Abstract: A bill payment provider offers to a customer an option to pay a bill from a biller using a payment card account. The offering is carried out via a mechanism of the bill payment provider. The mechanism is of a kind which normally facilitates payments via electronic funds transfer from a demand deposit account of the customer. A request to pay the bill using the payment card account is received via the mechanism. Payment of the bill using the payment card account is facilitated by formatting and dispatching a message from the bill payment provider to an electronic bill payment system. The message is flagged with a flag indicating that the message comprises a non-financial, card payment, message. The message includes an identification of the biller, a card number of the payment card account, and an expiration date of the payment card account. The message is an electronic funds transfer message augmented with the flag, the card number, and the expiration date.

Abstract: A general-purpose payment card product is linked to a designated reimbursement account. A payment card authorization request is obtained, with a full amount and a reimbursement eligible amount included therein, based on a transaction with the payment card product at a merchant. In one aspect, a payment card authorization response is returned to the merchant from an issuer of the payment card product, based on the full amount. A funding request is initiated, for the reimbursement eligible amount, from the designated reimbursement account. The payment card product and the designated reimbursement account are managed separately. In an alternative, the authorization request is intercepted by an operator of a payment network. The operator initiates a first operator authorization request for the reimbursement eligible amount, and a second operator authorization request for the full amount less the portion of the reimbursement eligible amount, and returns a coordinated response to the merchant.

Abstract: A bill payment provider offers to a customer an option to pay a bill from a biller using a payment card account. The offering is carried out via a mechanism of the bill payment provider. The mechanism is of a kind which normally facilitates payments via electronic funds transfer from a demand deposit account of the customer. A request to pay the bill using the payment card account is received via the mechanism. Payment of the bill using the payment card account is facilitated by formatting and dispatching a message from the bill payment provider to an electronic bill payment system. The message is flagged with a flag indicating that the message comprises a non-financial, card payment, message. The message includes an identification of the biller, a card number of the payment card account, and an expiration date of the payment card account. The message is an electronic funds transfer message augmented with the flag, the card number, and the expiration date.

Abstract: A general-purpose payment card product is linked to a designated reimbursement account. A payment card authorization request is obtained, with a full amount and a reimbursement eligible amount included therein, based on a transaction with the payment card product at a merchant. In one aspect, a payment card authorization response is returned to the merchant from an issuer of the payment card product, based on the full amount. A funding request is initiated, for the reimbursement eligible amount, from the designated reimbursement account. The payment card product and the designated reimbursement account are managed separately. In an alternative, the authorization request is intercepted by an operator of a payment network. The operator initiates a first operator authorization request for the reimbursement eligible amount, and a second operator authorization request for the full amount less the portion of the reimbursement eligible amount, and returns a coordinated response to the merchant.

Abstract: A method includes the steps of facilitating obtaining indicia identifying individual items to be purchased at a point of interaction, in conjunction with an inbound authorization request; facilitating translation of the indicia into a form understandable by a third party transaction approver, to obtain translated indicia; and facilitating transfer of the translated indicia to the third patty transaction approver for item-by-item validation on the individual items. The transfer of the translated indicia is in conjunction with an outbound authorization request. A system implementing the method can make use of an inventive transfer engine.

Abstract: A method includes the steps of facilitating obtaining indicia identifying individual items to be purchased at a point of interaction, in conjunction with an inbound authorization request; facilitating translation of the indicia into a form understandable by a third party transaction approver, to obtain translated indicia; and facilitating transfer of the translated indicia to the third patty transaction approver for item-by-item validation on the individual items The transfer of the translated indicia is in conjunction with an outbound authorization request. A system implementing the method can make use of an inventive transfer engine.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for stacking newspapers is disclosed which obviates the need to fasten individual stacks. Once ejected from a stacking device, stacks of newspapers pass through an assembly station where they are arranged into groups of three, called slugs, and compressed. The slug then enters a collector where a layer consisting of four slugs is positioned on a sliding table. This positioning requires lateral movement of slugs. Lateral support is provided throughout this movement to prevent the stacks from toppling over. Once a full layer has been accumulated, the sliding table is retracted, and the layer of newspapers falls onto a floating table below. This floating table, which serves as the bottom floor of the container in which it is housed, is automatically lowered by discrete amounts as layers are received. Extendible cylinders located below the collector vertically move the floating table.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for stacking newspapers is disclosed which obviates the need to fasten individual stacks. Once ejected from a stacking device, stacks of newspapers pass through an assembly station where they are arranged into groups of three, called slugs, and compressed. The slug then enters a collector where a layer consisting of four slugs is positioned on a sliding table. This positioning requires lateral movement of slugs. Lateral support is provided throughout this movement to prevent the stacks from toppling over. Once a full layer has been accumulated, the sliding table is retracted, and the layer of newspapers falls onto a floating table below. This floating table, which serves as the bottom floor of the container in which it is housed, is automatically lowered by discrete amounts as layers are received. Extendible cylinders located below the collector vertically move the floating table.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for stacking newspapers is disclosed which obviates the need to fasten individual stacks. Once ejected from a stacking device, stacks of newspapers pass through an assembly station where they are arranged into groups of three, called slugs, and compressed. The slug then enters a collector where a layer consisting of four slugs is positioned on a sliding table. This positioning requires lateral movement of slugs. Lateral support is provided throughout this movement to prevent the stacks from toppling over. Once a full layer has been accumulated, the sliding table is retracted, and the layer of newspapers falls onto a floating table below. This floating table, which serves as the bottom floor of the container in which it is housed, is automatically lowered by discrete amounts as layers are received. Extendible cylinders located below the collector vertically move the floating table.

Abstract: In a gas-generating chemical reaction carried out in a borehole that is largely filled with water, substantial pressure increases can be generated. This pressure can be used to fracture rocks around the borehole and, hence, stimulate water, oil or gas wells in tight rock formations. This pressure increase can also be used to fracture coal seams for enhanced in-situ gasification or methane recovery. This invention discloses the use of a new, novel system, based on the homogeneous reaction of aluminum alkyls with water, to create a controlled pressure increase. The most appropriate reaction mixture, as characterized by the rise of time of the generated pressure pulse and the energy content per unit length of borehole charge, is disclosed in this new invention.