Abstract: Computer-based methods and systems are provided for constructing, deploying, executing and managing the performance of electronic contract based service applications across multiple business entities. In this context, the electronic service contract includes information to be used for configuration and enforcement not just by the primary parties to the contract, but also by other parties referred to herein as sponsored roles in the contract. At least a portion of the contract may be monitored, enforced or managed by at least one of the sponsored roles. In one aspect of the invention, a computer-based electronic business service system includes: (1) a contract builder; (2) a contract deployment component; (3) one or more measurement systems; (4) a violation detection system; and (5) a management system. Generally, the contract builder component provides the mechanism for defining and pricing the contract, checking the validity of the contract and a repository for storing the completed contracts.

Abstract: A product trading system has a production information accumulating means for accumulating production information of a product produced by each of mobile production machines under the seller's administration, a demand information accepting means for accepting demand information about the product which the seller would like to purchase, a matching processing means for performing a matching processing that derives optimal production information from the production information being accumulated in the production information accumulation means in consideration of freight cost based on the demand information accepted at the demand information accepting means, and a matching processing result presentation means for representing the buyer the processing results from the matching processing means.

Abstract: A portable terminal stores a first URL which specifies personal information of a user stored in a personal server, and transmits the first URL to a settlement device. The settlement device serves as a network access port for the portable terminal. The personal server is a server which manages personal data of the user that is identified by the first URL, and communicates with the settlement device and a service server via a network. The service server is a server for performing processing identified by a second URL. The service server executes the processing thereof by communicating with the settlement server and personal server via the network. Thus, the user can receive various types of services. Accordingly, a service providing system can be used with a portable terminal that does not hold any personal information therein.

Abstract: Techniques to more efficiently transmit pilot and signaling on the uplink in an OFDM system. With subband multiplexing, M usable subbands in the system are partitioned into Q disjoint groups of subbands. Each subband group may be assigned to a different terminal for uplink pilot transmission. Multiple terminals may transmit simultaneously on their assigned subbands. The transmit power for the pilot may be scaled higher to attain the same total pilot energy even though S instead of M subbands are used for pilot transmission by each terminal. Pilot transmissions from the terminals are received, and a channel estimate is derived for each terminal based on the pilot received on the assigned subbands. The channel estimate comprises a response for additional subbands not included in the assigned group. Subband multiplexing may also be used for uplink signaling transmission.

Abstract: To encourage widespread implementation of an electronic commerce card authentication system by the numerous different card issuers and merchants, the card association assigns liability for fraudulent transaction based upon a party's compliance with the authentication system. To enable this feature, an embodiment of the card processing system includes the ability to track and record attempts by merchants to initiate authentications, even in circumstances where the card issuer does not support authentication or can not authenticate the card information its receives. A directory server determines whether a card account is capable of being authenticated. If the card issuer cannot authenticate the card account, the directory server instructs the merchant system to attempt authentication with an alternate access control server. The alternate access control server is adapted to communicate an authentication response message with the merchant system indicating that the merchant system attempted an authentication.

Abstract: An encryption/decryption unit includes a first data encryption/decryption section for performing an encryption or decryption process, a first data substitution section for performing data substitution of an output from the first encryption/decryption section according to a predetermined permutation table, a second data encryption/decryption section for performing an encryption or decryption process for an output from the first data substitution section, a second data substitution section for performing data substitution of an output from the second data encryption/decryption section according to a predetermined permutation table, and a third data encryption/decryption section for performing an encryption or decryption process for an output from the second data substitution section.

Abstract: A method is provided for transmitting encrypted information for registering an application program. An application program installed on a first program is control device. First application information items having at least one part-information item blocked from user access are transmitted to a second program control device. The second program control device uses coding to calculate an application value from the first application information items. The application value is transmitted to the first program control device. The first program control device uses decoding to ascertain second application information items from the application value. The first application information items and the second application information items are checked for a match when the application program starts to be executed. Prescribable functions of the application program are enabled on the basis of discrepancies resulting from the check.

Abstract: A digital rights management (DRM) system operates on a computing device when a user requests that a protected piece of digital content be rendered by the computer device in a particular manner. The DRM system has a license store, a license evaluator, and a state store. The license store stores digital licenses on the computing device. The license evaluator determines whether any licenses stored in the license store correspond to the requested digital content and whether any such corresponding licenses are valid, reviews license rules in each such valid license, and determining based on such reviewed license rules whether such license enables the requesting user to render the requested digital content in the manner sought. The state store maintains state information corresponding to each license in the license store, where the state information is created and updated by the license evaluator as necessary.

Abstract: Disclosed is a system and method that tracks the usage of rented digital assets. A server includes an asset database that stores a digital asset, the title of the digital asset, and a server usage count for the digital asset. The computing device stores a rented digital asset and further stores an asset usage count list that includes the title of the rented digital asset and a usage count that indicates the amount of usage of the rented digital asset by the computing device. The server uploads the asset usage count list from the computing device and matches the title of the rented digital asset from the asset usage count list with the title of the same digital asset stored in the asset database. Further, the server adds the usage count of the rented digital asset to the server usage count for the digital asset in the asset database.

