Abstract: An auction service is provided that stimulates competition between energy suppliers (i.e., electric power or natural gas). A bidding moderator (Moderator) receives offers from competing suppliers specifying the economic terms each is willing to offer to resellers or customers of resellers for estimated quantities of electric power or gas supply (separate auctions). Each supplier receives feedback from the Moderator based on competitors' offers and has the opportunity to adjust its own offers down or up, depending on whether it wants to encourage or discourage additional energy delivery commitments in a particular geographic area or to a particular customer group. Each supplier's offers can also be changed to reflect each supplier's capacity utilization.

Abstract: An auction service is provided that stimulates competition between energy suppliers (i.e., electric power or natural gas). A bidding moderator receives offers from competing suppliers specifying the economic terms each is willing to offer to end users or resellers for estimated quantities of electric power or gas supply (separate auctions). Suppliers receive feedback from the moderator based on competitors' offers and have the opportunity to adjust their own offers down or up, depending on whether they want to encourage or discourage additional energy delivery commitments in a particular geographic area or to a particular customer group. Each supplier's offers can also be changed to reflect each supplier's capacity utilization. The moderator selects one or more suppliers to provide electric power or natural gas to each end user or reseller, with each supplier providing at least a portion of the electric power or natural gas needed by each end user or reseller during a specific future time interval.

Abstract: An auction service is provided that stimulates competition between energy suppliers (i.e., electric power or natural gas). A bidding moderator (Moderator) receives offers from competing suppliers specifying the economic terms each is willing to offer to supply end users with electric power or gas (separate auctions). Each supplier receives feedback from the Moderator based on competitors" offers and has the opportunity to adjust its own offers down or up, depending on whether it wants to encourage or discourage additional energy delivery commitments in a particular geographic area or to a particular customer group. Each supplier"s offers can also be changed to reflect each supplier"s capacity utilization. The Moderator designates at least one supplier to provide energy to an end user, with the supplier providing at least a portion of the energy to be used by the end user at an end-user facility during a specific future time interval.

Abstract: An auction service is provided that stimulates competition between energy suppliers (i.e., electric power or natural gas). A bidding moderator (Moderator) receives offers from competing suppliers specifying the economic terms each is willing to offer to resellers or customers of resellers for estimated quantities of electric power or gas supply (separate auctions). Each supplier receives feedback from the Moderator based on competitors" offers and has the opportunity to adjust its own offers down or up, depending on whether it wants to encourage or discourage additional energy delivery commitments in a particular geographic area or to a particular customer group. Each supplier"s offers can also be changed to reflect each supplier"s capacity utilization.

Abstract: An auction service is provided that stimulates competition between energy suppliers (i.e., electric power or natural gas). A bidding moderator (Moderator) receives bids from the competing suppliers of the rate each is willing to charge to particular end users for estimated quantities of electric power or gas supply (separate auctions). Each supplier receives competing bids from the Moderator and has the opportunity to adjust its own bids down or up, depending on whether it wants to encourage or discourage additional energy delivery commitments in a particular geographic area or to a particular customer group. Each supplier's bids can also be changed to reflect each supplier's capacity utilization. Appropriate billing arrangements are also disclosed. The technology required to facilitate forward delivery transactions, in which a buyer and seller agree to the terms of a transaction today but schedule the delivery for a future time, would be helpful to end users, resellers and suppliers.

Abstract: An auction service is provided that stimulates competition between energy suppliers (i.e., electric power or natural gas). A bidding moderator (Moderator) receives offers from competing suppliers specifying the economic terms each is willing to offer to end users for estimated quantities of electric power or gas supply (separate auctions). Each supplier receives feedback from the Moderator based on competitors" offers and has the opportunity to adjust its own offers down or up, depending on whether it wants to encourage or discourage additional energy delivery commitments in a particular geographic area or to a particular customer group. Each supplier"s offers can also be changed to reflect each supplier"s capacity utilization. The Moderator selects at least two suppliers to provide energy to each end user, with each supplier providing a portion of the energy to be used by each end user at an end-user facility during a specific future time interval.

