Abstract: A method and apparatus for lower of cost or market value monitoring includes a process for lower of cost or market value monitoring and notification whereby data representing the identification and purchase price of an inventory item is obtained and the market value of the inventory item is automatically monitored on a periodic basis. Data representing the purchase price of the inventory item is then periodically compared with data representing the market value of the inventory item and when the market value of the inventory item decreases below the purchase price of the inventory item a notification/alert is generated bringing the drop in market value of the inventory item below the price paid for the inventory item to the user's attention.

Abstract: A security gateway is provided to facilitate end-point compliance of connected clients to insure appropriate security levels are maintained. The gateway operates as a policy enforcement point, and, when necessary, is used to apply and/or provide the required level of compliance for a connection on behalf of a requesting client. In one aspect, a specified level of compliance for a given security feature is facilitated, even if the requesting client is not able to meet that level of compliance at the time of the request. An adaptive end-point compliance model measures the requesting client's current level of compliance for one or more software programs on the client and may either require remediation, for example, when knowing that the remediation server is available and responding, or may provide, via a surrogate connection, the necessary level of compliance when remediation is not possible.

Abstract: A method includes creating a first virtual machine comprising a remote file system. The method further includes causing all input/output from a second virtual machine to be redirected to the remote file system, the first virtual machine and the second virtual machine being on a single physical computer. The file system is securely protected from any malicious code executing on the second virtual machine by the hardware enforced partitioning between the first virtual machine and the second virtual machine.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for providing access to information associated with a patient are disclosed. Information associated with a patient may be stored electronically, enabling the information from an electronic health record (e.g., electronic personal health record controlled by a patient) or a portion thereof to be provided to an entity such as a healthcare provider. Patient records may be maintained and controlled by multiple entities, such as the healthcare providers, patients, payors, or other third parties. Information from these records may be transferred among these entities, thereby enabling updates to such records to be performed. These updates may occur automatically or upon acceptance by the receiving entity (e.g., patient or healthcare provider).

Abstract: Financial data associated with one or more “contributing consumers” is obtained from one or more sources. The financial data obtained from the one or more contributing consumers is then aggregated, analyzed, and/or categorized, according to one or more events causing the changes and one or more criteria/parameters associated with the financial transaction data and/or the contributing consumer. The aggregated and/or categorized data representing the event related changes in the financial data is then stored. A “user consumer” then initiates a request for predictive event cost data associated with one or more specified events and the aggregated and/or categorized data representing the event related changes in the financial data is searched based. Results data representing the changes in the financial data for one or more similarly situated contributing consumers associated the specified event is then obtained and presented to the user consumer.

Abstract: A film-on-wire spacer covers an entire upper surface of a lower electronic component. Accordingly, an upper electronic component is supported above bond pads and lower bond wires of the lower electronic component. This decreases the stress on the upper electronic component, e.g., during wirebonding, and thus decreases the chance of cracking the upper electronic component. Further, the lower bond wires are enclosed in and protected by the film-on-wire spacer. Further, the film-on-wire spacer is thin resulting in a minimum height of the stacked electronic component package.

Abstract: A system and method for relational scheduling of people and/or resources includes a process for relational scheduling of people and/or resources whereby a user desiring to schedule a meeting is provided the ability to designate participants and/or meeting resources desired for a meeting, and to give each desired participant and/or meeting resource an importance rating/score, including the ability to designate a given participant and/or meeting resource as mandatory. The user also defines meeting scheduling criteria including a meeting length and a meeting date window. This meeting request data is then used to search participant and/or meeting resource availability data to determine one or more meeting times within the user defined meeting scheduling criteria provide not only the mandatory meeting requirements, but also maximize the non-mandatory participant and/or resource rating/score for the meeting.

Abstract: A method includes creating an intercept function for a tracked Dynamic Link Library (DLL) function of a Dynamic Link Library (DLL) being loaded into a suspicious module. Further, the import address table entry for the tracked DLL function is replaced with the respective address of the intercept function. In this manner, a call from the suspicious module to the tracked DLL function is intercepted by the intercept function. The suspicious module is associated with the thread presently executing and the call is passed to the tracked DLL function. Accordingly, any actions associated with the thread are attributed to the suspicious module instead of to a process containing the suspicious module.

Abstract: A method and system for selecting a healthcare provider includes a process for selecting a healthcare provider whereby healthcare provider list data is obtained, along with various data regarding the healthcare providers on the healthcare provider list, and the data is stored in a healthcare provider database. When a healthcare consumer initiates a healthcare provider search request, one or more healthcare consumer criteria for acceptable/desired healthcare providers and/or healthcare services needed is obtained and used to search the healthcare provider database to identify one or more healthcare providers most closely meeting the healthcare consumer's criteria. The availability of appointments and/or estimated wait times for the identified one or more healthcare providers are then obtained.

Abstract: A priority-based scheduling service may schedule appointments between service providers and service consumers by assigning a priority to an appointment request based on one or more factors. The scheduling service may take into consideration the history of the service consumer and the purpose or reason for the appointment request. In addition, preferences indicated by the service provider and service consumer may be taken into consideration by the scheduling service. A prioritized appointment request may be scheduled dependent upon how high or low a priority has been assigned to the request. The scheduling service may apply rules during the prioritizing and scheduling processes. Rules may be configured by the service providers. Once the appointment has been scheduled by the scheduling service, notification may be sent to the service provider and service consumer. Communication between the scheduling service, service providers and service consumers may be accomplished via a communications network.