Abstract: Systems and methods for providing access to an information account stored in a central data repository. The information account is associated with a consumer and is subject to the consumer's control and management. Consumer authentication information is input by the consumer in connection with a first request for access to the information account via a first web-site. Responsive to authentication of the consumer, a single sign-on feature may be activated for automatically managing subsequent authentications of the consumer so that the consumer will not be required to again input the consumer authentication information upon initiating a second request for access to the information account while interacting with a subsequent web-site that is configured to provide access to the information account upon authentication of the consumer. The single sign-on function may be deactivated upon the occurrence of a terminating event, such as the expiration of a time-out interval.

Abstract: Consumer authentication information is associated with an information account stored in a central database, such that access to the information account by the consumer is conditioned upon receipt and verification of the consumer authentication information. A temporary authorization may also be associated with the information account. The temporary authorization has consumer-defined attributes that define access privileges to be granted to a person who presents the temporary authorization along with a request for further access to the information account. The temporary authorization may be transmitted to the consumer for presentation to a third-party of the consumer's choice. Alternately, the temporary authorization may be transmitted to a designated third-party or device on behalf of the consumer.

Abstract: A communication network having at least one access point supports wireless communication among a plurality of wireless roaming devices via a first and a second wireless channel. The access point comprises a first and a second transceiver. The first and second transceivers operate on the first and second wireless channels, respectively. Each of the plurality of wireless roaming devices are capable of communicating on the first and second wireless channel. In one embodiment, the first wireless channel is used to exchange data, while the second channel is used to manage such exchanges as well as access to the first channel. In an alternate embodiment, both channels are used to support communication flow, however the first channel supports a protocol that is more deterministic than that of the second channel. Allocation of ones of the plurality of wireless roaming devices from one channel to the next may occur per direction from the access point.

Abstract: For user registration, feature of a file system of a computer of a particular user is extracted, and a licenser generates key data characteristic of the extracted feature and provides the key data to the particular user. At the time of installation of particular software to be protected or actual use (startup) of the software, the user's computer reads the current feature of its file system, and an authorization test is performed for determining whether or not to permit use of the software by the user's computer, on the basis of presence/absence of identity or similarity between a current feature of the file system and the feature of the file system initially evaluated at the time of the user registration. On the condition that it has been determined that the use of the software by the user's computer can be permitted, the key data is updated to match the current feature of the file system.

Abstract: A method, system, and program for compensating recipients of calls are provided. A request to bill a caller a tariff for a call is initiated, wherein the caller originates the call. The caller is prompted to accept payment of the tariff to receive access to a destination line during the call. Responsive to negotiating for the payment of the tariff from the caller, the caller is connected with the destination line, such that the caller pays for access to the destination line. In particular, the caller may pay for access to a particular callee at the destination line.

Abstract: A secure system for creating digital receipts, while minimizing the amount of data that is encoded in the digital receipt. The digital receipt provides authentication for a transaction. A digital receipt may be printed in the form of a code. The digital receipt digitally encodes a transaction identification code, a transaction amount or number of units authorized, and a digital signature. The digital receipt may be scanned or read to verify the authenticity of the transaction.

Abstract: At least one swapper circuit is electrically connected to a bus between a plurality of entities sharing the bus. The swapper comprises a pair of series connected latches and a tristate circuits, one for each data direction, connected in parallel. The swapper acts as a revolving door, capturing data traveling from either side of the bus and shuffling the data to the other side without collision. A latch circuit is connected at either end of the bus for capturing data arriving from the other side. In addition, each of the drive entities is provided with a master/slave latched equipped with scan-in/scan-out ports, respectively, to enable testing of the circuit by allowing internal nodes of the circuit to be observed without requiring an external connection for each node accessed. In a VLSI arrangement, the scan-in/scan-out ports are connected together from a plurality of such circuits such that a variety of test patterns for various hardware configurations may be realized.

Abstract: A signal processing system which discriminates between voice signal and data signals modulated by a voiceband carrier. The signal processing system includes a voice exchange, a data exchange and a call discriminator. The voice exchange is capable of exchanging voice signals between a switched circuit network and a packet based network. The signal processing system also includes a data exchange capable of exchanging data signals modulated by a voiceband carrier on the switched circuit network with unmodulated data signal packets on the packet based network. The data exchange is performed by demodulating data signals from the switched circuit network for transmission on the packet based network, and modulating data signal packets from the packet based network for transmission on the switched circuit network. The call discriminator is used to selectively enable the voice exchange and data exchange.

Abstract: Images are steganographically marked with codes that can be used, e.g., by reference to a remote registry, to identify the image proprietors. Some embodiments pre-mark blank emulsion film or paper products with such codes, so that images formed thereon can be traced back to their proprietors. A variety of other embodiments and technologies are also disclosed.

Abstract: A mobile wireless telecommunications system includes base stations of a first type operating according to a first air interface, and base stations of a second type operating according to a second air interface. Methods and apparatus are provided for handing over a mobile station in the system from a first base station, which is of the first type, to a second base station, which is of the second type. A communications link is established over the first air interface between the mobile station and the first base station. Data is received from the mobile station responsive to a signal received by the mobile station over the second air interface from the second base station, substantially without breaking the communications link with the first base station. The mobile station is handed over from the first to the second base station responsive to the data received therefrom.

Abstract: Described herein are one or more implementations for extracting multiple single keys from a compressed key, each single key corresponding to a segment in a unique data subset of a database.