fee rules are applied to information in a transaction event object, and a calculating step calculates a general fee based on the general fee rule and the information in the transaction event object.