摘要:
A payment unit is provided for serving a customer making a purchase. The customer has an electronic wallet containing an electronic checkbook for making payments for purchases of not less than a minimal checkbook payment sum, the electronic wallet furthermore containing an electronic purse for making payments for purchases of not greater than the value stored therein, the payment unit being part of a retail unit containing a point of sale for determining a purchase price. The payment unit includes a wallet interface for communication with the electronic wallet and a transaction manager. The transaction manger is operative, upon receiving the purchase price and communicating with the electronic wallet, to selectively execute, upon the purchase price being less than the minimal checkbook payment sum, either receiving the purchase price from the electronic purse or receiving from the electronic checkbook a paid sum not less than the minimal checkbook payment sum, and adding to the electronic purse the difference between the paid sum and the purchase price.
摘要:
A method and apparatus for processing a coded data stream of video information (e.g., video-on-demand) for selective display according to a Normal PLAY Mode or a Fast PLAY Mode, by splitting the coded data stream into (a) anchor data constituted of anchor picture frames (e.g., I-frames) coded without reference to other picture frames, and (b) complemental data (e.g., B-frames and P-frames) complementing the anchor data; storing the anchor data in an anchor data file and the complemental data in a complemental data file; upon the selection of a Normal PLAY Mode, combining the data of both the anchor data file and the complemental data file to recompose and display the video information; and upon the selection of a fast PLAY mode, displaying only the data of the anchor data file.
摘要:
A vending machine for serving a plurality of customers, each having a payment card, which includes a vending unit for storing and displaying an accessible inventory and for selectively enabling and barring free access of a customer to a plurality of items therefrom, a card payment unit which upon receipt of a payment card from a customer, validates, prior to said enabling, that the payment card can be charged for the value of the accessible inventory, and which charges, after the barring, the payment card with a sum in accordance with the items removed from the accessible inventory by the customer and a control unit for coordinating the operations of said vending unit and said card payment unit.
摘要:
An electric vehicle is transported by an electric carrier whose motor is powered by the main power source—chargeable battery pack or fuel cell—of the transported electric vehicle.
摘要:
To authorize a transaction between a host and a server, a token is operationally connected to the host. The host receives an identification credential of a user. The identification credential is verified by the token and/or by the server. If the token detects a prescribed human action, the token generates token authentication data and the host sends the token authentication data to the server. Upon receiving the authentication data, the server authenticates the transaction. A device for authenticating a transaction includes a device interface for interacting with a host, a connector for reversibly operationally connecting the device to the host, and a controller that authenticates the transaction only once, contingent on detecting a prescribed anonymous human action. One such human action is providing one or more inputs at the host's user interface synchronously with outputs at the device's user interface.
摘要:
A controller for connecting to and controlling active units of smart devices according to a spreadsheet received from a programming device and stored in the controller's memory and current states received from other smart devices. The controller may operate to provide to programming devices the spreadsheet stored in the memory for restoring a cluster of smart devices. The controller may include a real-time clock and interpret spreadsheet formulas that include time parameters.
摘要:
In a cluster of smart devices, an active device is selectably operable in either a hub-based mode under commands received from a control hub, or in a hub-less mode, where the active device autonomously decides how to respond to current states reported by other smart devices of the cluster. Optionally, an active device operating in hub-based mode automatically switches to hub-less mode upon failing to communicate with the control hub or upon detecting malfunction of the control hub.
摘要:
The present invention discloses devices and methods for a connectivity hub, for connecting a plurality of storage devices to a host system, including: a plurality of ports, each port operative to electrically engage with a storage device; electrical paths joining the plurality of ports to a common point operationally connected to the host system; and a controller operative to associate a relative physical location with a logical identity for each port. Preferably, the controller is configured to perform the association by correlating an insertion time of the storage device in a respective port with a detection time of the logical identity. A connectivity hub, for connecting a plurality of storage devices to a host system, including: at least 23 ports, each port operative to electrically engage with a corresponding storage device; and electrical paths joining at least 23 ports to a common point operationally connected to the host system.
摘要:
Devices, methods and computer-readable code for simultaneously monitoring the content of at least two streaming audio content channels are disclosed. In some embodiments, the monitored content is analyzed, and one or more features of the monitored content channels are computed, including but not limited to music classification features, content genre features, and spoken content features. These computed features may be used, for example, to compute a rating or score for each monitored audio channel, for example, a rating computed relative to user listening preferences, expressed, for example, in preference rules. In some embodiments, the presently disclosed device includes a channel selector for automatically tuning, for example, to a channel assigned a higher rating at a given time. Alternatively or additionally, content rating scores may be displayed to a user who manually selects and tunes to an audio content channel.
摘要:
Methods for recognition and interpretation of pinch-in and pinch-out gestures for unlocking a screen of a mobile device, which has been locked to prevent accidental activation of device functionalities while being carried, such as in pocket or purse.