Abstract: Key features of these methods, apparatus, and designs include (but are not limited to) innovations and implementations of futures securities; the notion of Type I, Type II, and Type III futures contracts custom tailored to specific clienteles; the notion of tickets and coupons as tradable futures contracts; the notion of bifurcation; the notion of redeemable bundles; and notion of realization of the futures market on the Internet; the apparatus of an Internet-based trading interface and engine; the notion of cookie-cutter futures electronic Internet-based futures markets for each security; the feature of maximal reliance on the Internet; and the business concept of “profitability without the need for high trading volume.

Abstract: Key features of these methods, apparatus, and designs include (but are not limited to) innovations and implementations of futures securities; the notion of Type I, Type II, and Type III futures contracts custom tailored to specific clienteles; the notion of tickets and coupons as tradable futures contracts; the notion of bifurcation; the notion of redeemable bundles; and notion of realization of the futures market on the Internet; the apparatus of an Internet-based trading interface and engine; the notion of cookie-cutter futures electronic Internet-based futures markets for each security; the feature of maximal reliance on the Internet; and the business concept of “profitability without the need for high trading volume.

Abstract: Key features of these methods, apparatus, and designs include (but are not limited to) innovations and implementations of futures securities; the notion of Type I, Type II, and Type III futures contracts custom tailored to specific clienteles; the notion of tickets and coupons as tradable futures contracts; the notion of bifurcation; the notion of redeemable bundles; and notion of realization of the futures market on the Internet; the apparatus of an Internet-based trading interface and engine; the notion of cookie-cutter futures electronic Internet-based futures markets for each security; the feature of maximal reliance on the Internet; and the business concept of “profitability without the need for high trading volume.

Abstract: Provided herein are various exemplary methods and apparatus for implementation of futures securities custom tailored to specific clienteles; one or more variable pay-out futures contracts as devices for hedging; hedging contracts having variable pay-outs; variable payout hedging contracts having limited exposure; freezing assets of an originator of an order to buy or sell a variable pay-out contract sufficient to cover a maximum exposure of the contract; determining whether an originator of an order to buy or sell a variable pay-out contract has assets sufficient to cover the contract at the time of placing the order; determining whether an originator of an order to buy or sell a variable pay-out contract has assets sufficient to cover the contract immediately before fulfilling the order and charging a penalty to an originator of an order to buy or sell a variable pay-out contract who does not have assets sufficient to cover the contract.

Abstract: Key features of these methods, apparatus, and designs include (but are not limited to) innovations and implementations of futures securities; the notion of Type I, Type II, and Type III futures contracts custom tailored to specific clienteles; the notion of tickets and coupons as tradable futures contracts; the notion of bifurcation; the notion of redeemable bundles; and notion of realization of the futures market on the Internet; the apparatus of an Internet-based trading interface and engine; the notion of cookie-cutter futures electronic Internet-based futures markets for each security; the feature of maximal reliance on the Internet; and the business concept of “profitability without the need for high trading volume.

Abstract: Key features of these methods, apparatus, and designs include (but are not limited to) innovations and implementations of futures securities; the notion of Type I, Type II, and Type III futures contracts custom tailored to specific clienteles; the notion of tickets and coupons as tradable futures contracts; the notion of bifurcation; the notion of redeemable bundles; and notion of realization of the futures market on the Internet; the apparatus of an Internet-based trading interface and engine; the notion of cookie-cutter futures electronic Internet-based futures markets for each security; the feature of maximal reliance on the Internet; and the business concept of “profitability without the need for high trading volume.

Abstract: Key features of these methods, apparatus, and designs include (but are not limited to) innovations and implementations of futures securities; the notion of Type I, Type II, and Type III futures contracts custom tailored to specific clienteles; the notion of tickets and coupons as tradable futures contracts; the notion of bifurcation; the notion of redeemable bundles; and notion of realization of the futures market on the Internet; the apparatus of an Internet-based trading interface and engine; the notion of cookie-cutter futures electronic Internet-based futures markets for each security; the feature of maximal reliance on the Internet; and the business concept of “profitability without the need for high trading volume.

