Abstract: A login browser form allows a user to securely login to an account and access a web-based service at a server or server farm, referred to as a transaction node, without using a separate authentication or single sign-on server. A user is assigned to one of multiple transaction nodes as its home when the user enrolls in the web-based service. In a subsequent attempt to login, the user may land at the home transaction node or at a non-home transaction node. The transaction node serves the login browser form, including code to cause the web browser to transmit the user login id to the transaction node. If the transaction node determines that it is not the user's home, based on its records of user assignments, it identifies the home and configures the web browser to direct future communications to the home. The user's password is not sent to the non-home.

Abstract: User data is shared among servers or server farms, referred to transaction nodes. A user is assigned to one of multiple transaction nodes as its home when the user enrolls in a web-based service. Each transaction nodes maintains records of the users assigned to it, including blocks which are formed when a specified number of new users are assigned. A block hash value is computed based on row hash values, where one row is provided for each user. A transaction node advertises its block identifiers when there is a changed full or partial block, or at other times, to allow other transaction nodes to request a block they do not have. Changed blocks can also be advertised with their recomputed block hash value. Advertisements can be provided to transaction nodes actively accepting new users, and to a subset of transaction nodes which are deactivated and not accepting new users.

Abstract: User data is shared among servers or server farms, referred to transaction nodes. A user is assigned to one of multiple transaction nodes as its home when the user enrolls in a web-based service. Each transaction nodes maintains records of the users assigned to it, including blocks which are formed when a specified number of new users are assigned. A block hash value is computed based on row hash values, where one row is provided for each user. A transaction node advertises its block identifiers when there is a changed full or partial block, or at other times, to allow other transaction nodes to request a block they do not have. Changed blocks can also be advertised with their recomputed block hash value. Advertisements can be provided to transaction nodes actively accepting new users, and to a subset of transaction nodes which are deactivated and not accepting new users.

Abstract: A login browser form allows a user to securely login to an account and access a web-based service at a server or server farm, referred to as a transaction node, without using a separate authentication or single sign-on server. A user is assigned to one of multiple transaction nodes as its home when the user enrolls in the web-based service. In a subsequent attempt to login, the user may land at the home transaction node or at a non-home transaction node. The transaction node serves the login browser form, including code to cause the web browser to transmit the user login id to the transaction node. If the transaction node determines that it is not the user's home, based on its records of user assignments, it identifies the home and configures the web browser to direct future communications to the home. The user's password is not sent to the non-home.

Abstract: A web and social media-based, fully automated offering of stock such as an Initial Public Offering (IPO) allows retail investors to participate with small amounts of money, while allowing issuing companies to build customer loyalty, and while complying with securities regulations. Several days before the offering date, users enroll in the offering via an enrollment user interface, providing a non-binding amount to invest. A preliminary prospectus, including an expected price range of the shares, is provided, and a suitability algorithm is performed. An IPO deposit is transferred from a payment source to an escrow account. A countdown clock to a time of the offering is provided. During a limited time window, the users can confirm or change the non-binding amount. After the time window, the shares are allocated. Enrollment in a post-IPO Customer Stock Ownership Plan (CSOP) and/or a Dividend Reinvestment Plan (DRIP) is also facilitated.

Abstract: Access by users to transaction servers is restricted or gated by an access-control network, in situations in which a large number of users need to access the servers in a short amount of time. A user's computing device establishes a place in a wait process by contacting a wait server in the access control network and receiving a cookie file with an arrival stamp. The user's computing device periodically contacts with the wait node with the cookie file to determine if the user's turn is up. Each wait server maintains a model of estimated arrival times of users to provide a dynamically updated estimated wait time, and increments a demarcation value which dictates when a user is allowed to access a transaction server. When the user's turn is up, the wait server provides a URL of a transaction server to the user's computing device.

Abstract: A system for providing an offer from multiple sources to a user promoting a reward upon satisfying conditions of the offer. The system electronically receives data indicating that a user has selected an offer to receive a reward from an issuer of stock or an intermediary based on stock ownership. Upon identifying the conditions of the offer, the system determines whether the conditions of the offer are satisfied using stock ownership and/or purchase data associated with the user stored in a shareholder database that aggregates ownership information from multiple sources. The stock purchase data stored in the shareholder database represents stock ownership records that are based on multiple sources including among others: purchases made by the user via one or more investment accounts, gifts or grants of stock or convertible instruments, and stock purchased by the user directly from an issuer of stock or on the open-market through the system.