Abstract: A digital downloading jukebox system including a mechanism for delivering custom services to a recognized user is provided. For example, information specific to a recognized user may be stored and optionally may include a recognized user avatar representative of the recognized user. The user avatar may be an image, video, and/or animation, which may be displayed on and/or played through the jukebox. The user avatar may be associated with transactions associated with the user. For example, an avatar may be displayed when a playlist of the recognized user is played, when a message is sent, etc. In other examples, the avatar may introduce instances of media by playing an audio and/or video message, and the avatar may sing, dance, etc. while an instance of media is playing.

Abstract: A system for enabling verification in traceability of a supply chain while maintaining confidentiality of private suppliers. A group signature is applied to an undisclosed supplier. The undisclosed supplier previously receives registration to the certificate authority device, and performs a group signature based on the certificate issued by the certificate authority device. A disclosed supplier and the undisclosed supplier sign and generate a signature chain when they ship parts. A verifier device receives a signature chain with products shipped from the supplier manager device, divides a signature of the disclosed supplier from a signature chain, and verifies the undisclosed supplier from the group signature. Identification of the undisclosed supplier is performed by a third-party auditor system requested to do so by the verifier device by using a group private key.

Abstract: A method for tracking sales leads, including a lead clearing house logging receipt in a log of one or more encrypted leads received from a participant of the lead clearing house, the one or more leads including personal lead information having been encrypted with a one-way hash algorithm; comparing the received one or more encrypted leads with stored encrypted leads to find any matches; updating the log related to the one or more encrypted leads with unencrypted log information associated with the matching one or more encrypted leads; and communicating a status to the participant based on the log relating to the one or more leads.

Abstract: A method and apparatus relating to the renting, leasing and/or loaning of electronic equipment operable and/or controllable by a computer, wherein one entity not in physical possession and/or control of the equipment desires control over another entity which has physical possession and/or control of the equipment. Such equipment may comprise a washing machine, medical, office or industrial equipment, a vending machine, etc. A central computer system includes software which enables management and execution of financial transactions between the entities, such as debiting or crediting of accounts held by these or other entities, or creating an invoice for one entity to present to another entity. Information used in making these financial transactions can be determined by analysis of information which may be communicated to the central computer system from at least one other source. Such source may include the control system of the controlled equipment, e.g.

Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for utilizing a digital coin. A bit string is received. The number of bits in the bit string represents a coin value of the digital coin. The individual bit values of the bits of the bit string are used to determine an identity of the digital coin. The identity of the digital coin is validated by a node of an authentication hierarchy. The validation includes comparing bit values of at least a portion of the bits of the bit string to bit values of corresponding bits of known bit strings that represent known issued digital coins. The validation also includes checking that a matching known issued digital coin was not previously redeemed. A digital coin can also be split into multiple digital coins that are each a continuous sequence of bits of the bit string of the original digital coin.

Abstract: A method of processing a transaction involving at least two parties includes establishing rules that define transaction processing between combinations of a plurality of origination entities and a plurality of destination entities and storing the rules at a storage arrangement associated with a host computer system. The method also includes receiving at the host computer system transaction information relating to the transaction between the two parties. One of the parties is a particular one of the origination entities and one of the parties is a particular one of the destination entities. The transaction information contains at least an identifier from which at least one of the parties may be identified. The method also includes using the transaction information at the host computer system to identify at least one of the parties and consulting the storage arrangement to determine the rules that define transaction processing for the at least one party.

Abstract: A system for enabling verification in traceability of a supply chain while maintaining confidentiality of private suppliers. A group signature is applied to an undisclosed supplier. The undisclosed supplier previously receives registration to the certificate authority device, and performs a group signature based on the certificate issued by the certificate authority device. A disclosed supplier and the undisclosed supplier sign and generate a signature chain when they ship parts. A verifier device receives a signature chain with products shipped from the supplier manager device, divides a signature of the disclosed supplier from a signature chain, and verifies the undisclosed supplier from the group signature. Identification of the undisclosed supplier is performed by a third-party auditor system requested to do so by the verifier device by using a group private key.

Abstract: The invention relates to a system (1), a method, and a standard framework (11) for usage-dependent licensing. When use is made of additional functionality, further instances, or specific adapters (131 . . . n), the system (1) will detect whether such use has been authorized by means of a license. If authorization has not yet taken place, a time-limited license will be generated automatically and the manufacturer (21) of the standard framework (11) or, as the case may be, a user (22p) who has implemented additional functionality on the basis of the framework will be informed and can generate a license key. The system (1) will disable the functionality after a specific period of time if a license fee is not paid by a user (22p, 22s).

