A computerized method and system for automatic deferment of debt on a credit account of a customer of a financial institution includes a credit protector system of the financial institution which receives a request for enrollment for the customer and automatically marks a file for the credit account with information about enrollment for activation of deferment of debt on the account upon verification of an event such as hospitalization, unemployment, disability or family leave of the customer. T...

A bar code scanner and method for scanning a bar code symbol that splits a light beam using a liquid crystal device and directs the split light beams toward a bar code symbol using a moveable mirror. The light reflected by the symbol from each of the split light beams is summed and converted to an electrical signal indicative of the bar code symbol. The electrical signal is processed to decode the bar code symbol, but, if decoding is unsuccessful, the liquid crystal device is changed to affect t...

A method for providing security for the embedded value of a debit card and a secured debit card package having an embedded value and being adapted to be sold from open and unprotected retail shelving. The second debit card package comprises a debit card, formed as from a first material bearing a card identification number, and packaging formed as from a second different material securing the debit card thereto, the packaging defining a window through which the card identification number is visib...

A process is disclosed for determining and/or paying a compensation for pollutants in the exhaust fumes of a combustion unit (1). The pollutants in the exhaust fumes are determined by at least one sensor (4) and an amount of monetary unit which corresponds to the pollutant emission is debited from a chip card (9) by a computer (7) and a chip card reader (8).

A Web-based television system for enabling an operator to access and display HTML-encoded documents located on the WWW. The system comprises one or more Internet information servers, an Internet terminal unit, and television set having a wireless remote control device and an audio-visual monitor. The Internet information servers store a plurality of HTML-encoded documents at a plurality of storage locations specified by a plurality of Uniform Resource Locators (URLs). The Internet terminal unit ...

A method comprises steps of sensing a first user action, transmitting a first optical message in response to the first user action, and performing at least one optical code reading step in response to non-receipt of a valid response to the first optical message. An apparatus to perform the aforementioned steps and an article of manufacture to direct the aforementioned steps are disclosed.

The smart card drive of the present invention includes a smart card device having a microprocessor and a smart card adapter serially connected to a local, dedicated modular computer circuit having a network interface circuit. The combination of these components creates a smart card drive that is able to initiate a network connection and communicate with any peer node in a local area network also equipped with a network interface circuit and network listening software.

A bar code scanning system for a conveyor system in which a first conveyor and a second conveyor are disposed apart from each other by a small gap region. A light emitting device is positioned in the gap underneath a top surface of the first and second conveyors, and the light emitting device shines light onto bar code labels on a bottom side of objects as the objects traverse from the first conveyor to the second conveyor. A light receiving device is also positioned in the gap, and the light re...

A novel Web-based package routing, tracking and delivering system and method that uses URL/ZIP-CODE encoded bar code symbols on parcels and packages. The system comprises one or more Routing, Tracking and Delivery (RTD) Internet Server Subsystems connected to the Internet infrastructure and updated at any instant of time with package tracking information. A Package Log-In/Shipping Subsystem is located at each shipping location and connected to the RTD Internet Server by way of the Internet infra...

A preferred medicament dispensing station (10) includes a computer (16) with a bar code reader (18) and a printer (20) coupled therewith. When filling a prescription from a supply container (12) of a medicament, the bar code reader (18) scans the bar code (28) on the container (12) and a computer (16) compares the bar code data with prescription data to determine a match before activating a printer (20) to print a prescription label (30) for the prescription. The preferred station (10) also incl...