Abstract: An apparatus and method of automatically and anonymously buying and selling positions in fungible properties between subscribers. The specific embodiment described in the disclosure relates to the buying and selling of securities or contracts where the offer to purchase or sell the property may be conditioned upon factors such as the ability to purchase or sell other property or the actual purchase or sale of other property.

Abstract: A Virtual Client Discount Pricing system and method that allows a number of individuals or entities, referred to as participants, to create a virtual client for the purpose of purchasing, leasing or renting of products and services, especially investment management services. The plurality of individuals or entities, referred to as participants, gather together to form the virtual client. In general, the virtual client is created to enable the participants to access goods or services from a provider, or numerous providers, using a discounted rate. In this manner, when the participants of the virtual client access goods or services from the provider, each of the participants receives a discounted rate from the provider using the virtual client, as compared to each of the participants individually accessing goods or services from the provider.

Abstract: Individual employees are permitted to be individuals and plan their work as individuals. Individuals are only asked to plan their work within a limited tasking horizon. Employees track their progress using verbs that are designed to capture the reasons behind positive and negative predictive ability. Verbs are analyzed and expected predictive error, also know as risk, is calculated. Once verbs are captured they can be analyzed for ways to improve predictive ability. In addition, the risk can be factored into the initial planning stage so as to include an expected predictive error in the initial planning. The cost, effort, churn and risk values of projects are then illustrated in a comparison form with historical limitations from past similar projects.

Abstract: An apparatus and methods for a card that allows a cardholder to set up auto-charge payment of dues and fees to a series of clubs, merchants or service providers. The card also may be used for other transactions that accept credit cards. The apparatus includes a database containing information of the associated clubs, merchants and service providers, so that applicants and cardholders can easily configure auto-charging for multiple business concerns in one sitting. The apparatus may process auto-charge transactions in an automated fashion without requiring a cardholder to submit payment authorization or the business concern to submit a charge for each payment. Inconvenience and administrative costs to the cardholder and the business concern are reduced. The system and method provide a competitive advantage to the associated business concerns to secure the initial account and then to maintain it.

Abstract: An online buying group (referred to herein as a “co-op”) is formed for the specific purpose of purchasing a particular product at (102) by defining a start time, end time, critical mass, any minimum number of units offered, any maximum number of units offered, starting price and product cost curve. As data is gathered from buyers, by means of their making binding purchase offers, the co-op is modified at (108) using a pricing tool, so as to take into account for this market data in the definition of the price curve. A buyer chooses a product co-op of interest at (114). The buyer is presented with the following essential co-op information: current price, closing time, next price level (as defined by a price curve visibility window and the price curve) sufficient to entice the buyer to make an offer.

Abstract: The Online Buyers Club System (OBCS) is a mechanism for the online purchasing of goods and services. The mechanism is targeted at user communities consisting of a large number of small-volume buyers (the “Buyers Club”). The primary function of the mechanism is to automatically aggregate the buying power of these buyers. The present invention provides a mechanism to promote competition among vendors as well as a mechanism to incent buyers to make a purchase.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for improving patient compliance with prescriptions utilizes computer terminals to convert prescription information into electronic form as records for each patient. Each such patient record includes information about the patient from the prescription and the prescription itself. In addition, demographic information about the patient is obtained from other commercial databases and added to the patient record. Then a regression analysis is run on the patient records using the various data elements versus the compliance of the patient with the prescription to determine the relative importance of each variable in the prediction. The analysis is used to segregate the patients into demographic clusters and to associate champion intervention messages with each cluster. When a patient's prescription is entered in the system thereafter, the model is used to associate the patient with a cluster and to direct the champion message to that patient.

Abstract: A branch prediction unit apparatus and method uses an instruction buffer (20), a completion unit (24), and a branch prediction unit (BPU) (28). The instruction buffer (20) and/or the completion unit (24) contain a plurality of instruction entries that contain valid bits and stream identifier (SID) bits. The branch prediction unit contains a plurality of branch prediction buffers (28a-28c). The SID bits are used to associate the pending and executing instructions in the units (20 and 24) into instruction streams related to predicted branches located in the buffers (28a-28c). The SID bits as well as age bits associated with the buffers (28a-28c) are used to perform efficient branch prediction, branch resolution/retirement, and branch misprediction recovery.

