32 results about "Informed choice" patented technology

Systems and methods for providing energy management utilize wireless wide-area network broadcast signals and a decentralized receiver architecture to allow customers to make informed choices with regard to energy consumption and load shedding for particular appliances. A receiver assembly embedded within an appliance receives a broadcast signal, e.g., an FM subcarrier signal, including tariff data and other electrical grid data. A processor coupled with the receiver controls the appliance in accordance with the received data and in accordance with user-defined preferences. In some embodiments, a transceiver assembly is embedded in one or more appliances in a household. Each transceiver is configured to receive broadcast signals regarding grid data, and to communicate with other appliances and / or a usage meter over a wireless personal area network. Meter data from one or more households may be aggregated and uplinked back to the energy provider or other entities.

An arrangement for determining radio coverage provided by a telecommunications system to a user of a mobile device is disclosed. In the case of a GSM or UMTS mobile device, if the device is in the idle mode (step A) and if a paging operation is not scheduled (step B), the mobile device records and stores on the mobile device a characteristic of the radio coverage provided when the mobile device is at each of a plurality of locations visited by the user of the mobile device (step C). The arrangement also enables retrieval of the recorded and stored characteristic so that radio coverage provided to the device for the user at the locations can be evaluated. If the telecommunications system includes a plurality of networks, the mobile device will record and store the characteristic for each of the plurality of networks. The arrangement then enables the radio coverage provided by the respective networks to be evaluated, and an informed choice as to the best network for that particular user can be made.

A computer system enables a business to reduce risks from phishing electronic messages. One or more original web links embedded in the electronic message may be replaced with a replacement web link. If the determined risk score for the original webpage is large enough webpage and the user clicks on the embedded web link, a user is directed to an intermediate webpage rather than to the original webpage. The intermediate webpage may provide details about the original webpage so that the user can make an informed choice whether to proceed to the original website. For example, the intermediate webpage may provide pertinent information to a user such as the actual domain of the remote site, the country the site is hosted in, how long the site has been online, and a rendered screen capture of the remote website, and / or a confidence score.

The present invention is directed to a method for managing body weight by measuring preload efficiency and having the energy load of a food serving and providing information as to the measured preload efficiency and energy load of the selected food serving to enable an informed choice of an appropriate food serving. The method can optionally further include the step of calculating a net preload effect that is based on the measured preload efficiency and a known or estimated energy load for the selected food serving.

A system and method is described for managing the release of information from a personal electronic health record (EHR). A central data warehouse maintains at least a part of the HER along with at least a copy of a patient's permission plan for the release of data to others in the health care system. Requests for information may be made by addressees, each addressee possessing credentials. The system and method compares the credentials of the addressee with the personal permissions plan and releases the information permitted by the permissions plan. Where information is denied by the plan, the patient may be offered the opportunity to modify profiles of the plan so as to permit the release of information. The patient may be provided with background information on the need for release of the data, and legal aspects of the release of the data so as to make an informed choice.

Disclosed is a method of comparing the relative lateral stability among drill bits (that is, the tendency for a bit to whirl). This allows improved bit selection in applications where whirl is apparent. Because there will likely be many different acceptable bit designs produced by the above method, the comparison of the regenerative forces among these bits allows a customer to make a more informed choice between stability and other performance features among a range of bit designs.

Briefly stated, a pool to be assembled and emplaced in a slightly concaved location is available in a container. Similarly, an integrated beach cart and cooler system can house the self-assembly pool, and various other articles enabling parents to travel to and from the beach. Process, products and electronic commerce methods thereby are likewise disclosed, allowing consumers to make informed choices to review and purchase the instant teachings conveniently. A customer rewards function is exchanged for data-sharing about age and size of children to allow creation of a database of children for ongoing monitoring of upcoming purchasing needs. The integrated beach cart and cooler system may comprise an outdoor umbrella including a plurality of photovoltaic cells disposed on the upper surface of the umbrella.

An arrangement for determining radio coverage provided by a telecommunications system to a user of a mobile device is disclosed. In the case of a GSM or UMTS mobile device, if the device is in the idle mode (step A) and if a paging operation is not scheduled (step B), the mobile device records and stores on the mobile device a characteristic of the radio coverage provided when the mobile device is at each of a plurality of locations visited by the user of the mobile device (step C). The arrangement also enables retrieval of the recorded and stored characteristic so that radio coverage provided to the device for the user at the locations can be evaluated. If the telecommunications system includes a plurality of networks, the mobile device will record and store the characteristic for each of the plurality of networks. The arrangement then enables the radio coverage provided by the respective networks to be evaluated, and an informed choice as to the best network for that particular user can be made.

