1. A device comprising:
a first electrode;
a second electrode;
an active material positioned between the first and second electrode, wherein the active material comprises a plurality of randomly positioned conducting wires coated with a nanoscale surface passivation layer , said conducting wires are adapted to provide a conducting path or paths when a voltage is applied by one of the electrodes or between said electrodes; and
wherein the conductivity of the paths can be controlled by application of the applied voltage.
2. The device as claimed in claim 1 wherein the surface passivation layer comprises an oxide or other chemical functionalization.
3. The device as claimed in claim 1 wherein the active material comprises sparse random network of metallic or semiconducting nanowires or tubes and coated with a spacer layer of controlled composition.
4. The device as claimed in claim 1 wherein the active material comprises sparse random network of metallic or semiconducting nanowires or tubes and coated with a spacer layer of controlled composition and the spacer layer comprises at least one of: a passivation layer, electroactive material or some form of chemical functionalization.
5. The device as claimed in claim 1 wherein application of a bias voltage across the active material creates a randomly varying voltage distribution.
6. The device as claimed in claim 1 wherein application of a bias voltage across the active material creates a randomly varying voltage distribution that evolves in time, the rate of evolution being controlled by the applied voltage.
7. The device as claimed in claim 1 wherein the active material comprises a random nanowire network wherein connectivity and conductivity between nanowires can be arbitrarily controlled by the application of an electric field.
8. The device as claimed in claim 1 wherein the conductivity can be programmed to a set value.
9. The device as claimed in preceding claim 1 wherein conductivity and switching properties are length scale dependent.
10. The device as claimed in claim 1 wherein conductivity and switching properties are length scale dependent and the length scale dependent properties can be realised by interrogating with contact electrodes.
11. The device as claimed in claim 1 wherein the first electrode and second electrode are positioned at a distance apart such that the device is configured to operate as a unipolar resistive switch.
12. The device as claimed in claim 1 wherein the first electrode and second electrode are positioned at a distance apart such that the device is configured to operate as a unipolar resistive switch and the distance is approximately 20 \u03bcm or as dictated by the size of the nanowires.
13. The device as claimed in claim 1 wherein the first electrode and second electrode are positioned at a distance apart such that the device is configured to operate as a memristor device.
14. The device as claimed in claim 13 wherein the first electrode and second electrode are positioned at a distance apart such that the device is configured to operate as a memristor device and the distance is approximately 600 \u03bcm.
15. A resistive switching device comprising the device of claim 1.
16. An active material suitable for use between a first and second electrode, wherein the active material comprises a plurality of randomly positioned conducting wires and a passivation oxide layer, said conducting wires are adapted to provide a conducting path or paths when an electric field is applied by one of the electrodes or between said electrodes.
17. The active material of claim 16 wherein the conductivity of the paths can be arbitrarily controlled by application of the electric field.
18. The active material of claim 16 comprising a random nanowire network wherein connectivity and conductivity between nanowires can be arbitrarily controlled by the application of an electric field.
19. The active material of any of claims 16 wherein the conductivity can be programmed to a set value.
20. The active material of any of claim 16 wherein conductivity and switching properties are length scale dependent.
21. The active material as claimed in claim 16 wherein conductivity and switching properties are length scale dependent and the length scale dependent properties can be realised by interrogating with contact electrodes.
22. A resistive switching device comprising the active material of claim 1.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A method for granting access to a particular movie at a particular movie location at a particular show time via a subscription-based electronic movie ticketing system, the subscription-based electronic movie ticketing system having a plurality of subscribers each with a subscription to the electronic movie ticketing system, wherein under the subscription, each subscriber periodically pays a subscription fee that entitles said each subscriber to view a plurality of movies in at least one movie location within each period of time, the method comprising:
receiving a movie selection from the subscriber, the movie selection corresponding to the particular movie at the particular movie location at the particular show time;
determining whether the movie selection falls within a subscription level of the subscription being provided to the subscriber;
providing at least ticket information to the subscriber via a mobile device of the subscriber, the at least ticket information associated with an electronic ticket to the particular movie at the particular movie location at the particular show time via the electronic movie ticketing system;
receiving, at a gatekeeper located at the particular movie location, said at least ticket information;
receiving, at the gatekeeper, authentication information authenticating the subscriber; and
in response to said at least ticket information and said authentication information, granting the subscriber access to the particular movie.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving a movie selection comprises:
receiving the movie selection via the mobile device of the subscriber, the movie selection corresponding to the particular movie at the particular movie location and a number of requested tickets for the particular movie.
