Abstract: In scheduling and controlling the upgrading of major assets such as a capital ship, the need for upgrades to various elements found on ships are determined, and the upgrade of each piece of equipment is documented as a change product. The change product documentary information is entered into a database, and correlated with information identifying those major assets, which use such products, thereby associating one or more major assets with a change product order. The major assets are scheduled for upgrade on some basis. A promised delivery date of alteration kits, manuals, or other material is obtained from the various vendors. The database may be interrogated at any time in relation to a major asset upgrade, to thereby determine the promised delivery date of the most distant delivery date of yet-undelivered material. The most distant delivery date is deemed to be the integrated logistic support date.

Abstract: Computer-based rating of the sustainability of legal entities. Data is stored concerning at least non-economic factors of legal entities, and is used to compute sustainability scores for each entity's performance. Financial and economic criteria may also be stored and computed. Sustainability scores may be used to rate companies, governments, products and executives on a scale, with respect to each other, or within groups such as whole industries. In one embodiment, a subscriber is permitted to customize how scores are computed, to reflect subscriber preferences.

Abstract: An order scheduling system providing a method for distributing product orders to multiple fulfillers is described. This method, which solves the common business problem of scheduling order shipments, is optimal because it minimizes the number of orders across fulfillers, thus minimizing shipping costs. It is also fair because orders are distributed equally across fulfillers if that fulfiller has the product available. To schedule orders, a data structure is defined whose rows are represented by a hash table of Fulfillers (HF), where each column is a hash table of Products (HP) and where each index of HP is itself a bit vector (VPi). This gives a three-dimensional data structure. The method operates by performing bitwise ANDing (&) operations of the bit vectors, to generate an Order bit vector representing the optimized fulfillment (per system configuration/constraints) for a particular received order.

Abstract: An optimum operator selection support system, executed by a computer, includes a document computer executable management part, a document feature computer executable extraction part, and a job feature computer executable extraction part. The document computer executable management part manages documents related to jobs stored by the computer, with additional information on operators who generated the documents. The document feature computer executable extraction part extracts a plurality of documents generated by a same operator from the document computer executable management part, and extracts features of the respective documents. The job feature computer executable extraction part extracts features of jobs of the operator by detecting common features based on a frequency of occurrence of terms in the plurality of documents extracted by the document feature computer executable extraction part.

Abstract: A Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system that incorporates predictive models. The system is used by business users who are unfamiliar with the art of data mining. The predictive model, which is constructed by a model-building mechanism in a data mining subsystem, accepts the appropriate input attributes, performs calculations against a segment comprised of records, and generates an output attribute.

Abstract: This invention provides for a method of (or apparatus for) facilitating the delivery of advice to consumers using a server unit which can store and display the names and characteristics of experts and then rapidly assist in connecting the expert and consumer for real-time communication. The server can also have the ability to receive keywords from the consumer, match those keywords to one or more experts, and tell the consumer how to contact an expert.

Abstract: A system and method provides web site proprietors with demographics information about the users who visit their web sites, and provides web site visitors with incentive awards (i.e., points) in exchange for providing the demographics information and interacting with the web sites in a predefined manner. Users complete a questionnaire designed to solicit various demographics data of interest to web site proprietors. A profile is then associated with user identification information and stored on a server. The identification information is also stored on the user's local device to identify the user on subsequent visits to participating sites. Users visit the web sites of one or more participating web site proprietors. In so doing the participating user will be awarded points that can be redeemed for products or services at a later date. The system automatically awards points to deserving users without requiring the users to manually leave the web site awarding the points.

Abstract: An apparatus is provided for an interface enabling a user to determine optimum prices of products for sale. The interface includes a scenario/results processor that enables the user to prescribe an optimization scenario, and that presents the optimum prices to the user. The optimum prices are determined by execution of the optimization scenario, where the optimum prices are determined based upon estimated product demand and calculated activity based costs. The scenario/results processor has an input/output processor and a scenario controller. The input/output processor acquires data corresponding to the optimization scenario from the user, and distributes optimization results to the user, where the data includes activity based cost data. The scenario controller is coupled to the input/output processor. The scenario controller controls acquisition of the data and the distribution of the optimization results in accordance with a price optimization procedure.

Abstract: In part inventory management, in order to accurately forecast future number of orders of parts for which order has, for example, fallen to one unit per month or fewer, low-order-rate parts whose order rates to have fallen below the predetermined level are extracted, a parameter indicating a characteristic of orders is determined and classification into multiple categories is conducted. Then, using the parameter, an order occurrence probability distribution is calculated for each category. Monte Carlo simulation is carried out based on the calculated order occurrence probability distributions to determine occurrence rate probability distributions of number of orders during a predetermined period, and the future number of orders of the low-order-rate parts are forecast based on the calculated occurrence rate probability distributions of number of orders during the predetermined period.