There is disclosed a system and method for dispensing postage or other authorization information electronically by using a portable processor containing a maximum amount of preauthorized postage which can be applied to any piece of mail or other item. A plurality of shipping service providers may utilize the portable processor to store and dispense credit value for authorization of various shipping services. Accordingly, a user is presented with information regarding various shipping service providers fees and / or services associated with particular shipping / delivery parameters desired by the user in order to make an informed choice as to a most preferable method of shipment.

Information sharing enhances the utility and effectiveness of gift-card transactions. A website enables a user to purchase or activate gift cards and compile recipient contact information to establish a gift network of the gift recipients. Information may be entered in relation to the interests or preferences of the gift recipients in the gift network. Product brands, services or merchants may be recommended to the user, and the user may be made aware of events, deals or promotions related to the interests and preferences of potential recipients in the gift network. Users are able to make a more informed choice regarding the purchase or activation of gift cards for recipients in the user's gift network, and manufacturers and merchants are provided with more effective advertising and selling tools.

The present invention creates a system for describing human experience, and creating, accessing and analyzing information that allows human experiences to be shared, compared, and analyzed. An Experience is described using Condition (C), Objective (O), and Strategy (S) attributes. Data is identified or tagged using C, O and S attributes, allowing the data to be combined to describe an experience, then making it searchable in such as way so that highly relevant information is selected, organized, and presented to the user. The system allows multiple individuals to share their experience data so that individuals can compare experiences, and make more informed choices. A system composed of experience databases, an individual's current needs, and automated computer agents, is presented to search for, select, display and update highly relevant information to the user as the user's situation changes, making information self-organizing, and automating the production of knowledge and taking actions based thereon.

Disclosed is a method of comparing the relative lateral stability among drill bits (that is, the tendency for a bit to whirl). This allows improved bit selection in applications where whirl is apparent. Because there will likely be many different acceptable bit designs produced by the above method, the comparison of the regenerative forces among these bits allows a customer to make a more informed choice between stability and other performance features among a range of bit designs.

The subject of debt and home mortgage financing play a critical role in consumer finance, yet its treatment within the framework of personalized financial planning has lagged in relation to breadth and complexity of debt instruments that are commonly available in the marketplace.Consumers require a decision support system to make informed choices related to debt financing.A strategic decision framework and a set of tools to properly assess consumer debt are lacking. Monte Carlo simulation, risk tolerance, and statistical methods are frequently in other areas of consumer finance, particularly the investment field. Similar methods have application in the debt domain.

Methods and systems for displaying search engine results where the file links are displayed with corresponding images of things that fall within a given category are disclosed. Object detection software can be used with a search engine to provide search results to a user that contain specific images found within the result pages (i.e. the pages of the websites returned as the results). For a given class of objects, the user can be presented with images that contain that class of object along with the result hyperlinks, allowing the user to make a more informed choice as to which hyperlink is the most appropriate search result, without being inundated with all of image files present in the result pages. For example, a search engine geared toward searching on the Internet for information about people could be augmented to show images of the people associated with each of the page results, allowing the user to see the faces of the people described in the pages before selecting the hyperlinks and visiting those pages.

Fertility problems affect (1 in 10) couples in Western society, making it one of the most common serious health issues. Despite this, little is known about the causes of infertility, and thus patient counseling and treatment are suboptimal. With infertility being such a common problem, identification of any cause would impact on a large number of patients, allowing better counseling, clearer diagnoses and the possibility of making more informed choices (e.g. adoption vs. IVF treatment). The present invention provides methods to identify a cause of infertility in a subject based on the genotype of the subject, in particular, by evaluating the status of the gene encoding FK506 binding protein-like (FKBPL). In particular, the present invention relates to use of the status of the gene encoding FK506 binding protein-like for identification of a cause of an infertile phenotype in a subject. Also provided, are methods method for identifying an infertile phenotype in a subject, and identifying a cause of an infertile phenotype in a subject. This diagnostic tool finds wide clinical utility in the identification of a cause of infertility, resultantly impacting on a large number of patients. Further aspects of the present invention relate to the targeting of FKBPL in order to temporarily and reversibly induce infertility in a subject. Such aspects of the present invention find utility in the development of a male contraceptive pill. Moreover, due to the high degree of homology between the human and mouse FKBPL gene, FKBPL can be targeted in order to induce infertility in mice (or other species) as a form of pest control or animal husbandry.

A computer system enables a business to reduce risks from phishing electronic messages. One or more original web links embedded in the electronic message may be replaced with a replacement web link. If the determined risk score for the original webpage is large enough webpage and the user clicks on the embedded web link, a user is directed to an intermediate webpage rather than to the original webpage. The intermediate webpage may provide details about the original webpage so that the user can make an informed choice whether to proceed to the original website. For example, the intermediate webpage may provide pertinent information to a user such as the actual domain of the remote site, the country the site is hosted in, how long the site has been online, and a rendered screen capture of the remote website, and / or a confidence score.