Abstract: An automated consumer rewards/incentive program that accepts a registration of a consumer. The registration entitles the consumer to receive the benefits of the incentive program. To track the fulfillment of reward earning criteria established by member businesses, the registration includes information indicative of a credit card of the consumer. The system may track member consumer credit card transactions without receiving personal information for non-members by using a one way hash function. The system uses the credit card information to determine when member customers perform a transaction at a member business. When a member customer performs a transaction at a member business using the registered credit card, the system and method examines the credit card transactional information to determine if the consumer fulfilled the requirements of the incentive program for the member business.

Abstract: The subject matter disclosed herein provides methods and apparatus, including computer program products, for model driven state management of applications. In one aspect, there is provided a computer-implemented method. The method may include instantiating one or more business objects associated with an application. The transitions between states of the application may be checked using one or more models defined based on at least one of a context of the business object and a context of the application. An indication regarding the results of checking of the transitions may be provided to a user interface. Related apparatus, systems, methods, and articles are also described.

Abstract: Described herein is a search engine that can include a receiver component that receives a query from a user that pertains to a multimedia item and an output component that outputs multiple choices for receiving an instance of the multimedia item to a user. The multiple choices may include a first choice for receiving a first instance of the multimedia item for no charge, wherein the first instance of the multimedia item includes a digital rights management restriction. The multiple choices may also include a second choice for receiving a second instance of the multimedia item for a fee, wherein the second instance of the multimedia item is free of digital rights management restrictions. The search engine can further include a transmitter component that transmits one of the first multimedia item or the second multimedia item to the user.

Abstract: An information processing method for managing issuance of a license that controls an operation of a device and a function of an application to be installed in the device determines whether issuance of a unified license that unifies licenses for making the application operable in a plurality of devices is requested. The unified license is issued based on a combination of the devices identified by the device serial information and the application identified by the license access information, if determined that issuance of the unified license is requested.

Abstract: In accordance with one embodiment, apparatus are provided that comprise a user interface, a rendering device, a clearinghouse communicator, and an enable mechanism. The user interface includes a digital work choosing mechanism to choose a digital work for rendering. At least one repository holds digital works and includes the chosen digital work. The rendering device obtains a representation of the chosen digital work from the repository and renders the chosen digital work. A clearinghouse communicator electronically sends rights criteria to a remote clearinghouse and receives rights defining information from the clearinghouse. The enable mechanism enables the rendering device to render the chosen digital work in accordance with the rights defining information.

Abstract: A system receives a serial number for software to be installed on a computer system and decodes the serial number to identify a license type associated with the software. The system obtains a license configuration corresponding to the license type associated with the software and communicates with a licensing server based on the license configuration for production of an authorization code to allow operation of the software on a computer system. The system receives an authorization code from the licensing server allowing operation of the software on the computer system.

Abstract: A digital downloading jukebox system including a mechanism for delivering custom services to a recognized user is provided. For example, information specific to a recognized user may be stored and optionally may include a recognized user avatar representative of the recognized user. The user avatar may be an image, video, and/or animation, which may be displayed on and/or played through the jukebox. The user avatar may be associated with transactions associated with the user. For example, an avatar may be displayed when a playlist of the recognized user is played, when a message is sent, etc. In other examples, the avatar may introduce instances of media by playing an audio and/or video message, and the avatar may sing, dance, etc. while an instance of media is playing.

Abstract: A system for providing real-time risk mitigation for an authorization system. The system receives authorization requests from multiple merchants (or their respective acquirers) and processes such requests. Each processed request is then forwarded to its corresponding issuer for further authorization. Each processed request includes an authorization message. The authorization message can include a risk score, a number of reason codes, and a number of condition codes. The use of the risk score, reason codes and condition codes allows issuers to make better informed decisions with respect to providing authorizations.

Abstract: The present description refers to a method for securing processing of an order by a mobile agent from a first server (So) within a network system with a plurality of servers (So, S1, . . . ,Sn), at least a number of which the mobile agent has to pass according to an appropriate succession, wherein each of the plurality of servers has a pair of a public key (KSo, . . . ,KSi, . . . , KSn) and a private key (PKSo, . . . ,PKSi, . . . , PKSn) associated therewith, respectively, the method comprising, starting from any one of the number of servers the mobile agent has to pass, called herein the i'th server at least the steps of receiving the mobile agent which has been prepared by the first server by choosing a unique number (r0) and assigning it to the mobile agent, encoding the chosen unique number (r0) with the private key (PKSo) of the first server (So), thus forming an agent specific initialisation number (Co) as basis for a sequence of checksums (Co, . . . ,Ci, . . .