Abstract: Broad-based, systematic, individualized, interactive customer software support is provided through a two-way, voluntary automated exchange of information between a software agent installed on a customer's machine and a server machine via a wide area computer network, e.g., the Internet. Communication between the agent and the server is optimized to be unobtrusive or transparent, e.g. using spare bandwidth of intermittent Internet connections. The agent is software non-specific and may be instructed to operate with respect to any arbitrary software program, and may further be instructed at various different times to operate with respect to various different software programs, including multiple different software programs on a single machine.

Abstract: An apparatus and method of automatically and anonymously buying and selling positions in fungible properties between subscribers. The specific embodiment described in the disclosure relates to the buying and selling of securities or contracts where the offer to purchase or sell the property may be conditioned upon factors such as the ability to purchase or sell other property or the actual purchase or sale of other property.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for incorporating measures of competency and contribution into pay decisions are disclosed. According to one aspect of the present invention, a computer-implemented method for automating compensation decisions includes obtaining indications of performance for a group of individuals in a common role. Relative rankings are produced for the group of individuals based at least in part upon an analysis of the indications of performance, and are compared to distribution data that is relevant to the common role. The comparison of the relative rankings to the distribution data is used to determine a suggested level of compensation for each individual in the group of individuals. In one embodiment, obtaining indications of performance for the group of individuals includes obtaining quantifications of competency and contribution for each of the individuals.

Abstract: A document information system and a computer implemented method for use in the field of home healthcare, post-acute clinical care, hospice and home infusion comprising a data storage means, phone interface means for inputting and retrieving data and a verification means using one or more calendars to verify medical tasks.

Abstract: A computer system and method of operation thereof are provided that allow manufacturers and distributors of brand products to participate in the e-commerce marketplace without violating existing distribution channels. This is accomplished by providing a web based system where customers can place orders for brand name products and then allocating orders to manufacturers, distributors and retailers according to distribution channel protocols defined by the manufacturers. This ensures that sales of brand goods and services via the Internet does not violate existing distribution agreements between the manufacturers and their respective distributors and retailers.

Abstract: An apparatus and process for conducting auctions, specifically municipal bond auctions, over electronic networks, particularly the Internet, is disclosed. The auctioneer maintains a web site from which information about bonds to be auctioned can be obtained. A user participates in the auction by accessing the web site via a conventional Internet browser and is led through a sequence of screens that perform the functions of verifying the user's identity, assisting the user in preparing a bid, verifying that the bid conforms to the rules of the auction, displaying to the user during the course of the auction selected bid information regarding bids received and informing the bidder how much time remains in the auction. The user may be given the option of confirming the accuracy of his bid before submitting the bid. The auctioneer is able to review bidding history, determine the winner and notify the winner over the network, and display selected auction results to bidders and observers over the network.

Abstract: An economy comprises a relation among agents, goods and services. Each good and service in the economy consists of combinations of more primitive goods and services. Goods and services can be complements or substitutes to other goods and services. Complements are sets of goods or services which are used jointly to produce a given other goods or services. In contrast, substitutes are sets of goods or services which might substitute for one another in a given production technology or consumption good. Complementary goods and services must be used together to create value in the economy. Most goods and services create value in the economy via positive functional interactions with their complements and via competition with their substitutes.

Abstract: A system and method for performing an on-line ATM/POS transaction utilizing checking or savings account funds over a public access network is disclosed. The invention comprises creating an electronic financial transaction instruction comprising card information and security information that are encrypted for secure transmission over the public access network. The card information identifies a checking or savings account number of a purchaser. The security information identifies a personal identification number associated with the identified account number that authorizes the use of the account number in an on-line ATM/POS transaction. The financial transaction instruction is decrypted by a financial institution and reformatted to form a transaction request suitable for transmission over an on-line ATM/POS transaction system. The transaction request is then processed like a typical ATM or merchant POS on-line ATM/POS transaction.

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: 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.

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.