Abstract: Mechanisms for controlling a commercial transaction is presented. An article of manufacture has a time cell that is read by an electronic apparatus. In response to a determination of a state of the time cell by the electronic apparatus, usage of the article of manufacture in a commercial transaction is enabled or denied based on the determined state of the time cell. The expiration period of a time cell controls the time period during which the commercial transaction is enabled or is denied to be performed; an unexpired time cell may both enable or deny performance of a commercial transaction, and an expired time cell may also both enable or deny performance of a commercial transaction. The time cell may be used to restrict the usage period of a coupon, a promotional offer, a pre-paid service, or some other commercial transaction that involves an article of manufacture.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus are provided for licensing service providers to process video, audio and/or multimedia content using a video processing device. A license key indicative of a license for an amount of bandwidth is generated. The license key is used at the video processing device to enforce the license based on whether there is sufficient licensed bandwidth available to accommodate a newly created output transport stream. If there is sufficient licensed bandwidth available, processing of the newly created output transport stream is allowed. If there is insufficient licensed bandwidth available, processing of the newly created output transport stream is denied. The service providers are charged a license fee to use the video processing equipment based on the licensed bandwidth.

Abstract: An architecture (system) and method is provided for transcoding codec information to be sent in a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) signaling stream for rendering rich digital media content. The method is implemented on a computer infrastructure and includes: determining a codec associated with content to be sent to one or more requesting devices; determining that at least one of the one or more requesting devices do not have the codec associated with the content to be sent to the one or more requesting devices; providing codec information to the at least one of the one or more requesting devices; and sending the content to the one or more requesting devices.

Abstract: A system and method for facilitating transactions utilizing phrase tokens are provided. Individual entities can be associated with unambiguous transaction phrase tokens, such as multiple word phrases. The transaction phrase tokens are associated with transaction accounts by a service provider such that the entities can complete a transaction without having to exchange transaction account information. In a transaction, a transaction phrase token is offered to an accepting party, which tenders the offered transaction phrase token to the service provider. The service provider processes the offered transaction phrase token according to configuration information specified for the transaction phrase token. The service provider can automatically process the transaction request or request additional information.

Abstract: Described herein are techniques for employing a phrase as a unique identifier of a user and a corresponding user account. For instance, a transaction processing service may maintain multiple user accounts each associated with respective users. In addition, the transaction processing service may associate one or more unique phrases with each of these respective users and user accounts. Users may then configure rules associated with their respective user accounts to enable use of associated phrases as identifiers for storing a variety of different content in association with the phrases. Users may also configure their accounts with communication rules that instruct the transaction processing service to send pieces of content that are received with the phrase to different specified destinations. Users may also configure their accounts with preferences used by vendors to complete transactions initiated with use of a phrase.

Abstract: An extensible servicing hosting platform is provided that supports the design, build and concurrent deployment of multiple web accessible services on a services hosting platform. The services hosting platform comprises a services hosting framework capable of hosting multiple service applications, each of which may be shared by multiple tenants that each customize their use of a particular application service by extending the application service to exploit run time platform services within a service execution pipeline. The services hosting framework may easily be leveraged by applications to decrease the time associated with developing, deploying and maintaining high quality services in a cost effective manner.

Abstract: Disclosed are various embodiments for facilitating a payment to an owner of a media file for enabling the consumption of the media file. In one embodiment, a jukebox service transmits a plurality of media files to a plurality of users for consumption, wherein the media files are served up from a plurality of cloud drives associated with the users. A license service determines whether the consumption comprises at least one of a download, a purchase and an execution of the media files. Then, the license service facilitates a payment to the owner of the media files if a payment is owed to the owner. In one embodiment, the payment owed to the owner may be based on the type of consumption of the media files.

Abstract: The present disclosure involves a method including: receiving a request to access an object from a user; prompting the user to go to a target location; receiving feedback from the user with respect to the user's location; determining, electronically by a processor, whether the user has reached the target location; granting access of the object to the user in response to the determining. The present disclosure involves a system including: a storage storing an electronic item; an electronic communications interface that: detects a request to access the item from an entity and prompts the entity to go to a target location in response to the request; a computer processor that: analyzes feedback from the entity with respect to the entity's location, determines whether the entity's location is sufficiently close to the target location, and grants or denies access of the item to the entity based on the determination.

Abstract: Illustrative embodiments disclose a computer process controlling access to one or more documents by one or more parties, the parties organized over one or more organizations. In response to a party associated with a first organization attempting to access documents, determining an access level associated with the party as a first access level, a second access level, a third access level, or a fourth access level. The first, second, third and fourth access levels are ordered from the first access level to the fourth access level such that the first access level provides a greatest degree of access to the documents and the fourth access level provides a least degree of access to the documents. In response to determining the access level associated with the party, permitting the party to access the documents, or preventing the party from accessing the documents, according to the access level associated with the party.

