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: Computerized method and system for guiding personnel servicing equipment requiring repair while at an equipment work site are provided. The personnel is guided through a plurality of tasks for evaluating the health of the equipment to identify the nature and extent of service needed, and determining at least one preferred work site location for performing the services based on technical and business decision-making criteria.

Abstract: An process mining system for analyzing the processes used to implement negotiated contracts and other agreements stored in an automated system of record. Using unique identifiers assigned by the contract authority of the invention, process mining can be done to evaluate the effectiveness of processes used to implement one or more sets of negotiations.

Abstract: A system for deploying to a client accounting installation a general procurement and accounts payable application specifically configured for the client by an enterprise includes a database server for (1) maintaining on a storage device a database of templates describing procedures for assessing, preparing, developing, deploying and supporting the application, and for (2) serving these templates to team members operating web-enabled terminals for coordinating, recording and tracking team activities with respect to the application while generating a description for adapting a front end server and an accounting system server to the requirements of the client.

Abstract: An automated system of record creates and administers a sponsored community for participants. Participants use an automated negotiations engine for iterative, multivariate negotiations that stores each set of terms at each iteration to form a system of record. The automated negotiations engine can also be used to propose and negotiate specifications, prototypes and implementations of other systems. An active contract feature informs the results of such negotiations, by incorporating predefined templates to track activity related to the concluded negotiation. The system implements a higher level of security by validating activities against the originally negotiated terms. A contract authority assigns a unique identifier to each transaction to track activities against the transaction for analysis and reporting. A multiple repository enables users to maintain the non-repudiation data for transactions in which they participate at user designated locations.

Abstract: A system for deploying to a client accounting installation a general procurement and accounts payable application specifically configured for the client by an enterprise includes a database server for (1) maintaining on a storage device a database of templates describing procedures for assessing, preparing, developing, deploying and supporting the application, and for (2) serving these templates to team members operating web-enabled terminals for coordinating, recording and tracking team activities with respect to the application while generating a description for adapting a front end server and an accounting system server to the requirements of the client.

Abstract: An apparatus, program product, and method analyze electronic messages directed between individuals to quantitatively assess the relative communication capabilities of such individuals. A quantitative value referred to as “communication strength” is determined for one or more individuals from a plurality of individuals based upon analysis of the electronic messaging activities of such individual(s), and is subsequently used to select an individual from among the plurality of individuals, e.g., for the purpose of selecting a target for a viral marketing encounter, a market research project, etc.

Abstract: A work assignment system for assigning and composing a work formed from a plurality of work standards to a plurality of stations. A display displays the names of the plurality of work standards as composition targets. A composition condition is input. The plurality of work standards are divided in accordance with the composition condition and one group of the divided work standards is assigned to a station. The assignment result of the work standards of each station to a work assignment file is output.

Abstract: A method for evaluating and quantifying the risk, performance and potential of a business is disclosed. Experiential data generated by the business' activities is extracted and used as source data in evaluating the business. Experiential data includes both qualitative and quantitative information compiled from operating systems, databases, interviews, paper-based files and financial records. Business activities are measured individually and then collectively to understand the business as a whole. A set of metrics and a series of algorithms are used to measure the risk, performance and potential of the business drawing from the outset on the experiential data collected and a comparison to industry best practices.

Abstract: The present invention provides an element organization support apparatus, an element organization support method and a storage medium for facilitating the addition, deletion or modification of executive elements. This is an element organization support apparatus in which, upon receiving the input of a project to be accomplished including plural tasks from an input unit, a modeling processor searches an activity database for activity data with processible tasks as keys, selects and displays on a display unit real activity candidates, and reads out of a hard disk and displays information on past evaluation of the selected combination of real activities.

Abstract: The present disclosure provides for supplying collaborative planning by a computerized framework manager. Steps include furnishing network connections and collecting supply and demand information from business entities. Such information is analyzed and used to facilitate planning among the business entites. The network provides data access for multiple data sources and the network is used to store capacity data. The computerized framework manager conducts reverse inventory management of the business entities through the collection of data; analysis of data is then used to predict future demand, and predicted future demand is used to forecast costs to manufacturers, from which suggestions regarding optimization is made.

