Abstract: A customer whose conditional purchase offer (CPO) has been accepted may receive a bounce back offer from a vendor (supplier-partner) of other services or products. The bounce back process determines whether a supplier-partner can participate in a bounce back transaction. If a bounce back transaction is effectuated between the customer and supplier-partner, the partner notifies the principal of the transaction. In the case of automobile rentals, the bounce back process permits a traveler to recognize reduced automobile rental rates while enabling a rental agency to more effectively manage its excess capacity. The CPO management system employing bounce back capability can be utilized to acquire any underlying product and/or service and bounce back product and/or service.

Abstract: Building and maintaining an accurate and up-to-date global inventory of hardware, software, and telecommunications assets deployed throughout an organization is described. A global inventor warehouse (GIW) receives an identification and physical location of these assets from multiple source systems. Some of these source systems contain information pertaining to the assets that has been manually entered into the source system by a human administrator. Other source systems, meanwhile, contain information that has been automatically collected by the source systems without human intervention. The GIW receives this information from the source systems and stores it within a GIW database. The GIW database may thus contain a global inventory of all or nearly all of the hardware, software, and telecommunications assets distributed throughout the organization. This database may also contain an identification of physical locations within the organization of all or substantially all of these assets.

Abstract: The present disclosure describes an approach to constructing and implementing risk rating products that provides a number of advantages. Instead of hard-coding attributes of a risk rating scheme, which requires the assistance of a trained programming specialist for any modifications, adjustments, or new products, the present invention provides a set of modular tools that assist non-specialists in on-the-fly generation and implementation of risk rating products. The modularity of this approach facilitates the modification and/or updating of a system component without affecting the operation of other components. Described herein are embodiments of a risk rater data-structure, which comprises an abstracted representation of a risk rating scheme that may be loaded into and/or interpreted by other system components to generate a user interface for processing risk information and generating insurance quotes.

Abstract: A computerized method and system for tracking orders implemented on a trading floor exchange is disclosed. The system is order-centric and is configured to route orders to a booth and floor broker in accordance with a symbol associated with the particular security being traded. Floor brokers communicate with the trading system through handheld devices connected to a handheld server via a wireless interface. A specific protocol for messaging protocol for communications between the handheld devices and the handheld server is also disclosed.

Abstract: A method and system for managing risk by indicating links between one or more persons or entities which can include a process that gathers information about individuals and organizations into a computerized system where it can be analyzed to associate one or more individuals or organizations with links to other individuals or organizations. A user can designate a person or entity and the system will provide an indication of linkages associated with the designated person. Some embodiments can include a user specifying a particular type of link or limit links to a specified degree of separation between the designated person and any other person or entity.

Abstract: A conditional purchase offer (CPO) management system is disclosed for receiving CPOs from one or more customers, such as airline passengers, and for evaluating the received CPOs against a number of CPO rules defined by a plurality of sellers, such as airlines, to determine whether any seller is willing to accept a given CPO. A CPO is a binding offer containing one or more conditions submitted by a customer for purchase of an item, such as airline travel, at a customer-defined price. A CPO rule is a set of restrictions defined by a given seller, such as an airline, to define a combination of restrictions for which the seller is willing to accept a predefined price. The CPO rules may be securely stored by one or more servers. The CPO management system permits a seller to correct for forecasting errors, if necessary, or other competitive forces which have produced excess capacity, by providing inventory for sale to CPO customers.

Abstract: An apparatus, system, and method for dynamic demand monitoring and/or affectation uniquely allows a provider to access, utilize and/or integrate demand setting, reporting, and updating into a commerce system. In one non-limiting example embodiment, the present disclosure teaches a facility that responds to a user's selection of criteria in a user interface and dynamically constructs queries that will select information collected in a commerce database and generate reports of demand for goods or services based on the user's selections. The present disclosure also teaches how reported demand levels may be used to change current levels of demand to desired demand levels specified by a user. Furthermore, the present disclosure teaches how to create and utilize a cache of rejected CPOs. As a result, a provider may affect demand for their provisions to desired levels and both providers and consumers may benefit from a better balance of price levels with demand.

