Abstract: An online auction system for auctioning off products includes a server system, plural buyer systems, and plural seller systems. The server system comprises a seller interface, a buyer interface, a price adjustment mechanism, and a bid manager. The seller interface performs an online bid setup process including obtaining, from a given seller system, price varying information and quantity information corresponding to the price varying information. The buyer interface communicates, to select buyer systems, bid information and product information, and accepts from a given buyer system a given quantity needed and a given bid. The price adjustment mechanism determines a given parity price for the given buyer, which varies according to the given quantity needed. The bid manager defines a given winning bid for the given buyer as a function of the given parity price and a rank of the given buyer in relation to other buyers.

Abstract: There is disclosed and claimed a system for and a method of performing interactive data exchange, for example as part of a financial transaction, between a user base and a remote network. The system includes a request data input device 20. A telephone network 22 is connected to the device for transmitting the request data to the network 28. At the user base there is also provided a receiver for receiving response signals from the network and which signals include encoded response data. A signal decoder 14 is provided at the user base to decode the response data. A display 12 displays the response data interactively with the request data.

Abstract: The inventive communications system dedicated to the sale of first items in conjunction with the establishment of a second, preferably long-term, commercial relationship between the consumer of the first items and sellers of second items is disclosed. A central processing unit is located on the premises of a website operator. In accordance with the invention, a memory is associated with the central processing unit. The memory holds a number of interactive pages for transfer to the central processing unit. At least one of the interactive pages has at least one button associated with a consumer decision. That page further comprises information respecting a choice signified by actuation of the button. A database is coupled to the central processing unit.

Abstract: A system for sharing a fleet of vehicles among a plurality of users, where in preferred embodiments the shared vehicles are electrically powered, the system comprising a system control computer that assigns vehicles in response to requests by users, and monitors system performance, a computer subsystem through which users request vehicles for trips, and a vehicle subsystem within each vehicle that is in communication with the system control computer allowing the system control computer to monitor the location and status of each vehicle in the vehicle sharing fleet.

Abstract: A system is described for facilitating a syndicated sale of an insurance policy. The system employs a processor and a storage device connected to the processor, and a data receiving device and data output device connected to the processor. The processor executes a program to receive information relating to the insurance policy, and to transmit for electronic viewing by a potential buyer an invitation to offer to buy a share in the underwriting of the insurance policy. The share has associated therewith a risk cost assessable to the buyer if payment is made on a claim under the insurance policy. The processor receives offers to underwrite the share of the insurance policy; each offer includes information identifying collateral against which the risk cost may be charged in the event of payment on a claim. The transmission of the invitation and the offer to buy a share may advantageously be made on the Internet.

Abstract: Various methods are disclosed for monitoring user browsing activities that indicate user interests in particular products or other items, and for using such information to identify items that are related to one another. In one embodiment, relationships between products within an online catalog are determined by identifying products that are frequently viewed by users within the same browsing session (e.g., products A and B are related because a significant portion of those who viewed A also viewed B). The resulting item relatedness data is preferably stored in a table that maps items to sets of related items. The table may be used to provide personalized product recommendations to users, and/or to supplement product detail pages with lists of related products. In one embodiment, the table is used to provide session-specific product recommendations to users that are based on the products viewed by the user during the current browsing session.

Abstract: Translations for data structures for transferring catalog and system order information between a manufacturer and a customer. The translations and data structures are configured to allow custom systems to be automatically ordered where the manufacturer and customer use different file formats. These translations and data structures advantageously allow a manufacturer and customer to electronically order systems, and specifically, non-commodity systems, quickly and easily.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for efficient handling of product returns to reduce associated costs. A computer system at a regional product return center scans a returned product for identifying information, accesses a manufacturer return approval computer system through the internet or the like, and then submits the identifying information to the manufacturer for return approval. The manufacturer computer system utilizes the identifying information to access an electronic registration database to determine whether the returned product satisfies applicable return criteria. If so, the product is approved for return to the manufacturer. The regional product return center preferably scans a plurality of returned products in a single session. In response to the product identifying information submitted by the regional product return center, the manufacturer provides a list of approved returns and unapproved returns, along with a return authorization number for the batch of approved returns.

Abstract: A system and method for providing continuous expert network critical care services from a remote location. A plurality of intensive care units (ICU's) with associated patient monitoring instrumentation is connected over a network to a command center which is manned by intensivists 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The intensivists are prompted to provide critical care by a standardized series of guideline algorithms for treating a variety of critical care conditions. Intensivists monitor the progress of individual patients at remote intensive care units. A smart alarm system provides alarms to the intensivists to alert the intensivists to potential patient problems so that intervention can occur in a timely fashion. A data storage/data warehouse function analyzes individual patient information from a plurality of command centers and provides updated algorithms and critical care support to the command centers.

