Abstract: A computerized source searching system and method for the placement of an order for at least one offer via a terminal having a display is disclosed. The system includes system storage for storing offer information, and for storing electronic reproductions of offer sources corresponding to the offer information. The system includes source searching capabilities for locating an offer source, including a display for displaying electronic offer source images, a filtering mechanism for displaying electronic offer source images corresponding to entered source search criteria, and a selection mechanism for selecting one of the electronic offer source images displayed. One or more of the offers associated with the selected electronic offer source image can be located by displaying a segment of the electronic offer source image, and selecting one or more offers in that segment. A user can thereby locate an offer by searching through an electronic equivalent of the offer source used by the person placing the order.

Abstract: A method and modular apparatus for diagnostic assessment of psychological conditions which employs a compact microprocessor-based unit such as a video game. In accordance with the invention, the microprocessor-based unit is programmed to produce a video display that prompts a patient or user to interactively operate one or more switches. Information recorded during an interactive diagnostic assessment procedure is analyzed to provide a doctor or other health care professional with information that is helpful to determine whether clinical therapy and/or medication may be required. The disclosed embodiment of the invention relates to diagnostic assessment of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and Attention Deficit Disorder with a game-like video display being used to obtain a measure of various neuropsychologic indicia of attention.

Abstract: A system and method to enable and facilitate networked, automated, brokered auctioning of document services. A plurality of processes are executed, including a customer process representing a customer, a supplier process representing a supplier, and a broker process capable of serving as an intermediary between the customer and supplier processes. The broker process is provided with a description of a document service.

Abstract: Verification information is provided with respect to a transaction between an initiating party and a verification-seeking party, the verification information being given by a third, verifying party, based on confidential information in the possession of the initiating party. On behalf of the initiating party, first and second tokens are generated, each of which represents some but not all of the confidential information. The first token is sent electronically via a nonsecure communication network from the initiating party to the verification-seeking party. The second token is sent electronically via a nonsecure communication network from the initiating party to the verifying party. Verification information is sent electronically via a nonsecure communication network from the verifying party to the verification-seeking party.

Abstract: A patient care and communication system which utilizes a central processing system and a plurality of remote stations electrically connected to the central processing system to facilitate audio, visual and data communications. The central processing system facilitates the audio, visual and data communications between the plurality of remote stations, and includes a system for determining which of the plurality of remote stations are transmitting the audio, visual and data communications and which of the plurality of remote stations are to receive the audio, visual and data communications. The central processing system also includes a system which establishes a communication link between the transmitting stations and the receiving stations. The remote stations include a processing system which also facilitates the audio, visual and data communications and a display for displaying the visual communications.

Abstract: A computer performs designated operations on text that can be in any of a variety of different languages, rather than being restricted to a single language for which the computer was designed. A library stores operators and functions that can act upon character strings. Also stored within the library are sets of rules which identify the casing, ordering and matching of characters within different writing systems, or human languages. When a user of the computer designates a particular operation to be performed with respect to a text string, the writing system associated with the text string is identified. This identification can be made with reference to the typefont that is used to display the text string. Once the writing system for a string has been determined, appropriate tables and data structures that define and encode language rules for that writing system are accessed and applied to the operation on the string.

Abstract: A computer system is programmed for setting and reporting product delivery dates. The invention includes a step of maintaining a customer preferences database having delivery and reporting preferences for individual customers. The preferences include preferred early and late delivery limits, preferred performance measurement species, and desired advance delivery times. The invention further includes a step of creating a customer order entry for a particular customer. The customer order entry includes a customer-requested delivery date supplied by the customer. A customer-preferred ship date is calculated for the customer order entry based at least in part upon the costumer-requested delivery date and at least in part upon the particular customer's specified desired advance delivery time. The customer order entry is then routed to an order scheduler.

Abstract: A mutual fund securitization process permitting the trading of open end mutual funds and linked derivative securities on or off the floor of a National Securities Exchange. The targeted individual open end mutual fund or group of open end mutual funds, selected through a screening process is securitized through the creation of a new, separate security. This new security is preferably a "closed end fund of funds" and linked derivative securities, which synthetically replicate the statistical relationship of the defined individual or group of open end mutual funds. The maintenance of financial records for the new security is maintained by electronically storing dividend, capital gains and income received from the open end funds which have been invested in, and calculating pro-forma financial statements to disseminate to shareholders and all relevant parties.

Abstract: A computer system, and methods for making and using it, for manipulating digital electrical signals to produce an illustration of a decomposition of property into separately valued components. The computer system includes a digital electrical computer controlled by a processor. The processor is programmed for manipulating digital electrical signals representing input data to the computer, the input data characterizing at least two components decomposed from the property, the manipulating including transforming the digital electrical signals into modified digital electrical signals representing respective values for each of the components, the values being computed to reflect taxation for the components. An input device is coupled to the computer and operable for converting the input data into the digital electrical signals and communicating the digital electrical signals to the computer.

Abstract: An information search and display apparatus substantially reduces search time required in consecutively searching a plurality of files and/or a plurality of search terms. When a first search result searched based on a search term entered by a signal input means is displayed and a second search is executed to obtain a second search result following the first search, upon termination of the second search, the state of displaying the search result of the first search is restored.

