Abstract: An intelligent surrogate apparatus and method for enhancing the display output and interaction capability of a portable device. The apparatus comprises a communication interface for connecting the portable device and an display controller. In addition, the apparatus comprises a connection manager for establishing connection and managing data flows; a graphics data receiver for receiving structured graphics data output from an application running on the portable device via the communication interface and converting them to a corresponding graphic function invocation; and a windows manager which may invoke a graphic function library to organize application windows according to the graphic function invocation. The apparatus may comprise fully functional computer keyboard input and mouse input capability.

Abstract: A mobile banking and anti-theft tag based portable checkout terminal, checkout system and checkout method for a retail environment are disclosed. A portable terminal accessory is designed for a portable terminal to acquire the article information related to the selected article that a customer in a retail environment wishes to purchase. The portable terminal is connected to the portable terminal accessory to receive the article information via scanning a tag attached to the article and to conduct the checkout processing with a customers bank through wireless communication.

Abstract: This invention discloses a system for creating voice XML file automatically, comprising: a graphic user interface for defining a plurality of icons, wherein each of said icons corresponds to one or more attributes of voice XML; voice XML tag generator for interpreting said action stream based on a library of voice XML tags, generating the corresponding voice XML tags; and, voice XML file generator for combing the contents to be played with the tags generated by the voice XML tag generator according voice XML syntax, for creating the voice XML file. This system can create the voice XML file for the TTS voice XML file or the real-time-recorded audio voice XML file.

Abstract: A plurality of near-optimum solutions to allocations of resources to demand information are provided by consideration of different combinations of sources of resource information such as inventory and performance/production capacity of a provider and/or other providers by the use of one or more algorithm/agents and a problem formulator which selects algorithms to be applied and provides selected information from selected sources of resource information thereto. The effects of actions or allocations specified in the solutions are presented to a user for comparison, modification and selection for implementation. Effects of modified solutions are also projected for comparison with other solutions or modified solutions.

Abstract: A computer-implemented method for double auction trade-building by matching, based on feasibility and price/cost heuristics, a plurality of electronically posted bid with a plurality of electronically posted ask records. A one-pass sequential trade building method selects ask records one at a time and sequentially inserts, in one pass, as many of the bid records as possible while maintaining feasibility criteria. A two pass sequential trade building method inserts the bid records in two stages, the first terminating when the trade becomes feasible and the second when no further bids can be inserted.