Abstract: A Resource Management System (RMS) including an RMS server having an RMS database containing files storing information on employees, employee skills, employee schedules and projects. The information in the files of the RMS database is obtained from external corporate databases as well as from direct entry. Calendar functionality is included for maintaining the scheduled activities of employees with different types of scheduled activities differently highlighted on a calendar display. Resource search and scheduling functionality is provided that identifies human resources possessing the required skills and availabilities for assignments to projects. Project parameters such as time requirements, skill requirements and proficiency levels are entered as parameters for defining the search. Assignment functionality assigns the identified employees to the projects and updates the system calendar to reflect the project assignments.

Abstract: The invention is a system and method that provides positive incentives to a call center agent by allowing the call center agent to play a game each time an established performance parameter standard is met. In accordance with the invention, a data collection system monitors a performance parameter of a telephone call handled by a call center agent. A game participation system compares an evaluation of the monitored performance parameter to an established performance parameter standard and allows the call center agent to participate in a game only if the evaluation meets the established performance parameter standard. Allowing the call center agent to immediately play a game after completing a call, in which a performance parameter standard has been met, motivates the agent to continue to meet the performance parameter standard so that a game can be played again.

Abstract: A client establishes and/or modifies an interactive account on a server via proprietary sorting and filtering and reporting criteria as a means for timely processing of online financial data and/or other business information to retrieve valuations, sorted lists, etc. The method involves establishing a link with a server preset and programmable with client criteria for investment or decision making, acquiring data, sorting, filtering, etc.

Abstract: A register terminal is connected through a communications link to a kitchen video controller. The register terminal receives setting data for display control functions, and picture formats for the kitchen video controller display. The register terminal provides setting destination information related to the product item selected by a purchaser, and sets a display number on the kitchen video controller in response to the destination information. A customer's order is searched at the register terminal, for product items related to the destination information. Display data is forwarded to the kitchen video controller which displays the information to personnel servicing the order, following which the customer's orders can be erased. In one particular display mode, the controller can display the average sales numbers for specified product items, and for a given time range which includes a present time as well as immediately preceding and immediately time ranges for the day.

Abstract: In accordance with the present invention, a central controller stores a series of registrations, each of which corresponds to a purchaser of a product. The central controller calculates a measurement of product success, such as the number of products sold or the market share of the product. The central controller determines if the measurement is within a predetermined range. For example, the central controller may determine if the number of products sold exceeds a predetermined threshold. A selected set of registrations which are "early-adopter" registrations are selected. The set of registrations thereby defines a set of early-adopter purchasers. For example, the central controller may select a set of registrations having ordinal positions within a predetermined range of positions, such as the first hundred registrations. Thus, one hundred early-adopter purchasers are defined.

Abstract: A relocation tracking system (10) and method are provided. The relocation tracking system (10) includes a mass storage device for storing a relocation database (22) and a processor (40). Relocation database (22) includes a transferee table (44) and a shipping table (48). Relocation database (22) may include any of a variety of other tables such as an expense table (46), a shipping table (48), a home selling table (50), a home buying table (52), a tracking table (54), a non-relocation table (56), and a comment table (58). The processor (40) processes a relocation request that indicates the authorized benefits for each relocation. The processor (40) accesses and updates the transferee table (44) and the shipping table (48) of relocation database (22) in response to processing the relocation request.

Abstract: An electronic bill presentment and payment system includes multiple biller computers, a bill presentment computer, and multiple customer computers. Each biller computer stores complete bills for the customer of a corresponding biller, and the bill presentment computer stores a respective summary of each complete bill along with a hash of that complete bill which is digitally signed by the biller computer. Each particular customer computer makes a payment on a selected complete bill by generating a payment message which includes a) the hash of the selected complete bill digitally signed by the biller computer, and b) an authorization to pay a specified amount of funds on the selected complete bill, both of which are digitally signed by that particular customer computer. This payment message is stored in a closing record for use in resolving issues regarding whether or not the bill was changed after payment was authorized, and whether or not an alleged payment on the selected bill was authorized.

Abstract: A method for creating and managing a lease agreement includes providing predetermined financial information regarding a potential tenant and a potential landlord to a lease control intermediary, evaluating the information to determine the acceptability of the financial risk associated with the potential tenant, creating a service product in the form of a guaranty directed to periodic lease payments from the lease control intermediary to the landlord for a predetermined amount defining a guaranty limit with the guaranty limit corresponding to a predetermined time period with the guaranty obligation becoming active upon failure of the potential lessee to pay periodic lease payments; providing a lease agreement for execution by the landlord and tenant and the lease control intermediary and depositing periodic lease payments received either from the tenant or made by the lease control intermediary according to the service product into an account held by the landlord, the payments having a management fee removed t

Abstract: An object for providing isolated, hierarchical data storage can be used in a method for recommending an item to one of a plurality of users. The data object abstracts an associated physical memory element and provides an interface for storing data and retrieving data from the physical memory element. In some embodiments the data object is provided with an indicator for identifying another data object that is used if a memory request is unable to be serviced by the associated physical memory element. In other embodiments this data object can be used to efficiently and transparently store profile data associated with a system for recommending items to users.