Abstract: The herein disclosed invention stimulates competition between service providers for traffic and facilitates a service provider's and a consumer's ability to make economic choices between competing telecommunication carriers. In this method and system, telecommunication switches route calls in accordance with economic incentives resulting from a bidding process between participating telecommunication carriers (Carriers), administered by a bidding service provider through operation of a central processor, at computer referred to as a bidding moderator (Moderator). The technology required to facilitate forward delivery transactions, in which a buyer and seller agree to the terms of a transaction today but schedule actual delivery for a future time, would be helpful to end users, resellers and Carriers. The Moderator can facilitate such transactions by processing requests for end users or resellers (as buyers) for telecommunication services to be delivered by Carriers in the future.

Abstract: An auction service is provided that stimulates competition between energy suppliers (i.e., electric power or natural gas). A bidding moderator (Moderator) receives offers from competing suppliers specifying the economic terms each is willing to offer to end users for estimated quantities of electric power or gas supply (separate auctions). Each supplier receives feedback from the Moderator based on competitors' offers and has the opportunity to adjust its own offers down or up, depending on whether it wants to encourage or discourage additional energy delivery commitments in a particular geographic area or to a particular customer group. Each supplier's offers can also be changed to reflect each supplier's capacity utilization. The Moderator selects at least two suppliers to provide energy to each end user, with each supplier providing a portion of the energy to be used by each end user at an end-user facility during a specific future time interval.

Abstract: Because of technological and regulatory changes, telecommunication service is becoming more of a commodity, with competition between service providers for traffic. The herein disclosed invention stimulates this competition and facilitates a service provider's and a consumer's ability to make economic choices between competing telecommunication carriers. In this method and system, telecommunication switches route calls in accordance with economic incentives (e.g., least cost routing) resulting from a bidding process between participating telecommunication carriers (Carriers), administered by a bidding service provider through operation of a central processor, a computer referred to as a bidding moderator (Moderator). Some of these switches may be provisioned to treat every call attempt presented to them as a call attempt to be routed to the low-bidding Carrier.

Abstract: Because of technological and regulatory changes, telecommunication service is becoming more of a commodity, with competition between service providers for traffic. The herein disclosed invention stimulates this competition and facilitates a service provider's and a consumer's ability to make economic choices between competing telecommunication carriers. In this method and system, telecommunication switches route calls in accordance with economic incentives (e.g., least cost routing) resulting from a bidding process between participating telecommunication carriers (Carriers), administered by a bidding service provider through operation of a central processor, at computer referred to as a bidding moderator (Moderator). The technology required to facilitate forward delivery transactions, in which a buyer and seller agree to the terms of a transaction today but schedule actual delivery for a future time, would be helpful to end users, resellers and Carriers.

Abstract: The herein disclosed auction service stimulates competition between service providers to carry 800 Customers' traffic and facilitates the 800 Customer's ability to make economic choices between telecommunication carriers. In this method and system, telecommunication switches route toll-free calls (e.g., calls dialed using an NPA of 800 or 888 in the United States and, typically, paid for by the called party, the 800 Customer) in accordance with economic incentives (e.g., least cost routing) resulting from an auction process between participating telecommunication carriers ("Carriers"), administered by a bidding service provider through operation of a central processor, a computer referred to as a bidding moderator (the "Moderator"). The Moderator provides each Carrier with bid information from other Carriers for at least a portion of all point-to-point routes for which any Carrier has submitted a bid.

Abstract: An auction service is provided that stimulates competition between energy suppliers (i.e., electric power or natural gas). A bidding moderator (Moderator) receives bids from the competing suppliers of the rate each is willing to charge to particular end users for estimated quantities of electric power or gas supply (separate auctions). Each supplier receives competing bids from the Moderator and has the opportunity to adjust its own bids down or up, depending on whether it wants to encourage or discourage additional energy delivery commitments in a particular geographic area or to a particular customer group. Each supplier's bids can also be changed to reflect each supplier's capacity utilization. Appropriate billing arrangements are also disclosed.

