Abstract: When a consumer initiates a MicroTrac account, they will be prompted to choose a password (PIN) protection for different types of vendor sites.

Abstract: A network-based method for identifying components for electrical distribution and control products includes receiving component specification information from a user and using a server to compare the received specification information with pre-stored information. The method also includes selecting at least one component which matches the received specification information and downloading to the user information related to the component.

Abstract: An interchange party computer system (IPCS) having means for presenting user interfaces to consumer computer systems and capturing data input through the user interfaces, the IPCS being associated with at least one database holding data representing a plurality of consumer profiles, the profiles including consumer profiles expressing service selection attributes for a plurality of service sectors, and at least one database holding data for a plurality of service programs under a plurality of service sectors, each sector being represented by service programs from a plurality of service providers, the IPCS including (a) a Service Comparison/Selection Module; (b) an Automatic Bill Payment Module; (c) an Automated Services Monitoring Module; (d) an Automated Best Services Selection Module; (e) a Services Search Module; (f) an Incentive Program Module; (g) a Data Mining Module; and/or (h) a Pooling Module.

Abstract: A transaction mediation system and a printing mediation system is provided that enables products of high quality (printed matter) even in the case that the ordering quantity of the products (printed matter) is small. In case that the printed matter is ordered by the printing mediation center from the printing supplier and by the shop from the printing mediation center, the transaction is subjected to the first transaction price table and the second transaction price table respectively. In case that there exists at least plurality of shops that complies with the second transaction price table and that there is a relationship in which the price per unit quantity of the product in accordance with said first transaction price table is equal to or less than the price per unit quantity of the product in accordance with said second transaction price table, the printing mediation center mediates the order of the printed matter from the printing service of the shop.

Abstract: An on-line interactive network community for the integrated purchase and sale of metals, particularly steel, is disclosed. The community provides an on-line supply chain of steel from raw products producers through the eventual end user customer for steel products. Buyer members and seller members after they have been qualified to participate and are assigned their unique member identifications, and sale of products, such as steel coils, by means of the electronic system. A complete legally binding contract is created between the buyer and seller, including all the terms and conditions necessary to transfer the product from buyer to seller. Buyer members are given the option to purchase steel products from an on-line product catalog by either an auction mechanism or a fixed-price product guide.

Abstract: The present invention includes an interactive user interface in the form of a banner advertisement having various data form elements and action form elements for receiving input and data provided by a user. The advertisement additionally includes commercial information relating to the product or service that is the primary subject of the advertisement. The advertisement is embedded in one or more web pages of a website so that when such web page is displayed, the advertisement is presented to a user. Upon encountering the advertisement, the user may enter ordering data, preferably by way of a wallet file created by a wallet program and resident on the client computer, into data form elements of the advertisement, thereby defining an order. The wallet program and the wallet file permit the user to populate all of the data form elements of the advertisement simultaneously.

Abstract: A consumer wireless shopping device, such as a phone or PDA, communicates with a server for completing purchase transactions. Consumers can store preferences, shopping lists, payment methods and shipping addresses on the server to aid with shopping. The location of the of the device is determined, such as by GPS or RF triangulation, and used by the server to help direct consumers to merchant locations for viewing items to be purchased as well as to inform consumers of special sales or desired items within a specified geographic distance. The system allows for use of various delivery options, including in-store pick-up and Internet fulfillment. The system also allows for use of various price-negotiation methods, including use of auction-bidding, competitor price-matching, and buying clubs, and volume discounting.

Abstract: A system and method for producing electronic invitations and for storing event information including receiving invitation information from a first user, the invitation information including information about an event and about recipients of the invitation, storing invitation information in a database, sending invitation information to the invitation recipients, and receiving from at least one of the invitation recipients a response to the invitation.

Abstract: A method and system that enables a mediator server to provide opportunities for individuals to sell and buy services between them. Mediator server acts as an intermediary agent to support the service transactions occurring between service providers and service purchasers. Mediator server is connected to a service provider terminal and to a service purchaser terminal over a network. The mediator server contains a database for a list of service providers, and the mediator server presents the list of service providers to the service purchaser for display on the service purchaser terminal, from which the service purchaser selects the service provider expected to offer the service desired.

