Abstract: An apparatus for controlling subscriptions comprising: a detector operable to detect to a subscription associated with a wildcard topic string; and an analyzer, responsive to the detection of the subscription associated with a wildcard topic string and a topic string of a topic node matching the wildcard topic string, for analyzing a first attribute of the topic node; and means for determining whether a subscriber associated with the subscription should receive a message associated with the topic string of the topic node.

Abstract: The present invention relates to transaction processing, for processing of payments between payer's (usually individual payers) and payee's (usually merchants. Conventionally, a payment transaction involves a user's account details being provided to a merchant device, e.g. by swiping a card in the card swipe of the merchant device. The merchant device then prepares a transaction message including information such as the user's account ID, merchant ID and payment information and forwards that message to a transaction processing system, which may comprise a transaction acquirer and an issuing bank. The transaction processing system approves the payment and returns confirmation to the merchant. In the present invention a device associated with the payer, which in a preferred embodiment is a suitably adapted mobile telephone, becomes involved in the payment transaction process.

Abstract: A method of traversing a workflow is described. The workflow comprises a plurality of interconnected question and answer nodes, each question node being linked to a respective stored pre-determined question and each answer node being linked to a respective stored answer. The method comprises: determining the type of the current node of the workflow and, if the current node is a question node, accessing a data store, ascertaining whether the data store contains a previously determined answer to the question linked to the current question node and, a) if the data store does contain such a previously determined answer, retrieving the answer from the data store and using the retrieved answer to determine the next node of the workflow to be traversed; and b) if the data store does not contain such a previously determined answer, presenting the question linked to the current question node to a user, and using answer data obtained from the user to determine the next node of the workflow to be traversed.

Abstract: A stitch flap cutting block is mountable to a cutting head of a board blank cutting machine, along with a slotting knife. A sheet of board passed between the cutting head and an anvil head is cut to form a blank for a box or the like. The cutting block comprises a steel body with a cylindrical barrel holding a cylindrical spring block, to which is mounted a blade holder carrying an elongate blade. The blade moves within a transverse slot across the body and is deflectable into the body and may rock about a midpoint of the slot. Impact forces are reduced, cleaner cuts are produced, and re-setting of the blade is required much less often. An alternative stitch flap cutting block is mountable to the cutting head by a separate side arm, facilitating mounting cutting to heads having different diameters.

Abstract: A pallet has a generally planar weight bearing floor of generally square or rectangular plan, at least two reinforcing parallel members extending transversely beneath the floor at locations on opposite sides of and generally parallel to a line bisecting the floor, the reinforcing parallel members providing a box section. The pallet also has an opening for two of the at least two reinforcing parallel members provided in the vicinity of an edge of the pallet to allow access of a tyne of a forklift into the box section, and locomotion means beneath the floor extending to a level below the box section, the locomotion means adapted to facilitate movement of the pallet over a surface.

Abstract: There is provided a knock down signpost comprising a post member (6) and a lower body member (10) held together by a spring (3) having a preload when the post is vertical, acting two flat surfaces (8) creating an initial resistance to motion off the horizontal. Two steel cables (114) transmit the force of the spring and are spaced apart which allows the cables to act as a non rotation mechanism. Two round protrusions (16) in the post member (6) locate into two matching clearance holes (14) in the lower body for post alignment. A shock tube (4) is fitted over the cable and internal to the spring to prevent over compression and provides a mechanical stop. As the top assembly is rotated chamfered edges (15) of the post member (6) engage and interlock into an annular groove (13) to act as a pseudo-hinge.

Abstract: A feed control assembly for feeding a cable on to a rotatable reel has a primary guide for controlling the location of the cable as it feeds on to the reel, and a drive assembly arranged to reciprocate the primary guide means as the cable feeds through the primary guide.

Abstract: A bistable display device comprises two cell walls enclosing a sheet having a plurality of cavities each containing a rotatable bicoloured sphere within a liquid crystal material carrier (15), and electrodes for applying an electrical field. The spheres and cavities are provided with a surface alignment which imposes a substantially unidirectional director alignment on the liquid crystal material in contact with them. The elastic distortion free energy of the liquid crystal material in each cavity is arranged to be zero when the preferred direction of the suspended spheres coincides with that of the surrounding cavity, e.g. black upwards. It is also zero when the sphere is rotated through 180° to present its opposite hemisphere which has a contrasting optical appearance, e.g. black downwards. Between these two states, there is an energetic barrier determined by the elastic constants of the liquid crystal which provides both a threshold for switching and improved bistability.

