Abstract: A vinyl fabric includes a polymeric film supported on a substrate. The polymeric film is provided from a composition that includes one or more chlorinated resins (particularly PVC), at least one polymeric plasticizer, large amounts of TiO2, and at least one antioxidant. The combination of the plasticizer, titania and antioxidant provides the film, and in turn the fabric, with improved resistance to discoloration, particularly pink staining as results from the presence of chromophores produced by Streptoverticillium reticulum.

Abstract: A hydraulic control system for a cattle squeeze chute includes a solenoid/valve block in hydraulic communication with a hydraulic pump and electronically coupled to a user control unit. Upon receiving a user initiated input signal from the user control unit, the solenoid/valve block activates the proper solenoid to control a squeeze panel, head gate or other moving component of the cattle squeeze chute.

Abstract: The present disclosure relates to an apparatus and method for visual inspection of a radial surface of a camshaft lobe. Upon visual inspection of the radial surface of the camshaft lobe via the apparatus and method of the present disclosure, surface roughness, or ‘chatter’, can be evaluated. Rapid evaluation of camshaft lobe chatter provides for improved manufacturing efficiency and decreased production delays.

Abstract: A transaction processing service operates as an intermediary between acquirers of financial transaction requests and issuing institutions that process the financial transaction requests. The intermediary receives an authorization request generated based on a transaction initiated by a customer at a point of purchase. The intermediary service then determines one or more stored value items that can be applied to the transaction. Stored value items may be determined based on the customer's identity or based on transaction characteristics, such as the point of purchase or the transaction items. The service sends a transaction notification to a mobile device associated with the customer to notify the customer of the available stored value items. The service then applies the stored value items to pay a portion of the transaction amount and initiates a payment process to pay the remainder of the transaction amount.

Abstract: A transaction processing service operates as an intermediary between acquirers of financial transaction requests and issuing institutions that process the financial transaction requests. The intermediary service enables a customer to selectively change the status of an account's associated with a payment instrument by activating or deactivating the account. The intermediary service may manage account status locally using a rules module. Alternatively, the issuing institution may manage account status, while the intermediary service provides an interface for customers. A customer communicates with the intermediary service to direct the service to change the account status. The intermediary service determines the account's issuing institution and provides an indication to the issuing institution of the current status of the account (or of the change in status).

Abstract: A transaction processing service that operates as an intermediary between aggregators of transaction requests, service providers, consumers, and third-party recipients of data, is disclosed. As used herein, a transaction request is a request for consumer services to be provided to a consumer or third-party, a consumer's authorization of such consumer services, and/or a consumer's authorization of applicable terms, policies, contracts, or agreements. The intermediary service utilizes a consumer's mobile device as an out-of-band communication channel to notify a consumer of a received transaction request and to receive a consumer's authorization of the transaction. Once a transaction is authorized, the intermediary service facilitates the consumer services related to the transaction and provides a service response from one or more service providers to the user's mobile device and/or another service target.

Abstract: A transaction processing service operates as an intermediary between acquirers of financial transaction requests and issuing institutions that process the financial transaction requests. The intermediary receives an authorization request generated based on a transaction initiated by a customer at a point of purchase. The intermediary provides a rules module that stores a set of rules for processing transactions. Each rule specifies one or more conditions to be tested and one or more actions to be executed based on the test. For each authorization request, the system determines the applicable rules and tests conditions for each rule prior to the transaction. Based on the results of the test, the system executes an associated action. Conditions may be specified based on transaction information, customer information, or other information. Actions define the system's response to a particular result in testing a condition.

Abstract: An acquirer communicates with an intermediary transaction processing service to handle financial transaction requests received from multiple points of purchase. The acquirer receives an initial authorization request generated based on a transaction initiated by a customer at a point of purchase. The initial authorization request includes unique identifying information associated with the customer. The acquirer determines that the unique identifying information is associated with the intermediary service and provides at least part of the initial authorization request to the intermediary service. In response, the intermediary service provides account information to the acquirer. The acquirer then generates a modified authorization request based on the initial authorization request and the received account information and transmits the modified authorization to an issuing institution to request approval of the transaction.

Abstract: A transaction processing service operates as an intermediary between acquirers of financial transaction requests and issuing institutions that process the financial transaction requests. The intermediary service utilizes a customer's mobile device as an out-of-band communication channel to notify a customer of a received financial transaction request. To send the notification, the intermediary service retrieves stored customer information, including an address of the customer's mobile device and a list of payment instruments that can be used to pay for the transaction. Before continuing to process the received financial transaction request, the service may first require the customer to confirm the transaction via the mobile device. The intermediary service retrieves financial account information associated with the customer from issuing institutions, and, if the transaction is confirmed, provides the account information to acquirers in order to allow transactions to be processed.

Abstract: A method, system, and computer program product for assembling a project team is provided. In one embodiment potential team members, such as, for example, retirees from a company, with appropriate qualifications are notified of a project for which team members are needed. The potential team members are identified based on information contained in a database of potential team members. Along with the notification of the project, the potential team members receive a request for bids. The entity then receives a bid from a responding potential team member and compares the bid to bid acceptance criteria. If the bid meets bid acceptance criteria, a bid acceptance is sent to the responding potential team member and the responding potential team member is notified of other members of the project team.

