Abstract: A method and system of conveying information to a user in specified content displayed in an interactive graphical environment. The information comprises a predetermined message defined by message parameters to create an image and stored in a message memory. The content includes predetermined specifications for assimilating said message. The method comprises the steps of retrieving the specified content from a content memory then identifying the predetermined specifications from the content for substituting a portion of the content into a transformed representation of the predetermined message. After retrieving and identifying, the predetermined message is obtained from the message memory and transformed into a scaled message according to the specifications to substitute the message into the content portion and define a modified environment.

Abstract: An automatic bank teller machine (ATM) that uses a combination of simple visual cues, large-type visual displays, audio, and a touch-sensitive display screen to facilitate use of the ATM by the blind and visually impaired, while still being useful for the sighted. In particular, the ATM uses a touch-sensitive display screen that has a fixed, easy to locate touch scanning zone. The display screen operates by contacting the screen, with a fingertip, for example, and slidingly moving to a location on the touch scanning zone corresponding to an item to be input, such as one of the numbers 0 to 9, for example.

Abstract: In securities valuation, in setting the initial offering price of a financial instrument, or in later revaluation as financial parameters such as interest rates may change, an estimate of the value of the instrument may be represented as a multi-dimensional integral. For evaluation of the integral, numerical integration is preferred with the integrand being sampled at deterministic points having a low-discrepancy property. The technique produces approximate values at significant computational savings and with greater reliability as compared with the Monte Carlo technique. Further to estimating the value of a complex security, sampling at points of a low-discrepancy deterministic sequence can be used in estimating value at risk in portfolio structuring.

Abstract: In a method of administering a capital funding system, a first predetermined monetary sum, representing a principle amount of a bond, is accepted as a loan from a subscribing entity. A second predetermined monetary sum, representing a first portion of an interest payment for the first predetermined monetary sum, is periodically transferred to the subscribing entity, the second monetary sum. At least one service voucher is periodically transferred to the subscribing entity, the service voucher having a value representing a second portion of an interest payment for the first predetermined monetary sum and entitling a bearer to a predetermined quantity of a selected service.

Abstract: A payment method (100) suitable for network (10) transactions in merchandise (12) between purchasers (14) and vendors (18), employing the services of guarantors (16) which issue vouchers (20) for payment. The vendors (18) offer the merchandise (12) on the network (10) as URLs (50), which optionally may include a URL address (52) separated from a URL request (56). The URL (50) or the URL address (52) initially includes the network (10) address of the guarantor (16), and the URL (50) or the URL request (56) specifies particular merchandise (12). By selecting the URL (50) the purchaser (14) is initially taken to the guarantor (16), where the voucher (20) is placed into the URL (50) or the URL request (56) and the network (10) address of the vendor (18) is placed into the URL (50) or the URL address (52).

Abstract: By gathering information regarding the total number of sales, total number of pending listings, total number of active listings, and total number of expired listings in a time period, a market index may be derived. This market index can then be charted over a plurality of periods, giving an indication of any temporal trends. The market index can further be used to guide and determine the action of a service provider such as a lender or title insurance company in a proposed real estate transaction.

Abstract: A method of determining growth and return rates in equipment includes the step of producing commissioning records and failure records. The commissioning records and the failure records are arranged in sets of records, the sets being in chronological order of in-service date. Each set of records is then addressed successively and a new record is produced between consecutive sets of records according to pre-defined conditions. Within each set of records, there is produced a natural logarithm of cumulative in-service time in hours value and a natural logarithm of cumulative percent failures per year value. Slope and intercept values of a best-fit curve applied to an X data set comprised of the natural logarithm of cumulative in-service time in hours values of the last records in each set and a Y-data set comprised of the natural logarithm cumulative percent failures per year fields of the last records in each set are then calculated, the slope value representing the growth rate of the equipment.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for solving problems where a population is created and evolved to generate a result. While solving the problem, the architecture of entities in the population are altered. Each of said entities may include internally and externally invoked sub-entities. The externally invoked sub-entities are capable of having actions, invocations of sub-entities which are invoked internally, and material. Also, each sub-entity which is invoked internally is capable of including actions, invocations of internally invocable sub-entities, material provided to the externally invocable sub-entity, and material.

Abstract: A method for networked exchange comprises 8 steps. Those steps are (1) specifying a mode of operations for an exchange; (2) identifying a commodity for the exchange; (3) listing information about the commodity; (4) accessing of the listing by a potential purchaser; (5) accessing the network-based exchange by the potential purchaser; (6) processing information generated by the potential purchaser, the information comprising a negotiation; (7) concluding the negotiation; and, (8) clearing the concluded negotiation.

Abstract: Disclosed is a computer-implemented process for evaluating the financial consequences of converting a standard format IRA to a new Roth form IRA. The process includes computing and disclosing the substantial federal income tax consequences involved in converting the standard form IRA to the Roth form. It further includes multiple options that how a given IRA holder can cope with the substantial tax consequences, including without limitation how he or she will fare if he or she obtains term insurance on the federal tax liability of early withdrawal by reason of premature death, or if he or she deducts the federal taxes and insurance premium from the rollover amount, or in the alternative how he or she will fare by financing the federal tax consequences and insurance premium in order to preserve intact the entire IRA amount for rollover.