Abstract: The invention relates to a system for production and dispatch of virtual photographic correspondence cards comprising at least one sender network (2, 3) and a recipient network (4, 5) for transmission of digital data, at least one interactive terminal (14, 16, 18) which has computer resources, means for taking shots, means for payment, means for connection to the sender network (15, 17, 19) and a human interface, designed to permit taking of a shot and generation of digital photographic data, digital payment data and digital client data, at least part of the client data and photographic data forming the virtual card, at least one centralising computer device (1) for automatic processing of the said data, which is connected to the sender (2, 3) and recipient (4, 5) networks, and can gather, via the sender network (2, 3), at least part of the data stored in each interactive terminal, record the data gathered, and address at least part of these data (including the virtual card) via the recipient network (4, 5).

Abstract: Print service receiving servers 2-1 and 2-2 are connected to a network 1. A user, in case of requesting print of digital image data recorded on a recording medium 5, mounts the recording medium 5 onto a terminal 4. On the recording medium 5, connection address data to the specified server (for example, server 2-1) and data indicating the specified service shop (for example, service shop 3-1) are recorded. When the recording medium 5 is mounted, the terminal 4 connects through the network 1 to the server 2-1 and transmits print request data (service shop data, requester, the requested number of prints and the like) together with the digital image data to be printed, and the server 2-1 sends other data than the service shop data to a service shop 3-1.

Abstract: In accordance with a request from a portable telephone 60, a sound data delivering server 20 delivers a trial-listening music data to the portable telephone without charging a fee to a user of the portable telephone, or delivers a regular music data to the portable telephone upon charging a fee to the user. The delivered trial-listening music data is actually reproduced by the portable telephone; however, the number of reproduction times is limited, and the trial-listening music data is erased from a memory (RAM 63) of the portable telephone after the trial-listening music data is reproduced for the predetermined number of reproduction times. Thus, a system is provided in which the user of the portable telephone can obtain the trial-listening music data of an incoming call melody without being charged for the fee, and can actually reproduce the trial-listening music data with the use of the user s portable telephone.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for inputting an end-user's current brand name and, in return, providing at least one comparable branded product to the end-user where the category of branded products are non-comparison shopped products. In one embodiment, the method and apparatus is utilized in the area of medical devices including such markets as patients with intestinal stomas, incontinence wound care needs and diabetes.

Abstract: A system for electronic business transactions enabling purchases in an online environment to be picked up locally. Participating merchant(s) manipulate the particulars of products offered such as price, quantity available and time allotted each offer. The purchaser views products via server generated web pages. Merchants manipulate particulars of said products via web pages within the network which allow specific particulars to be editable by said merchant and displayed to the potential purchaser. The potential purchaser enters a locality identifier such as zip code to retrieve options from involved merchants for purchase and then pick up in the preferred locality. An interactive electronic environment is created.

Abstract: A method for customizing a tire and ordering for purchase a custom tire allows a purchaser to select certain features for a tire, for example, colored rubber for certain locations on the tread, using computer-based communication with a server system. The purchaser is presented with choices of features to incorporate in a tire, and is shown images representing a tire having the selected features. At the purchaser's request, an electronic order is formed and presented to the manufacturing entity, which executes the order via an automated manufacturing process to build, cure, and ship the tire or tires to the purchaser. The manufacturing entity automatically reports certain events to the server system, which generates and sends electronic messages to the purchaser to inform him or her of the progress of the order.

Abstract: An Internet boutique system is disclosed for displaying an image of a user in combination with the image of a commodity to allow the user to determine whether the commodity will fit the user or not. The Internet boutique system has a user image manager and a coordination processor. The user image manager acquires the image of the user from an image capture device and registers the acquired image of the user in a user image database. Then, the coordination processor prompts the user to select a commodity type. When a commodity type is selected, the coordination processor acquires the images of commodities of the selected type from a server and displays the acquired images of commodities from which the user chooses the image of a desired commodity. The selected image is displayed in combination with the image of the user at a suitable position thereon. The user registers the commodity determined to be purchased in a purchased commodity database.

