Abstract: A method for promoting contraception by placing a contraceptive device within a uterus without blocking fallopian tubes may involve advancing a distal end of a delivery device through a cervix, advancing the contraceptive device comprising an elongate shape memory member out of the distal end of the delivery device and into the uterus, and limiting inferior migration of the contraceptive device within the uterus. Inferior migration may be limited by allowing the contraceptive device to assume a shape, when subjected to pressure that tends to cause a downward migration of the device within the uterus, in which an expandable middle portion of the device is expanded to contact the inner wall of the uterus and thus limit the downward migration of the device.

Abstract: Methods and software of the present invention include maintaining a database of buyers and sellers, updating the database with information from sellers about buyers who have defaulted on payment terms, processing data about buyers who have defaulted on payment terms, notifying the buyer(s) who have defaulted of a time to cure the default, determining when a buyer fails to cure a default in time, and notifying all sellers who sell to the buyer who failed to cure the default that the buyer failed to cure the default. According to another embodiment, sellers are classified according to the types of goods/services which they sell and when a buyer fails to cure a default all sellers in the same class as the seller which was party to the default are notified. According to another embodiment, all members in the system may obtain information about any other member in the system prior to doing business with the other member. Individual members of the system may be at once both a buyer and a seller, e.g.

Abstract: Method, apparatus and security system for uniquely identifying individual by their particular physical characteristics are provided. In particular, facial parameters which are defined as being the distances between identifiable points on the human face, and/or ratios of the facial parameters can be used to identify an individual as the parameters for each individual are unique. Thus, by coding the parameter and/or parameter ratio information of an individual on a card, and by scanning the face of the presenter of that card to obtain parameter and/or parameter ratio information of the presenter, a determination can be made as to whether the presenter is that individual whose information is on the card. Particular parameters such as the distance between the eye retinae, the distance from each eye retinae to the nose bottom and to the mouth center, and the distance from the nose bottom to the mouth center are set forth, as they may be particularly defined due to the shadowed definable points at each end.