Abstract: Apparatus for remote inspection of fluid containers, e.g., portable tanks or fluid pipelines, includes an electronic circuit in communication between each container (or at various locations along a pipeline) and a remote central station. The electronic circuit is adapted to issue a wireless signal to the remote central station upon detection of predetermined internal conditions, such as an out-of-range pressure condition of fluid contained within the volume of the container, or upon detection of predetermined external conditions, such as the lack of presence of the container in its installed position or the presence of an obstruction to viewing of or access to the container.

Abstract: An apparatus for remote inspection of fire extinguishers at one or a system of fire extinguisher stations includes, e.g., at each fire extinguisher station: a detector for lack of presence of a fire extinguisher in its installed position at the fire extinguisher station; a detector for out-of-range pressure of contents of the fire extinguisher at the fire extinguisher station; a detector for an obstruction to viewing of or access to the fire extinguisher at the fire extinguisher station; and a device for transmission of inspection report information from the fire extinguisher station to a remote central station.

Abstract: An Apparatus for remote inspection of emergency equipment at one or a system of emergency equipment stations includes, e.g., at each emergency equipment station: a detector for detection of the presence of an obstruction to viewing of or access to the emergency equipment station; and an electronic circuit in communication between the detector and a remote central station for issue of a signal to the remote central station upon detection of the obstruction to viewing of or access to the emergency equipment station.

Abstract: Methods and systems are provided herein for the analysis of clickstream data of online users. The analysis methods and systems allow for the creation of new offline business methods based on online consumer behavior. In embodiments, the output file enables a third party to match a sales medium to a variety of financial service offerings.

Abstract: In embodiments of the present invention, a gutter-cleaning device comprises a housing containing an impeller drive facility, the housing configured to fit into a gutter, an impeller, disposed at an end of the housing and driven by the impeller drive facility, and a transport facility for transporting the housing along the gutter. The impeller may have an axis of rotation, the axis of rotation oriented toward an inside corner of the gutter and the impeller drive facility may be adapted to rotate the impeller on the axis of rotation. Transport of the housing through the gutter may cause the impeller to travel along an axis of motion, the axis of motion differing from the axis of rotation.

Abstract: A platform provides an intuitive and integrated management tool for disparate communications channels. Media such as web sites, web logs, electronic mail, instant messaging, and short messaging services may be combined and controlled through a single access point. The user interface for the access point may itself be deployed for use with a cellular phone, web client, or the like. While graphical user interfaces are one useful embodiment, a command-oriented interface may similarly be operated telephonically, or using electronic mail, instant messaging, SMS, or any other suitable technique.

Abstract: In embodiments of the present invention improved capabilities are described for predicting the reputation of a communication identifier, such as a web address, a domain name, an IP address, host name, email address, IM address, telephone number, VoIP telephony address, and the like. In embodiments, the present invention may receive a communication from a first communication identifier, parse the first communication identifier into its components, and assign the components to a hierarchical tree structure, where the hierarchical tree structure maintains the hierarchical relationship between the components of the communication identifier. The present invention may monitor and keep count of a number of communications from the first communication identifier, wherein the number of communications may be kept for both malicious and/or unwanted communications and non-malicious and/or unwanted communications.

Abstract: Clickstream data collected from a panel of internet users is used to generate and present internet activity metrics. Data collected from a community of internet users may be augmented by clickstream data store content, third party content, search results, and other sources to form estimates of internet activity, such as traffic, that is structured and analyzed to produce metrics of nearly any internet web site or domain. The estimate of the panel's Internet activity may be refined by applying a domain-specific bias adjustment to the estimate. Applying the domain-specific bias adjustment to the estimate may include applying a weight to a subset of the data that connotes a specific domain from the panel of Internet users.

Abstract: An online test platform facilitates the configuration, development, delivery, and management of educational tests with interactive participation by students, teachers, proctors, and administrators even when some or all of them are remotely located. The platform may include an installation protocol to configure a computing facility and prevent other applications from executing during an exam, administrator interfaces, test proctor interfaces, and test taker (e.g. student) interfaces to allow each participant to view, navigate, and interact with aspects of the online test platform that are intended to meet their needs.

Abstract: User interface and policy loading aspects of a policy-based, outsourced, network management system. In one aspect, a user selects policies using a graphical user interface (GUI) with a two paned window having a tree view of the policies in one pane. In another aspect, the policies are (1) created in the GUI format (e.g., XML), (2) sent over a network (e.g., the internet) to a service center in the same format, and (3) are loaded, manipulated and stored in the same format. In another aspect, the initial loading of the policies is done using a bulk loader in a logic layer. In another aspect, the logic layer also includes a configuration checker which handles changes or additions to policies in a finished network management system. Any aspects of the new or changed policy that are inconsistent with the finished system are parsed and stripped out. In another aspect, where the details of a new policy or change aren't specified, a base configuration creator creates a policy with minimal attributes.

