Abstract: A system for presenting customized special offers to customers, the special offers including targeted offers to a customer selected from a plurality of customers, and for collecting purchasing behavior information concerning the customers, the system comprising a computer including a database containing customer account information providing information specific to a particular customer account; the at computer also including a database containing special offers including a targeted offer which is to be made to selected customer accounts on the basis of targeted offer targeting parameters; a plurality of customer cards, each customer card having machine readable card information indicating at least identification of the card with a particular customer account; a customer interface in communication with the computer to transfer data therebetween; the customer interface having a card reader for reading machine readable card information from the customer card; the computer including means for generating a custom

Abstract: A production system for retail goods and a raw material ordering system. The production system allows a timely collection of accurate sales information from retail outlets and a flexible production of the goods in accordance with the same information. The production system includes a retail sales information collecting device, a production quantity setting device for determining a production quantity according to the information so collected, a directing device for directing the preparation and production of raw materials according to the determined production quantity, and a production device for producing the determined production quantity according to a direction to produce.

Abstract: A personal financial program is disclosed incorporating means of implementing, coordinating, supervising, planning, analyzing and reporting upon investments in an array of asset accounts and liability accounts within a client account. Through a prioritization function, the client specifies his financial objectives, his risk preference, a forecast of economic and financial variables, and budgetary constraints. The prioritization function suggests to the client a portfolio of asset and liability accounts that may be credited and debited to form investments and borrowings to best realize his financial objectives over a defined time horizon. In the preferred embodiment a central structural element of the financial account is a liability account secured by the client's home and one or more asset accounts. Client funds that would normally be used to amortize the mortgage may be alternatively used according to a prioritized allocation of funds to asset accounts and liability accounts.

Abstract: A charging method for use in an interactive on-line service where a server and terminals of users are mutually connected by a transmission medium, where a predetermined service is provided from the server to the terminals via the transmission medium, and where the fee for such service is collected from each user individually, includes the steps of opening, in the server, an imaginary account for a child of the relevant user with a limited maximum amount, and withdrawing from the imaginary account the fee for the service provided to the user's child. The server can provide a predetermined service to the relevant user's child within a range of the limited maximum amount preset in the imaginary account. When withdrawing the fee from the imaginary account, the server can restrict the service providable to the terminal.

Abstract: A system for recordkeeping, comprising assigning a bar code label to material to be processed including information identifying the material and successively moving the material into a plurality of processing stations. At each station the bar code label is read, a second bar code label including information relating to a processing operation is assigned to the material, the second bar code label is read, a processing operation is performed in accordance with the second bar code label and a third bar code label is assigned to the material including information corresponding to results of the processing operation. The information from the first, second and third labels are stored in a main storage device.

Abstract: A system and method for forecasting future retail performance are described herein. The system includes a storage device that stores a sales history database, a weather history database, and a weather forecast database. An analyzer determines the extent to which past retail performance of a plurality of products at a plurality of locations was affected by weather using the sales history database and the weather history database. A configurator, coupled to the analyzer, estimates expected future retail performance of the products at the stores for a plurality of future time periods using the weather forecast database and results produced by the analyzer. A graphical user interface, coupled to the analyzer and the configurator, enables users to view and manipulate results produced by the analyzer and the configurator to thereby forecast future retail performance of the products at the locations.

Abstract: A scheduling computer system optimizes the match between allocation of processes and resources. To do so, the system temporarily allocates the resources to a process selected based on the attributes of the resources and the processes, as well as the processing start and desired processing end times. In doing so, the system avoids selecting processes to which resources have been already allocated. The system also determines a resulting time value and a resulting fitness value based on the temporary allocation. Using the resulting time value and the resulting fitness value, the system determines the optimum resource for a particular process and allocates the resource to the process accordingly. The system also generates a scheduling chart illustrating the resource allocation.

Abstract: Data processing for an improved securities brokerage/cash management system which supervises, implements and coordinates a composite account having a master account and one or more subaccount(s). The nested subaccounts incorporate a subset of features corresponding to the specific needs dictated by the purpose of the subaccount and thus streamline system operation for the recordkeeper.

Abstract: A computer and communications system facilitates the administration of a mortgage and life insurance combination program in which all or a portion of the funds normally used as a down payment are used to purchase a life insurance policy. The system includes computer subsystems of a program coordinator, mortgage originators, life insurance companies, depository companies and at least one mortgage insurance company. Preferably, the system also includes the computer subsystem of licensed insurance agents. Each of the computer subsystems includes communication apparatus and software for sending communications to and receiving communications from other ones of the computer subsystems. The program coordinator maintains a database of information concerning all program participants and the products they have purchased or for which they are applying.

Abstract: A method of controlling a computer network to render information needs and risk evaluative decisions includes the matching of profiles, defined by data characteristics and collective characteristics, to customer data. Multiple profiles are matched to arrive at a consensus decision, in addition to providing a rationale and summary analysis of the decision. Advice profiles provide advice, when matched, regarding customer data.