Abstract: There is presented a system and method for coordinating asset entitlements, the system comprising a server including a processor and a memory and accessible by multiple domains over a network, and an asset entitlement database searchable by the server, wherein an entry of the asset entitlement database links a domain transcendent user identification (ID) of a user and at least one asset entitlement acquired by the user from any of the domains. In one embodiment, the server is configured to receive an asset entitlement inquiry from one of the domains, search the asset entitlement database for asset entitlements acquired by the user from any of the domains, generate a search result identifying the asset entitlements acquired by the user from the domains, and send data corresponding to the search result to the domain from which the asset entitlement inquiry was received.

Abstract: Techniques for establishing entitlement to a computer program product are provided, and include providing a client identity in a registration process to produce an entitlement file, obtaining an encoded version of a computer program product, and transforming the computer program product into an installation product in a computer storage medium, wherein the installation product comprises the entitlement file to establish entitled use of the computer program product.

Abstract: A method including receiving a request for a service or an application from a user device associated with a customer; determining a type of service or a type of application; providing the service or the application; performing real-time tracking of the customer's usage of the service or the application based on the type of service or the type of application; generating one or more recommendations pertaining to the service or the application based on the real-time tracking; and sending the one or more recommendations to the customer via the user device.

Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for managing license objects to applications in an application platform database system. The method includes associating an LMA with an application installed to the application platform by a developer, notifying a license manager to which the license manager application is installed of the installation of the application to the application platform, and managing subscriber access to the application using the license manager application.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for conducting a secure transaction involving generation of a dynamic authentication code on a mobile device, based on secret data which does not identify an account. The authentication code and financial account identifying information are transmitted to a validating entity, which shares information about the secret data, to authorize the transaction.

Abstract: Security techniques are provided for cooperative file distribution. An encryption key or a nonce (or both) are generated for a package containing one or more files that are to be sent in a cooperative file distribution system. Random access encryption techniques can be employed to encrypt a package containing one or more files to be sent in a cooperative file distribution system. One or more storage proxies are allocated to a package to be transmitted in a cooperative file distribution system, based on load. Access to trackers in the cooperative file distribution system is controlled using security tokens. Content can automatically expire using a defined expiration period when the content is uploaded into the system. Variable announce intervals allow the tracker to control how often the tracker will receive a message, such as an announcement or a heartbeat message, from peers in the system.

Abstract: A method of controlling the use of a custom image by a user in a value dispensing system, such as a mail processing system, that enables the system provider to account and charge for the use of the custom image without ever actually receiving the data representing custom image. The method includes steps of receiving a hash generated from at least the custom image at a provider location, such as a data center, generating a digital signature from data including at least the received hash, and transmitting the digital signature and data used to generate the digital signature to the user at a user location. The method may further include additional steps of determining whether the digital signature can be successfully verified, and allowing the custom image to be printed by the user only if it is determined that the digital signature can be successfully verified.

Abstract: The present disclosure involves selling virtual items for an application via electronic commerce systems. A catalog of virtual items is stored in a data store, where each of the virtual items relates to an interaction with an application. An electronic commerce system is provided that facilitates a purchase of one of the virtual items via a client device over a network, where the one of the virtual items is purchased in association with an application account associated with the application. The electronic commerce system also informs the application of the purchase of one of the virtual items to facilitate use of the purchased virtual item during interaction by a user with the application.

Abstract: A method is provided for secure access to a smart card application. An alert is received related to a mobile device having the smart card application. Access by the mobile device to the smart card application is restricted responsive to receiving the alert.

Abstract: A method of authenticating a payment terminal, involves the terminal generating a terminal activation request from a private encryption key and from at least one terminal credential that is uniquely associated with the terminal. The terminal activation request includes a public encryption key. The public encryption key and the private encryption key comprise an asymmetric encryption key pair. The terminal transmits the terminal activation request to a certificate server, and receives an activation response from the certificate server in response. The activation response includes a digital authentication certificate that includes the public encryption key. The terminal authenticates to a computer server, that is distinct from the certificate server, using the digital authentication certificate.

Abstract: An embodiment relates generally to a method of monitoring playback of content. The method includes providing for a file of content and embedding a playback counter in the file of content, the playback counter associated with a vendor. The method also includes distributing the file of content with the playback counter without restriction and incrementing a value of the playback counter in response to a viewing of the file of content with the embedded playback counter. The method further includes forwarding the value to the vendor to determine a payment to an author of the content.