Abstract: Redirecting a data object such as a file block extent. The data object can be redirected from a first memory block to a second memory block, wherein the second memory block includes a copy of modified data of the first memory block. The redirection may occur in response to a request to modify data of the data object. Redirection preserves the prior version of the data object stored in the first memory block to enable restoration of the data object if needed. In one embodiment, a first data object is mapped to a first memory block. A copy of data contents of the first memory block is created. Thereafter, data contained within the copy is modified in accordance, for example, with a request to write data to the first data object. The modified copy is stored in a second memory block, and the first data object is mapped to the second memory block.

Abstract: A transaction processing service operates as an intermediary between acquirers of financial transaction requests and issuing institutions that process the financial transaction requests. The intermediary receives an authorization request generated based on a transaction initiated by a customer at a point of purchase. The intermediary provides a rules module that stores a set of rules for processing transactions. Each rule specifies one or more conditions to be tested and one or more actions to be executed based on the test. For each authorization request, the system determines the applicable rules and tests conditions for each rule prior to the transaction. Based on the results of the test, the system executes an associated action. Conditions may be specified based on transaction information, customer information, or other information. Actions define the system's response to a particular result in testing a condition.

Abstract: A transaction processing service operates as an intermediary between acquirers of financial transaction requests and issuing institutions that process the financial transaction requests. The intermediary service enables a customer to selectively change the status of an account's associated with a payment instrument by activating or deactivating the account. The intermediary service may manage account status locally using a rules module. Alternatively, the issuing institution may manage account status, while the intermediary service provides an interface for customers. A customer communicates with the intermediary service to direct the service to change the account status. The intermediary service determines the account's issuing institution and provides an indication to the issuing institution of the current status of the account (or of the change in status).

Abstract: A transaction processing service operates as an intermediary between acquirers of financial transaction requests and issuing institutions that process the financial transaction requests. The intermediary receives an authorization request generated based on a transaction initiated by a customer at a point of purchase. The intermediary service then determines one or more stored value items that can be applied to the transaction. Stored value items may be determined based on the customer's identity or based on transaction characteristics, such as the point of purchase or the transaction items. The service sends a transaction notification to a mobile device associated with the customer to notify the customer of the available stored value items. The service then applies the stored value items to pay a portion of the transaction amount and initiates a payment process to pay the remainder of the transaction amount.

Abstract: A system or method for reestablishing data consistency between data volume P and its real time or near real time copy volume S. When volumes P and S enter a state of data inconsistency, data consistency can be restored through use of roll-back and/or roll-forward logs. The roll-forward log stores new data to be written to volume P. The roll-back log stores existing data of volume S before the existing data of volume S is overwritten with new data. As will be more fully described below, the roll-back log can be used to incrementally restore volume S to a prior data state in reverse chronological order, while a roll-forward log can be used to incrementally restore volume S in forward chronological to equal the data state of volume P.

Abstract: A system or method for creating a point-in-time (PIT) or backup copy of one or more data volumes using a roll-back log. The backup copy can be created without employing hot backup mode. In one embodiment, the method includes copying data blocks of a volume to a backup memory configured to store a backup copy of the volume, wherein the data blocks are sequentially copied until all of the data blocks of the volume are copied to the backup memory. A first request is generated to overwrite existing data of a first data block of the volume with new data before all of the data blocks of the volume are copied to the backup memory. Before overwriting the existing data and before all of the data blocks of the volume are copied to the backup memory, the existing data is copied to a first memory (e.g., the roll-back log). Before all of the data blocks of the volume are copied to the backup memory, the existing data is overwritten with the new data.

Abstract: An acquirer communicates with an intermediary transaction processing service to handle financial transaction requests received from multiple points of purchase. The acquirer receives an initial authorization request generated based on a transaction initiated by a customer at a point of purchase. The initial authorization request includes unique identifying information associated with the customer. The acquirer determines that the unique identifying information is associated with the intermediary service and provides at least part of the initial authorization request to the intermediary service. In response, the intermediary service provides account information to the acquirer. The acquirer then generates a modified authorization request based on the initial authorization request and the received account information and transmits the modified authorization to an issuing institution to request approval of the transaction.

Abstract: A transaction processing service operates as an intermediary between acquirers of financial transaction requests and issuing institutions that process the financial transaction requests. The intermediary service utilizes a customer's mobile device as an out-of-band communication channel to notify a customer of a received financial transaction request. To send the notification, the intermediary service retrieves stored customer information, including an address of the customer's mobile device and a list of payment instruments that can be used to pay for the transaction. Before continuing to process the received financial transaction request, the service may first require the customer to confirm the transaction via the mobile device. The intermediary service retrieves financial account information associated with the customer from issuing institutions, and, if the transaction is confirmed, provides the account information to acquirers in order to allow transactions to be processed.

Abstract: A roll-back memory can be used to incrementally restore one or more data volumes in reverse chronological order to the data state they occupied at some prior point in time without using a backup copy. After the one or more data volumes have been restored in reverse chronological order, a roll-forward memory can be used to incrementally restore the one or more data volumes in forward chronological order to the data state they occupied at some other point in time without using a backup copy. Incrementally restoring the one or more data volumes in reverse chronological order may follow an incremental restoration of the one or more data volumes in forward chronological order and vice versa until the one or more data volumes are in the data state they occupied just prior to, for example, a data corruption event.

Abstract: A method and system of replicating data using a recovery data change log. According to one embodiment a method is provided in which a copy of a data change log at a primary node is maintained at a data recovery node, the data change log being associated with a primary data volume of the primary node, a failure of the primary data volume is detected, and a secondary data volume of a secondary node is updated using the copy of the data change log in response to the detection.