Abstract:
An electronic game apparatus for guessing the English acronyms comprise a game console and a system processor. The game console includes an alphanumeric keyboard, a display, and an ON/OFF switch. The system processor includes a central processing unit, a read only memory for storing the system software for performing the acronym guess, a random access memory and an input/output interface. The system software for performing the acronym guess includes a start loop module for setting the playing chances and the players&#39;turn for each player, and a main loop module for displaying the subject category to be guessed, the acronym puzzle and the game wheel, and for guessing the meaning of the acronym based on the word spellings relative to each letter in the acronym puzzle and the related prompt information which are set and displayed at each segment on the game wheel.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    The present invention relates to the field of electronic games. In particular, it relates to an electronic guessing game involving certain subtle characteristics inherent with the English language, viz. acronyms.  
         BACKGROUND  
         [0002]    Over the past three decades, a host of intellectual mind games, primarily of the guessing types and both mechanically and electronically implemented, were advanced. The subjects of these games have to do with words of languages, numbers, cryptography, confectionery and mechanical pieces. A list of these games invented over the years is presented below as subject matter references:  
           [0003]    U.S. Pat. No. 3,524,648 (1970) “Puzzle apparatus”;  
           [0004]    U.S. Pat. No. 3,628,792 (1971) “Game apparatus involving magnetized selection of game pieces”;  
           [0005]    U.S. Pat. No. 3,825,255 (1974) “Number guessing game device”;  
           [0006]    U.S. Pat. No. 3,891,218 (1975) “Decoding crossword-type game”;  
           [0007]    U.S. Pat. No. 3,948,526 (1976) “Game apparatus for a game of hangman”;  
           [0008]    U.S. Pat. No. 4,012,044 (1977) “Hangman game apparatus”;  
           [0009]    U.S. Pat. No. 4,194,742 (1980) “Land and sea war game apparatus”;  
           [0010]    U.S. Pat. No. 4,251,078 (1981) “Guessing game”;  
           [0011]    U.S. Pat. No. 4,341,389 (1982) “Word finding and guessing game”;  
           [0012]    U.S. Pat. No. 4,375,666 (1983) “Electronic game”;  
           [0013]    U.S. Pat. No. 4,565,373 (1986) “Numerical guessing game”;  
           [0014]    U.S. Pat. No. 4,685,672 (1987) “Guessing game and associated playing period”;  
           [0015]    U.S. Pat. No. 4,733,863 (1988) “Confectionery game”;  
           [0016]    U.S. Pat. No. 4,811,953 (1989) “Numbering guessing game structure”;  
           [0017]    U.S. Pat. No. 5,338,043 (1994) “Cryptographic guessing game”;  
           [0018]    U.S. Pat. No. 5,359,780 (1994) “Bow sight assembly”;  
           [0019]    U.S. Pat. No. 5,479,506 (1995) “Cryptographic guessing game”;  
           [0020]    U.S. Pat. No. 5,740,243 (1998) “Cryptographic guessing game”.  
           [0021]    In U.S. Pat. No. 4,341,389 issued to Dumond et al. in 1982 (listed above), the disclosure describes a game to be played by two players and which involves the guessing by one player of a word selected by the opposite player. By questions and answers, the player will try to locate the position occupied by the word to be guessed, opposite a particular column, after which he will try to identify each letter of the word to be guessed. In his turn, the opposite player will also try to arrive at guessing the word selected by the first player. While this game is an excellent tool to develop the vocabulary of a person, it is totally different from the present invention which is a guessing game about acronyms of the English language and not directly about the guessing of words.  
           [0022]    As a matter of fact, the most popular games about words and languages over the past several decades have been the games of Scrabble and Wheel of Fortune. Both of these well-known language games are based upon and played around language words. For example, the game of Scrabble tests the players with their depth of knowledge about the words of the language. The players have to compose valid words (according to a standard dictionary) to score points using letters in their possession. On the other hand, players of Wheel of Fortune have to guess at letters in order to get to the words that compose and reveal the puzzle. Again both of these “words” games are different from the present invention which takes advantage of the subtle characteristics of the English language as expressed by its many acronyms.  
           [0023]    According to the Webster&#39;s New Collegiate Dictionary, an acronym is a word (as “radar” or “snafu”) formed from the initial letter or letters of each of the successive parts or major parts of a compound term. An acronym is not the same as abbreviation which is a shortened or contracted form of a word or phrase, used to represent the whole. The use of acronyms can be dated back a long way, at least in the English language. In the U.S., the use of acronyms appears to originate initially for simplifying the identification of certain public organizations such as associations or trade unions. The best example is the acronym “PTA” which stands for Parent-Teacher Association. No doubt many acronyms in the U.S. can probably be traced back even to before the early 1900&#39;s, however many acronyms started to appear in 1930&#39;s and 1940&#39;s. Examples are “UAW” which stands for United Automobile Workers and “AMA” which stands for American Medical Association and also for American Management Association. Even in the English language itself, acronyms sometimes also show up. One example is “TWIMC” which stands for To Whom It May Concern.  