Abstract: A surface gap detector facilitates determining conformance of a surface of an object by providing a light source integrated into the detector that diffusely illuminates the surface of the object so that a user may observe the light that passes between the detector and the object when the surface of the object is aligned in substantial contact with a gap detecting edge of the surface gap detector.

Abstract: A computer system and method is disclosed that analyzes and corrects retail data. The system and method includes several client workstations and one or more servers coupled together over a network. A database stores various data used by the system. A business logic server uses competitive and complementary fusion to analyze and correct some of the data sources stored in database server. The data fusion process itself is an iterative one—utilizing both competitive and complementary fusion methods. In competitive fusion, two or more data sources that provide overlapping attributes are compared against each other. More accurate/reliable sources are used to correct less accurate/reliable sources. In complementary fusion, relationships modeled where data sources overlap are projected to areas of the data framework in which fewer sources exist—enhancing the accuracy/reliability of those fewer sources even in the absence of the other sources upon which the models were based.

Abstract: An aspect of the present invention relates to a method and system of receiving information of a user's support facility comfort requirements; using a software application to determine a proper support facility firmness configuration to match the user's requirement; selecting foam springs with the proper user required firmness as determined by the software application; and configuring the selected foam springs within the support facility to match the user's firmness requirements.

Abstract: An aspect of the present invention relates to a method and system of receiving information of a user's support facility comfort requirements; using a software application to determine a proper support facility firmness configuration to match the user's requirement; selecting foam springs with the proper user required firmness as determined by the software application; and configuring the selected foam springs within the support facility to match the user's firmness requirements.

Abstract: Methods and systems are disclosed herein for managing content, including advertising content, delivered to various network-connected devices, including screens, mobile devices, computers, televisions, radios, and the like, based on usage profiles associated with device-specific identifiers for mobile devices, short-distance wireless technologies for transmission of content and detection of proximity, and content targeting and management techniques.

Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for providing an alternative payment platform, including method and systems for providing a platform for presenting an alternate offer to a user who is engaged with a primary offer and receiving an indication of the user's engagement with the alternate offer, wherein the user's engagement with the alternate offer serves as an alternative form of payment for an item associated with the primary offer. Such methods and systems may further include methods and systems for selecting one or more alternate offers engagement with which serves as an alternative form of payment for an item associated with a primary offer, presenting the selected alternate payment offers to a user, receiving an indication of engagement with at least one of the alternate offers, receiving payment in exchange for presenting the accepted offer and providing payment to the offeror of the primary offer.

Abstract: An aspect of the present invention relates to a method and system of receiving information of a user's support facility comfort requirements; using a software application to determine a proper support facility firmness configuration to match the user's requirement; selecting foam springs with the proper user required firmness as determined by the software application; and configuring the selected foam springs within the support facility to match the user's firmness requirements.

Abstract: User interface and policy loading aspects of a policy-based, outsourced, network management system. In one aspect, a user selects policies using a graphical user interface (GUI) with a two paned window having a tree view of the policies in one pane. In another aspect, the policies are (1) created in the GUI format (e.g., XML), (2) sent over a network (e.g., the internet) to a service center in the same format, and (3) are loaded, manipulated and stored in the same format. In another aspect, the initial loading of the policies is done using a bulk loader in a logic layer. In another aspect, the logic layer also includes a configuration checker which handles changes or additions to policies in a finished network management system. Any aspects of the new or changed policy that are inconsistent with the finished system are parsed and stripped out. In another aspect, where the details of a new policy or change aren't specified, a base configuration creator creates a policy with minimal attributes.

Abstract: An apparatus and method to distribute applications and services throughout a network, including switch functionality and the ability to apply applications and services to received data according to subscriber profiles. Network Processor Modules (NPMs) receive and recognize data flows from subscribers, extract profile information for the subscribers, and utilize flow scheduling techniques to forward the data to Flow Processor Modules (FPMs). The FPMs utilize resident applications to process data received from the NPMs. A Control Processor Module facilitates applications processing and maintains connections to the NPMs, FPMs, local and remote storage devices, and a Management Server (MS) module that can monitor the health and maintenance of the various modules. The MS can download and otherwise control applications on the FPMs to provide an open architecture for downloading, executing, modifying, and otherwise managing applications.