Abstract: Provided herein are various exemplary methods and apparatus for implementation of futures securities custom tailored to specific clienteles; one or more variable pay-out futures contracts as devices for hedging; hedging contracts having variable pay-outs; variable payout hedging contracts having limited exposure; freezing assets of an originator of an order to buy or sell a variable pay-out contract sufficient to cover a maximum exposure of the contract; determining whether an originator of an order to buy or sell a variable pay-out contract has assets sufficient to cover the contract at the time of placing the order; determining whether an originator of an order to buy or sell a variable pay-out contract has assets sufficient to cover the contract immediately before fulfilling the order and charging a penalty to an originator of an order to buy or sell a variable pay-out contract who does not have assets sufficient to cover the contract.

Abstract: Provided herein are various exemplary methods and apparatus for implementation of futures securities custom tailored to specific clienteles; one or more variable pay-out futures contracts as devices for hedging; hedging contracts having variable pay-outs; variable payout hedging contracts having limited exposure; freezing assets of an originator of an order to buy or sell a variable pay-out contract sufficient to cover a maximum exposure of the contract; determining whether an originator of an order to buy or sell a variable pay-out contract has assets sufficient to cover the contract at the time of placing the order; determining whether an originator of an order to buy or sell a variable pay-out contract has assets sufficient to cover the contract immediately before fulfilling the order and charging a penalty to an originator of an order to buy or sell a variable pay-out contract who does not have assets sufficient to cover the contract.

Abstract: Key features of these methods, apparatus, and designs include (but are not limited to) innovations and implementations of futures securities; the notion of Type I, Type II, and Type III futures contracts custom tailored to specific clienteles; the notion of tickets and coupons as tradable futures contracts; the notion of bifurcation; the notion of redeemable bundles; and notion of realization of the futures market on the Internet; the apparatus of an Internet-based trading interface and engine; the notion of cookie-cutter futures electronic Internet-based futures markets for each security; the feature of maximal reliance on the Internet; and the business concept of “profitability without the need for high trading volume.

Abstract: Key features of these methods, apparatus, and designs include (but are not limited to) innovations and implementations of futures securities custom tailored to specific clienteles; the notion of using one or more variable pay-out futures contracts as devices for hedging; the notion of hedging contracts having variable pay-outs; the notion of variable payout hedging contracts having limited exposure; the notion of freezing assets of an originator of an order to buy or sell a variable pay-out contract sufficient to cover a maximum exposure of the contract; the notion of determining whether an originator of an order to buy or sell a variable pay-out contract has assets sufficient to cover the contract at the time of placing the order; the notion of determining whether an originator of an order to buy or sell a variable pay-out contract has assets sufficient to cover the contract immediately before fulfilling the order and charging a penalty to an originator of an order to buy or sell a variable pay-out contract

Abstract: Key features of these methods, apparatus, and designs include (but are not limited to) innovations and implementations of futures securities; the notion of Type I, Type II, and Type III futures contracts custom tailored to specific clienteles; the notion of tickets and coupons as tradable futures contracts; the notion of bifurcation; the notion of redeemable bundles; and notion of realization of the futures market on the Internet; the apparatus of an Internet-based trading interface and engine; the notion of cookie-cutter futures electronic Internet-based futures markets for each security; the feature of maximal reliance on the Internet; and the business concept of “profitability without the need for high trading volume.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for classifying patterns of television programs and commercials, based on learning and discerning of broadcast audio and video signals, wherein the signals might be incomplete and the number of discerning features is large. The apparatus uses a discerner device containing feature extraction, an artificial neural network and control mechanisms. The discerner device classifies signal patterns into classes and stores, records or displays them accordingly on different storage, recording or display devices using the appropriate control mechanisms. The method is operable for classifying many types of signal patterns, but most importantly, those patterns of programs and commercials of television broadcast audio and video signals.