Abstract: A method involving computer-mediated linguistic analysis of online technical documentation to extract and catalog from the documentation knowledge essential to, for example, creating a online help database useful in providing online assistance to users in performing a task. The method comprises stripping markup tags from the documentation, linguistically analyzing and annotating the text, including the steps of morphologically and lexically analyzing the text, disambiguating between possible parts-of-speech for each word, and syntactically analyzing and labeling each word.

Abstract: A method and system for providing an investment fund, such as a long term investment fund which may be suitable for retirement purposes, comprising the steps of establishing a credit based account with a credit card issuer for the benefit of a credit card holder, providing an investment account with a financial institution for the benefit of the credit card holder, funding the investment account by the credit card issuer with a predetermined amount of money on a periodic basis, and charging an amount of money so funded against the credit based account of the credit card holder.

Abstract: Sales activity of a product at sales outlets including sales outlets at which sales activity data is sampled and unsampled sales outlets is estimated by determining the distances between each of the sampled sales outlets and each of the unsampled sales outlets and correlating sales activity data from the sampled sales outlets according to the determined distances. The sales activity volume of the product at the plurality of sampled outlets and the estimated sales activity volume of the product at the unsampled outlets are combined to obtain an estimate of sales activity for all the sales outlets. Sales activity of products prescribed by a physician at both the sampled and unsampled outlets can be estimated by correlating sales activity data for the prescribing physician at the sampled outlets according to the distances between the sampled outlets and the unsampled outlets.

Abstract: A computer system for checks for conflicts associated with proposed new matters in an organization which deals with numerous clients. The system compares data concerning potential relationships of a party to the organization with data denoting existing relationships and identifies potential problem situations where the client in a potential matter is the same as the client in an existing matter. For at least some of these matches, the system uses stored data defining associations between existing parties and persons within the organization to select one or more persons within the organization associated with the existing party, and sends a signal denoting the potential problem to one or more of the persons. The potential problem signal is selectively routed to only those persons concerned. These persons can signal the system that the problem does not exist, or that the problem has been resolved. The system can resolve potential conflicts rapidly while still providing thorough review.

Abstract: A transaction management system and method of validating the sale of an asset. The system may be used by a vehicle dealership to evaluate a customer's credit risk, budgetary factors, and profitability of the sale during negotiations for sale of a vehicle, thereby facilitating the sale from both the customer's and dealership's point of view by properly structuring the transaction. The system enables the dealer to pool front-end and back-end profit items to maximize profits. The system performs expert functions to funnel the customer's credit information into a best fit with one of a plurality of specific finance program tiers.

Abstract: A food order content receipt that is presented to customers of food preparation establishments to report individualized nutritional information of meal items prepared and served. A method of receiving a service order having one or more meals, each meal made up of one or more meal items prepared using standardized meal components. A report listing the specific nutritional content of the standardized and customized meal items is provided to the customer.

Abstract: This invention relates to a production system for retail goods which is intended for timely collection of accurate sales information from retail outlets and flexible production of goods in accordance with the same information, and comprises a retail sales information collecting means, a production quantity setting means for determining a production quantity according to the information so collected, a directing means for directing the preparation and production of raw materials according to the determined production quantity, and a production means for producing the determined production quantity according to a direction to produce. Also provided is a raw materials ordering system, which determines production quantities of raw materials in accordance with production plans for ensuring flexible production of the products without the disadvantage of carrying excessive inventories and for economical and efficient control and supply of raw materials.

Abstract: An electronic cash register is provided with a registration section, a display section, a memory and a control section, thereby making it possible to easily and surely inform a register operator of a message set by a manager. In a registration wait condition, the judgement is made as to whether or not message data has been registered in the memory. In the case where the message data has been registered, the message data is displayed by the display section. By further providing a transmission/reception section for making transmission to or reception from a plurality of electronic cash registers or a host computer, it is possible to transfer message data.

Abstract: A consumer-driven electronic information pricing mechanism including a pricing modulator and pricing interface is contained within a client system. The pricing modulator contains multiple pricing options for electronic content and multiple content to advertisement ratios associated with the pricing options. The pricing interface is coupled to the pricing modulator and provides an end user with the pricing options and associated content to advertisement ratios, and also accepts pricing option selections from the end user. In one embodiment, a metering server is coupled to the client system. The metering server contains the multiple pricing options which are to be made available to the end user and transfers these pricing options to the client system. In one embodiment, the pricing interface can be accessed by the end user at any time during the operation of the client system. The end user can change the pricing option during system operation.

Abstract: A system and method for assigning and scheduling resource requests to resource providers use a modified "best-first" search technique that combines optimization, artificial intelligence, and constraint-processing to arrive at near-optimal assignment and scheduling solutions. In response to changes in a dynamic resource environment, potential changes to an existing assignment set are evaluated in a search for a better solution. New calls are assigned and scheduled as they are received, and the assignment set is readjusted as the field service environment changes, resulting in global optimization. Each search operation is in response to either an incremental change to the assignment set such as adding a new resource request, removing a pending resource request, reassigning a pending resource request, or to a request for further evaluation. Thus, the search technique assumes that the existing assignment set is already optimized, and limits the task only to evaluating the effects of the incremental change.