Abstract: In embodiments, the present invention provides a method and system for receiving a bid for an exclusive sponsored content item to be presented on a mobile communication facility, the bid including an amount and at least one exclusivity characteristic relating to a mobile subscriber characteristic and matching the at least one exclusivity characteristic with the exclusive sponsored content item based at least in part on a relevancy for presentation to a mobile communication facility.

Abstract: A method of providing for a money transfer over a network by providing a stamp having a face value and a lifespan both indicated on the stamp, the stamp being a string that is a concatenation of two or more fields including the face value and the lifespan, with at least one of the fields calculated according to a prescription involving a hashing or encryption of a concatenation of others of the fields or of some other field not part of the stamp; affixing the stamp to an e-mail; and allowing the recipient of the e-mail to obtain value for the stamp if the stamp is presented to a predetermined entity (such as a stamp issuer) for the stamp value within the lifespan indicated on the stamp.

Abstract: The present invention relates a futures exchange for services contracts. The SerFEx is an electronic market system that enables the exchange of cash (spot and forward) contracts and futures contracts for the delivery of services. Services are traded on the exchange similar to commodities on a prior art commodities exchange. The exchange allows the futures market to determine the right price for services for the producers and consumers of those services. Participants may buy, sell, or leverage services contracts through a variety of order types. The exchange is composed of an electronic infrastructure that has four major components: a front-end facility comprised of licensed authorized intermediaries, an automated bid/ask matching system, a clearinghouse system, and a title management system. The exchange operates twenty-four hours per day and seven days per week with all accounts settled at least once in every twenty-four hours.

Abstract: A method and system for generating returns for investments in asset classes such as bonds, currencies, and commodities. The index of these returns may be used as a benchmark to measure the investment performance of one or more of the asset classes that make up the index. It may also be replicated in the markets in which futures contracts for members of these asset classes are traded and used to earn the returns that the index measures. Indices constructed for each asset class can be combined with each other and with equity indices to create tradable indices hedge fund returns.

Abstract: Method for managing a closing of an account of a user. The method includes receiving an identifier of the account of the user, retrieving status information associated with the identifier and determining whether the account is coded to close from the retrieved status information. Thereafter, automatically providing from the retrieved status information a reason why the account has not been closed if the account is determined to be coded to close.

Abstract: An electronic commerce system and method has a number of computer systems connected by a network, including a broker computer system having a database of scrips representing a form of currency, a vendor computer system having a database containing products which may be exchanged for the scrips, and a consumer computer system with which a user may initiate transactions to obtain the products contained in the database of the vendor computer system in return for scrip. The broker issues scrip to the consumer having a Customer ID including a Hash subfield containing a value produced by consumer identifying information hashed with a nonce. When the scrip is exchanged for additional scrip, the value in the Hash subfield is hashed with another nonce. The consumer stores the nonces used to produce the Hash subfield in a wallet.

Abstract: A distributed bid processing method uses a number of computers to process bids for a given open-cry auction or descending price auction in a distributed manner. The computers examine a set of bids and quickly filter out the losing bids. This helps in achieving faster processing and reduces response times. Two methods are developed for open-cry auctions and one for descending price auction. The methods apply to a distributed web server where some servers may be placed far apart geographically.

Abstract: A currency system (10) is described. The system (10) comprises a currency network (12) for handling and distributing currency, an information router (40) for receiving currency information from the currency network (12), a currency analyzer (48) for locating the position of all the currency in the network (12) and for determining how the currency should be located in the network (12) to fulfil a predetermined criterion, and a currency transfer reporter (44) for receiving currency transfer requests from the analyzer (48), for issuing currency transfer instructions to a cash mover (18), for receiving currency transfer confirmations from the cash mover (18), and for automatically reconciling currency transfer instructions with currency transfer confirmations. A method of managing a currency network is also described.

Abstract: A system and method for analyzing the characteristics of sub-time periods of a time period over which a change of trend of a price evolution of a plurality of stock options occurs is disclosed. The system comprises means for storing data representative of the price evolution of the plurality of stock options and means for aggregating the data associated with each stock option and for creating for each stock option a standard description of the stock option's price for each sub-time period. Each standard description generated is converted into a candlestick pattern being chosen among a predetermined typology of a plurality of candlestick patterns. For each stock option, each standard description of a current sub-time period is also compared to the standard description of a previous sub-time period, and a comparison code chosen among a predetermined typology of a plurality of comparison codes is allocated to each comparison.

Abstract: An electronic exchange system network includes a trader site having an automated trading system capable of submitting orders and/or quotes to an exchange site. The automated trading system determines whether an order or quote should be submitted based on, for example, the current market price of an option and theoretical buy and sell prices. The theoretical buy and sell prices are derived from, among other things, the current market price of the security underlying the option. The theoretical buy and sell prices are calculated when underlying factors that contribute to the theoretical prices change. Computation times of the theoretical prices may be reduced by using precalculated values and/or using interpolation and extrapolation. Other techniques may be used in addition or in the alternative to speed automatic decision-making. In addition, a system of checks may be conducted to ensure accurate and safe automated trading.

