Abstract: An architecture is disclosed allowing a server to communicate bidirectionally with a gateway over a first communication link, over which service requests are initiated by the server. In response to a transaction received from a host legacy system at the gateway, the gateway parses one or more transaction response values from the host message, maps the one or more transaction response values to a canonical response code, and stores the canonical response code in a transaction log. According to a broad aspect of a preferred embodiment of the invention, communication networks that employ transactions between applications must effectively manage transactions that flow over the network. In addition, networking systems must also detect counterfeit transactions, especially, when the networking systems are utilized for financial transactions. An active, on-line database is utilized as a transaction log to track original requests, valid retrys and detect fradulant transactions.

Abstract: A system and method provide for the interpretation and augmenting of structured documents electronically delivered to an individual consumer's computer using consumer profiles developed from and maintained with information reflecting the consumer's online and offline transactions, by selecting the variable content alternatives encoded in the structured documents that most closely match the consumer's profile. The consumer profiles are logically controlled by the consumer's computer, thus providing for enhanced security over information that is personal and confidential to the consumer, yet still allowing third parties such as web sites and others electronically delivering structured documents to the consumer to have such documents customized based on the consumer's profile.

Abstract: In one embodiment, an architecture that consummates an electronic transaction between a first electronic device, such as an acquirer device, a second electronic device, such as an issuer device, and a plurality of electronic terminals, such as merchant terminals, by establishing a communication between the plurality of devices and terminals and accumulating transactions that are approved by the second electronic device. Then, periodically the plurality of transactions are settled using a transfer of monetary value between the first electronic device and the second electronic device. For example, the present invention uses electronic cash transfer to replace conventional settlement, which requires the use of a third-party settlement service.

Abstract: The present invention provides for determining point of interaction device security properties for secure transmission of a transaction between a plurality of electronic devices, such as point of interaction (POI) devices or computer systems (or both), over a public communication system, such as the Internet. In one embodiment, a communication is established between a first electronic device and a second electronic device using a public network. Digital certificates are then exchanged to validate the parties and to provide a secure channel for transmission of data. Device security properties of the first electronic device are determined based on information transmitted by the first electronic device to the second electronic device thereby allowing the second electronic device to accept or reject a transaction request from the first electronic device based (in part) on the device security properties of the first electronic device.

Abstract: Secure transmission of data is provided between a plurality of computer systems over a public communication system, such as the Internet. Secure transmission of data is provided from a customer computer system to a merchant computer system, and for the further secure transmission of payment information regarding a payment instrument from the merchant computer system to a payment gateway computer system. The payment gateway system evaluates the payment information and returns a level of authorization of credit via a secure transmission to the merchant which is communicated to the customer by the merchant. The merchant can then determine whether to accept the payment instrument tendered or deny credit and require another payment instrument. An architecture that provides support for additional message types that are not SET compliant is provided by a preferred embodiment of the invention. A server communicating bidirectionally with a gateway is disclosed.

Abstract: Secure transmission of data is provided between a plurality of computer systems over a public communication system, such as the Internet. For example, secure transmission of data is provided between a merchant server and an acquirer gateway using Secure Electronic Transaction (SET) compliant messages. However, gateway-initiated messages are not SET compliant. Accordingly, secure transmission of data using additional messages that are not SET compliant is provided in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. In one embodiment, a method for virtual point of sale processing using gateway-initiated messages, includes establishing a first communication link (e.g., operating under the Internet Protocol) between an acquirer gateway and a merchant server, the first communication link being initiated by the acquirer gateway, and transmitting a gateway-initiated message (e.g.

Abstract: Secure transmission of data is provided between a plurality of computer systems over a public communication system, such as the Internet. Secure transmission of data is provided from a customer computer system to a merchant computer system, and for the further secure transmission of payment information from the merchant computer system to a payment gateway computer system. The payment gateway system formats transaction information appropriately and transmits the transaction to the particular host legacy system. The host legacy system evaluates the payment information and returns a level of authorization of credit to the gateway which packages the information to form a secure transaction which is transmitted to the merchant which is in turn communicated to the customer by the merchant. The merchant can then determine whether to accept the payment instrument tendered or deny credit and require another payment instrument.

Abstract: An architecture is disclosed allowing a server to communicate bidirectionally with a gateway over a first communication link, over which service requests are initiated by the server. In response to a transaction received from a host legacy system at the gateway, the gateway parses one or more transaction response values from the host message, maps the one or more transaction response values to a canonical response code, and stores the canonical response code in a transaction log. According to a broad aspect of a preferred embodiment of the invention, communication networks that employ transactions between applications must effectively manage transactions that flow over the network. In addition, networking systems must also detect counterfeit transactions, especially, when the networking systems are utilized for financial transactions. An active, on-line database is utilized as a transaction log to track original requests, valid retrys and detect fradulant transactions.

Abstract: Secure transmission of data is provided between a plurality of computer systems over a public communication system, such as the Internet. Secure transmission of data is provided from a customer computer system to a merchant computer system, and for the further secure transmission of payment information regarding a payment instrument from the merchant computer system to a payment gateway computer system. The payment gateway system evaluates the payment information and returns a level of authorization of credit via a secure transmission to the merchant which is communicated to the customer by the merchant. The merchant can then determine whether to accept the payment instrument tendered or deny credit and require another payment instrument. An architecture that provides support for additional message types that are value-added extensions to the SET protocol is provided by a preferred embodiment of the invention. A server communicating bidirectionally with a gateway is disclosed.