Abstract: A system provides for the immediate payment to computer and other users for paying attention to an advertisement or other "negatively priced" information distributed over a computer network such as the Internet. Called Attention Brokerage, this is the business of brokering the buying and selling of the "attention" of users. A further invention, Orthogonal Sponsorship, allows advertisers to detach their messages from program content and explicitly target their audience. A special icon or other symbol displayed on a computer screen may represent compensation and allow users to choose whether they will view an ad or other negatively priced information and receive associated compensation. Targeting users may be provided by reference to a data base of digitally stored demographic profiles of potential users. Information can be routed to users based on demographics, and software agents can be used to actively seek out users on a digital network.

Abstract: A process for analyzing the informational and semantic content of an information source, such as text, a picture, or a video sequence. After compiling a lexicon of information elements, values are assigned to each element for relevant categories. A target information store is compared to the lexicon to calculate values for each category. Information elements are substituted to modify the store to the desired level. The methodology has broad application to analysis of semantic content of visual, verbal, and auditory input streams, such as graphics, text, video, and music. In a textual example, a word list is compiled and values are assigned to the determined categories. Individual words and entire documents are compared to this repository for calculating semantic content in various categories. Values for semantic content in each category are determined. Samples with undesirable scores can be adjusted through substitutions to modify the document.

Abstract: A system and method for automatically generating and controlling workflows that include a number of processes uses a workflow server computer and a client computer coupled to the workflow server by a network. The workflow server computer has an object repository and a rule engine. The client computer has a workflow builder structure and a graphical user interface. The workflow builder structure includes a rule builder by which users can interactively construct rules for a workflow.

Abstract: A recordkeeping method comprises assigning serialized portable memory devices to individual lots of material and manufacturing process batches, writing identification and requirements data into the portable memory devices, writing manufacturing and test data into the portable memory devices during the process and writing the manufacturing and test data from one portable memory device into another by first reading the identification data from the both portable memory devices, comparing the identification data read from the two portable memory devices and writing the manufacturing and test data into the other portable memory device if the comparison is favorable.

Abstract: A bill editor, generator, messaging and insert system and method comprises a portion of a bill production processor designed to create monthly billing statements which are sent to customers and which detail charges incurred over the course of a billing cycle. The bill editor and generator allows billing personnel to design a bill using static text, dynamic text and paragraph areas. Once the report/bill is defined, the report definition is stored in temporary memory for later use. The report definition file defines how the report is to appear and where the data used in the report is stored. The report generator, when subsequently run, uses the predefined report definition to retrieve data from the database and generates the report as defined by the report definition file. The bill messaging and insert system determines, based on assigned priority, criteria and weight and space limitations, the messages and notices to be included in a customer billing statement.

Abstract: A system is provided for detecting pirated copies of a serialized software program. The system has a remote computer including a remote memory for storing a program, a remote revision level, and a program serial number. The system also has a main computer including a main memory for storing the program serial number, the remote revision level corresponding to the program serial number, and a validation code for a remote program corresponding to the serial number. The validation code indicates whether the program stored in the remote memory is valid or invalid. The system changes the validation code to invalid upon detection of a difference between the remote program revision level received from the remote computer and the remote program revision level stored in the memory of the main computer corresponding to the program serial number received from the remote computer.

Abstract: A method of providing for a future stream of payments solely to a beneficiary who survives an insured utilizes data including the ages of both the insured and one specific beneficiary to define a premium for providing funding for the potential future liability to the specific beneficiary.

Abstract: An automated, user-interactive procedure is used to obtain the right statements for computer software from the user in a way in which the statements elicited from the user are free from errors due to ambiguity, conflict, redundancy, inconsistency, and the like without compromise of user intent. The advanced integrated statements engineering system (AIRES) is an integrated environment, supporting and spanning the statements engineering life cycle. Each activity in the statements engineering life cycle is supported by a set of automated CASE tools, which taken together, comprise a suite of CASE tools in the AIRES environment. A primary feature of the assessment framework is a classification ectype (CE), which is a combination of operator controlled rules and tables to represent a category within a classification structure. CE-based statements assessment (CEBRA) provides automated support techniques to "recognize" and thus categorize English text.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for representing and storing the schedules of recurring events is provided. The schedules are represented by recurrence rules generated according to a specific grammar. According to the grammar, each recurrence rule is composed of one or more recurrence commands. Each recurrence command corresponds to a cycle and includes a time interval indicator that specifies the duration of the cycle and a repeat quantity that determines the number of times the cycle is repeated in the schedule. Each recurrence command may also include an occurrence list that specifies at what times during a particular cycle the event occurs. The occurrence list may specify times in absolute or relative terms. Thus, the grammar supports recurrence rules for representing the schedule "first and tenth of every month" as well as the schedule "second Thursday and last Friday of every month".

Abstract: A printing device including a central processing unit, a first memory, a keyboard for inputting characters forming words, and symbols, which are stored in the first memory, a second memory, a printer, and an eraser. The printer prints the information stored in the first memory. The central processing unit determines whether a word printed by the printer means before the commencement of the printing of the next word is correctly spelled. The second memory contains a dictionary used by the central processing unit to determine whether the spelling of the word printed by the printer is correct. The eraser erases a part of or the entire printed word in response to the central processing means determining that the printed word is misspelled.