Abstract: A method for a service provider to facilitate financial transactions between demanders and suppliers. In one embodiment, the service provider receives a referral from a first supplier regarding a first demander rejected by the first supplier. Data relating to the first demander is entered into a database in association with a confidential demander code. A second supplier, through a database search, is provided information on prospective demanders, initially only by confidential code, and ultimately arranges a meeting with the first demander arranged by the service provider. If the first demander and second supplier consummate a financial transaction, the service provider is compensated and the service provider shares the compensation with the first supplier who referred the first demander. Related methods allow suppliers to search for other suppliers and demanders to search for suppliers or other demanders. Computer program products for carrying out the method steps of the invention are also claimed.

Abstract: A marketplace comprises an Internet website and webserver that allows frequent buyers and sellers to pre-register and pre-qualify one another so that surplus merchandise can find a quick and ready market. Such marketplace includes retail content, authenticated trading, staged auctions, trading tools, and integrated purchase-order fulfillment. Pre-registered and pre-qualified users are issued passports to the website. Sellers issue visas to potential buyers they wish to invite to select pre-auctions of special merchandise. Any remaining merchandise is then offered in a public auction.

Abstract: An electronic marketplace for selling and auctioning off display rights to digital imagery. Photographers upload digital images to a web site run by an auction house and specify the terms and conditions under which they are willing to allow others to display the digital images. Prospective buyers, who have registered with the auction house can view these digital images, and bid for the right to display the images. Various exclusive and non-exclusive display rights are offered, and various auctions and pricing schemes are offered, and the buyers are selected from the bidders according to one of a number of candidate auction algorithms, depending on the objectives of the auction house and the photographer.

Abstract: A system is provided for linking together a system of trading financial instruments to a system of clearing transactions in financial instruments. In a first aspect of the present invention, the linking system includes a network linking a plurality of trading systems and a clearing system. An external interface couples the trading systems to the network while a clearing interface couples the clearing system to the network. A transmitter module transmits trading information in a plurality of kinds of securities along the network from the trading system to the clearing system. That transmitting selectively occurs approximately simultaneously with the arrival of the trading information at the external interface. The transmitting also occurs independently of the selection of trading algorithm or clearing algorithm. A second aspect of the present invention involves a computerized method for coupling a plurality of trading systems and a clearing system with a network.

Abstract: An engine is provided for conducting electronic exchanges between sellers and bidders. The engine includes a lot handler module which processes each exchange as a lot object. The lot handler module associates each lot object with a strategy object. The strategy object associated with the lot object is for determining the transactional value of the item from at least one offer in a plurality of offers received in the exchange. The lot objects maybe stored in a lot container module.

Abstract: This invention relates to a trading system and method for use on a global communications network such as the Internet and accessible by anyone with Internet access and an account. More particularly, this invention relates to a system and method for using new trading instruments, namely, a system and method for trading new specialized contracts called eContracts, dContracts and oContracts on an open virtual exchange accessible via the Internet.

Abstract: A challenge faced by the present invention concerns enabling an auction system using a communication network, such as the Internet, to allow a large number of persons to participate in the auction at the same time. In the present invention, which answers this challenge, a management server (M) for managing the auction is connected through the communication network (I) to terminals (C) owned by participants in the auction. The management server (M) includes a bidding management unit (M1) storing a supplied total number of products to be auctioned, and determining whether a demanded total number of products reaches the supplied total number of products or managing the number of bidding sessions, a time period of bidding and so on, and a calculating unit (M2) for calculating a distribution of prices bid by bidders.

Abstract: The present invention is a system for matching customers with products in inventory that will be desirable and affordable to the customers. The system features the ability to store information on multiple products in a product database and information on multiple customers in a customer database. The system then matches particular products in the product database with particular customers in the customer database based upon matching multiple search criteria fields associated with products and customers. The system also has the ability to generate net prices for each product (i.e., total price or total monthly payment amounts) based upon the qualifications of the particular customer, and limit the number of products matched with the particular customer based upon the customer's desired total payment or desired monthly payments. By generating reports that integrate customer/product matches with net price information, the system provides for effective and efficient shopping by customers.