           [0024]    But the proliferation of acronym usage across the American society at large did not start in earnest until after the World War II. There are several reasons to account for this occurrence.  
           [0025]    The most prominent is the continued growth of the population in peace time while the English language remains virtually unchanged, both in size and usage. By that we mean very few new English words have been added to the language from the period after World War II until today. Meanwhile more and more organizations and associations are being formed thereby creating the more acronym usage just for identification purposes. Examples are “UNESCO” which stands for United Nations Educational Scientific Cultural Organization and “NAACP” which stands for National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.  
           [0026]    Another reason is the continued growth of scientific disciplines in society thereby springing many new professional associations which do not exist before. Examples are “DISA” which stands for Data Interchange Standards Association and “ACAA” which stands for Agricultural Conservation and Adjustment Administration. Still another reason is due to the Government agencies, particularly the Defense Department and the Pentagon. During the period prior to the recent end of the so-called “Cold War”, a tremendous amount of research and development was earmarked for conventional and nuclear weaponry, space satellite communication and missile and rockets deployment. A host of acronyms quickly appeared on the scene, partly to conceal to some extent the nature and contents of many of the research projects from foreign nationals and average citizens and partly as jargons to impress the US Congress for project funding appropriations. The most familiar acronyms include “ICBM” which stands for Inter-Continental Ballistic Missiles, “SDI” which stands for Starwar Defense Initiative, “MSP” which stands for Mosaic Sensor Program and a host of others.  
           [0027]    But by far the greatest reason why so many acronyms are in use in American society today is the advancement of science and technology during the past several decades. This ushers in many new industries including computer hardware and software, microelectronics or the microchip, medical instruments, pharmaceuticals and drugs, genetic engineering and finally the Internet and the World Wide Web. The advent of these new sciences and technologies literally impacts all aspects of the American society. One example is the electronic banking and commerce. As an example of the volumetric use of acronyms in this industry alone, over 200 of them are listed in Appendix I. There are many other industries like the electronic banking and commerce and they too have their equally large arsenal of acronyms widely in use today.  
           [0028]    The widespread use of acronyms in just about every industry today has pretty much created artificial barriers or walls separating professionals, workers and the average citizen alike in different industrial disciplines. For example, a chemical engineer, accustomed to only reckoning acronyms or jargons in the chemical industry, has a hard time understanding a software engineer&#39;s acronyms used in the day to day transactions of the electronic banking and commerce industry. Because of this situation, the average citizen is getting harder and harder to understand the phrasing and terminology of many of society&#39;s fabrics which he has to interact and deal with on a daily basis. Unless something is done to counteract this unhealthy situation, many of the citizens in society will be by default becoming more and more isolated from one another. The progressive lack of mutual understanding among the citizenry of a society in their everyday life will in time become a threat to the peace and prosperity of the entire society itself.  
           [0029]    It is an object of the present invention to provide an electronic game apparatus for guessing English language acronyms. The object is to attempt to educate the average citizen through this acronym guessing game by familiarizing him with the meaning of many acronyms used in all facets of the society wherein he lives. The presently invented acronym guessing game is easy to implement, simple to play and hopefully exciting and educational. Since no such a game is available today, it is the fervent hope of the inventor that the presently invented game will serve to fill a need in society at large.  
         SUMMARY  
         [0030]    In accordance with the present invention, an electronic game apparatus for guessing the English acronyms comprise a game console and a system processor, wherein the said game console includes an alphanumeric keyboard to interface and input a command to the said system processor, a display interfaced to and controlled by the said system processor to display the status of the game, and an ON/OFF switch; the said system processor includes a central processing unit, a read only memory for storing the system software for performing the acronym guess, a random access memory and an input/output interface, wherein the said system software for performing the acronym guess includes a start loop module for setting the playing chances and the players&#39; turn for each player, and a main loop module for displaying the subject category to be guessed, the acronym puzzle and the game wheel, and for guessing the meaning of the acronym based on the word spellings relative to each letter in the acronym puzzle and the related prompt information which are set and displayed at each segment on the game wheel.  
           [0031]    In accordance with the present invention, an acronym game session is defined as a game playing period lasting typically, but not limited to, 30 minutes in length. An acronym puzzle game is defined as one of several to be played during a particular acronym game session. The number of acronym puzzle games actually played during a game session might vary dependent upon how long a particular acronym puzzle game is played by the players. Typically between 3 to 4 acronym puzzle games can be played during a game session lasting approximately 30 minutes.  
           [0032]    Although the Acronym Guessing Game can be played by just about any number of players, it is generally best played by four players or less. If the number of players is more than four (4), then the game session is preferred to be elongated to more than 30 minutes dependent upon the actual number of players. As a rule of thumb, each player should be allocated a playing time of roughly 10 minutes per game session.  