Abstract: An integer programming formulation for weighted loop fusion is presented. Loop fusion is a well-known program transformation that has shown to be effective in reducing loop overhead and improving register and cache locality. Weighted loop fusion is the problem of finding a legal partition of loop nests into fusible clusters so as to minimize the total inter-cluster edge weights. Past work has shown that the weighted loop fusion problem is NP-hard. Despite the NP-hardness property, the present invention provides optimal solutions that may be found efficiently, in the context of an optimizing compiler, for weighted loop fusion problem sizes that occur in practice. An integer programming formulation for weighted loop fusion with a problem size (number of variables and constraints) that is linearly proportional to the size of the input weighted loop fusion problem is also presented. The integer programming formulation may be solved efficiently using a general integer programming package.

Abstract: An electronic money holding device has a first storage unit for storing a uniquely assigned identification number and an amount of held electronic money, a processor for controlling the reference to and the updating of the amount of held electronic money and the transfer of electronic money between the electronic money holding device and another electronic money holding device, and a second storage unit for storing information of service providers concluding sales contracts with a possessor of the electronic money holding device and payment information of each sales contract.

Abstract: A system for shopping for goods and services includes central communications facilities and remote communications facilities connected by communications links and permitting data communications between them. Central communications facilities offer goods and services in competition with each other. Each central communications facility stores, in addition to data, graphics in the form of video, and audio in the form of computerized voice and music. Computer input devices at each remote communications facility permit customers to access the data, graphics and audio. Computers at each remote communications facility also enable that facility to receive and download the data, graphics, and audio. Each remote communications facility is adapted to enable a customer, after viewing the data, graphics, and audio, to electronically negotiate a price for the purchase of the goods and services.

Abstract: The apparatus and method of the present invention provide secure auction service for use in a network having servers and bidding terminals. The auction service makes transactions among servers and bidding terminals subject to a distributed protocol. The distributed protocol distributes submitted bids among the multiple servers, closes a bidding period, verifies validity of monetary value of each submitted bid by utilizing said distributed protocol and determines a winning bidder.

Abstract: A method for enabling targeted marketing of users on the Internet maintains the privacy of the users. The present invention takes advantage of the unique customer knowledge of an Internet Service Provider (ISP) with respect to both the customers identity and their likes and dislikes, while preserving the privacy of those customers. Data mining is performed on customers, including the sites that they visit. For example, customers with children are identified by visits to the Disney site. The availability of this list is then used to attract businesses with interest in this customer base. An offer, perhaps with enticements such as coupons or contests, is prepared on a Web site. The ISP then makes the customer aware of that offer via an E-mail with short text describing that offer and a Hypertext link to that page. The customer is informed that they may take advantage of the offer and as a convenience and service to the customer and the advertiser, the ISP will provide their identity to the advertiser.

Abstract: A method of simulating future cash flow for a given asset allocation under a variety of economic conditions, measuring the frequency of failure of the cash flow to avoid one or more predefined risks. Assigning user-selected weights to avoidance of specified risks and alternative user-selected weights to maximization of rate of return, the invention utilizes the cash flow simulation to produce a performance index. By methodological testing through asset allocation adjustments, the optimum performance index is determined, thereby identifying the optimum asset allocation.

Abstract: A computer implemented system and process are provided for negotiation and tracking of sale of goods. In this system and process, a negotiation engine (16) operates to store data representing a current state (18) of a negotiation between a seller and buyer. The negotiation engine (16) stores the data within a framework for representing aspects of the negotiation between the seller and buyer. The framework includes a request object, a promise object and an acceptance object that can store a current description of a contract. The framework also includes a set of one or more delivery deals determined by the contract. Each delivery deal can have a delivery request object, a delivery promise object, and a delivery acceptance object that can store associated item deals and time periods for delivery of item deals. Each item deal can have an item request object, an item promise object and an item acceptance object that can store individual sales-order line-items.

Abstract: An object oriented framework mechanism provides a straightforward and convenient way to implement an electronic catalog by providing an infrastructure that embodies the steps necessary for a framework consumer to define an electronic catalog by extending the framework to fit a particular electronic catalog environment. The electronic catalog framework includes core classes and extensible classes that allow a framework consumer to implement a desired electronic catalog. The core classes and class relationships define the core function of the framework mechanism. Extensible classes include a catalog class, a content page class, a table of contents page class, an index page class, a content list page class, a cover class, and a jacket class. These extensible classes are extended by a framework consumer to implement a desired electronic catalog environment.

Abstract: A problem solving operation apparatus obtains an optimum solution for a given problem through a combined use of a plurality of optimum solution search techniques of a genetic algorithm, and other search techniques like a hill climbing method. A combination of the optimum solution search techniques applied to each of a group of solution candidates varies according to each state. When a search efficiency in a single state is lowered, the problem solving operation apparatus immediately causes a state transition to the next state, thus enabling a search of an optimum solution through the use of another combination of more efficient optimum solution search techniques. Because a state transition constantly maintains a high search efficiency, this problem solving operation apparatus can reach an optimum solution in a short amount of time.

Abstract: An electronic commerce invoicing and collection system (EICS) which provides the services of invoicing, automatic "past due" reminders in a real time recorded/registered format is described. Customers of a supplier are encouraged to pay invoices promptly via increased leverage of the supplier, public disclosure of a customer's payment behavior, and donations to charity. An integral part of this invention is accurate payment analysis statistics data that exceeds the detail and timeliness of present systems. The EICS provides a methodology to enable banks to minimize their risk when lending money and save on customer auditing fees. The system and method also provide for bank charges, bank interest payments, factoring charges, and charities to be subsidized by customers who pay their invoices late. The result of such a system and method is customer payment behavior modification.