Apparatus and method for ordering supplemental information about programs playing at a broadcast receiver. The method includes the steps of reproducing in the vicinity of each of a plurality of users, programs from one of a plurality of broadcast stations (601); recording upon command by a user, an identification of a station and a time of a program on the station for which supplemental information is desired by the user (609); entering the recorded station identification and time into one of a plurality of information exchange terminals (607); coupling the information exchange terminal to the information depository to transmit information therebetween (162); and identifying a correspondence between the entered station identification and time and a program in a station log to obtain the desired supplementatl information.

Apparatus and methods for accessing information relating to radio and television programs

A retail transaction system provides enhanced customer convenience and increased transaction security by sending transaction information to a cellular network provider via a customer's digital cellular phone For example, a fuel dispenser is equipped with a communications link allowing direct communications to a customer's cellular phone When a customer desires to conduct a transaction using the fuel dispenser, the fuel dispenser transmits select information to the customer's cellular telephone using this communications link A telephone number is included in the select information When the customer presses send, or otherwise causes their telephone to dial the number transferred from the fuel dispenser, the select information along with any additional customer information is sent to the cellular network This information is used by the network to authorize a purchase transaction for the customer, such authorization information returned to the fueling station at which the fuel dispenser is located via a cellular link For enhanced security, the customer may be required to input their PIN in order to complete the transaction Notably, the PIN and the remainder of the transaction information sent from the customer phone to the cellular network is intrinsically secure due to the digital encryption employed by the digital cellular protocol Optionally, the system may be configured to cause the customer's cellular phone to automatically dial the number transferred by the fuel dispenser This capability may be enabled at the customer's option The system may be extended to other retail systems including in-store point-of-sale systems (POS)

Cellular telephone-based transaction processing

A hosted service provider for the Internet is operated so as to provide dynamic management of hosted services across disparate customer accounts and/or geographically distinct sites.

Method and system for providing dynamic hosted service management across disparate accounts/sites

A system and method in which remote users may be billed, on a per connection basis, for universal data grade access to their home office servers. Portable device 101 is carried by a transient remote user within wireless range of an Access Point (AP) 110 deployed at, for example, a hotel or airport lounge. Signalling resource 105 inside portable device 101 automatically initiates wireless contact with AP 110. Wireless contact with AP 110 includes a data grade network address of a destination server 130 to which portable device 101 desires to be connected. AP 110 contacts destination server 130, over Internet/data grade WAN 120. Destination server 130 in turn establishes a secure tunnelled Internet Protocol (IP) 124 with portable device 101 through AP 110. Information such as data-rich files or e-mail is then automatically exchanged between destination server 130 and portable device 101. When the remote user logs on later to portable device 101, applications programs may be refreshed with new information such as files or e-mail, received from destination server 130 since the previous logon. Likewise, files or e-mail previously identified by the user to be sent out will have already gone. Billing for this service is easily facilitated on a per user, per connection basis, since establishment of tunnelled IP 124 creates a recordable billable event for which either the remote user or the destination server 130 may be invoiced.

System and method for billing data grade network use on a per connection basis

A system for distributing incoming client requests across multiple servers in a networked client-server computer environment processes all requests as a set that occur within a given time interval and collects information on the attributes of the requests and the resource capability of the servers to dynamically allocate requests in a set to the appropriate servers upon completion of the time interval. Preferably, a request table collects at least two requests incoming within a predetermined time interval, a request examiner routine analyzes each collected request with respect to at least one attribute, a system status monitor collects resource capability information of each server in a resource table and an optimization and allocation process distributes collected requests in the request table across the multiple servers upon completion of said time interval based on an optimization of potential pairings of the requests in the request table with servers in the resource table.

System for balance distribution of requests across multiple servers using dynamic metrics

In a mobile communication system wherein connection is provided between a vehicle and an ordinary telephone network through one of the radio base stations which are installed within a district in which the vehicle passes the radio base station being connected to an exchange station associated with the telephone network, a billing system in mobile communication, wherein an out-band signal is sent from the vehicle to an exchange equipment in the exchange station whereupon a second out-band signal is sent from the exchange equipment to the vehicle so that, only while the second out-band signal is being received, measurement of time and billing are carried out in the vehicle, and wherein a billing classification is discriminated on the basis of a dial signal sent from the vehicle and the result of the discrimination is sent from the exchange equipment to the vehicle in the form of a voice-band multifrequency signal, also serving as a response signal, so that the condition for the billing is set in the vehicle.

T Hokawa

Papers

Billing system in mobile communication