           [0033]    For every game session, there are six (6) subject categories specially assigned for players from which to select his/her puzzle, when his/her turn comes up to play for a particular acronym puzzle game. Associated with each of the six subject categories are three or more acronym puzzles to be guessed at and solved by the players. The players&#39; turns to play during a game session are determined randomly ahead of time by the game apparatus before the session actually starts. When it is his/her turn to play, the player will first select a particular subject category. An acronym puzzle will then appear automatically for the players to solve during the ensuing puzzle game.  
           [0034]    The first player then spins a wheel having 24 segments. All the 26 alphabet letters either singly or in small groups occupy a total of 18 segments. Two segments are allocated as “Wild Letter” and two as “Extra Clue”. One of the remaining two segments is “Lose a turn” and the other “Bankrupt”. As the name “Wild Letter” implies, when a player lands on this segment, he or she can pick any letter in the remaining acronym puzzle in order to fully spell out the word represented in the puzzle by that chosen letter. On the other hand, when the players lands on “Extra Clue”, a clue will be displayed about the meaning or origin of the acronym puzzle in order to help the player to come up with the correct guess. Except for the two segments “Lose a turn” and “Bankrupt” whose meanings are obvious, each of the other 22 segments all carries a monetary value. In some special acronym puzzle games, the monetary value of some segments could be replaced by a special promotional gift item or a travel trip paid for by one of the Acronym Guessing Game advertisement sponsors.  
           [0035]    The game continues after the first player&#39;s turn to spin the wheel. Dependent upon which of the segments is landed, the first player will start accumulate monetary value as shown in the wheel segment. Since the segment might also carry a letter (or a small group of letters), that matches one or more of those in the acronym puzzle, the word or words corresponding to one or more of the acronym puzzle letters will be fully spelled out if that is the case. If the segment contains no monetary value but a gift or a travel trip, the player will keep the gift or travel trip in lieu of the monetary value. After each spinning of the wheel, a player can take a guess at the acronym puzzle. If he guesses correctly at the puzzle, then that particular puzzle game will end and the winning player will collect all the monetary value accumulated during the game, plus any gifts or travel trips earned if applicable. The other players will forfeit their corresponding accumulated monetary values and/or the gift or travel items for the game that is ending. If the player guesses incorrectly, the game will continue with the next player waiting in turn to spin the wheel.  
           [0036]    These steps will continue until one of the players finally guesses correctly at the acronym puzzle to end this particular game. After a puzzle game is ended and if there is enough time left in the game session, a new puzzle game will start with a new player in turn to select the subject category and spin the wheel. The above playing steps continue from player to player until the acronym puzzle is once again solved by one of the players at which point the puzzle game ends. If there is still time left in the game session to play another puzzle game, a new player other than the one that started the last puzzle game will now begin the game by spinning the wheel again. Otherwise the game session will come to an end. As was stated earlier, a typical 30 minutes session will accommodate the playing of 3 to 4 game puzzles. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS  
       [0037]    [0037]FIG. 1 shows the Acronym Guessing Game system flow chart.  
         [0038]    [0038]FIGS. 2A and 2B show the Start Loop sub-flow chart.  
         [0039]    [0039]FIGS. 3A and 3B show the Main Loop sub-flow chart.  
         [0040]    [0040]FIG. 4 shows the game wheel for the acronym puzzle game.  
         [0041]    [0041]FIG. 5 shows the game apparatus status display as appearing in Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) screen.  
         [0042]    [0042]FIG. 6 shows game apparatus console.  
         [0043]    [0043]FIG. 7 shows the game apparatus system block diagram.  
         [0044]    FIGS.  8 - 18  illustrate the sequential game status displays of the Acronym Guessing Game Apparatus as appeared in the LCD display of the game console for an actual game playing example. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
       [0045]    [0045]FIG. 1 shows the acronym guessing game system flow chart. The start loop  1  takes over after the game apparatus is turned on. The main functions of this start loop  1  are 1) to determine using a single-integer-digit random number generator the playing turns for the players if the number of players is more than one but less than four; and 2) to select for the game session the six subject categories whence the acronyms from each subject category are derived. The start loop  1  is followed by the main loop  2 . The main loop  2  contains all the playing elements of the game including 1) choice of subject category; 2) presentation of the acronym puzzle associated with the subject category selected; 3) game wheel spinning for monetary value determination and possible help for guessing at the puzzle and 4) guess at the puzzle itself. Every time a player successfully guesses at the acronym puzzle thus ending a puzzle game, the main loop  2  checks for the time remaining in the session and makes a determination whether to end the session or to start another puzzle game.  
         [0046]    [0046]FIG. 2 shows the details of the start loop  1  sub-flow chart. After the game is turned on and the Acronym Guessing Game graphics are displayed in block  3 , a representative of the players is requested to enter the number of players in block  4 . After the six designated subject matters are selected internally by the game apparatus in block  5 , each of the players takes turn to ask the game apparatus for a random number as depicted in blocks  6 - 9  (see FIG. 2). Then based upon the ranking order of the single integer random numbers drawn by the respective players, the game apparatus enunciates the turn of play for the players in block  10 .  