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: Apparatus and method for determining an optimum promotion plan for merchandising of products for sale. A scenario/results processor enables a user to prescribe an optimization scenario, and presents the optimum promotion plan to the user, where the optimum promotion plan is determined by execution of the optimization scenario. The demand engine models relationships between potential prices of the products and market demand for the products, where the potential prices correspond to potential promotion events and potential supplier offers. The activity based cost engine estimates demand chain costs for the products based upon the market demand. The promotion optimization engine employs the market demand and the demand chain costs to determine the optimum promotion plan, where the optimum promotion plan maximizes a merchandising performance figure of merit according to the optimization scenario, and where the optimum promotion plan comprises a subset of the promotion events and potential supplier offers.

Abstract: A system for charge processing tolls and the like. A vehicle mounted device detects the position of a vehicle 32 using GPS, and transmits position information via a wireless channel to a central station. The central station performs charge processing (calculation) for an area in which a charge is applied based on the position of the vehicle, and transmits the charge to the vehicle mounted device. The vehicle mounted device collects a toll from a prepaid card or IC card or the like on the basis of the received charge processing result.

Abstract: The present invention relates to techniques for controlling transfers of information in computer networks. One technique involves transmitting from a server computer to a client computer a document containing a channel object corresponding to a communication service, and storing an access ticket that indicates that a user of the client computer permits the information source computer to communicate with the user over a specified channel. Another technique involves transmitting smart digital offers based on information such as coupons and purchasing histories stored at the computer receiving the offer. Another technique involves transmitting from a server computer to a client computer a request for a user's personal profile information, and activating a client avatar that compares the request for personal profile information with a security profile of the user limiting access to personal profile information.

Abstract: A system and method for managing experience information are disclosed. The system and method allow an organization to manage a plurality of issues and the organization's responsiveness to those issues. Moreover, the system and method allow an experience database to be populated with past issues and appropriate responses to those issues. When the organization receives an incoming issue from a source, the incoming issue may be compared against the experience. If a similar experience issue is found in the database, the corresponding appropriate response for the selected experience issue stored in the database may be forwarded to the source in near real time.

Abstract: A system and method for responding to user requests for a product provides a selection of alternate products that are similar to the requested product. Available products each have a plurality of attributes, which are compared to corresponding attributes of the requested product. Available products having attributes which are similar to those of the requested product are ranked in order of a similarity measure, and presented to the user.

Abstract: An outside Plant Construction Management (OSPCM) system simplifies and mechanizes many aspects of operating a facility, such as a Regional Bell Operating Company (RBOC). The OSPCM system performs a configuration function and this data is input to the awarded contract which entails breaking the job into its constituent tasks, sequencing the tasks, prioritizing the tasks, and scheduling the tasks. The OSPCM system completes the scheduling task by assigning the tasks to supervisors and/or to outside contractors. The OSPCM system automatically manages the materials required for tasks by determining what and when it is needed, ordering what is available from within inventory, and ordering necessary materials from outside providers. When a task is completed, the contractor accesses the OSPCM system and marks the task as completed. The OSPCM system then forwards invoices to the voucher system for those cases where work is completed as designed.

Abstract: A system for managing a project being a plurality of jobs including construction jobs wherein some of the jobs don't require completion of other jobs and remaining jobs require completion of at least one of the independent jobs and/or completion of other jobs in the plurality of jobs. The system separates jobs into lists according to their dependency on other jobs and assigns manpower according to expense, expressed as man days, for completing the job withoin a list period. The system is preferably implemented in conjunction with a panoramic camera and computer. One section of the computer screen displays a 360° field of view of the project. Another section displays a table showing the interrelationship of the jobs. Alpha-numeric indicia, entered by a mouse/keyboard at job locations on the image section of the screen are indexed to jobs scheduled in the table which is entered in the text section of the screen.

Abstract: The present invention provides an event revenue management system that calculates event pricing to manage revenue and to maximize profit from the event. In particular, the system uses event parameters, including timing, resource, and discount categories, and initializes forecasting parameters. The system aggregates historical data using the forecasting parameters to generate initial forecast statistics, taking into account the event parameters. It then forecasts demand by updating the initial forecast statistics based on current data and optimizes pricing and availability of the event based on the forecasted demand.