Abstract: A computer implemented, web-based system and method of commerce for tracking the work flow activities of a project. For an on-line auction embodiment, the system includes a single web page showing the status of the sequence of procurement activities that must be completed in order to consummate the sale of the items auctioned. Activities are displayed on the single web page in the planned order of completion showing the party responsible for the activity. The status of completion of each activity is indicated by a change in state of a visual indicator associated with each activity. In this manner the status of a plurality of transactions may be presented in an efficient and easily comprehended manner. Hyperlinks to additional web pages may provide the user with additional information regarding the transactions.

Abstract: An anonymous credit card has a unique identification number and a card value, which is exhausted when the cash amount of the card is expended. The card is sold by a first vendor and accepted by a second vendor when presented by the user. It is managed by an issuing institution, which verifies the presence of sufficient funds to cover the cost charged and deducts the charge cost from the card value. The card has a limited monetary value, which is advantageous if it is lost or stolen. No connection exists between the card and its owner. As a result, the owner's credit rating cannot be tarnished by actions of a third party.

Abstract: A cost control method for a mobile terminal 2,3 using a mobile telecommunication system comprises sending a cost control request from a Network Element (NE) 5,6, which is an access point for the mobile terminal 2,3 to the system, to a Cost Control Function (CCF) 10. A cost control result is determined at the CCF 10 in response to said request, and the cost control result returned to the NE 5,6. The result is interpreted at the NE 5,6 and acted upon.

Abstract: A system, apparatus and method for providing a set of hierarchical online ordering, billing and distribution machines and processes that manage the consumer order, consumer billing, retailer order, retailer billing and merchandise shipment over a distributed computer system is herein disclosed. This invention redefines the role of distributor in the traditional value chain in the Internet Age and reveals the method, apparatus and system of the E-distributor business model and processes. The distributed computer system includes at least one E-distributor server computer that executes the online order from retailers, a group of retailer server computers that execute the customer orders and a group of customers connected to client computers. At least one of the E-distributor servers also provides retailers with product information, pricing rules and billing rules. At least one of each retailer's server computers also provides customers selected product information, retail price, promotion information, etc.

Abstract: An on-line marketplace for entities providing collection services and those requesting collection services is presented. The web-site of the present invention may assist Clients in identifying the most effective set of Providers in connection with the characteristics of their receivables. The present invention may also provide a method for rating the effectiveness of the collection companies as well as a method for rating the quality of the receivables where Clients may evaluate and select one or more appropriate Providers. A database of collected receivables, data mining techniques, or neural networks may be used to examine a set of receivables and determine a set of collection services for an optimal return. A client may select one or more providers based on a self-selection process, an optimization process, an auction process or other selection method.

Abstract: An inserting system for communicating information from a mailer to a recipient by means of a document or electronic transmission. The inserting system includes: a device for generating the information located at a mailer's site; an electronic information server operably connected to the information generating device for processing and routing the information; a printer operably connected to the server for printing the information on a substrate; an inserting system operably connected to the printer; a communications network operably connected to the server for transmitting the information electronically; and a recipient reception device for receiving the information from the communications network, wherein the server routes the information to the recipient reception device or to the printer.

Abstract: A self-service terminal (14) comprising a port for outputting transaction details is described. The terminal is operable to append current information relating to preferences (such as share prices, exchange rates, and such like) previously selected to transaction details output via the port. A method of providing current information relating to preselected preferences to a user at a terminal is also described. The method comprises the steps of: identifying a user; accessing a datastore to obtain preselected preferences associated with the user; obtaining current information relating to the preselected preferences; and, in response to a request to output transaction details to a port, appending the current information to the transaction details.