Abstract: The fair value of a fund is determined by analyzing various factors indicative of how each underlying asset of the fund would be valued on the open market. The fund may be an international mutual fund that includes underlying assets, which include international equities. Because some of the underlying assets may not be traded in a liquid market at the time of valuation of the fund, a reliable estimate of the value of such underlying assets must be made based on available data related through historical correlations. The fair value of the fund is determined based on the estimated or actual values of each of the underlying assets.

Abstract: A method of valuation of large groups of assets by partial full underwriting, partial sample underwriting and inferred values of the remainder using an iterative and adaptive supervised and unsupervised statistical evaluation of all assets and statistical inferences drawn from the evaluation and applied to generate the inferred values. Individual asset values are developed and listed in tables so that individual asset values can be rapidly taken from the tables and quickly grouped in any desired or prescribed manner for bidding purposes. The assets are collected into a database, divided into categories by credit variable, subdivided by ratings as to those variables and then rated individually. The assets are then regrouped according to a bidding grouping and a collective valuations established by cumulating the individual valuations.

Abstract: An electronic wallet including is made available to a user and is capable of storing a wide variety of different types of accounts (including both payment accounts and traditional credit card accounts). An identification of the different accounts corresponding to a user is displayed to the user and the user is allowed to manipulate these accounts. The electronic wallet also allows the user to combine funds from multiple different accounts into a single account. This combination allows the interface on a merchant server to be designed to accommodate a single account without concern for what types of accounts a user may wish to combine. Furthermore, in accordance with one aspect, when the user is purchasing goods and/or services from a merchant on-line, only those accounts that are useable at the merchant are presented as being available to the user.

Abstract: A computerized scheme automates investment planning for a client. In the scheme, data regarding the client's desired asset allocation, current asset portfolio and preferred domain are input into a computer or processor. This data are used to automatically generate financial transaction recommendations for modifying the client's current asset portfolio to reach as close as possible to the desired asset allocation and the preferred domain. The recommendations include specific recommendations for selling amounts of selected current assets and specific recommendations for buying amounts of one or more investment funds. The recommendations are displayed on a summary report for review by the client or the client's financial manager, or the recommendations are electronically communicated to a trade execution computer which automatically performs the necessary transactions to execute the buy/sell recommendations.

Abstract: A system for facilitating the processing and settlement of a securities trade is provided. The system includes a computer which receives trade execution information and trade allocation information indicative of an executed trade by first and second trading parties. The system also includes a database of trading party profiles which are indicative of acceptable trade parameters for each trading party. A matching program compares the trade execution information with the trade allocation information and determines that a match exists if the trade execution information and the trade allocation information correlate within the acceptable trade parameters. The trading party profiles are configurable so that the trading parties can fully control enrichment of the trade information with enrichment data, and set timers to control how long the system searches for a match. Each trading party may have a plurality of profiles, from which the system may select depending upon trade criteria.

Abstract: A system for purchasing from an intermediary a right to a payment related to the performance of an entertainment production. The system comprises a transaction server for generating web page data for a web page that displays information concerning one or more entertainment productions, and an offer to purchase one or more related participation units. The transaction server is adapted to transmit and receive such web page data via the Internet. A plurality of client information appliances, each adapted to receive via the Internet such web page data, and generate and display a web page based on such data, and further adapted to transmit information to the transaction server via the Internet, including acceptance of an offer to purchase a participation unit.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for processing cash advance requests are described. In one embodiment, the system includes a data repository, and a process management and workflow system coupled to the data repository. The process management and workflow system is configured to record a cash advance request, evaluate current collateral information, and evaluate current credit status.

Abstract: The invention solves the inconvenience that a customer would experience when his/her electronic wallet was lost or broken down. A backup condition testing means tests predefined backup conditions to determine whether to make a backup, when an electronic wallet device communicates with any other device to transfer monetary data. When the backup condition testing means has determined to make a backup, a backup data sending means sends a predetermined set of backup data collected from the electronic wallet device. A backup data management means receives the backup data from the backup data sending means and saves the received data into its backup database. In this way, the proposed system automatically saves backup data of the electronic wallet device when any backup condition is met. This mechanism permits the customer to have an alternative electronic wallet device to be promptly issued when his/her electronic wallet device is lost.

Abstract: A first equity instrument which represents an ownership interest in a portfolio of stocks. The portfolio of stocks is a subset of a larger portfolio of stocks, which also has a corresponding second equity instrument representing an ownership interest in the larger portfolio of stocks. The weight of each stock in the smaller portfolio is substantially similar to its weight in the larger portfolio, divided by the combined weight of the smaller portfolio within the larger portfolio. Thus, trading in the equity instrument allows one to maintain the relative proportions of the stocks belonging to the smaller portfolio, in the larger portfolio without having to trade the individual stocks comprising the smaller portfolio.

Abstract: A double-reading preventive control processing unit, when demodulated data corresponding to a whole bar code is obtained in an M10-OK buffer, notifies a reading-OK processing unit of this demodulated data on condition that a double-reading preventive timer is not actuated, stores a single-reading multi-stage buffer with this demodulated data, and actuates the double-reading preventive timer. The single-reading multi-stage buffer is capable of storing plural demodulated data in sequence from the latest one, of which the reading-OK processing unit has been notified. When demodulated data is newly obtained before the double-reading preventive timer makes a time-up, the double-reading preventive control unit checks whether or not the new demodulated data is identical with the demodulated data stored in the single-reading multi-stage buffer. When identical, this new piece of demodulated data is discarded.