Abstract: A software-based, integrated member decision support system provides a method for corporations, insurance carriers, health maintenance organizations, physicians, physician groups, or other clients to efficiently provide medical, pharmaceutical, and health benefit advice and information for an enrolled population. A caller is, for example, directed to an operator who provides the caller with medical, pharmaceutical, and/or health benefit advice based on an inquiry from the caller and the information stored on the system. The system may automatically alert the caller or the operator of important medical or pharmaceutical information. At the conclusion of the call, the system or the system with the operator's input, may updated the caller's member profile, request written materials, generate referrals, order prescriptions, or generate reports.

Abstract: A system and method for collecting and analyzing electronic discussion messages to categorize the message communications and the identify trends and patterns in pre-determined markets. The system comprises an electronic data discussion system wherein electronic messages are collected and analyzed according to characteristics and data inherent in the messages. The system further comprises a data store for storing the message information and results of any analyses performed. Objective data is collected by the system for use in analyzing the electronic discussion data against real-world events to facilitate trend analysis and event forecasting based on the volume, nature and content of messages posted to electronic discussion forums.

Abstract: An automated negotiations engine for iterative, multivariate negotiations of developments of products and programs which stores each set of terms proposed at each iteration to form the basis of the system of record. Active templates created using the present invention can be used to inform other systems automatically of agreed upon terms so that products or computer programs can be generated by them.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method and apparatus for targeting advertising information transmitted over the Internet. The method involves creating a user profile and transmitting an agent and ad banner from a content provider to a target computer. At the target computer, information is collected and transmitted from the target computer to the content provider. The content provider filters the information to create relevant data. The content provider then munges the relevant data into a user specific database and selects new content for transmission over the Internet based on the new user specific database.

Abstract: A system and method for collecting and analyzing electronic discussion messages to categorize the message communications and the identify trends and patterns in pre-determined markets. The system comprises an electronic data discussion system wherein electronic messages are collected and analyzed according to characteristics and data inherent in the messages. Objective data is collected by the system for use in analyzing the electronic discussion data against real-world events to facilitate trend analysis and event forecasting based on the volume, nature and content of messages posted to electronic discussion forums. The message posting activity of a plurality of posters can be tracked to determine the tendency of individual posters to initiate or moderate discussions, accurately predict events external to the discussion forums, accelerate or decelerate a buzz level in a forum, or precede a rising market or a falling market.

Abstract: A system and method for collecting and analyzing electronic discussion messages to categorize the message communications and the identify trends and patterns in pre-determined markets. The system comprises an electronic data discussion system wherein electronic messages are collected and analyzed according to characteristics and data inherent in the messages. The system further comprises a data store for storing the message information and results of any analyses performed. Objective data is collected by the system for use in analyzing the electronic discussion data against real-world events to facilitate trend analysis and event forecasting based on the volume, nature and content of messages posted to electronic discussion forums.

Abstract: A method of issuing a purchase card is provided. The method includes the steps of presenting a purchaser with the opportunity to buy the purchase card, determining whether the purchaser has sufficient funds to pay for the purchase card, creating a purchase card account for a recipient designated by the purchaser, and issuing the purchase card. The purchase card may also be issued in connection with another credit card, for example as a rebate for purchases on the credit card. The purchase card may also be converted to a credit card.

Abstract: A method of issuing a purchase card is provided. The method includes the steps of presenting a purchaser with the opportunity to buy the purchase card, determining whether the purchaser has sufficient funds to pay for the purchase card, creating a purchase card account for a recipient designated by the purchaser, and issuing the purchase card. The purchase card may also be issued in connection with another credit card, for example as a rebate for purchases on the credit card. The purchase card may also be converted to a credit card.

Abstract: A method of issuing a purchase card is provided. The method includes the steps of presenting a purchaser with the opportunity to buy the purchase card, determining whether the purchaser has sufficient funds to pay for the purchase card, creating a purchase card account for a recipient designated by the purchaser, and issuing the purchase card. The purchase card may also be issued in connection with another credit card, for example as a rebate for purchases on the credit card. The purchase card may also be converted to a credit card.

Abstract: A method for estimating the sales of specialty products includes defining a first product specific universe using wholesale purchasing data to determine a product specific store size for a first group of retail outlets. A second product specific universe is defined using sampled retail sales data to determine a product specific store size for a second group of retail outlets, which were not represented in the first group of outlets. Geo-spatial projection is applied to the first and second product specific universes to determine product specific projection factors for retail outlets in the first and second universe. The product specific projection factors are then applied to sampled retail sales data for the product to estimate the sales of said specialty product in unsampled outlets. Preferably, the retail sales data includes prescriber information and the resulting estimates are attributable to individual prescribers authorizing the specialty product sale.

Abstract: A method of issuing a purchase card is provided. The method includes the steps of presenting a purchaser with the opportunity to buy the purchase card, determining whether the purchaser has sufficient funds to pay for the purchase card, creating a purchase card account for a recipient designated by the purchaser, and issuing the purchase card. The purchase card may also be issued in connection with another credit card, for example as a rebate for purchases on the credit card. The purchase card may also be converted to a credit card.