         [0047]    [0047]FIG. 3 shows the details of the main loop  2  sub-flow chart. After displaying the 6 pre-selected subject categories out of a collection as shown in Appendix II and asking the first player to pick the first subject category in block 11, the game apparatus displays the acronym puzzle in block  12 . The game apparatus then asks the first player to start the game by spinning the game wheel in block  13 . The flow of the game thereafter is described in detail by the main loop  2  sub-flow chart shown in FIG. 3. A player is always given a choice to guess at the puzzle by block  14  (see FIG. 3) every time after he spins the wheel except when the wheel lands at either “Lose a turn” or “Bankrupt” segment. In the latter case, the player forfeits all his previous monetary values earned in this particular game (but not the monetary value that he might have already accumulated earlier in the game session) and forfeits his turn of play as well.  
         [0048]    When the game session finally ends due to time expiration, the player who has accumulated the most monetary value is declared the winner. For those players who have earned gifts or travel trips during any of the puzzle games played, those items have assigned monetary values and will be added to the earned monetary values of the players towards deciding which player is the winner of the game session.  
         [0049]    The Acronym Guessing Game wheel  15  is shown in FIG. 4. Note that there are a total of 24 segments in the wheel with one wheel position marker at the first segment of the wheel. The letters of the alphabet, either singly or in small groups, occupy a total of 18 segments as shown in FIG. 4 (segments  1 ,  2 ,  4 ,  5 ,  7 ,  8 ,  10 ,  11 ,  12 ,  13 ,  15 ,  16 ,  17 ,  18 ,  19 ,  21 ,  22 ,  24 ). Two segments are devoted each to “Wild Letter” and “Extra Clue” respectively (segments  9 ,  20 ,  3 ,  14 ) and one each to “Lose a turn” and “Bankrupt” respectively (segments  23 ,  6 ). With the exception of “Lose a turn” and “Bankrupt”, each of the other 22 segments are labeled with a monetary value or a gift or travel trip item. For example segment  4 , which carries the letter “B” has an assigned monetary value equal to $800. Similarly, segment  24  which carries the group of letters “X,Y,Z” has an assigned monetary value equal to $900. On the other hand segments  1  and  13 , which carries the letter “A” and “E” respectively, carries a travel trip instead of an assigned monetary value. The same is true for segments  7  and  19  which carries the letter “C” and “G” respectively, carries a gift item in lieu of assigned monetary values.  
         [0050]    The Acronym Guessing Game status display  16  as appearing on the LCD screen  28  of the game console (see FIG. 6 below) is shown in FIG. 5. The Session timer  17  is shown at the upper left hand corner of the display  16 . The winnings of players  1 - 4  are shown in rectangular boxes  18 - 21  respectively. Box  22  displays the puzzle game number that is being played in a game session. In the center is the main acronym puzzle display  23 . The subject categories (six categories) and the extra clues displays are depicted in boxes  24  and  25  respectively.  
         [0051]    [0051]FIG. 6 shows the Acronym Guessing Game apparatus console  26 . The console  26  consists of three items. The first item is the game apparatus ON/OFF switch  27 . The second item is the LCD display  28  which serves to display the status of the game while it is in progress as depicted in FIG. 5. The third item is the alphanumeric keyboard  29  which serves as the input to the game apparatus from the players. In the keyboard  29 , there are the usual 26 alphabet characters.  
         [0052]    The numbers  0 - 9 , the “Space” and the “Spin” keys are addressed with the help of the “Shift” key. In addition to the 26 alphabetic characters, there are also the “Back Space” and “Enter” keys to facilitate entering inputs to the game apparatus. For example, a player can guess at the acronym puzzle by simply typing in the words represented by the letters of the acronym. The game apparatus then makes the decision whether the input guess is correct or otherwise.  
         [0053]    The present electronic game of guessing acronyms can be implemented in quite a simple and straightforward manner using modern day microcomputer and microelectronic technologies. As will be described in more detail below, almost 100% of the functions for the game will be performed via stored software (permanently as Read Only Memory or ROM) in a microcomputer. The interfacing electronics, which governs the players&#39; input to the game and the game apparatus&#39; message or commands to the players, will also be controlled by software and hardware. The only separate and independent electronic circuits needed are those power regulation supply circuits and batteries that power the microcomputer. As far as the game display and game console are concerned, both the LCD display and the alphanumeric keyboard will be controlled also by the microcomputer. Both the inputs to the game apparatus and the output to the players from same are respectively directed to or originated from the software resident in the on-board microcomputer.  
         [0054]    [0054]FIG. 7 shows the system block diagram for the game apparatus of the present invention. There are basically four (4) component building blocks for the present Acronym Guessing electronic game. They are 1) system processor  30  which takes the form of a complete microprocessor comprising a Central Processing Unit (CPU), Read Only Memory (ROM) which stores the system software, Random Access Memory or RAM and Input/Output interfaces (I/O); 2) LCD screen display  31  (part of game console) interfaced to and controlled by the system processor  30 ; 3) an alphanumeric keyboard (also part of game console) interfaced and controlled by the system processor  30  and 4) power supply  32  to power the system processor, LCD screen, alphanumeric keyboard and other component building blocks.  