Abstract: A conditional purchase offer (CPO) management system is disclosed for receiving CPOs from one or more customers, such as airline passengers, and for evaluating the received CPOs against a number of CPO rules defined by a plurality of sellers, such as airlines, to determine whether any seller is willing to accept a given CPO. A CPO is a binding offer containing one or more conditions submitted by a customer for purchase of an item, such as airline travel, at a customer-defined price. A CPO rule is a set of restrictions defined by a given seller, such as an airline, to define a combination of restrictions for which the seller is willing to accept a predefined price. The CPO rules may be securely stored by one or more servers. The CPO management system permits a seller to correct for forecasting errors, if necessary, or other competitive forces which have produced excess capacity, by providing inventory for sale to CPO customers.

Abstract: A conditional purchase offer (CPO) management system is disclosed for receiving CPOs from one or more customers, such as airline passengers, and for evaluating the received CPOs against a number of CPO rules defined by a plurality of sellers, such as airlines, to determine whether any seller is willing to accept a given CPO. A CPO is a binding offer containing one or more conditions submitted by a customer for purchase of an item, such as airline travel, at a customer-defined price. A CPO rule is a set of restrictions defined by a given seller, such as an airline, to define a combination of restrictions for which the seller is willing to accept a predefined price. The CPO rules may be securely stored by one or more servers. The CPO management system permits a seller to correct for forecasting errors, if necessary, or other competitive forces which have produced excess capacity, by providing inventory for sale to CPO customers.

Abstract: A mobile handset includes a card reader; a gateway; a funds issuer computer; and an authentication computer. The handset receives a request to load a value onto the smart card. The handset generates a funds request and sends it to a funds issuer computer. The funds issuer computer debits an account. The handset generates a load request with a signature and sends it to an authentication computer. The handset receives a response. The handset validates the second signature and loads value onto the smart card. For payment, the system includes a merchant server and a payment server. The handset sends an order request to the merchant computer, and receives a purchase instruction. The handset processes the message, and then sends a draw request message to a payment server. The payment server sends a debit message to debit the smart card. The handset validates the signature and debits the smart card.

Abstract: Systems and methods are provided to perform credit valuation adjustment analyses.

Abstract: A packaging apparatus comprises one or more packing machines (MC1, MC2, MC3) which are operable to join together at least two assembled packs (P1, P2). A strap applicator (MC4) applies a strap system (S) to one face of all but one of the assembled packs (P1, P2). Conveying means (TC) guide the assembled packs (P5 P1, P2) such that the face of each assembled pack (P1, P2) having the strap attached thereto abuts a face of another of the assembled packs such that the strap (S) is sandwiched between the abutting faces. Fixing means, which fix the strap (S) about adjacent packs such that the packs (P1, P2) are joined together and are movable relative to each other by rotation about one or more edges.

Abstract: A smart card transaction allows a consumer to load value onto a smart card and to make purchases using a smart card with a mobile telephone handset over the telecommunications network. For loading, the system includes: a mobile telephone handset including a card reader; a gateway computer; a funds issuer computer; and an authentication computer. The mobile telephone handset receives a request from a user to load a value onto the smart card. The handset generates a funds request message which includes the value and sends the funds request message to a funds issuer computer. The funds issuer computer debits an account associated with the user. Next, the handset generates a load request message with a cryptographic signature and sends the load request message to an authentication computer which authenticates the smart card. The handset receives a response message which includes a cryptographic signature and an approval to load.

Abstract: A computerized method and system for managing risk associated with a Hedge Fund is disclosed. Information relating to Hedge Funds is gathered and stored as data in preparation for a risk inquiry search relating to a Hedge Fund. Documents and sources of information can also be stored. A subscriber, such as a Financial Institution, can submit a Hedge Fund descriptor for which a risk inquiry search can be performed. The risk assessment or inquiry search can include data retrieved resultant to augmented retrieval methods. Scrubbed data as well as augmented data can be transmitted from a risk management clearinghouse to a subscriber or to a proprietary risk system utilized by a subscriber, such as a risk management system maintained in-house. Risk inquiry searches can be automated and made a part of standard operating procedure for any transaction conducted by the subscriber in which a Hedge Fund is involved.