A computer-implemented system and method for coupon shopping in an on-line shopping mall. A shopping mall system makes electronic stores of an electronic shopping mall publicly accessible over a public network to consumers, merchants, and others. A consumer may browse from one store to another, or select a store by category or otherwise. The consumer may select a product by browsing through a stor...

A trading system for the trading of fixed-value contracts employs a novel form of contract that has a fixed face value and two sides that respectively represent mutually exclusive outcomes. Traders submit bids specifying a selected "side" of the contract, a price, and a contract quantity specification, for matching with complementary bids submitted for the opposing "side" of the contract, thereupo...

A method for processing business information generated by multiple enterprises is provided. Initially, a data warehouse is provided that has the capability of holding business information. The data warehouse is populated with business information received from a first enterprise and a second enterprise. The business information is associated with the first and second enterprise based upon a set of...

The present invention relates to methods of valuing intellectual property assets and methods of securitizing such assets. The present invention provides a means whereby holders or owners of proprietary intellectual property may readily determine the value to the business of the securitization of their intellectual property estate and obtain capital by securitizing all or part of their intellectual...

The present invention provides easy, reliable, and efficient systems and methods for processing credit applications, for consolidating finance and insurance services, and/or for providing administrative and management tools. The systems and methods may advantageously be utilized at the point of sale of a durable good, such as a motor vehicle. In different possible embodiments of the present invent...

The above objects are achieved according to an aspect of the invention by providing an electronic communication system which delivers electronic messages such as e-mail messages and web pages over the Internet. An issuer wishing to generate and deliver such messages creates a set of rules which specify criteria for selecting message recipients and criteria for rewarding the recipients for receivin...

A promotion system (10) including a printed distributable medium (20) to be received by at least one potential consumer and containing at least one article of information printed thereon. At least one location designator (40), including an encoded symbol is provided in association with the article of information. The system further includes a first computer (51) disposed at a remote location and c...

A merchant (102) registers an electronic coupon or incentive offer with a coupon manager (120) through use of an electronic device. The coupon manager (120) forwards the incentive offer to a transaction processor (130) and enables access of the incentive offer to consumers (112) through use of an electronic device. A consumer (112) may select a desired incentive offer and register one or more acco...

A transaction enabled advertising system (10) includes an advertisement database (43) for storing ads, and a web server (26) operatively connected to a browser (12) for receiving user characteristics form the browser (12), for causing a display of a first ad having GUI responsiveness, from the ad database (43) corresponding to the user characteristics to provide targeted ad delivery, and for recei...

The present invention relates to a method for adapting information to suit a user's behaviour or preferences. The adaptation takes place with automatic optimisation by said user being identified and assigned a group affiliation, in that information is selected based on said group affiliation, in that said user's behaviour is registered, in that said user's behaviour and/or history is analysed, and...

production of oriented cellulose films. SUBSTANCE: nonderivatized cellulose is dissolved in amino oxides and extruded through annular nozzle and external air gap down into setting bath. Produced film hose is blown up by working gas. By changing drawing ratio from 1 to 10 and blown up ratio from 1 to 10, uniplanar axial, planar or uniplanar orientation of film is effected. Method provides for regul...

The present invention relates to hypertonic aqueous dispersions of unfractioned collagen of bovine or equine origin, a method and a device for the preparation of said dispersions.

An internal abrasive machine abrades material from an inner surface of a workpiece. The machine includes a casing rotated about a first axis, with a workpiece rotated therewith about the first axis. A housing is disposed coaxially inside of the casing, and a shaft is mounted eccentrically in the housing. The casing and housing are angularly movable relative to one another. A drivable spindle is mo...

A basic industrial plant complex efficiently utilizing energy, products, byproducts, and waste materials between the basic industrial plants as a whole to totally improve energy efficiency and contribute to energy saving. The basic industrial plant complex comprises basic industrial plants including an oil refining plant, an oil-fired power plant, a cement plant, a steelmaking plant constructed so...

A U tube for use in a fired heater for heating a process fluid, the U tube being provided with internal generally longitudinal fins over its entire length.

The invention relates to a method for coating silicone elastomers, specially small surfaces ( < 100 mm<2>) made of silicone elastomers. The inventive method chiefly enables a coating with a thickness of < 300 mu m.

A photomask blank for preparing a reticle for use in the production of integrated circuits comprises a substrate 30, an electrically conductive layer 31, a light-shielding thin film 32 and an ionizing radiation resist 33 formed of a coated spin-on-glass layer. A pattern is directly formed on the layer 33 by electron beam exposure. After development with a solvent to give a resist pattern 35 (Fig 1...

A fluid-operated brake actuator having a hollow actuator rod between a spring chamber of a spring brake housing and a spring chamber of a service brake housing incorporates a valve within the actuator rod. The valve isolates the two spring chambers from each other in normal operation and releases a vacuum in the spring brake housing spring chamber when the spring brake is activated. A separate one...

Polyisocyanate based organic aerogels having pore sizes less than 100 nm, densities in the range 10 to 800 kg/m<3> and surface areas in the range 10 to 1500 m<2>/g are provided.

The process and apparatus of the present invention teaches how to treat a well-integrated woven or non-woven web (W) of hydrophobic fibers to make selective areas hydrophyllic. It also can be used to make a web of hydrophyllic fibers selectively hydrophobic. It uses a plurality of selectively adjustable shutters (69) on an applicator roll (60) rotating in a bath of liquid material (66) to place th...