3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:
determining whether the number of requested tickets for the particular movie exceeds a number of tickets provided under the subscription; and
retrieving payment information associated with the subscriber, the payment information used to facilitate billing the subscriber for a number of tickets that exceed the number of tickets provided under the subscription level.
4. The method of claim 3, wherein providing at least ticket information to the subscriber via the mobile device comprises providing at least ticket information for the number of requested tickets to the subscriber via the mobile device.
5. The method of claim 1, wherein providing at least ticket information to the subscriber via the mobile device comprises providing an electronic ticket to the subscriber via the mobile device.
6. The method of claim 5, wherein receiving, at a gatekeeper located at the particular movie location, said at least ticket information comprises:
scanning a bar code rendered on a display of the mobile device.
7. The method of claim 5, wherein receiving, at a gatekeeper located at the particular movie location, said at least ticket information comprises:
receiving a confirmation code entered by the subscriber.
8. The method of claim 5, wherein receiving, at a gatekeeper located at the particular movie location, said at least ticket information comprises:
receiving a confirmation code provided by the mobile device.
9. The method of claim 1, wherein granting the subscriber access to the particular movie comprising providing passage through a turnstile to the particular movie.
10. The method of claim 1, wherein granting the subscriber access to the particular movie comprising providing the subscriber with a physical ticket to the particular movie.
11. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving, at the gatekeeper, authentication information authenticating the subscriber comprises receiving credit card information from the subscriber.
12. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving a movie selection from the subscriber comprises receiving the movie selection from the subscriber via the mobile device of the subscriber.
13. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
receiving a search request from the subscriber regarding movies playing in movie locations; and
in response to the search request, providing the subscriber with a list of movies that correspond to the search request.
14. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
receiving a search request from the subscriber regarding movies playing in movie locations; and
in response to the search request, providing the subscriber with a list of movies that correspond to at least criteria associated with the subscriber.
15. The method of claim 13, wherein providing the subscriber with a list of movies that correspond to the search request comprises providing a list of movies for which tickets are available to the subscriber.
16. The method of claim 1, further comprising after determining that the movie selection does not fall with the subscription level of the subscription provided to the subscriber, retrieving payment information associated with the subscriber, the payment information used to facilitate billing the subscriber for a ticket associated with the movie selection.
17. A subscription-based electronic movie ticketing system that provides to a subscriber access to a particular movie at a particular movie location at a particular show time via a mobile device, wherein under a subscription to the electronic movie ticketing system, the subscriber periodically pays a subscription fee that entitles the subscriber to view a plurality of movies in at least one movie location within each period of time, the system comprising:
a subscription module that manages an account associated with the subscription of the subscriber and authorizes access to the system by the subscriber;
a database that provides search results regarding movies available to the subscriber in response to a search request from the subscriber;
a ticketing module that is responsive to a movie selection from the subscriber and that provides ticket information to the subscriber via a mobile device associated with the subscriber, the ticket information associated with an electronic ticket associated with the movie selection; and
a gatekeeper that receives the ticket information and authentication information from the subscriber and that provides to the subscriber access to the particular movie.
18. The system of claim 17, wherein the subscription module determines whether the movie selection is within the subscription of the subscriber and facilitates billing the subscriber for a ticket associated with the movie selection when the movie selection is not within the subscription of the subscriber.
19. The system of claim 17, wherein the ticket information provided to the subscriber via the mobile device is a bar code.
20. The system of claim 17, wherein the subscriber is offered incentives based on subscription history.