An integrated method for marketing products, said method including steps of: a) obtaining information about a customer from the customer to generate a customer profile; b) analysing the information to determine the likely existing and future needs of the customer and to determine the approximate times at which said future needs will arise; c) recording the determined needs and diarising said appro...

The invention relates to a drive train controller of a motor vehicle which has an engine and an automatic transmission. The drive train controller has an engine controller for controlling variables affecting engine torque and a transmission controller for controlling shifting events of an automatic transmission. There is an interface interconnecting the transmission controller and the engine contr...

Bilayer materials are produced by drying a solution of an alkali metal silicate upon the surface of a flexible backing material until a flexible silicate film is produced. The film may be separated from the backing material and incorporated into laminated fire resistant glazings. The alkali metal silicate solution preferably comprise a surfactant. The bilayers may be transported or stored before t...

A gearshift mechanism for a motorcycle ( 10 ) or other sequentially geared vehicle having a solenoid assembly ( 12, 14 ), a solenoid plunger ( 18 ), a switch apparatus ( 30, 32 ) and a linkage (22, 26). The switch apparatus ( 30, 32 ) has first and second switching positions and is operably connected to the solenoid assembly (12, 14). The linkage ( 22, 26 ) is secured to the solenoid plunger ( 18 ...

At present, there does not seem to be an expedient and reliable automated way of constructing contracts as existing automated systems only allow the searching and cross-referencing of documents. They do not cater for the process of constructing a contract. Accordingly the invention provides an apparatus and automated method of drafting contracts in a structured model-based manner, re-using existin...

It is often difficult to reliably monitor contract performance and receive timely information as to whether a client is actually going to carry out its contractual obligations. Accordingly the invention proposes a method and apparatus for binding business protocols to abstract actions defined in an e-contract. This allows one to separate the creation of business protocols from their regulation. Co...

It is often difficult to reliably monitor contract performance and receive timely information as to whether a party is actually going to carry out their contractual obligations. Accordingly the invention provides an apparatus and methods for communicating the changes in states of the contractual commitments of contracting parties according to an agreed commitment model and using agreed messaging p...

This PCT Application is to be published without Abstract.

The present invention provides apparatus for facilitating management of a plurality of inter-related contracts (20, 22, 24), which apparatus comprises: (a) a contract information database (100) configured to receive data from a computerised contract management system (140), said database including data on each contract, the data comprising at least: (i) the identity of the contract; (ii) a deadl...

The invention concerns an apparatus and method for the automation of rental procedures. In one aspect of the invention, there is provided a method comprising the steps of: (1) in an on-line contract initiation phase between a user and a rental company(a)remotely browsing resources of the rental company; (b) when it is established by the user that the rental company has a resource required for rent...

The invention provides electronic document interpretation apparatus for providing explanatory text to assist in the interpretation of an electronic formal legal document (1) with narrative language text, said apparatus comprising a database of explanatory and/or commentary text (22) in records associated with textual elements (2) of the said document, and processing means (30) operable to allow a ...

The invention concerns a method and apparatus arranged for fulfilling and updating an electronic contract. The apparatus comprises a portable device 20 and a contract repository 10. The contract repository 10 houses a repository of available contracts from which the portable device 20 is arranged to receive and load contract details of selected contracts having contract clauses which require that ...

A method of optimising the allocation of resources by a supplier in the event of the supplier being unable to fulfil one or more of a plurality of contractual obligations, the contractual obligations being defined in electronic contracts, and the method being performed by processing means and comprising: (a) determining the resources due to be allocated in order to fulfil each contractual obligati...

The invention relates to the automatic configuring of systems. In an embodiment of the invention, there is provided: user equipment (100), comprising the system (110) which it is desired to configure and a system monitoring and configuration module (120); Service provider equipment (200); and a contract monitor (300). The contract monitor (300) includes a machine readable contract (310) between th...

The invention concerns method and apparatus for the selection of a service provider for providing a service to a system - for instance, for selecting a telecommunciations service provider. The apparatus comprises a system monitor (20) to monitor usage of a currently in place system (10), a data gathering system (30), to gather pricing and contract information from potential service providers (40) ...

A sonde deploys a sensor against a well casing. The sonde has an expandable and/or resilient C-shaped member and at least one sensor. The C-shaped member has an annular configuration with a single gap that defines two ends facing each other. The member is compressible, and once compressed, its ends close together. A device releasably compresses the C-shaped member so as to allow positioning of the...

The invention is an inventory management system for automatically integrating information related to future orders and delivery, which will automatically convert the specifications and quantity of the delivered products into specifications and quantity of the corresponding component parts through a conversion table after finishing a delivery of the products, and delete the specifications and the q...

In an inventory management system having a database and a network connection interconnected a product manufacturer and at least one component part supplier, a process comprising estimating the quantity of component parts to be supplied from the component part supplier based on a spare part records of the component part supplier stored in the database, writing the estimate into one of a plurality o...

An inventory management system having a network connection interconnected computers of a product manufacturer and at least one buyer, wherein a process proceeded by the computer of product manufacturer having a database installed therein comprising the steps of estimating a quantity of repairable products based on records of a returned ratio, a repaired ratio and an inventory of returned products ...

The actuator has an elongated piezoelectric resonator (3) for performing longitudinal vibrations acted on by elastic arrangement (10) mainly supported in the resonator's longitudinal direction and exerting a force on it in the direction of the movable part. The resonant frequency of the elastic arrangement is much lower than that of the resonator, which is guided perpendicularly to its length by a...