Abstract: Techniques are disclosed for using business events as triggers to drive payment processing for electronic commerce. As the business logic of a merchant's e-commerce software application reaches various stages that impact payment considerations, it issues a corresponding event notification. According to preferred embodiments, these event notifications are processed by a policy engine, which locates policy information or rules previously configured for that event. Actions are then carried out, based on the configured policy. The merchant e-commerce application is therefore shielded from the details of the underlying payment processing. New payment types can be provided, and existing payment types can be modified if necessary, by adding/modifying policies; the merchant's e-commerce application does not need to change. This event-driven model allows application developers to focus on creating software for the merchant's key business requirements, and makes it easier to maintain the software.

Abstract: Data are received that represents current prices of options on a given asset. An estimate is derived from the data of a corresponding implied probability distribution of the price of the asset at a future time. Information about the probability distribution is made available within a time frame that is useful to investors, for example, promptly after the current option price information becomes available.

Abstract: A method and system that produces a single financial product including a security arrangement, legal agreement(s) and technical management facility that aggregates the values of present or future financial cash flows from financial arrangements or securities offered by multiple entities such that the assets and liabilities are combined through agreements and other such arrangements to produce an enhanced portfolio value of the financial products.

Abstract: A method and system to evaluate residual value of leased products, comprising a learning phase and an application phase. Each phase has two steps. The first consists in analyzing lease or product main parameter while the second uses other lease conditions or product characteristics. Analysis is based on a grid wherein several specific points are determined during the learning phase. An extrapolation of these points according to the parameters during the application phase gives a first approximation of residual value, which is adjusted using lease conditions or product characteristics. During the learning phase, the system determines the relevant lease conditions or product characteristics and the associated corrections used during the application phase.

Abstract: Systems, methods and computer program products enable companies to consistently repurchase corporate stock at a price below the industry-standard Volume Weighted Average Pricing (VWAP). Historical trade data is analyzed to identify prior prime purchasing opportunities that are used in determining a baseline. During each trading period, as a favorable purchasing opportunity arises, the amount of corporate stock to be purchased is adjusted based upon the strength of the current pricing when compared to the baseline. That is, when the current pricing is identified as being highly favorable, more shares of corporate stock are purchased. Accordingly, this dynamic purchasing scheme allows companies to consistently repurchase corporate stock at favorable prices.

Abstract: A network-based payment service provides various features for facilitating online, user-to-user payments. One feature involves the ability for users to define customized pay pages for receiving payments from other users. The pay pages are preferably hosted by a service provider site that handles the collection process, and may be created using pay page templates that specify the layouts and behaviors of the pay pages. In one embodiment, a pay page owner can also define one or more “pay boxes” to allow payments to be initiated from other web sites, which may include the web sites of associates who receive commissions on resulting payments. Another feature involves the ability for users to make single-action payments from web sites external to the service provider site. Also disclosed are various features for controlling access to content and services based on whether, or an extent to which, a visitor has made voluntary or mandatory payments.

Abstract: A trading screen may include a plurality of next trade quantity regions that comprise a plurality of locations, each location being associated a price on a price axis. The quantities can be entered into the various locations in the next trade quantity regions and the entered quantities can be used as a parameter of a future trade order at the associated price level. The trading screen may also include a plurality of quantity entry regions that are displayed with respect to the price axis. The quantity entry columns may each include plurality of sub-regions or locations corresponding to different price levels in the price axis. The quantity entry columns may be used to specify next traded quantities that may be used in placing orders for tradeable objects.

Abstract: An apparatus and system are provided for vertically storing computing devices. The present invention conserves horizontal space in a rack mount frame by supporting an I/O service terminal station requiring substantially no horizontal storage space. The present invention includes at least one support connected to a mounting mechanism to permit the I/O devices or I/O service terminal stations to transition between an access position and a vertical storage position. Furthermore, the present invention allows a user to adjust or position the I/O devices in a variety of positions to accommodate the user.

Abstract: A technique for identifying electronic billers of a consumer whose bills are available by electronic presentment is provided. A request to identify electronic billers of the consumer is received. This request includes information that identifies the consumer, but excludes any information identifying any biller, electronic or not, of the consumer. From this information that does not identify any biller of the consumer, one more candidate electronic billers of the consumer are identified. Then, a positive determination is made that at least one of these candidate electronic billers is definitely an electronic biller of the consumer. Thus, electronic billers of the consumer are identified without the consumer identifying any biller.

Abstract: A system and method are provided for trading multiple tradeable objects. One example method includes displaying at least one combined quantity indicator representing a combined quantity associated with at least two tradeable objects, detecting an input associated with an order for a predetermined order quantity in relation to one of the combined quantity indicators, and allocating the order quantity between the at least two tradeable objects using at least one quantity allocation rule. In one example embodiment, a plurality of quantity allocation rules can be user-configurable, and different rules can be defined and applied in relation to different order types.

