Abstract: Selective filtering of an incoming telephone call is provided wherein a caller ID information of a third party wishing to converse with a first party already engaged in conversation with a second party is retrieved. The priority level associated with the third party is then determined and compared to a priority level associated with the second party. In the event that the third party has a higher priority level than the second party, the first party is alerted to the occurrence of the incoming call. Alternatively, if the third party has a lower priority level than the second party, the incoming call to an alternate destination.

Abstract: A card structure provides an existing card having an associated card service and further having at least one associated service of at least one other card that is used by a card user. A display is coupled to the card structure for displaying desired information on the overloaded card. The overloaded card display comprises a silicone sheet display having embedded thereon an array of electrostatically chargeable balls. An electric charge is applied to each of the balls so that each of the balls is in a desired position to display the information on the overloaded card. The card is read by a reader at a card terminal, and an array of electrodes that charge and manipulate the balls face the display to charge them so that images programmed at the electrodes are left thereon.

Abstract: A system and method for managing an overloaded card with billing/clearing house services to a user of the card. The host card is set up as an overloaded card to which a card provider server system provides the overloaded card services. The overloaded card with the overloaded services is managed such that card transactions are tracked, and the user is respectively billed for the transactions. The transactions are cleared before billing the transactions to the user. All information relating to the transactions are consolidated on a single statement that is provided to the user. The overloaded card manager is used to manage the overloaded card and its services and provide the billing/clearing house services.

Abstract: A system and method of providing and using an overloaded card with overloaded card services. A card terminal reads a host card, and a server system determines whether or not to overload the host card with a card service of one other card. The server system overloads the host card with the other card services by associating the other card services with the host card within the server system such that no additional information must be encoded within or maintained by the host card.

Abstract: A system for managing services of a host card having multiple card services associated therewith. The host card is set up as an overloaded card by associating at least one other service of the at least one other card to the host card. The overloaded card with the overloaded services are managed. Overloaded card management data relating to the overloaded card and the overloaded card services are maintained, stored, and/or updated to reflect a change, if any, made to the overloaded card and with respect to the overloaded card services. Appropriate actions are performed in response to the change.

Abstract: A method of managing events in a pervasive computing client device having a browser. Upon loading of a page in a browser window, the browser issues an outstanding HTTP request to a specified port. Thereafter, upon generation of an asynchronous event on another port, the routine identifies an appropriate message and builds a response to the outstanding HTTP request. The response, which includes the message, is then delivered to the specified port, whereupon the browser renders the message to the user. Thereafter, the browser automatically re-issues the outstanding HTTP request and waits for another asynchronous event.

Abstract: A system, method, and computer readable medium for eliminating unnecessary ring transitions is described. Often, a requested system service or I/O operation can be performed entirely at a higher ring level, such as Ring 3, with no need to transition to a lower ring. In these cases, the software interrupt or I/O instruction which generates the ring transition is replaced by a call to a program executing at the higher ring level. Thus, the software interrupt instruction or I/O instruction is redirected to code that resides at the same protection level and emulates the effects of the instruction, resulting in improved execution speed. In the Intel 80×86 family of microprocessors, both the software interrupt instruction and the I/O instruction take two bytes to encode. It is thus possible to replace the instruction with the op-code for a segment:offset far call, letting the instruction stream dictate the offset for the call.

Abstract: Conventional scroll bars in a graphical user interface are replaced by a scroll indicating cursor. A customary cursor is augmented with indicators that appear to the sides of the cursor in the directions in which scrolling will allow additional information to be displayed. Scrolling is actuated by moving a cursor to an edge of the display in the direction of a visible indicator until the indicator is at least partially beyond the edge of the display. Less display area is required than with scroll bars and the nature of the scrolling indicator is more intuitive.