Abstract: Data representing ownership of a traditional asset of a first party having a predefined monetary value stored at a first party network node is replicated to a plurality of other party network nodes, including a second party network node, communicably coupled to the first party network node and to one another. Entry of data is received at the first party network node that represents a partition by the first party of the asset of the first party on a non-value axis into at least two non-overlapping assets and a transfer of ownership of one of those two assets to the second party. The data representing the partition of the non-value axis and transfer of ownership of one of the two non-overlapping assets to the second party is replicated to the plurality of other party nodes, including the second party network node.

Abstract: A system for generating a demographic profile for a set of at least one webpage, the system comprising a webpage audience information gatherer operative for providing, for at least one webpage, training data including demographic information characterizing an audience of the webpage; a predictor developing system operative to compute at least one content characteristic of said webpage and to develop a prediction process which if applied to said content characteristic would have predicted said training data; and a webpage audience predictor operative, for at least one new webpage, whose audience is unknown, to compute at least one content characteristic of the new webpage and to generate predicted demographic information predicted to characterize said unknown audience of said new webpage by applying said prediction process to said new webpage's content characteristic.

Abstract: Systems and methods for extracting information from structured documents are provided. The systems and methods relate to selecting a centroid document from a group of structured documents, selecting a subset of the group of structured documents in order to form a cluster of the subset of documents about the centroid document. The selecting the subset is preferably based on the relative similarity between each of the selected subset and the centroid document. Then, systems and methods according to the invention include marking a data element on the centroid document. The systems and elements also include identifying a data element on each of the subset of documents, the data element that corresponds to the marked data element on the centroid document. Finally, data may be extracted from the subset of documents based on the identifying step.

Abstract: As part of the general search functionality in the context of a comparison shopping site, a skip by popularity functionality evaluates each keyword submitted to a search engine. The skip by popularity functionality then determines whether the keyword or keywords submitted are highly relevant to a specific attribute or category. When a relevance threshold with respect to a specific attribute or category is met, certain criteria may be applied to test whether the user can be skipped over intermediate navigational steps and immediately delivered to the highly relevant category or attribute or even to a comparison shopping page for a specific product. Skip by popularity functionality may be used to determine and select the single most popular product associated with the keyword as determined either by users, or according to some other suitable determination scheme.

Abstract: A system for generating a demographic profile for a set of at least one webpage, the system comprising a webpage audience information gatherer operative for providing, for at least one webpage, training data including demographic information characterizing an audience of the webpage; a predictor developing system operative to compute at least one content characteristic of said webpage and to develop a prediction process which if applied to said content characteristic would have predicted said training data; and a webpage audience predictor operative, for at least one new webpage, whose audience is unknown, to compute at least one content characteristic of the new webpage and to generate predicted demographic information predicted to characterize said unknown audience of said new webpage by applying said prediction process to said new webpage's content characteristic.

Abstract: Systems and methods for extracting information from structured documents are provided. The systems and methods relate to selecting a centroid document from a group of structured documents, selecting a subset of the group of structured documents in order to form a cluster of the subset of documents about the centroid document. The selecting the subset is preferably based on the relative similarity between each of the selected subset and the centroid document. Then, systems and methods according to the invention include marking a data element on the centroid document. The systems and elements also include identifying a data element on each of the subset of documents, the data element that corresponds to the marked data element on the centroid document. Finally, data may be extracted from the subset of documents based on the identifying step.

Abstract: Systems and methods for facilitating online comparison shopping, including a similarity engine, a navigational system, and a step skipping system. The systems and methods according to the invention include a method for determining similarity between two preferably disparate products. The systems and methods also preferably include a method of increasing efficiency of navigation in a comparison shopping site based on product coverage and product entropy. The systems and methods further include a method of step-skipping to quicken user navigation through a comparison shopping site.

Abstract: Systems and methods for extracting information from structured documents are provided. The systems and methods relate to selecting a centroid document from a group of structured documents, selecting a subset of the group of structured documents in order to form a cluster of the subset of documents about the centroid document. The selecting the subset is preferably based on the relative similarity between each of the selected subset and the centroid document. Then, systems and methods according to the invention include marking a data element on the centroid document. The systems and elements also include identifying a data element on each of the subset of documents, the data element that corresponds to the marked data element on the centroid document. Finally, data may be extracted from the subset of documents based on the identifying step.

Abstract: Systems and methods for dynamically updating ranking of items retrieved in response to a search query are provided. Specifically, systems and methods according to the invention preferably decrease a value associated with a selected item and increase a value of non-selected items that, prior to the selection, had a lesser weight than the selected item. Alternatively, if the list was ranked from higher value to lowest value, the selected item would be rewarded by an increase in its score and the non-selected items that previously had a higher value would have their respective values decreased. It should be noted than any and all values and weights described herein may be normalized to ensure appropriate results. Alternative embodiments of the invention are directed to methods and systems for classifying groups of items into meta-products and then updating the rankings of the items based at least in part on the meta-product classification.

Abstract: Systems and methods for facilitating online comparison shopping, including a similarity engine, a navigational system, and a step skipping system. The systems and methods according to the invention include a method for determining similarity between two preferably disparate products. The systems and methods also preferably include a method of increasing efficiency of navigation in a comparison shopping site based on product coverage and product entropy. The systems and methods further include a method of step-skipping to quicken user navigation through a comparison shopping site.

Abstract: Systems and methods for dynamically updating ranking of items retrieved in response to a search query are provided. Specifically, systems and methods according to the invention preferably decrease a value associated with a selected item and increase a value of non-selected items that, prior to the selection, had a lesser weight than the selected item. Alternatively, if the list was ranked from higher value to lowest value, than the selected item would be rewarded by an increase in its score and the non-selected items that previously had a higher value would have their respective values decreased. It should be noted than any and all values and weights described herein may be normalized to ensure appropriate results. Alternative embodiments of the invention are directed to methods and systems for classifying groups of items into meta-products and then updating the rankings of the items based at least in part on the meta-product classification.

Abstract: Systems and methods for facilitating online comparison shopping, including a similarity engine, a navigational system, and a step skipping system. The systems and methods according to the invention include a method for determining similarity between two preferably disparate products. The systems and methods also preferably include a method of increasing efficiency of navigation in a comparison shopping site based on product coverage and product entropy. The systems and methods further include a method of step-skipping to quicken user navigation through a comparison shopping site.

Abstract: Systems and methods for facilitating online comparison shopping, including a similarity engine, a navigational system, and a step skipping system. The systems and methods according to the invention include a method for determining similarity between two preferably disparate products. The systems and methods also preferably include a method of increasing efficiency of navigation in a comparison shopping site based on product coverage and product entropy. The systems and methods further include a method of step-skipping to quicken user navigation through a comparison shopping site.

Abstract: In a computerized method, text segments of a text file are aligned with audio segments of an audio file. The text file includes written words, and the audio file includes spoken words. A vocabulary and language model are generated from the text segment. A word list is recognized from the audio segment using the vocabulary and language model. The word list is aligned with the text segment, and corresponding anchors are chosen in the word list and text segment. Using the anchors, the text segment and the audio segment are partitioned into unaligned and aligned segments according to the anchors. These steps are repeated for any unaligned segments until a termination condition is reached.