Abstract: Estimating the financial impact, in terms of savings and costs, is performed for a resource reduction. Financial impact estimates are determined before the surplus action is initiated in order to estimate the savings of a planned surplus action and in order to estimate the costs of paying severance payments to employees. When estimating compensation savings and severance costs, the percentage of surplus employees in various skill groups are multiplied by average employment data to estimate the total savings amount and total severance costs. Management evaluates the employees in the affected skill group areas to determine which individual employees are surplus employees and should be removed. Actual financial impact data is calculated after the surplus employees have been identified. Employment data records corresponding to the surplus employees are used to calculate the total compensation savings and the total severance cost.

Abstract: An interface for trading multiple tradeable objects includes a price axis or scale. A first indication of quantities represented in a market for a first tradeable object is displayed in association with the price axis or scale. A second indication of quantities represented in the market for a second tradeable object is displayed in association with the price axis or scale. The first tradeable object may be different than the second tradeable object. Alternatively, the first tradeable object and the second tradeable object may be the same, but the indications of quantity may be provided from different sources, such as different exchanges.

Abstract: A system and method for conducting ADR swaps is disclosed where ADR swap requests are read into a queue. The swap requests are then matched by security type. For example, a swap request can be made to exchange ADRs in a first security for underlying shares in the same security. The matching swap requests are then executed and the ADRs and underlying shares are exchanged.

Abstract: A system and method for processing payment requests submitted in various formats. The system comprises an imaging system for recording paper invoices in a human readable format; a web payment request system for receiving invoice information via a graphical user interface and for generating an electronic invoice; an approval routing system for electronically routing approval requests; and an accounts payable preprocessing system that provides real-time auditing of the electronic invoice to the web payment request system while invoice information is being received.

Abstract: The systems and methods of the invention are directed to portfolio optimization and related techniques. For example, the invention provides a method for multi-objective portfolio optimization for use in investment decisions based on competing objectives and a plurality of constraints constituting a portfolio problem, the method comprising: performing a first multi-objective optimization process, based on competing objectives, to generate an efficient frontier of possible solutions; observing the generated efficient frontier; based on the observing, identifying an area of the efficient frontier in which there is a gap; and effecting a gap filling process by which the efficient frontier is supplemented in the area of the gap, the efficient frontier being used in investment decisioning.

Abstract: In an automatic trade system wherein bids and offers in instruments as well as in combinations of instruments are received and a trade in an instrument or in a combination of instruments is performed when, for a certain number of that instrument or combination of instruments, a bid price matches an ask price, a method for generating estimated prices of instruments for a trade in a combination of instruments, comprises the steps of (i) identifying for each bid/offer in each one of said instruments its bid/ask price; (ii) storing the identified bid/ask price of the last bid/offer in each one of said instruments; and (iii) generating said estimated prices based on the stored bid/ask price of the last bid/offer in at least one of said instruments, which is comprised in said combination of instruments, independent on whether said last bid/offer still exists or not at the time of generating said estimated prices.

Abstract: An alert system that notifies an Exchange's staff of a trade that appears to be outside of an expected market range of prices includes an input device, determination logic, evaluation logic, and alert logic. The determination logic derives a theoretical no-bust range of prices based on data received from the input device. The theoretical no-bust range of prices are prices above and below a synthesized market price, within which an erroneous trade cannot be cancelled. The evaluation logic monitors trades and compares those trades to the theoretical no-bust range of prices. The alert logic notifies the Exchange's staff when the evaluation logic identifies a potentially erroneous trade that lies outside the theoretical no-bust range of prices. A method of notifying the Exchange of a trade that potentially lies outside of an expected range of prices includes monitoring an input range of prices and deriving the theoretical no-bust range of prices.

Abstract: A modular, tree-like structure for holding or hanging potted plants is suitable as an indoor flower/herbs stand. A base on casters supports a height adjustable central stem. The central stem is assembled using a coupling device having means rotatably connecting a plurality of branch arms with brackets, or flower basket hooks, for supporting a plurality of potted plants in a horizontally tiered arrangement and un-obstructing tree configuration. The combination of various length/size brackets in a multi-tier arrangement which can rotate independent from the central stem, allows for an increased number of potted plants to be adequately displayed on a given floor surface.

Abstract: A user can submit an order to buy or sell a tradeable object, only the order does not get sent to the matching engine. Instead, the order is placed in temporary storage and it is displayed to the user in the form of a virtual order icon. The virtual order icon indicates that an order request is waiting for an event to occur before it is automatically released to the matching engine. The virtual order icon can be managed by the user, which might include moving the icon to a different price level or deleting it. The system continuously monitors for an event to take place. In response to detecting the event, the order is released to the matching engine. As such, the virtual order icon is transformed or removed and a real order icon is displayed indicating that the order has now been sent to the matching engine.

Abstract: Methods and systems are disclosed which relate to online payments via interface surfaces printed with information and coded data. The coded data, encoded visibly or invisibly, may be queried by an appropriate sensing device. The sensing device communicates with a computer system. Together, the interface surfaces, sensing device and computer system are capable of effecting payment transactions over a network.