Abstract: A traffic control system implements methods for transmitting current states of a traffic control device (TCD). The traffic control system may also transmit anticipated state transition of the TCD. The traffic control systems may additionally transmit confidence level of the anticipated state change and its timing. The current state, the anticipated transition, and the confidence level are received by a vehicle computer, which may perform adjustments to vehicle power train operations in response to the received information.

Abstract: Traffic control systems implement methods for detecting various malfunctions including faulty sensors and sensor connections that may result in false green requests, undetected green requests, and faults with the visual displays of a traffic control device (TCD). The sensors may include inductive loops and pedestrian pushbuttons. A TCD may communicate with remote resources to help identify faults. The remote resources may include computer systems, which may be configured to interact with human resources such as crowdsourced resources. A TCD's communications with the remote resources may go through vehicle computers and smart phones of vehicles' occupants and pedestrians. A TCD may emit signals to enable vehicle computers to improve accuracy of position location. A TCD may emit its state and time-to-state-change information, in real or substantially real time. A vehicle computer may receive the state and/or time to state changes and in response vary operation of the vehicle's power train.

Abstract: Unsolicited electronic communications such as robocalls and person-initiated solicitation calls are reduced by imposing tolls for completion of the connections to the called parties, and refunding the tolls to the entities indicated by the electronic communications as the calling parties. In this way, a dishonest originator of a spoofed call bears the cost of the toll, and the toll is not refunded to the dishonest originator. On the other hand, the toll collected from an honest originator of a non-spoofed call is refunded to the honest originator, making the toll transparent to the honest originator and avoiding annoyance of the honest caller caused by the toll. Unsolicited calls may be subjected to filtering, particularly filtering based on the indications of the origins of the calls.

Abstract: A smart traffic control device implements a method for detecting faulty sensors that result in false green requests and/or undetected true green requests. The faulty sensors may include inductive loops and pedestrian pushbuttons. The traffic control device may communicate with remote resources, including computer systems connected to human resources, to help identify the faulty sensors. The human resources may be crowdsourced. The traffic control device's communications with the remote resources may go through vehicle computers and smart phones of vehicles' occupants and pedestrians. The traffic control device may emit signals to enable vehicle computers to improve accuracy of position location. The traffic control device may emit its state (e.g., Green/Yellow/Red in various directions) and time to state changes, in real or substantially real time. A vehicle computer may receive the state and/or time to state changes and vary operation of the vehicle's power train in response thereto.

Abstract: Unsolicited electronic communications such as robocalls and person-initiated solicitation calls are reduced by imposing tolls for completion of the connections to the called parties, and refunding the tolls to the entities indicated by the electronic communications as the calling parties. In this way, a dishonest originator of a spoofed call bears the cost of the toll, and the toll is not refunded to the dishonest originator. On the other hand, the toll collected from an honest originator of a non-spoofed call is refunded to the honest originator, making the toll transparent to the honest originator and avoiding annoyance of the honest caller caused by the toll. Unsolicited calls may be subjected to filtering, particularly filtering based on the indications of the origins of the calls.

Abstract: Unsolicited electronic communications such as robocalls and person-initiated solicitation calls are reduced by imposing tolls for completion of the connections to the called parties, and refunding the tolls to the entities indicated by the electronic communications as the calling parties. In this way, a dishonest originator of a spoofed call bears the cost of the toll, and the toll is not refunded to the dishonest originator. On the other hand, the toll collected from an honest originator of a non-spoofed call is refunded to the honest originator, making the toll transparent to the honest originator and avoiding annoyance of the honest caller caused by the toll. Unsolicited calls may be subjected to filtering, particularly filtering based on the indications of the origins of the calls.

Abstract: A smart traffic control device implements a method for detecting faulty sensors that result in false green requests and/or undetected true green requests. The faulty sensors may include inductive loops and pedestrian pushbuttons. The traffic control device may communicate with remote resources, including computer systems connected to human resources, to help identify the faulty sensors. The human resources may be crowdsourced. The traffic control device's communications with the remote resources may go through vehicle computers and smart phones of vehicles' occupants and pedestrians. The traffic control device may emit signals to enable vehicle computers to improve accuracy of position location. The traffic control device may emit its state (e.g., Green/Yellow/Red in various directions) and time to state changes, in real or substantially real time. A vehicle computer may receive the state and/or time to state changes and vary operation of the vehicle's power train in response thereto.