         [0055]    [0055]FIGS. 8 through 18 show the actual playing procedures, game console LCD displays and sequences for three players playing the acronym guessing game. As shown in FIG. 8, the subject category selected by the first player is “Our World” and the acronym puzzle presented by the game apparatus for playing is “UNESCO”.  
         [0056]    The game wheel segment positions are presented in sequence as follows:  
         [0057]    1. Position  21  [U,V,W and $1,000] (see Game Wheel layout in FIG. 4) landed by Player P( 1 ) [see FIG. 9] 
         [0058]    Note that in this case there is a match in the letter “U” of the acronym puzzle. The rule is that when the first time an acronym letter is matched, all the vowels, namely A, E, I, O, U that appear in the word begun with “U” will be shown. Thus in this case in addition to Player P( 1 ) collecting $ 1,000, the first word in the acronym puzzle starting with “U” is also shown, viz. “U_I_E_” and indicating this word is six letters long.  
         [0059]    2. Position  13  [E and a Travel Trip] landed by Player P( 2 ) [see FIG. 10 ] 
         [0060]    Note that in this case there is a match in the letter “E” of the acronym puzzle. The same first time match rule applies so that the word starting out with “E” is shown as “E_U_A_IO_A_” and indicating that this word is 11 letters long. Also the trip is worth $2,700 and is recorded in Player P( 2 )&#39;s winning box.  
         [0061]    3. Position  14  [Extra Clue and $400] landed by Player ( 3 ) [see FIG. 11] 
         [0062]    Note that in this case an extra clue appears in the LCD display EXTRA CLUE as “Headquarters in New York City”. Player P( 3 ) also collects $400 winnings.  
         [0063]    4. Position  23  [Lose a turn] landed by Player P( 1 ) [see FIG. 12] 
         [0064]    Note that in this case Player P( 1 ) collects no winnings and forfeits a turn. Nothing has changed as far as the progress of the game is concerned.  
         [0065]    5. Position  2  [J, K and $ 100] landed by Player P( 2 ) [see FIG. 13] 
         [0066]    Note that in this case there is no match of the letters J, K to those in the acronym puzzle. Player P( 2 ) collects no winnings. Nothing has changed as far as the progress of the game is concerned.  
         [0067]    6. Position  9  [Wild Letter and $ 500] landed by Player P( 3 ) [see FIG. 14] 
         [0068]    Note that in this case, the player can pick any letter in the acronym puzzle and has the word spelled out in full. Player P( 3 ) picks the letter “S” in the puzzle and the word “SCIENTIFIC” is spelled out in full for him. He also collects $500.  
         [0069]    7. Position  8  [N, O and $300] landed by Player P( 1 ) [see FIG. 15] 
         [0070]    Note that in this case, both the letters “N” and “O” match with those in the acronym puzzle. Since this is the first match for both letters in the acronym puzzle, only the vowels A, E, I, O, U are revealed as shown in FIG. 15 because they are both first matches. Player P( 1 ) also collects double the monetary allotment, viz. $600 instead of $300 because there are two matches of letters.  
         [0071]    8. Position  21  [U,V,W and $1,000] landed by Player P( 2 ) [see FIG. 16] 
         [0072]    Note that in this case the letter “U” matches that of the acronym puzzle the second time. In this situation, the additional letters “L, N, R, S, T” are revealed in the word starting out with “U” in the puzzle. The first word now becomes “UNITE_”. Player P( 2 ) also collects $1,000. [Note that after three matches of the same letter in the acronym puzzle, the entire word will be spelled out in full.] 
         [0073]    9. Position  6  [Bankrupt] landed by Player P( 3 ) [see FIG. 17] 
         [0074]    Note that in this case Player P(3) loses all his previous winnings and he further forfeits the turn.  
         [0075]    10. Position  7  [C and Gift] landed by Player P( 1 ) [see FIG. 18] 
         [0076]    Note that in this case there is a first match of the letter “C” and the vowels are revealed in the puzzle word starting with “C”, namely “CU  —— U_A_”. Player P( 1 ) collects a gift which is worth $1,500 and is added to his winnings. At this point Player P( 1 ) correctly guesses at the puzzle to be “UNITED NATIONS EDUCATIONAL SCIENTIFIC CULTURAL ORGANIZATION”. This game ends and Player P( 1 ) wins this particular game and pockets a total of $3,100 of which $1,600 is cash and a gift worth $1,500.  
         [0077]    Since the session timer only elapses a little over 6 minutes (see FIG. 18) and there is plenty of time left for the players to start another puzzle game. A typical game session will last 30 minutes.  
         [0078]    Thus, there has been described an Acronym Guessing electronic game, both as to organization and method of operation as preferred embodiments of the present invention. Additional variations which would be apparent to workers knowledgeable in the field, such as acronyms in other languages having an alphabet, are considered to be encompassed within the present invention, which is defined by the following claims.  
