A smart electronic receipt system that provides intelligent receipts, called Smart Receipts, that electronically document a transaction between two parties and maintains a persistent connection between the two parties following a successful online transaction. A Trusted Agent on the Buyer's client system creates an order record which is stored in a database on a Trusted Agent Server and starts the...

Software for use on a client device that is configured for communications with at least one remote source of advertisements via a communications network instantiates an advertisement download function that downloads advertisments from the at least one remote source, during one or more advertisement download sessions, and advertisement storage function for storing the downloaded advertisements on a...

Software, for use on a client device that is configured for communications with at least one remote source of advertisements via a communications network, instantiates an advertisement download function that downloads advertisements from the at least one remote source, during one or more advertisement download sessions, an advertisement storage function that stores the downloaded advertisements on...

Software for use on a client device that is configured for communications via a communications network provides a first communications function that effects an advertisement download communication link between the client device and an advertisement distribution server system, via the communications network, at selected advertisement download times, a second communications function that effects a d...

Software for use on a client device that is configured for communications via a communications network provides a communications function that effects an advertisement download communication link between the client device and an advertisement distribution server system via the communications network, at selected advertisement download times, an advertisement download function that downloads advert...

Software for use on a client device that is configured for communications via a communications network instantiates a mode switching function that enables a user to switch between a first operating mode and a second operating mode, wherein the first operating mode does not require payment and the second operating mode requires payment, and a refund facilitator function that generates a refund code...

A broker-to-broker system enables originating brokers to send orders for execution to fulfilling brokers using broker-to-broker system secure networks and systems and for the resulting transactions to be cleared and settled in the name of the two parties using broker-to-broker system to manage the process. Locale-specific format conversions, such as for securities numbers, language, and currencies...

Software for use on a client device that is configured for communications via a communications network instantiates a playlist request function that generates a playlist request, and that transmits the playlist request to at least one playlist server, via the communications network, a playlist response handling function that receives and processes a playlist response transmitted to the client devi...

Software for use on a client device that is configured for communications with at least one remote source via a communications network, wherein the at least one remote source stores a set of available advertisements instantiates an ad selector function that selects a subset of advertisements from the set of available advertisements, an ad download function that downloads the selected subset of adv...

Software for use on a client device that is configured for communications with at least one remote source via a communications network instantiates a custom installer function that installs the software on the client device, and that generates a distributor identifier that identifies a distributor that distributed the software, and an ad donwload function that donwloads advertisements from the at ...

Software for use on a client device that is configured for communications via a communications network instantiates a communications function that effects an advertisement download communication link between the client device and an advertisement distribution server system via the communications network, at selected advertisement download times, an advertisement download function that downloads ad...

Software for use on a client device that is configured for communications with a multiplicity of other client devices via communications network instantiates a communications function that effects a send e-mail communication link between the client device and an e-mail service provider server system via the communications network whenever the user desires to send e-mail messages, that effects a re...

The invention relates to a computer-aided auctioning method and auctioning system according to which suppliers offer products, services and/or information as auction objects. Information on auction objects is collected in an input module and is distributed by means of telecommunications channels. Interested customers make auction bids for offered auction objects. Information on bids is provided, s...

An exemplary embodiment of the invention is a method of visualizing a production scheduling. The method comprises obtaining a text production schedule indicating a production schedule for at least one machine and converting the text production schedule to a graphical production schedule. The graphical production schedule is then automatically distributed over a network to one or more recipients.

The invention relates to a product ordering method which enables a mobile subscriber to order products (1) in a mobile radio telephone network (4). According to the inventive method: the mobile subscriber sends an order message (31) containing a product identification to a server (5) in the designated mobile radio telephone network (4); the mobile subscriber is identified in said server (5); the s...

The present invention is a method and apparatus for facilitating the selection of legal and legal-related service providers. When characterized as an apparatus, the invention has a host site computer, a listing client computer in communication with the host site computer, and a network subscriber computer in communication with the host site computer. Initially, a request for proposal is created us...

An optical head of a type useable in a optical disk reader/writer is provided. The optical head has a low profile, e.g., in a vertical direction parallel to the disk spin axis, such as less than about 5mm preferably less than about 3mm. Substantially all components of the optical system, including a laser source, objective lens, intervening optics and photo detector are provided in the optical hea...

Methods, systems, and articles of manufacture consistent with the present invention provide the ability for an intended recipient to forward an online gift to a secondary recipient prior to shipping the gift to the intended recipient. A gift giver accesses a gift server over a network (such as the Internet) using conventional browser software on a user node of the network. While online with the gi...

An automated exchange system is provided which includes a smart electronic double auction for allocating audience items among perspective buyers and sellers and for calculating a set of prices for the audience items, i.e. any form of advertising time and/or space in any media environment, based on buyer bids and seller offers. The system and method includes processing bids and offers, identifying ...

A playlist server system for supplying a playlist response to a client device which exchanges information with an information server system and which receives ads from an ad server over a communications network, includes a playlist response generation device for generating a playlist response identifying a plurality of selected ads to be presented by the client device, and a first communications d...