Abstract: A method and apparatus provide physical verification of a correct association between information printed on a closed face package and material and/or information contained inside the closed face package. A closed face package with a document or article inserted therein has a window permitting a portion of the document to be read from a location outside of the package. A first optical device is employed to read data printed on the package and a second optical device is employed to read document data, which document data is printed on the inserted document and appears through the window of the package. A data file is read to access account information stored therein corresponding to the document data. The accessed account information is compared with the package data to determine whether a matching association exists between the package data and the document data. If the matching association is determined to exist, the package is allowed to be further processed.

Abstract: A method, computer program product, and apparatus for efficiently utilizing software licenses in a large organization having multiple divisions is disclosed. A preferred embodiment of the present invention accomplishes this goal by providing for a pool of organization-wide software licenses. This license pool is subdivided into a number of reserved or dedicated licenses for each particular division and a set of shared licenses to be shared among the various divisions. A given division, when checking out licenses from the organization-wide pool, will first exhaust its reserved licenses before checking out shared licenses. In the event that all shared licenses are being used, but there are reserved licenses that are sitting idle, a division may borrow a reserved license from another division, subject to the lending division's right of preemption in the event that the borrowed license is needed by the division lending the license.

Abstract: An interface for providing monitoring information from any monitored component to a central monitoring system in which an XML document is created according to a DTD conforming to a tree-structured monitoring architecture and then is made available to the central monitoring system either by posting it as an HTTP message or filing it in a designated directory, where it can be periodically polled by the central monitoring system. An initial long-form XML document can be used to completely specify the monitoring tree for the monitored component, and then subsequent short-form XML documents can be posted with current data corresponding to the monitoring tree elements themselves. An XML processor at the central monitoring system converts the XML document contents and applies them to a standard interface which has previously been available directly to fully conforming components.

Abstract: An online system and method of inquiring and tracking the status of an online order for a product are provided. The system includes a consumer status query message, which includes a consumer identifier of a user who previously placed the online order for the product. A status translator is operable to receive the consumer status query message and convert the consumer status query message to a consumer status query file. A status packager is operable to receive the consumer status query file, extract status data associated with the consumer identifier from an enterprise product information database, and generate a consumer status reply file containing the extracted status data.

Abstract: A method of generating custom reports based on point-of-sale data transferred between multiple remote computing devices and a central computing device includes generating point-of-sale data at multiple remote locations, transferring the point-of-sale data to a central computing device from multiple computing devices at the respective multiple remote locations, defining a custom report format, the custom report format specifying at least two of the multiple remote locations and specifying a date range, the date range and the at least two multiple remote locations being freely selectable by a user, generating a custom report using the custom report format, the custom report being based on point-of-sale data related to the specified remote locations and the specified date range, and communicating the custom report to a human being.

Abstract: A mobile teaching station includes a mobile teaching surface designed to support a plurality of teaching props during instruction of students. A mobile storage facility for storing the teaching props is disposed proximate the mobile teaching surface and operably coupled thereto. The mobile teaching station further includes devices for readily transporting the mobile teaching surface to a desired teaching site. A method of facilitating mobile teaching of students includes the steps of (a) providing a mobile teaching surface designed to support a plurality of teaching props during instruction of students, (b) providing a mobile storage facility for storing the teaching props proximate the mobile teaching surface and operably coupled thereto, and (c) providing devices for readily transporting the mobile teaching surface to a desired teaching site.