Abstract: The present invention significantly enhances the value that can be provided to a sponsor of a website, thus generating increased revenue for the website host or owner. In accordance with the present invention, when an Internet user attempts to access a website or a page of a website from a computer terminal, the user is presented with a text and/or audio message appearing on his computer screen informing the user that the site is sponsored and that, to gain access to the website or web page, the user must either type or speak a sponsor access word. The user is then provided the desired access word via the same text or audio message or by a subsequently appearing text and/or audio message. Upon providing the access word, the user is granted access to the website or specific web page.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method of storing data on a rewritable data storage medium, to a corresponding storage medium, to a corresponding recording apparatus and to a corresponding playback apparatus. Copy-protective measures require that on rewritable storage media some data must be stored which shall not be modifiable or erasable by consumer end products. A practical problem is the storage of large quantities of such data in a fixed data area. Typically the capacity is limited to a few bits. Meanwhile the amount of copy protection data that needs to be stored may well exceed the storage capacity available in the read-only fixed data area. The invention therefore proposes to write the copy protection data as system data in the recordable data area (4), e.g. as part of the formatting of the medium (1).

Abstract: A collection/distribution server divides processing task accepted from a customer terminal into a plurality of processing units, and transmits the units to at least one or more user terminals. The collection/distribution server receives processing results of execution on the user terminals, and integrates the processing results to send back to the customer terminal.

Abstract: It enables easy and quick searching and delivery of information desired by a user based upon a portion of time-series data which consists of clip information from music, a movie, a commercial message, or the like. The user accesses an information search server from a user terminal which is connected to a network, and, using this portion of time-series data as a search key, performs searches upon said server for information related to the time-series data. The information search server returns the name of the tune, the title of the movie, the name of goods advertised in the commercial message or the like to the user terminal via said network as search results, and the search provider levies a price for said search from the user.

Abstract: Data C generated by scrambling user-desired digital data P and a control word CWp corresponding to the number of reproductions p are recorded on recording media. When creating a master, a user has already been charged for the number of reproductions p. A decryption block decrypts the control word CWp, which is read from the recording media, to CW0. A de-scrambler uses the decryption control word CW0 to decrypt the digital data P for output to a reproduction unit. After confirming the end of reproduction, the decryption block writes a control word CW(p−1) back to the recording media. The recording media may be reproduced p times with no need for communication between a reproduction device and an accounting manager.

Abstract: A document distribution system transfers a document from a source computer to a destination computer in the form of a print file. The print file defines the appearance of the document in a code suitable for telling a printer how to print the document. The source computer executes “license stamper” software for embedding an encoded license stamp into the print file before it is sent to the destination computer. Viewer software executed by the source computer receives and parses the print file to determine whether it contains the license stamp. If so, the viewer may generate a video display of the document defined by the print file or may print the document by sending the print file to a printer. However if the viewer receives a print file not containing the embedded license stamp, the viewer refrains from displaying or printing the document.

Abstract: A user registers a user public key PKU as a pseudonym at a trustee or issuer and obtains an signature for the pseudonym as a license. The sends the pseudonym, PKU identification information IdU and the amount of withdrawal x to the issuer institution. The issuer increments a balance counter of the pseudonym by x, then generates an issuer signature SKI(PKU, x) with a secret key SKI, and sends the issuer signature as an electronic cash to the user. The user verifies the validity of the issuer signature with a public key SKI, and if valid, increments an electronic cash balance counter Balance by x. At the time of payment, user sends the public key PKU and the license to a shop, and the shop verifies the validity of the license, and if valid, sends a challenge to the user. The user attaches a signature to the challenge with user secret key SKU, then sends it to the shop together with the amount due y, and decrements the electronic cash balance counter by y.

Abstract: What is disclosed is The Integrated Marketplace Model is a business model that applies to a marketplace viewed as consisting of several markets, each of which supplies and/or is supplied by another. It covers both the timing of supplies by one market to another and to the end-user and the prices charged for supplies by one market to another.

Abstract: A personalized product producing system enables customers to order a personalized product, such as a name card, a stamp, or a sticker/label, inexpensively and conveniently. Customers operate their own cellular phones to send personalized information to be engraved in a stamp or printed on a name card or sticker/label in the form of e-mail to a host computer. The host computer edits the information and sends personalized product producing data to a stamp personalized product producing device. The personalized product producing device produces a personalized product based on the received data.