Methods and apparatus are provided for a context-sensitive dynamic bloat detection system. A profiling tool is disclosed that selects an appropriate collection implementation for a given application. The disclosed profiling tool uses semantic profiling together with a set of collection selection rules to make an informed choice. A collection implementation, such as an abstract data entity, is selected for a given program by obtaining collection usage statistics from the program. The collection implementation is selected based on the collection usage statistics using a set of collection selection rules. The collection implementation is one of a plurality of interchangeable collection implementations having a substantially similar logical behavior for substantially all collection types. The collection usage statistics indicate how the collection implementation is used in the given program. One or more suggestions can be generated for improving the collection allocated at a particular allocation context.

The present invention relates to a method, system and apparatus for rating risk and in particular to a system for rating public health and safety risks, including monitoring and reviewing compliance with such risks, among Suppliers in goods and services industries. The invention has been developed primarily for use as a means for food providers and consumers to review standardised results of compliance testing and risk rating in goods and services industries such as the food supply industry and to assist consumers to make informed choices about Suppliers such as food Suppliers.

Structured comprehensive polls are comprised of question and answer options and are supported by expert opinions and data points (subjective and objective information). Structured polls enable interested parties to conduct social research and obtain and analyze information about public opinion based on informed choices and crowd-sourcing applied to information collection and research based on 2-way communication with the target audience.

Methods and systems for providing an information-conveying layout based on tangential categories of products for sale in a retail location are applicable to any product for which there are multiple complex criteria for determining an appropriate selection. By providing customers with an intuitive and systematic approach to selecting a desired product, such as wine, the present disclosure provides customers the rare satisfaction of quickly making a precise and intelligent decision based on informed choice, rather than choosing only based on a direct category or relying on the suggestions of a salesperson.

A branding sub-file is associated with one or more SSID's. A user interface which displays available networks takes the available branding sub-files into account when displaying the names of networks within range. If branding is available for a given SSID, it shows a rich view of the network, using the branding information, allowing the user to make a more informed choice. A sign-up sub-file is also provided. The sign-up sub-file includes information, such as a list of items, that a network desires from a user to allow the user to access the network.

Methods and systems for providing an information-conveying layout based on tangential categories of products for sale in a retail location are applicable to any product for which there are multiple complex criteria for determining an appropriate selection. By providing customers with an intuitive and systematic approach to selecting a desired product, such as wine, the present disclosure provides customers the rare satisfaction of quickly making a precise and intelligent decision based on informed choice, rather than choosing only based on a direct category or relying on the suggestions of a salesperson.

A branding sub-file is associated with one or more SSID's. A user interface which displays available networks takes the available branding sub-files into account when displaying the names of networks within range. If branding is available for a given SSID, it shows a rich view of the network, using the branding information, allowing the user to make a more informed choice. A sign-up sub-file is also provided. The sign-up sub-file includes information, such as a list of items, that a network desires from a user to allow the user to access the network.

The invention discloses an informed choice timing belt. A traditional multi-purposed belt cannot accommodate enough water, thereby failing to provide required water for long-distance running. The informed choice timing belt comprises a transparent hollow sealing belt. The transparent hollow sealing belt comprises a belt tail and a head part, wherein the head part is provided with a belt head; the belt head is equipped with a window; a pedometer is embedded into the belt head; the transparent hollow sealing belt is provided with N bonding buckles; and the transparent hollow sealing belt is divided into N+1 segments at equal length by the bonding buckles. The informed choice timing belt is simply structured; a water container can be changed into a wrist belt in a smart way; the length of the belt can be adjusted as needed via the bonding buckles; the belt can work as a belt for trousers and can carry enough water, so sportsmen can conveniently acquire water.

The invention discloses an application of the traditional Chinese medicine platycodon grandiflorum as an in vitro spermicidal medicine and a method for preparing the medicine. The Chinese medicine platycodon grandiflorum is used as a raw material for in vitro spermicidal medicine, and its extract is prepared into an emulsion or a suppository for vaginal contraceptive medicine. The preparation method of the medicine is to grind the bellflower raw material of traditional Chinese medicine, soak it in 0.9% normal saline, the ratio of the bellflower raw material to the normal saline is 100 grams: 900-1200 milliliters, place it in a metal bath at 100°C and heat it, take it out After filtering to remove slag, the extract of Platycodon grandiflora is obtained, and the extract of Platycodon grandiflorum is made into emulsion or suppository, which is used for killing sperm in vitro. Experiments of the present invention show that the extract of Platycodon grandiflorum has no stimulation and burning phenomenon on the vaginal mucosa, and has no destructive effect on the vaginal flora, is absorbed by the human body through the vaginal mucosa without any toxic and side effects on human organs, can be used for a long time, and has the advantages of convenient use Advantages, provide a non-toxic, cheap, easy to use, reliable contraceptive effect informed choice method for family planning.