Abstract: A system and method provides targeted advertising content to a consumer based on implicit or explicit indications of interest by the consumer regarding products or services available in a retail environment. The retail environment is divided into a number of detection regions, with each detection region containing one or more display devices. The system can detect the location of a marker associated with a customer within the detection region. The system uses location information, as well as other customer information, to estimate a customer's goals for a particular shopping trip. The estimate may be determined based on the customer's time spent at a particular location, speed, basket size, etc. The system then presents advertisements to the customer based on the estimated goals.

Abstract: A system and method for tracking advertisements that are electronically presented to consumers on computing devices and correlating the presented advertisements with consumer visits to retail environments. Using a computing device, a consumer that accesses electronic content may be presented with advertisements. Presented electronic advertisements include a first script that is executed when an advertisement is displayed in order to transmit a presentation message to the monitoring system. The presentation message is used by the monitoring system to track the identity of advertisements that are presented to consumers. When consumers visit a retail establishment, an advertising system utilizes the information about the electronic advertisements that have been presented to consumers in order to target advertising content to consumers on a network of display devices that are located at the retail establishment. Consumers may be targeted on an individual or group basis.

Abstract: A system and method for correlating mobile devices with temporary and permanent markers used by an advertising system that delivers content to consumers via a network of display devices. Each mobile device is typically associated with a single consumer, and demographic, financial, merchant, purchase history, or other information about the consumer is maintained by the correlation system. By correlating the mobile device with the marker, the correlation system allows information about the consumer to be shared with the advertising system. The advertising system may use the shared information in order to more accurately target advertising content to the consumer.

Abstract: A method for processing financial transactions includes transmitting an authorization request to a payment processing gateway server. The authorization request includes a supplemental header having a contract identification field that stores an identification of a contract between a merchant and a payment provider. A transaction response transmission is received from the payment processing gateway server in response to the authorization request. The transaction response transmission includes a transaction response header and a response data component. The transaction response header includes identification of a particular transaction to which the transaction response transmission is applicable. The response data component includes an indication that the contract is invalid. The indication that the contract is invalid is responded to by facilitating a rejection of the financial transaction.

Abstract: A gateway server, point of sale device and protocol are provided for processing financial transactions. A public network interface is configured to couple to a public network and communicate financial authorization requests. The financial authorization requests can include, for example, transaction specific data, a merchant store or location invariant and a supplemental header. A gateway processor processes the financial transaction authorization requests and couples to a financial network interface configured to couple to at least one financial network. The gateway provides a response to the point of sale device based upon data received from the financial network and the authorization request.

Abstract: An authentication protocol is disclosed for use in enhancing the security of communications between software applications and Internet-based service providers. The protocol incorporates a two level authentication model based on a distribution of authentication responsibilities, wherein the application authenticates users and the service provider authenticates the application. Embodiments of the protocol incorporate public key infrastructure and digital certificate technology. Other embodiments of the present invention pertain to applying a corresponding protocol to peer-to-peer communication scenarios.

Abstract: POS device statistics information is managed such that the information is available commonly without the device being claimed by one application during retrieval of statistics information. A helper class DeviceStatistics object facilitates storing of statistics information in a common statistic repository that may be hardware based or software based, for example an XML file. The helper class also facilitates retrieval and forwarding of the statistics information to a managing POS application employing a service object for the POS device. A Windows Service based statistics service is used to retrieve the statistics information from the common statistic repository and generate performance monitor counters. The performance monitor counters are provided to requesting applications.

Abstract: Automatic interoperation functionality for legacy POS service and control objects is provided. In response to a request for creating an instance for a control object that implements an interface for the POS device, a legacy interoperability subsystem determines a unique identifier associated with the control object. The legacy interoperability subsystem dynamically generates an in-memory proxy class, based on the unique identifier. Thereby, the legacy subsystem enables the POS service application and the POS device to communicate with each other without having to instantiate one or more proxy classes for each instance of the legacy control object.

Abstract: An electronic shelf label includes a transceiver configured to communicate with a plurality of wireless data tags associated with a plurality of retail products. The transceiver is further configured to communicate with a retail server system. A display displays information related to the plurality of retail products. A controller sends data to the retail server system related to the plurality of wireless data tags.

Abstract: The present invention provides Plug and Play (PnP) functionality for devices that are not supported by an operating system. In response to the installation of an unsupported device, the operating system sends the event to a device manager application residing in user mode code. Upon receiving the event, the device manager application automatically installs the supporting configuration entries and software. After the device is installed, the device is accessible from an application without requiring any programming changes. Events are exposed to the application through a through a common control library (CCL). The library is directed at providing a generic interface for accessing the devices. Using the CCL the registered applications may receive events associated with the device.

Abstract: A system and method are provided for wireless self-describing buildings. RFID tags are used to store information relative to a building. This information can be simple information such as a uniform resource locator, or more detailed information. Active and/or passive RFID tags can be used. Varying degrees of user access are provided. Accordingly, different users can be given access to relevant information based upon the type or identity of the user.

Abstract: An authentication protocol is disclosed for use in enhancing the security of communications between software applications and Internet-based service providers. The protocol incorporates a two level authentication model based on a distribution of authentication responsibilities, wherein the application authenticates users and the service provider authenticates the application. Embodiments of the protocol incorporate public key infrastructure and digital certificate technology. Other embodiments of the present invention pertain to applying a corresponding protocol to peer-to-peer communication scenarios.

Abstract: A gateway server, point of sale device and protocol are provided for processing financial transactions. A public network interface is configured to couple to a public network and communicate financial authorization requests. The financial authorization requests can include, for example, transaction specific data, a merchant store or location invariant and a supplemental header. A gateway processor processes the financial transaction authorization requests and couples to a financial network interface configured to couple to at least one financial network. The gateway provides a response to the point of sale device based upon data received from the financial network and the authorization request.