Abstract: Financial data associated with one or more “contributing consumers” is obtained from one or more sources and categorized and associated with a specific expense/income category. One or more attributes associated with the contributing consumers are then identified and used to analyze, aggregate, and categorize the financial data according to the attributes. Data representing a user financial transaction is then obtained for categorization and one or more specific user attributes associated with the user are identified. The user financial transaction is then categorized based, at least in part, on the categorization of similar contributing consumer financial transactions by contributing consumers having at least one of the specific user attributes.

Abstract: A system and method for providing a healthcare bill settlement system whereby a given healthcare service consumer's EOB data relating to a given healthcare service item is obtained and is translated into a description of the services in language, and/or a format, that a typical healthcare service consumer can understand. The healthcare service consumer's EOB data is also used to present the healthcare service consumer with a payment calculation display and an explanation of how the healthcare service consumer's portion of the claim amount was calculated. The healthcare services consumer is then provided communication access to the healthcare services provider to propose a settlement payment prior to the healthcare services consumer receiving an invoice from the healthcare services provider. The healthcare services provider is then provided the capability to accept or reject the proposed settlement payment.

Abstract: A method of intelligently copying recovery points from a primary storage device to a secondary storage device is presented. The decision on how to copy the recovery points depends upon the backup copy policy as well as the availability of previous backups on the secondary storage device.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for employing user input to classify unknown files whereby when a given unknown/unclassified file is downloaded and/or activated on a given computer system associated with a given user, the given user is asked to provide input regarding the legitimacy of the given unknown/unclassified file. The classification of the given unknown/unclassified file is then determined via one or more sources other than the given user's input. The accuracy of the given user's input regarding the legitimacy of the given unknown/unclassified file is then determined and used to calculate, and/or transform, a reliability score that is then associated with the given user. A given user's reliability score is then used to determine the given user's eligibility to provide further input regarding the legitimacy of other unknown/unclassified files, and/or to determine a value to be place on, or otherwise filter, future input from the given user regarding the legitimacy of other unknown/unclassified files.

Abstract: In accordance with one embodiment, a system and method for providing advertising to select consumers using payroll data includes a process for providing advertising to select consumers using payroll data whereby one or more advertisements and/or marketing devices are distributed to a given consumer based, at least in part, on data representing financial information about the given consumer obtained from a payroll system and/or payroll service. The one or more advertisements and/or marketing devices are distributed to the given consumer through the payroll system and/or payroll service and, in some instances; the one or more advertisements and/or marketing devices are distributed to the given consumer as printed and/or electronic attachments to the given consumer's paycheck and/or payroll account.

Abstract: An article of manufacture, such as a credit card sized health card having a magnetic strip, includes user selected medical information and/or information to obtain medical information of an individual and eligibility of healthcare payments in an embodiment. A user may customize the medical information displayed on the health card. In an embodiment, a method obtains and stores medical information in a machine-readable format. An interface to select a portion of the medical information is provided to a user. In response to a user selection, the portion is displayed on a substrate, such as the health card, and the medical information is accessed by information, such as a URL, user identifier and password, recorded in a machine-readable format on the substrate.

Abstract: A computer system implemented method and process for forecasting the consequences of healthcare utilization choices whereby health data associated with a user is obtained and analyzed to determine disease risk factors. Any determined disease risk factors present in the healthcare data are then used to generate a healthcare utilization consequences report based on various user actions/inactions. The healthcare utilization consequences report can include healthcare recommendations, economic information, actuarial information and comparisons between implementing/not implementing the healthcare recommendations.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for monitoring and dynamically adjusting insurance coverage tracks new personal and/or business property purchases and alerts a concerned party, such as the insured or the insurer, to the potential need for updating insurance coverage in light of the new personal and/or business property purchases.

Abstract: A method and system to compensate for inaccuracy associated with processing values with finite precision includes a process for selecting a display value whereby an initial value is provided in a first numbering system. The initial value is then converted into an equivalent stored value in a second numbering system. Then a display value in the first numbering system is determined and selected such that the selected display value includes the least number of significant digits that convert from the first numbering system to the second numbering system exactly as the stored value. The selected display value in the first numbering system is then used for display and/or further processing when the stored value in the second numbering system is recalled.

Abstract: A system for accounts payable management whereby vendor payment priority criteria are defined and data associated with one or more vendors and/or vendor invoices is obtained along with data indicating funds available to make vendor payments. The data: indicating vendor payment priority criteria, associated with one or more vendors and/or vendor invoices, and indicating funds available to make vendor payments is then analyzed and used to automatically generate a proposed vendor payment plan. The proposed vendor payment plan is then displayed to one or more users associated as part of a user interface display and the one or more users are provided the opportunity to edit and/or approve the proposed vendor payment plan. Once the proposed and/or edited vendor payment plan is approved, one or more payments are automatically made to one or more vendors in accordance with the approved vendor payment plan.