Abstract: Traffic control systems implement methods for detecting various malfunctions including faulty sensors and sensor connections that may result in false green requests, undetected green requests, and faults with the visual displays of a traffic control device (TCD). The sensors may include inductive loops and pedestrian pushbuttons. A TCD may communicate with remote resources to help identify faults. The remote resources may include computer systems, which may be configured to interact with human resources such as crowdsourced resources. A TCD's communications with the remote resources may go through vehicle computers and smart phones of vehicles' occupants and pedestrians. A TCD may emit signals to enable vehicle computers to improve accuracy of position location. A TCD may emit its state and time-to-state-change information, in real or substantially real time. A vehicle computer may receive the state and/or time to state changes and in response vary operation of the vehicle's power train.

Abstract: A smart traffic control device implements a method for detecting faulty sensors that result in false green requests and/or undetected true green requests. The faulty sensors may include inductive loops and pedestrian pushbuttons. The traffic control device may communicate with remote resources, including computer systems connected to human resources, to help identify the faulty sensors. The human resources may be crowdsourced. The traffic control device's communications with the remote resources may go through vehicle computers and smart phones of vehicles' occupants and pedestrians. The traffic control device may emit signals to enable vehicle computers to improve accuracy of position location. The traffic control device may emit its state (e.g., Green/Yellow/Red in various directions) and time to state changes, in real or substantially real time. A vehicle computer may receive the state and/or time to state changes and vary operation of the vehicle's power train in response thereto.

Abstract: A smart traffic control device implements a method for detecting faulty sensors that result in false green requests and/or undetected true green requests. The faulty sensors may include inductive loops and pedestrian pushbuttons. The traffic control device may communicate with remote resources, including computer systems connected to human resources, to help identify the faulty sensors. The human resources may be crowdsourced. The traffic control device's communications with the remote resources may go through vehicle computers and smart phones of vehicles' occupants and pedestrians. The traffic control device may emit signals to enable vehicle computers to improve accuracy of position location. The traffic control device may emit its state (e.g., Green/Yellow/Red in various directions) and time to state changes, in real or substantially real time. A vehicle computer may receive the state and/or time to state changes and vary operation of the vehicle's power train in response thereto.

Abstract: A computer system receives customer reviews for a subject, for example, a product, service, or market participant. Each review includes a rating of the subject and a comment about the subject. The rating may be favorable, unfavorable, or intermediate. The system sorts the reviews in a default order, for example, chronologically, and displays the reviews in the default order on a first webpage. The first webpage includes an input for requesting a non-default order of the reviews, for example, in accordance with the ratings of the reviews. The system sorts the reviews in the non-default order, and, when a user activates the input to request the reviews in the non-default order, displays a second webpage with the reviews in the non-default order. The non-default order may require all reviews with less than favorable ratings to be placed ahead of all reviews with favorable ratings. The system may be Internet-based.

Abstract: A computer system receives customer reviews for a subject, for example, a product, service, or market participant. Each review includes a rating of the subject and a comment about the subject. The rating may be favorable, unfavorable, or intermediate. The system sorts the reviews in a default order, for example, chronologically, and displays the reviews in the default order on a first webpage. The first webpage includes an input for requesting a non-default order of the reviews, for example, in accordance with the ratings of the reviews. The system sorts the reviews in the non-default order, and, when a user activates the input to request the reviews in the non-default order, displays a second webpage with the reviews in the non-default order. The non-default order may require all reviews with less than favorable ratings to be placed ahead of all reviews with favorable ratings. The system may be Internet-based.

Abstract: A computer system receives customer reviews for a subject, for example, a product, service, or market participant. Each review includes a rating of the subject and a comment about the subject. The rating may be favorable, unfavorable, or intermediate. The system sorts the reviews in a default order, for example, chronologically, and displays the reviews in the default order on a first webpage. The first webpage includes an input for requesting a non-default order of the reviews, for example, in accordance with the ratings of the reviews. The system sorts the reviews in the non-default order, and, when a user activates the input to request the reviews in the non-default order, displays a second webpage with the reviews in the non-default order. The non-default order may require all reviews with less than favorable ratings to be placed ahead of all reviews with favorable ratings. The system may be Internet-based.