Abstract: Disclosed is a container object that allows a user to define new payment resources without requiring the user to redesign a relational database system used for persistent storage of transaction information. An object server maps data that is represented in transient memory according to an object-oriented scheme to data that is represented in persistent memory according to a relational database scheme. The object server generates appropriate tables and columns for a relational database scheme automatically so that the object-oriented scheme generated by a user may be efficiently stored and searched in persistent memory. Preferably, array elements are represented as rows in a table, not as columns so that storage space is not wasted with place holder data. In certain embodiments, a rating engine is provided that searches available rates and creates a rate stack for the purpose of authorizing transactions and adjusting payment source balances when authorization events or payment events occur.

Abstract: A self-contained payment system uses circulating digital vouchers for the transfer of value. The system creates and transfers digital vouchers. A digital voucher has an identifying element and a dynamic log. The identifying element includes information such as the transferable value, a serial number and a digital signature. The dynamic log records the movement of the voucher through the system and accordingly grows over time. This allows the system operator to not only reconcile the vouchers before redeeming them, but also to recreate the history of movement of a voucher should an irregularity like a duplicate voucher be detected. These vouchers are used within a self-contained system including a large number of remote devices which are linked to a central system. The central system can e linked to an external system. The external system, as well as the a remote devices, are connected to the central system by any one or a combination of networks.

Abstract: An online gift-presentation system in which, when a server system transmits encoded gift-contents and gift-presentation data thereof to a client as a gift-presenter and a client as a gift-receiver sends a request for decoding using the gift-presentation data to the server system, the server system transmits a decoding key for decoding the encoded gift-contents to the client as a gift-receiver.

Abstract: A method is disclosed for automatically updating the status of customers' orders and shipments via electronic mail without using a human attendant to create and send the electronic mail messages. Preferably implemented in software, the updating method allows a large set of customers to be periodically updated over a computer or communications network via electronic mail. The method utilizes a database for maintaining order and shipping status and other relevant information.

Abstract: A method for intelligently planning is provided, comprising the steps of receiving a plurality of tasks that a user needs to perform, each task having an earliest start time, a latest stop time, a duration for completing the event and a reward value for completing the event, the tasks including a fixed task having the duration being equal to the time period between the earliest start time and the latest stop time and a floating task having a duration that is less than the time period between the earliest start time and the latest stop time, arranging said fixed task into a plan for the user based on the earliest start time, duration and reward of the fixed task, determining an actual start time for the floating task within the time period between the earliest start time and the latest stop time based on the earliest start time and duration of the fixed task, and arranging said floating task into the plan for the user based on the selected actual start time and the reward of the floating task.

Abstract: A plurality of near-optimum solutions to allocations of resources to demand information are provided by consideration of different combinations of sources of resource information such as inventory and performance/production capacity of a provider and/or other providers by the use of one or more algorithm/agents and a problem formulator which selects algorithms to be applied and provides selected information from selected sources of resource information thereto. The effects of actions or allocations specified in the solutions are presented to a user for comparison, modification and selection for implementation. Effects of modified solutions are also projected for comparison with other solutions or modified solutions.

Abstract: A product planning system uses a server (12) for storing centralized data accessible by remote stations (14). The system provides for uniform product planning. throughout an organization while ensuring thoroughness, control, and rapid implementation, and includes the planning chapters of idea assessment, opportunity assessment, business plan, implementation planning and product launch implemented by performing associated tasks customized according to the product.

Abstract: A system and method of determining price differences between price files which minimizes the possibility that an incorrect price is displayed by an electronic price label (EPL). The system includes a computer which reads the first and second price files, compares the prices for the items in the first and second files, and identifies predetermined items having different prices in the first and second files. The computer is preferably an EPL computer. Once a price discrepancy is identified, it may be logged and acted upon in accordance with rules established by an operator.

Abstract: A computer-implemented method for merging product marketing control, and product inventory control, based on funds availability and funds allocation from the finance division. The computer-implemented method generates a segment-level consumer choice model for a plurality of competing brands, and aggregates that to a market-level consumer choice model. For each of a plurality of feasible marketing strategies, a brand-level demand is estimated, based on the consumer choice models. Based on a predetermined cost for each of the feasible marketing strategies, and on estimated revenues and estimated costs resulting from the corresponding estimated demand, a maximum profit yielding feasible strategy is determined.

Abstract: A fast computer implemented method generates near-optimal solutions to the multi-objective inventory matching problem by solving for multiple objectives simultaneously and generating multiple non-dominating solutions. The method implements a multi-assignment backjumping algorithm that consists of three steps. The first step is a rappeling step in which a feasible solution is created by applying Iterative Bipartite Matching and maximum flow algorithm. Near-optimal feasible solutions are stored in a non dominated set. The second step is to use a multi-key sort to identify undesirable matches in a given feasible solution. The third step is backlifting the solution by removing undesirable matches from the feasible solution and places those undesirable matches on a no good set of matches. If the feasible solution is non-dominated, a copy is stored in a non-dominated set. The feasible solution is finally provided as input to the repelling step.

Abstract: A system and method are disclosed for encouraging buyers to submit CPOs to a CPO management system for a desired product. The CPO management system processes each received CPO to determine whether one or more sellers are willing to accept a given CPO. The disclosed CPO management system compensates buyers if the buyer's conditional purchase offer is rejected, or expires before an acceptance is received. If a CPO is rejected by the sellers, or has expired before an acceptance is received, the CPO management system evaluates one or more stored compensation offers to determine if the buyer is eligible for rejection compensation. The compensation offers may optionally require that the conditional purchase offer satisfies one or more additional predefined eligibility criteria. If the predefined criteria is met, the rejection compensation is provided to the buyer.