Abstract: A computer system for tracking the lot numbers of pharmaceuticals that are administered to patients. The system includes a plurality of remote systems, each typically at a different hospital. Each remote system associates the lot numbers of pharmaceuticals that are administered to patients with information relating to the patients that receive the pharmaceuticals, and includes a remote communication system for sending the associations to a host system. The host system receives the associations from the remote systems, stores them, and consults the associations to identify recipients that need to be notified in connection with a lot number that needs to be tracked. The host system also includes a notification system for automatically issuing recall notices.

Abstract: Personnel information on employees respectively identified by social security numbers is initially entered in sequence and stored with number coding in data tables that are repeatedly updated to maintain access to current data for look-up and extraction of reports on selected categories of such data from which comparative technical skills of the employees may be assessed.

Abstract: A system for communication, storage, retrieval and delivery of information between the system and participating institutions and sites includes institution, warehouse and central servers sequentially receiving data from the participating institutions. The institution server is provided with an index stored in the institution server and constantly updated upon receiving new information. The central server has a long-term storage accessible from the warehouse server to provide the requested information to the participating institutions if this information is not found on either of the institution or warehouse servers.

Abstract: A method of and system for distributing medical information for an individual over a communications network is disclosed. The method includes the steps of generating a plurality of security access codes, generating a plurality of hierarchical categories, ranging from a low security category to a high security category, categorizing the individual's medical information into privacy levels ranging from a least private level to a most private level, inputting the individual's categorized medical information into the plurality of hierarchical categories, the least private level being input into the low security category and the most private level being input into the high security category and assigning, to each of the categories, one or more of the access security codes, such that the medical information in each category will be released only if the assigned access security codes are received.

Abstract: A ship chartering system is implemented on a computer or telecommunications network, such as the Internet, and is meant to supplement or replace services offered by current shipping brokers. The system allows a charterer to locate acceptable ships, receive bids from ship owners, and negotiate contract terms for their cargo. Ship owners are able to update their ship positions and cargo capabilities, add new ships to a database of available ships, and bid on the transportation of cargo entered by a charterer in an open market solicitation. In a preferred embodiment, both charterers and ship owners must subscribe to the system in order to access and participate in it.

Abstract: The software based interactive system provides accessibility to an institution's own policies via either an internet web site or an intranet home page. Qualified users may search for and access documents related to institution policies for review, including a list of those which the user is required to know. Where required, a test is provided to the user. The responses are scored and the results stored. Administrative users can set and change qualification parameters as to individual, group and/or institution-wide policy access and receive individual, group and/or institution-wide test results. Identification of incomplete, contradictory or obsolete policies, policies awaiting approval, policies due for review and data on user review of policies can be reported.

Abstract: A system for managing the health care of a plurality of members in a population includes identification of member characteristics of one of the plurality of members, storage of a list of the member characteristics, continuous monitoring for information indicative of a medical event, obtaining information indicative of a medical event, automatic identification of a risk situation based on the member characteristics of the one member and the medical event, generation of a notification to address the risk situation, the notification being associated with a predetermined script to address the identified risk situation. Preferably, the risk situation corresponds to a potential process failure in the delivery of health care to the member.

Abstract: A computer-implemented service recommends products or other items to a user based on a set of items known to be of interest to the user, such as a set of items currently in the user's electronic shopping cart. In one embodiment, the service identifies items that are currently in the user's shopping cart, and uses these items to generate a list of additional items that are predicted to be of interest to the user, wherein an additional item is selected to include in the list based in-part upon whether that item is related to more than one of the items in the user's shopping cart. The item relationships are preferably determined by an off-line process that analyzes user purchase histories to identify correlations between item purchases. The additional items are preferably displayed to the user when the user views the contents of the shopping cart.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for efficient handling of product returns to reduce associated costs. A computer system at a regional product return center scans a returned product for identifying information, accesses a manufacturer return approval computer system through the internet or the like, and then submits the identifying information to the manufacturer for return approval. The manufacturer computer system utilizes the identifying information to access an electronic registration database to determine whether the returned product satisfies applicable return criteria. If so, the product is approved for return to the manufacturer. The regional product return center preferably scans a plurality of returned products in a single session. In response to the product identifying information submitted by the regional product return center, the manufacturer provides a list of approved returns and unapproved returns, along with a return authorization number for the batch of approved returns.

Abstract: A recommendations service recommends items to individual users based on a set of items that are known to be of interest to the user, such as a set of items previously purchased by the user. In the disclosed embodiments, the service is used to recommend products to users of a merchant's Web site. The service generates the recommendations using a previously-generated table which maps items to lists of “similar” items. The similarities reflected by the table are based on the collective interests of the community of users. For example, in one embodiment, the similarities are based on correlations between the purchases of items by users (e.g., items A and B are similar because a relatively large portion of the users that purchased item A also bought item B). The table also includes scores which indicate degrees of similarity between individual items.

Abstract: A method of reporting accounting information to acquiring banks includes compiling accounting information from different processing systems to a mainframe. The accounting information is then routed to a database residing on a server operable with the World Wide Web (WWW). Different reports of the accounting information are then accessed with a client station operable with the server.