                         APPENDIX I                       Acronyms for Electronic Banking/Commerce                                ACH   Automated Clearinghouse       ACTS   Advanced Communication Technologies and           Services       ADSL   Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line       AES   Advanced Encryption Standard       AFCEE   Association Française pour le Commerce et           les Échanges Électroniques       AFNOR   Association Française de Normalisation       AH   Authentication Header       AID   Application Identifier       AIR-IMP   AIR Interline Message Procedures       ANSI   American National Standards Institute       API   Application Programming Interface       ARDP   Asychnronous Reliable Delivery Protocol       ARQC   Authorization Request Cryptogram       ASC   Accredited Standards Committee       ASN.1   Abstract Syntax Notation 1       ATM   Asynchronous Transfer Mode       ATM   Automated Teller Machine       ATR   Answer to Reset       BACS   Banker&#39;s Automated Clearing Service       BER   Basic Encoding Rules       BIN   Bank Identification Number       BIS   Bank for International Settlements       BISP   Bank Internet Payment System       BSP   Bank Settlement Payment       BTX   Bildschirmtext       CAC   Confirmation and Authentication Challenge       CAFE   Conditional Access for Europe       CALS   Computer-aided Acquisition and Logistics Support,           became Continuous Acquisition and Life-cycle           Support, then Commerce at Light Speed       CAN   Customer Account Number       CAPI   Cryptographic Application Programming Interface       CAR   Confirmation and Authentication Response       CARGO-IMP   CARGO Interchange Message Procedures       CASE   Computer-Aided Systems Engineering       CBC   Cipher Block Chaining       CCD   Cash Concentration and Disbursement       CCITT   Comité Consultatif International Télégraphique et           Téléphonique       CDT   Committee for Development of Trade       CEFACT   Centre pour la Facilitation des Pratiques et des           Procédures dans l&#39;Administration, le Commerce,           et les Transports       CEFIC   Conseil Européen des Fédérations de l&#39;Industrie           Chimique       CEI   Commission Électrotechnique Internationale       CEN   Comité Européen de Normalisation       CFB   Cipher Feedback       CFONB   Comité Français d&#39;Organisation et de Normalisation           Bancaire       CGM   Computer Graphics Metafile       CHAPS   Clearinghouse Automated Payment System       CHIPS   Clearinghouse Interbank Payment System       CID   Cardholder ID       CIDX   Chemical Industry Document Exchange       CIIP   Check Image Interchange Protocol       CMC7   Caractères Magnétiques Cod+EE,acu es à 7 Bâtonnets       CMP   Certificate Management Protocol       CMS   Cryptographic Message Syntax       COF   Common Output Format       COST   Computer Security Technologies       CPS   Certification Practice Statement       CPTP   Customer Payment Server Transaction Protocol       Creic   Centres R+EE,acu egionaux d&#39;Échanges d&#39;Images-Chèques       CRL   Certification Revocation List       C-SET   Chip-Secured Electronic Transaction       CSM   Chipcard Security Module       CTI   Computer Telephony Integration       CTP   Corporate Trade Payments       CTX   Corporate Trade Exchange       DAP   Directory Access Protocol       DEC   Digital Equipment Corporation       DEDICA   Directory-based EDI Certificate Access and           Management       DER   Distinguished Encoding Rules       DES   Data Encryption Standard       DF   Dedicated File       DGI   Direction Générale des Impôts       DIN   Deutsches Institüt für Normung e.V.       DIR   Directory       DIS   Draft International Standard       DISA   Data Interchange Standards Association       DISP   Directory Information Shadowing Protocol       DNS   Domain Name Service       DOD   Department of Defense       DOP   Directory Operational Binding Management           Protocol       DPA   Differential Power Analysis       DRAM   Dynamic Random Access Memory       DSA   Digital Signature Algorithm       DSL   Digital Subscriber Line       DSP   Directory System Protocol       DSS   Digital Signature Standard       DSSSL   Document Style Semantics and Specification           Language       DTD   Document Type Definition       EAN   European Article Numbering Association       EBES   European Board for EDI Standardization       EBS   Elektronik Banking Systems GmBH       ECB   Electronic Code Book       ECCHO   Electronic Check Clearinghouse Organization       ECP   Electronic Check Presentment       EDE   Encryption-Decryption-Encryption       EDI   Electronic Data Interchange       EDIFACT   Electronic Data Interchange for Administration,           Commerce and Transport       EDIINT   EDI Internet Integration       EEG   EBES Expert Group       EEPROM   Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only           Memory       EF   Elementary File       EFT   Electronic Funds Transfer       EFTA   European Free Trade Association       ElD   Electronic Identity Card (in Sweden)       EMV   EuroPay, MasterCard, Visa       EPC   Every Penny Counts, Inc.       