Abstract: Transactional cards such as credit and debit cards include sensory features including sounds, sights, and/or smells to increase the interest in the transactional card. A transactional card may include circuitry for producing sounds such as sound effects, songs, and catch phrases. A transactional card may include circuitry for producing light, such as illuminating the account numbers and/or producing graphical displays on the card. A transactional card may include coatings or integrated materials that provide scents or that change color when heat is applied. A transactional card may include additional sensory features such as a lenticular array with underlying image.

Abstract: A process integrated messaging system is provided. The system typically includes messaging interface logic, parsing logic, analyzing logic, and database interface logic. The messaging interface logic receives a first message via a messaging client from an originating party regarding a record. The parsing logic parses the first message into its component parts. The analyzing logic examines the component parts of the message and provides a decision signal in response to the contents of the component parts of the message. The database interface logic receives the decision signal, interfaces to a database, and instructs the database to update the record in accordance with the decision signal. The database controls a number of records, each of the records tracking a process and steps associated with the process. Other systems and methods are also provided.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and computer program products are disclosed for providing a to a device. A zone improvement plan code, associated with the device, is obtained. A phic indicator, associated with the zone improvement plan code, is retrieved. The is retrieved from memory, with the discount based on the demographic indicator.

Abstract: Customized transactional cards are created in one of various ways. The card holder may obtain a blank transactional card already having an encoded account number, create a customized design, and then apply the customized design to the blank transaction card such as by printing the design onto a label to be applied to the blank transactional card or directly onto the card. The card holder may obtain a blank transactional card which has not yet been authorized with an account number, create a customized design, apply the customized design to the transactional card, and at some point send the transactional card to the card issuer where it can be authorized by having an account number applied to it and then returned to the card holder. The card holder may access a web site to create a customized design and then the card issuer creates the transactional card according to the customized design and sends the transactional card having an encoded account number to the card holder.

Abstract: Consumers are given the option at the point of sale to make a pre-payment for units of goods and/or services for which the consumer will take possession of at some point in the future. Consumers are given the option at the point of sale to complete a current purchase by utilizing the prepayment for a number of units of goods and/or services that the consumer has previously completed. The prepayment is tracked in terms of the number of units of goods and/or services that have been purchased. The prepayment may be tracked in conjunction with a transactional account such as a credit card account and the consumer may utilize the account such as by swiping a credit card and an option is then provided to either utilize the cash availability of the account to make a purchase based on current pricing or utilize the pre-paid units to make the purchase without regard to current pricing.

Abstract: Data cards have multiple machine readable strips to facilitate the swiping of the card in a card reader. A data card may have two or more machine readable strips on one side or one or more machine readable strips on one side and one or more machine readable strips on the opposite side. Where two machine readable strips are on one side with one on the top of the side and one on the bottom of the side, then regardless of whether the top or bottom of the side is present at the reader, the swipe of the card will be successful. Where a machine readable strip is on each side of the card, then regardless of which side faces the reader, the swipe of the card will be successful so long as the machine readable strip of the side facing the reader is present. Where both sides of the card have machine readable strips at both the top and the bottom of each side, then top or bottom of either side may face the reader and result in a successful swipe.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and products are disclosed for processing responses in a prompting system. A response is received to a prompt and compared to a set of conditions for interpreting the response. If the response is not interpretable, then an alternative presentation of the prompt is obtained. A supplemental prompt is sent that presents the alternative presentation of the prompt.

Abstract: One embodiment of the present is a method of implementing privacy control of location information. Such a method comprises defining a geographic zone for which pseudo-location information is to be reported as the current location of the user, wherein the pseudo-location information is not the current location of the user; receiving the current location of the user; determining that the current location is in the geographic zone; and reporting the pseudo-location information as the current location of the user when the current location is determined to be in the geographic zone. Other methods and systems are also provided.

Abstract: One embodiment of the present is a method of using location history to optimize communications with perspective customers. Such a method comprises analyzing a user's location history over a period of time; detecting an indication of user interest in sellable items based on at least the location history; and sending a message to the user about a sellable item that is determined to be of interest to the user. Other methods and systems are also provided.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present disclosure provide systems and methods of location-based status checking. Such a method comprises scheduling an event to occur at a scheduled time at a defined location; inviting an individual to attend the event; querying the individual as to whether the individual will attend the event; and tracking a physical location of the individual to determine whether the individual is on schedule to appear at the event by the scheduled time. Other methods and systems are also provided.