Abstract: Telecommunications switches route calls in accordance with economic incentives (e.g., least cost routing) resulting from a bidding process between participating telecommunications carriers (Carriers) by operation of a central processor, a computer referred to as a bidding moderator (Moderator). Each of the Carriers bidding for traffic informs the Moderator of the rate it is willing to charge (or other economic incentive it is willing to offer) for service at some particular time between two specific switching points defining a route segment in one or more telecommunications networks, for example, from an intermediate switching point on one telecommunications network to a terminating local exchange switch on another network. This "bid" rate may be lower than that Carrier's established rate for any of several reasons (e.g., the Carrier has excess capacity on that route segment at that time). The Carrier may change its bids as often as it likes as traffic patterns change.

Abstract: Telecommunication switches (e.g., PBX's or local exchange carrier's Centrex-enabled switches) route calls in accordance with economic incentives (e.g., least cost routing) resulting from a bidding process between participating telecommunication Carriers (Carriers) by operation of a central processor, a computer referred to as a bidding moderator (Moderator). Each of the Carriers bidding for traffic over a route informs the Moderator of the rate it is willing to charge for (or other economic incentive it is willing to offer) service between two specific points in a telecommunication network, for example, from one NPA-NXX to another NPA-NXX, at some particular time. This "bid" rate may be lower than that Carrier's established rate for any of several reasons (e.g., the Carrier has excess capacity on that route at that time). The Carrier may change its bids as often as it likes during the day as traffic patterns change.

Abstract: Telecommunication switches (e.g., PBX's or local exchange carrier's Centrex-enabled switches) route calls in accordance with economic incentives (e.g., least cost routing) resulting from a bidding process between participating telecommunication Carriers (Carriers) by operation of a central processor, a computer referred to as a bidding moderator (Moderator). Each of the Carriers bidding for traffic over a route informs the Moderator of the rate it is willing to charge for (or other economic incentive it is willing to offer) service between two specific points in a telecommunication network, for example, from one NPA-NXX to another NPA-NXX, at some particular time. This "bid" rate may be lower than that Carrier's established rate for any of several reasons (e.g., the Carrier has excess capacity on that route at that time). The Carrier may change its bids as often as it likes during the day as traffic patterns change.

Abstract: The disclosed voice-based communications system and method provides an architecture for communication among team-organized users. After a single, voice accessed log on procedure, a user who is a member of more than one team is able to designate a team and enter a communication session, within which the user can communicate with members of that team, either individually or as a group (by broadcast). After completing communication with correspondents associated with the first-team's activities, the user can transfer to a second communication session, within which communication with members of a second-team takes place. The computer and software that controls the system assures that within each team communication session, communication is permitted only among members of one team. Team membership and the communication services available to each team are controlled by each team's team organizer.

Abstract: In this communications architecture, a receiver or a receiver control entity acting on behalf of the receiver or a group of receivers, controls the communication of voice, data, or video from individual senders. This is accomplished by placing a Registrar between the senders and receivers. Upon an authorized request from a sender to access a receiver, the Registrar issues a vector to the sender and stores the vector in a database. The vector uniquely identifies both the sender and the receiver. Each time the sender wishes to make a voice call or send a data packet or a video transmission to a particular receiver, the corresponding vector is sent to the switch as the receiver's address. The switch sends the vector to the Registrar for call treatment instruction.

Abstract: Telecommunication switches (e.g., PBX's or local exchange carrier's switches) route calls in accordance with economic incentives (e.g., least cost routing) resulting from a bidding process between participating interexchange telecommunication carriers (Carriers) by operation of a central processor, a computer referred to as a bidding moderator (Moderator). Each of the Carriers informs the Moderator of the rate it is willing to charge (or other economic incentive it is willing to offer) for service between two specific points in the telecommunication network at some particular time. The Moderator collects this bid information from all the Carriers, sorts it among originating points and transmits it to an adjunct processor at each subscribing switch location and to all participating Carriers' network management centers. From the list of all Carriers providing bid information to the Moderator, each Subscriber can select those Carriers to which it wants traffic routed and can change that selection at any time.