EPH   Electronic Payments Handler (in BIPS)       EPO   Electronic Payment Order       EPOID   Electronic Payment Order Identifier       EPROM   Electrically Programmable Read Only Memory       ESP   Encapsulating Security Payload       ETEBAC   Échange Télématique entre les Banques et leurs           Clients       ETSI   European Telecommunications Standards Institute       EWG   EDIFACT Work Group       FACNET   Federal Acquisition Computer Network       FAQ   Frequently Asked Questions       FeRAM   Ferrite Random Access Memory       FIC   Federal Insurance Corporation       FSML   Financial Services Markup Language       FSTC   Financial Services Technology Consortium       FTP   File Transfer Protocol       GALIA   Groupement pour l&#39;Amélioration des Liens dans           l&#39;Industrie Automobile       GCARI   Graphical Communications Association Research           Institute       GDS   Goppinger Datenservice       Gie   Groupement d&#39;Intérêt Économique       GMD   Gesellschaft für Mathematik und Datenverarbeitung       GMT   Greenwich Mean Time       GOCPKI   Government of Canada Public Key Infrastructure       GTDI   General-purpose Trade Data Interchange       HEDIC   Healthcare EDI Coalition       HIBCC   Health Industry Business Communications Council       HMAC   Hashed Message Authentication Code       HTML   HyperText Markup Language       HTTP   HyperText Transfer Protocol       HyTime   Hypermedia/Time-based Document Structuring           Language       IAD   Issuer Authentication Data       IADF   Internal Application Data File       IANA   Internet Assigned Numbers Authority       IATA   International Air Transport Association       IBA   Italian Banking Association       IDEA   International Data Encryption Algorithm       IEC   International Electrotechnical Commission       IETF   Internet Engineering Task Force       IETM   Interactive Electronic Technical Manuals       IFTM   International Forwarding and Transport Message       IMAP   Internet Message Access Protocol       INRIA   Institut National de Recherche en Informatique et           en Automatique       InterNIC   Internet Network Information Center       IP   Internet Protocol       IPSEC   Internet Protocol Security       IRC   Internet Relay Chat       ISAKMP   Internet Security Association and Key Management           Protocol       ISDN   Integrated Services Digital Network       ISI   IBM Smartcard Identification (protocol)       ISI   Information Science Institute       ISO   International Standardization Organization       ITAR   International Traffic in Arms Regulation       ITU   International Telecommunication Union       ITU-T   International Telecommunication           Union-Telecommunications           Standardization Sector       JEPI   Joint Electronic Payment Initiative       JPEG   Joint Photographic Expert Group       JRT   Joint Rapporteurs Team       KEA   Key Exchange Algorithm       LACES   London Airport Cargo EDP Scheme       LDAP   X.500 Lightweight Directory Access Protocol       LETS   Local Exchange Trading System       LVMH   Louis Vuitton-Moët-Hennesy       MAC   Message Authentication Code       MD   Message Digest       MDG   Message Development Group       MF   Master File       MFC   Multifunction Card       MIC   Message Integrity Check       MICR   Magnetic Ink Character Recognition       MIME   Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions       MISPC   Minimum Interoperability Specification for PKI           Components       MIT   Massachusetts Institute of Technology       MTA   Message Transfer Agent (X.400 Messaging)       NACHA   National Automated Clearinghouse Association       NASP   National Association of State Purchasing Officials       NatWest   National Westminster Bank       NC   Network Computer       NFS   Network File System       NIST   National Institute of Standards and Technology       NMAC   Nested Message Authentication Code       NMDS   Narrowband Multiservice Delivery System       NNTP   Network News Transfer Protocol       NPP   Network Payment Protocol       NSA   National Security Agency       NVM   Nonvolatile Memory       NWDA   National Wholesale Druggists Association       OAEP   Optimal Asymmetric Encryption Padding       OBI   Open Buying on the Internet       OCF   Open Card Framework       ODA   Open Document Architecture       ODETTE   Organisation des Données Échangées par           Télétransmission en Europe; Organization for           Data Exchange and Tele-Transmission in Europe       OECD   Organization for Economic Cooperation and           Development       OFB   Output Feedback       OFTP   ODETTE File Transfer Protocol       OFX   Open Finance Exchange       OI   Order Information       OSI   Open System Interconnection       OTP   Open Trading Protocol       PACES   Paperless Automated Check Exchange and           Settlement       PACK   Personal Authentication and Confirmation Kit       PAN   Primary Account Number       PC   Personal Computer       PEDI   Protocol EDI       PEP   Protocol Extension Protocol       PESIT   Protocole de Transfert de Fichier pour le Système           Interbancaire de Télécompensation       PGP   Pretty Good Privacy       PI   Payment Instructions       PICS   Platform for Internet Content Selection       PIN   Personal Identification Number       PKCS   Public Key Cryptography Standards       PKIX   Public Key Infrastructure       PKP   Public Key Partners       POP   Post Office Protocol       POST   Point-of-Sale Terminal       PPP   Point-to-Point Protocol       PPT   Payment Proof Ticket       PROM   Programmable Read Only Memory       PRT   Payment Request Ticket       PST   Portable Secure Terminal       PSTN   Public Switched Telephone Network       RA   Root Authority       RADSL   Rate Adaptive Digital Subscriber Line       RAM   Random Access Memory       RCP   Reference Control Parameter       RFC   Request for Comment       ROM   Read-Only Memory       RRES   Réseaux Récriproques d&#39;Échange de Savoirs       RSADSI   RSA Data Security, Inc.       