Abstract: Methods, systems and computer program products provide an IP based device health check. The methods include initiating a health check to be performed at a customer location. The results of the health check are received and stored as an install state. A current state that was created in response to a diagnostic test executed at the customer location is received. The install state is compared to the current state to identify differences between the install state and the current state.

Abstract: A process integrated messaging system is provided. The system typically includes messaging interface logic, parsing logic, analyzing logic, and database interface logic. The messaging interface logic receives a first message via a messaging client from an originating party regarding a record. The parsing logic parses the first message into its component parts. The analyzing logic examines the component parts of the message and provides a decision signal in response to the contents of the component parts of the message. The database interface logic receives the decision signal, interfaces to a database, and instructs the database to update the record in accordance with the decision signal. The database controls a number of records, each of the records tracking a process and steps associated with the process. Other systems and methods are also provided.

Abstract: Included are embodiments of a method for communicating user preferences to at least one environment. At least one embodiment includes receiving a request from an environment for preference information related to a user and receiving a user identifier from the environment, the user identifier obtained via a portable user device. Other embodiments include determining at least one user preference related to the user, determining capabilities related to the environment, and communicating at least one user preference to the environment.

Abstract: Included are embodiments of a method for collecting user specific data in an environment. At least one embodiment includes receiving a user identifier from a portable user device and receiving information related to at least one user action, the at least one user action being associated with the environment. Other embodiments include sending information related to the user identifier to a remote component and sending at least a portion of the information related to the at least one user action to the remote component.

Abstract: Included are embodiments of a method for interpreting user preferences. At least one embodiment includes receiving preference information from a user and adapting at least a portion of the preference information into at least one theme. Other embodiments include adapting the theme to at least one setting related to a receiving environment and sending the setting to the receiving environment.

Abstract: The present invention is a system and method for conducting survey using wireless devices. The system architecture of the present invention comprises a location server and a location system. The location server can receive a survey request from a subscriber, delineate a survey area for the survey, broadcast a query containing the survey to a plurality of wireless devices, process responses received from the wireless devices, and deliver a result of the survey to the subscriber. The location system can generate location information for each of the wireless devices that received the query. The location system may be a network-based unit or a portable unit provisioned at each of the wireless devices. In one of the embodiments, the location system is a GPS receiver that generates the longitude and the latitude of the wireless devices at which it is provisioned.

Abstract: Methods, computer programs, and apparatus for performing format conversion of a file attached to an electronic message. A message entered by a user is accepted. The user's selection of a file is also accepted, and the file is copied for accompanying the message as a file attachment. The file attachment is in a first file format of a file category. The file attachment is converted from the first file format to a second file format of the file category. The message entered by the user is transmitted, and the transmitted message is accompanied by the converted file attachment in the second file format of the file category.

Abstract: Systems and methods are disclosed for providing a location proxy. The disclosed systems and methods include associating a user device with a confining area. Furthermore, the disclosed systems and methods include reporting the location of a proxy device corresponding to the confining area as the location of the user device. Moreover, the disclosed systems and methods include disassociating the user device from the confining area. Furthermore, the disclosed systems may determine if a first condition associated with a user device is present wherein the first condition comprises the user device being unable to determine a location of the user device or the user device being unable to communicate over a communication system associated with the user device. In addition, the disclosed systems may use a proxy device to determine the location of the user device, report the location of the user device, or to allow the user device to communicate.

Abstract: A system and method of call-routing and caller-screening that employs voice recognition to automatically recognize a caller's voice and then screen a caller, if appropriate; all without forcing the caller to identity himself/herself, which may be perceived as rude or offensive by some callers. Instead, a synthesized voice automatically asks the caller to identify who the caller wishes to speak with. Caller's response to this query is used to identify the callee as well as to optionally identify the caller. Thus, the screening of the caller takes place in a manner that the caller perceives as a more natural way of telephone communication. Caller's speech is used to generate digital voice samples therefrom and the caller's voice samples are directly compared with other voice samples stored in a database without converting the voice samples into digital text files.

Abstract: An audio/video reproducing system is automatically electronically controlled in response to specific sensed sounds, specific sensed images and/or specific sensed patterns of nonvisible electromagnetic radiation that are identified electronically from a predefined set of specific sounds, a predefined set of specific images and/or a predefined set of electromagnetic radiation patterns. User preferences may be set to identify specific combinations of sensed patterns. The sensed patterns may be ambient sensed patterns and/or remote sensed patterns. Related systems, methods and computer program products are also described.