Abstract: In general, in one aspect, the invention features a method of facilitating conception of inventive concepts by an inventor, preferably including the following steps. First, interviewing an inventor to identify or otherwise characterize a basic invention. Second, facilitating conception of inventive elements using creative stimulus comprising how-type questions relating to the functioning of the invention identified in the first step. Third repeating the second and third steps.

Abstract: This invention addresses the problems of current search techniques on the Internet—volume, ranking, difficulty to assess—and extends the solution to all kinds of electronic information accessible through networks and databases. The solution principle engages the help of specialists in particular domains and supplies them with tools to effectively scour the information resources for high quality information in their field, to commit that knowledge to distributed databases, to construct dedicated knowledge environments, and to submit corresponding context information to centralized registries. End users implicitly access mirrored services of these registries and use the context information to focus their searches onto the resources qualified by the expert network.

Abstract: Methods and systems for designing a Web page, to be hosted on a Web page server. The development applications provide an object-oriented, template-driven interface for a customer or merchant to utilize in the design of a Web page or a complete Web site. The Web site produced allows the merchant to become a part of a distributed electronic commerce system or Internet commerce system for doing business on the World Wide Web. The design tool can be implemented in a Java application or applet.

Abstract: A method, system, and article of manufacture for ensuring that the content and appearance of medication information is consistent, accurate, and reliable across multiple hospitals, sites, and users. Publicly available databases provide medication information. Relevant data is extracted from such databases and placed into a drug reference table. The drug reference table is combined with a hospital formulary such that the medication information in the formulary is modified, completed, reformatted, etc. Such modifications, completions, and reformatting are conducted by enforcing one or more rules that are applied to elements and attributes of a medication. The resulting medication information content is stored in a hospital formulary file that is accessed and utilized for maintaining, displaying, administering, etc. medication.

Abstract: The present invention relates to systems and methods for searching a data collection of employment information in such a manner that it is easy to search, drill down, drill-up and drill across the data collection using multiple independent hierarchical category taxonomies of the data collection.

Abstract: An XML-aware file system exploits attributes encoded in an XML document. The file system presents a dynamic directory structure to the user, and breaks the conventional tight linkage between sets of files and the physical directory structure, thus allowing different users to see files organized in a different fashion. The dynamic structure is based upon content, which is extracted using an inverted index according to attributes and values defined by the XML structure.

Abstract: A search-routing database is used to direct database search requests to only those databases that may contain results to the search request. The search-routing database contains a subset of the data fields from the other databases in the network, along with a field indicating the database to which the search request should be routed. When a database search request is received, a modified search request is generated based on the overlap between the type of information contained in the search request and the type of information contained in the data-fields of the search routing database. This modified search request is submitted to the search-routing database, which returns a list of database candidates which could produce results to the original search request. The original search request is then submitted to those database candidates, and the results are returned to the user.

Abstract: The present invention relates to systems and methods for searching a document archive in such a manner that it is easy to search, drill down, drill-up and drill across documents in an archive using multiple, independent hierarchical category taxonomies of the document archive.

Abstract: The present invention displays multi-dimensional data on a parallel coordinate axis. An engine unit executes the data mining process on displayed multi-dimensional data according to an instruction from a visual data mining tool and transfers the result to the visual data mining tool. The user interface unit of the visual data mining tool generates an axis corresponding to the result of the data mining process, adds the axis to the parallel coordinate axis and displays the result of the data mining process on the added axis.

Abstract: A system and method for providing computer network search services. The system includes a search interface builder, which provides a “wizard”-based interface and set of tools that allow a user to build search interfaces. The system also includes a token implementer, which cooperates with a token parser and one or more index maps to designate catalog fields according to a language-independent naming schema. A resource classifier is also provided by the system, which provides the ability to perform resource classification “on-the-fly”. A relevancy processor, which allows searchers and administrators to control the relevancy of a document discovered during a search depending on the source of the particular document, is also included in the system.