RTC   Réseau Téléphonique Commuté       RTGS   Real-Time Gross Settlement       RTP   Real-Time Protocol       S/MIME   Secure MIME       S/WAN   Secure Wide Area Network       SACK   Server Authentication and Certification Kit       SAIC   Science Applications International Corporation       SAM   Security Application Module       SAP   Systems, Applications, Products       SCSSI   Service Central pour la Sécurité des Systèmes           d&#39;Information       SDML   Signed Document Markup Language       SDSI   Simple Distributed Security Infrastructure       SEIS   Secured Electronic Information in Society       SEL   Systèmes d&#39;Échanges Locaux       SEMPER   Secure Electronic Marketplace for Europe       SET   Secure Electronic Transaction       SET SCCA   SET Compliance Certification Authority       SETREF   SET Reference Implementations       SGML   Standard Generalized Markup Language       S-HTTP   Secure HyperText Transfer Protocol       SHA   Secure Hash Algorithm       SIC   Swiss Interbank Clearing       SIMPROFRANCE   Comité Français pour la Simplification des           Procédures du Commerce Internationale       SIT   Système Interbancaire de Télécompensation       SITA   Société Internationale de Télécommunications           Aéronautiques       SITPRO   Simplification of International Trade Procedures       SKIP   Simple Key Management for Internet Protocols       SMTP   Simple Mail Transfer Protocol       SNMP   Simple Network Management Protocol       SNNTP   Secure Network News Transfer Protocol       SPKI   Simple Public Key Infrastructure       SRAM   Static Random Access Memory       SSB   Società per i Servizi Banacari       SSL   Secure Sockets Layer       SWIFT   Society of Worldwide Interbank Financial           Telecommunication       TC   Transaction Certificate       TCP   Transmission Control Protocol       TD   Transaction Data       TDCC   Transportation Data Coordinating Committee       TDFC   Transfert de Données Fiscales et Comptables       TDI   Trade Data Interchange       TEDIS   Trade Electronic Data Interchange System       TEK   Token Encryption Key       TEP   Terminal for Electronic Payment       Tep   Titre Électronique de Paiement       TID   Transaction ID       Tip   Titre Interbancaire de Paiement       TLS   Transport Layer Security       TMF   Transaction File Manager       TTC   Terminal Transaction Counter       UCS   Uniform Communication Standards       UDEF   Universal Data Element Framework       UDP   User Datagram Protocol       UN/ECE   United Nations Economic Commission for Europe       UNCID   United Nations Rules of Conduct for Interchange of           Trade Data by Teletransmission       UNCITRAL   United Nations Commission on International           Trade Law       UNCL   United Nations Code List       UN-JEDI   United Nations - Joint Electronic Data Interchange       UN-TDI   United Nations - Trade Data Interchange       UNI   User Network Interface       UPP   Universal Payment Preamble       URL   Uniform Resource Locator       USC   University of Southern California       VDSL   Very high bit rate Digital Subscriber Line       W3C   World Wide Web Consortium       WAN   Wide Area Network       WAP   Wireless Application Protocol       WEEB   West European EDIFACT Board       WINS   Warehouse Information Network Standard       WOIP   World Organization for Intellectual Property       WTLS   Wireless TLS       XML   Extensible Markup Language       XOR   Exclusive OR       ZKA   Zentraler KreditausschuB                  
 
         [0079]    [0079]                             APPENDIX 2                       Subject Categories                                    Adventure   Medical Instruments           Aeronautics   Medicine           Ancient History   Microelectronics           Animal Kingdom   Microorganism           Archaeology   Modern History           Architecture   Movies/Cinema           Art World   Museums           Artificial Intelligence   Music           Astronomy   Natural Sciences           Attorneys   Nature           Automation   Neurology           Aviation   News Media           Banking/Commerce   Nuclear Science           Biology   Nutrition           Building/Construction   Oceanics           Chemistry   Optics           Children   Our World           Civil Engineering   Pentagon           Computer   Pharmaceuticals           Cosmos   Philosophy           Cult/Taboo   Photography           Culture   Physics           Daily Living   Physiology           Diseases   Plantology           Economy   Politics           Education   Pollution Control           Electronics   Psychology           Entertainment   Radiology           Environments   Railroads           Fantasies   Real Estate           Fashion   Religion           Food Industry   Robotics           Genetics   Space Sciences           Geography   Sports &amp; Games           Government   Stock Market           Humanities   Telecommunications           Insect World   Tourism           Internet   Trade/Commerce           Law Enforcement   Transportation           Libraries &amp; Books   Universe/Cosmology           Literature   Wireless Telephony           Machinery   World Wide Web           Magic   Zoology           Mathematics