Abstract: A TV-set is equipped with HDMI and USB connections that allow it to display and run audio-video content from a variety of conventional consumer devices. The TV-set is further equipped to provide a secure HDMI-USB interface that will allow the transfer of licensed high definition content and Internet subscriber services. Such secure HDMI-USB interface also enables a selection of proprietary application modules to be attached. Downloadable user interface templates, much like XML style sheets, are rendered to a user interface displayed on the screen. These are associated with corresponding thumbnails and URI's that allow a user to surf through lists and catalogs of materials, and then to play them in the appropriate formats and provide the machine with a customized controller. A remote commander is simplified, yet expanded to control all the attached devices through interactions with the user interface.

Abstract: Home network resources and communication paths are managed using network path bandwidths, network storage capacities, and quality of service.

Abstract: Disclosed is a device arranged to process messages for communications, comprising a virtual machine means including a message processor means which is arranged to process messages communicated to and/or to be communicated from the device, and message processor instruction means, arranged to provide directions for operation of the message processor means. Also disclosed is a method for operating a device arranged to process messages for communications and a method of programming a device arranged to process messages for communications.

Abstract: An isotropic aqueous liquid detergent composition comprising: a succinate dimer surfactant selected from alkyl and alkenyl succinate dimers in which two succinic acid moieties or derivatives thereof are joined by a (poly)alkyleneoxy bridge and each carboxylic acid group is independently in the free acid form, salt form or is esterified or is a corresponding amide group; and mixtures thereof; one or more other surfactants; and water.

Abstract: Methods, a data structure and computer readable mediums address newly-defined code points in a Unicode index of characters by allowing processing of strings that use those newly-defined code points although a database holding an index of Unicode characters has not yet been updated. A method is directed to processing strings including one or more code points associated with an index of code points mapped to an expandable alphabet, such as the Unicode index. The method includes tracking each string that has code points mapped to undefined items and processing the tracked strings outside the processing of strings with defined items. An embodiment provides for creating a database for maintaining the index to the code points mapped to the previously undefined items. For each code point mapped to a previously undefined item a table entry can be created so the entries identify newly defined code points to enable processing the tracked strings.

Abstract: A method of constructing a backup path in an autonomous system (AS) for failure of a first inter-AS link serving a first set of prefixes is described. The method comprises identifying an alternate inter-AS link serving said plurality of prefixes and constructing a tunnel thereto.

Abstract: A method for sterilizing canned ackee using an acidic brine solution placed into a container holding either whole or diced ackee arils and heating the container and ackee arils within to a temperature not to exceed the boiling point of water.

Abstract: A method is disclosed for constructing a backup route from a source node around an adjacent component. The source node derives a first set of nodes reachable from it without traversing the adjacent component and a second set of nodes from which a neighbor node of adjacent components is reachable without traversing the adjacent component. The source node then constructs a backup route via an intermediate node in the intersection of the first and second sets.

Abstract: A method is disclosed for constructing a repair path for multicast data around a non-available component in a data communications network having as components nodes and links therebetween. The method comprises the step performed at a repairing node, of receiving from a notifying node in a network, a notification identifying the notifying node and components through which the notifying node can be reached. The method further comprises the steps of deriving, from the notification, a network repair address for use in the event of non-availability of a component identified in the notification; and constructing a repair path for multicast data for the repair address.

Abstract: Transferring a financial interest is disclosed. A fair market value of an asset is assessed in connection with the issuance of an option to buy a portion of the asset. A maximum value of debt associated with the asset is assigned and the option is acquired.

Abstract: Methods, systems, displays, apparatus, and processes for displaying and communicating complex information relating to investment portfolios and funds are described. Disclosed are methods, displays apparatus and processes for displaying and communicating overview data and relationships including juxtaposing projected IRR against current IRR for funds of a private equity portfolio. Additionally, a portfolio risk/return analysis is described wherein expected return standard deviation is charted versus expected secondary IRR while fund investment strategy and relative values are simultaneously also indicated. Also disclosed are aspects of the invention displaying general partner bandwidth with correlations to industries of investments and value to invested capital ratios. Also are aspects of the invention relating to communicating projected lifetime fund IRR and secondary fund market values for private equity investments.

Abstract: A method for identifying an essential gene of an organism comprises: (i) providing a Library of transposon mutants of the said organism; (ii) isolating polynucleotide sequences from the library which flank inserted transposons; (iii) hybridising the said polynucleotide sequences with a polynucleotide library from the said organism; and (iv) identifying a polynucleotide in the said polynucleotide library to which the said polynucleotide sequences do not hybridise, thereby to determine an essential gene of the organism.