Abstract: An architecture for processing a plurality of transactions from a single point of initiation is disclosed. The initiating computer selects a terminal identification token, and associates the token with a transaction request, thereby ensuring the association of the transaction with a unique terminal identification despite being originated by the same terminal. The tokens are obtained from a token table, which contains a row for each token defined to the system. The table includes a column for the token, a column that identifies a system with which the token may be used, and a column that identifies a date and time field indicating when a particular token was selected for use. A null value in the date-time field indicates that the token for that row is not in use. A query operation selects a token with a null date-time value, and a set operation sets the date-time value to the then-current time to mark it in use.

Abstract: A method, useful in computer-aided design, of identifying possible solutions to an over-constrained system having a collection of entities and constraints. The method represents the entities in terms of degrees of freedom and incrementally assembles the system by adding entities, satisfying constraints and reducing the degrees of freedom of the entities. For an over-constrained system, the method constructs a dependency graph of the system and identifies the set of constraints which over-constrains the system. The over-constraining set includes the constraint which initiated the over-constraint and those constraints back traced in the dependency graph from the initiating constraint. Removal of one or more constraints from the over-constraining set results in a solvable fully or under-constrained system. Intelligent selection of the removed constraint may increase computational efficiency or system stability.

Abstract: A method, useful in computer-aided design, for finding possible configurations of a system having a collection of geometric entities and constraints. The method represents the geometric entities in terms of degrees of freedom and systematically satisfies the constraints reducing the degrees of freedom of the geometric entities. The method uses a number of specialized routines, called plan fragments, which satisfy a particular constraint relating to a particular geometric entity. Each plan fragment changes the configuration of a geometric entity in space--i.e. the location and orientation--satisfying a constraint and reducing a degree of freedom. The series of plan fragments which reduce the degrees of freedom and satisfy the constraints comprise an assembly plan for possible configurations of the system. The method identifies overconstrained, fully constrained, and underconstrained systems to the user and assists in finding possible configurations if the constraints are changed, added, or deleted.

Abstract: A method of dynamic simulation of mechanisms which constructs the lagrangian form of the dynamics equations as pure differential equations in terms of a minimal set of generalized coordinates. The dynamics problem is separated into two parts used in the lagrangian--a kinematic analysis and a kinetics analysis. The kinematic analysis is computed using a degrees of freedom analysis. The velocities required for the kinetic analysis are computed using screw theory. Once constructed, the lagrangian dynamics equations are solved for accelerations, applied to the mechanism, and integrated over time to simulate the dynamics of the mechanism. The kinetic and kinematic analyses are approximately linearly related to the number of components in the mechanism, allowing efficient solution of dynamics problems at interactive rates.

Abstract: A method, useful in computer-aided design, for finding configurations of collections of geometric elements representing shapes of physical objects that satisfy a set of geometric constraints, when these constraints relate to topological properties of the geometric elements. In particular, the invention relates to a method that classifies the geometric elements in terms of degrees of freedom, categorizes topological properties in terms of biases, and synthesizes a solution by progressively reducing the total degrees of freedom in the system.

Abstract: A method of global optimization of complex, highly nonlinear, multivariant systems is described. An artificial neural network (ANN) is trained to create an approximate inverse model. The desired behavior for a particular system is then input to the inverse model to derive approximate model parameters for the particular system. Optimization of the approximate model parameters yields optimal model parameters. The method is applied to the synthesis of mechanical linkages where examples of a type of linkage mechanism are used to train an ANN and derive the approximate inverse model. Inverse models for a number of linkage mechanism types are derived and stored. For a linkage mechanism with unknown linkage parameters, a power spectrum representation of the coupler curve is developed and the inverse model for the type of linkage mechanism retrieved. The representation of the desired coupler curve is input and the approximate linkage parameters derived. Optimization further refines the linkage parameters.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for performing kinematic analysis of linkages using generalized mechanisms selected from a catalog of mechanisms. From an initial selection of mechanisms, the one most closely matching a desired behavior is chosen and an optimization procedure is conducted. The method may be preceded by a qualitative kinematic analysis or the qualitative analysis may be used in lieu of a catalog selection. An improved optimization technique and a closed form kinematic analysis method is described.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for performing kinematic analysis of linkages is disclosed. Generalized mechanisms are selected from a catalog of mechanisms. From an initial selection of mechanisms, the one most closely matching a desired behavior is chosen and an optimization procedure is conducted. The method may be preceded by a qualitative kinematic analysis or the qualitative analysis may be used in lieu of a catalog selection. An improved optimization technique is disclosed, along with a closed form kinematic analysis method.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for performing kinematic analysis of linkages is disclosed. Generalized mechanisms are selected from a catalog of mechanisms. From an initial selection of mechanisms, the one most closely matching a desired behavior is chosen and an optimization procedure is conducted. The method may be preceded by a qualitative kinematic analysis or the qualitative analysis may be used in lieu of a catalog selection. An improved optimization technique is disclosed, along with a closed form kinematic analysis method.