What is claimed is:
1. A system for secured escrowed network transactions between consumers having access to consumer computers and a company having partners, each partner having a partner account and access to a partner computer, the consumer and partner computers each being connectable to a communication network, the system comprising:
(a) a server host computer operatively connected to the communication network;
(b) a host database having member tables, partner tables, transaction tables, and bank tables; and
(c) means for accessing at least some of the tables of the host database by the server host computer;
(d) means for registering consumers as members having respective demographic information, payment accounts, and member identification numbers;
(e) means for processing a first network communication from a partner, the first network communication including a member identification number and a transaction amount;
(f) means for depositing payment of the transaction amount from the payment account of the member into an escrow account as an escrow deposit; and
(g) means for notifying the partner of shipping data for the transaction only following the payment of the transaction amount from the payment account.
2. The system of claim 1, wherein the means for registering consumers as members comprises:
(a) consumer data entry means accessible through the network for receiving and storing in the host database for each accessing consumer the demographic information, payment account information, and member identification number;
(b) means for verifying the demographic information and the payment account information;
(c) means for verifying satisfactory credit-worthiness of the payment account; and
(d) means for communicating acceptance or denial of the consumer as a member.
3. The system of claim 2, wherein the means for verifying the demographic information and the payment account information is operable for identifying inconsistent data during a network session in which the data is entered by the consumer.
4. The system of claim 1, further comprising:
(a) means for processing a second network communication confirming performance by the partner in satisfaction of the transaction amount; and
(b) means for withdrawing the transaction amount from the escrow account and depositing the transaction amount into the partner account of the partner only following receipt of the second network communication.
5. The system of claim 4, further comprising means for processing a return transaction from the member to the partner, comprising:
(a) means for receiving a third network communication from the partner, the third network communication confirming receipt of returned goods and a return credit amount; and
(b) means for transferring a return payment from the partner account to the payment account of the member.
6. The system of claim 4, further comprising:
(a) means for linking the member to other members as auxiliary members, the member selectively identifying the other members by respective member identification numbers in combination with an item of demographic information; and
(b) wherein the means for notifying the partner of shipping data comprises means for substituting shipping information for an auxiliary member selected by the member.
7. The system of claim 6, further comprising means for delivery of a grant from the member to the auxiliary member, comprising means for holding the transaction amount in the escrow account until the auxiliary member communicates acceptance of the grant.
8. The system of claim 7, wherein the grant is of a gift certificate, the system further comprising:
(a) means for processing a fourth network communication from the partner in response to the auxiliary member selecting of partner performance covered at least in part by the gift certificate; and
(b) means for making an offset transfer from the escrow account to the partner account, the offset transfer being in an amount not greater than a value of the gift certificate and not greater than a value of the partner performance.
9. A method for secured escrowed network transactions between members having access to consumer computers and a company having partners, the method comprising:
(a) depositing payment of a transaction amount from a member payment account into an escrow account in response to a first network communication from a partner, the first network communication including a member identification number of the member, and a transaction amount; and
(b) notifying the partner of shipping data for the transaction only following payment of the transaction amount into the escrow account.
10. The method of claim 9, further comprising transferring the transaction amount from the escrow account into a partner account of the partner only following receipt of a second network communication confirming performance by the partner.
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 of forming a liquid crystal display device, the method comprising the steps of:
providing a substrate;
forming an amorphous silicon layer over the substrate;
forming a light reflecting layer only over a first portion of the amorphous silicon layer;
irradiating the amorphous silicon layer with light to convert it to a polysilicon layer, the light reflecting layer partially reflecting the light away from the first portion of the amorphous silicon layer wherein a first portion of the polysilicon layer has a first polysilicon grain size and a second portion of the polysilicon layer has a second polysilicon grain size, which is larger than the first polysilicon grain size, the first portion of the polysilicon layer being derived from the first portion of the amorphous silicon layer; and
forming a first plurality of thin film transistors from the first portion of the polysilicon layer.
2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the light reflecting layer comprises at least one dielectric film.
3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first plurality of thin film transistors comprise switching devices for pixel electrodes of the liquid crystal display device.
4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the irradiating step is performed with a laser.
5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the laser comprises one of an excimer laser and a green laser.
6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the light reflecting layer is composed of an oxide material.
7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the light reflecting layer is composed of a nitride material.
8. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of forming a second plurality of thin film transistors from the second portion of the polysilicon layer.
9. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of forming a buffer layer over the substrate prior to the step of forming the amorphous silicon layer and forming the amorphous silicon layer over the buffer layer.
10. A liquid crystal display device comprising:
a substrate;
a polysilicon layer disposed over the substrate, the polysilicon layer having a first portion with a first polysilicon grain size and a second portion with a second polysilicon grain size, which is larger than the first polysilicon grain size; and
a plurality of thin film transistors formed from the first portion of the polysilicon layer.
11. The display device according to claim 10, further comprising a light reflecting layer disposed over the first portion of the polysilicon layer.
12. The display device according to claim 11, wherein the light reflecting layer comprises at least one dielectric film.
13. The display device according to claim 11, wherein the light reflecting layer is composed of an oxide material.
14. The display device according to claim 11, wherein the light reflecting layer is composed of a nitride material.
15. The display device according to claim 10, further comprising a second plurality of thin film transistors formed from the second portion of the polysilicon layer.
16. The display device according to claim 10, further comprising a buffer layer disposed between the substrate and the polysilicon layer.
17. A method of crystallizing amorphous silicon formed over a substrate to form a polysilicon layer having regions of different polysilicon grain sizes, the method comprising the steps of:
forming a light reflecting layer only over a first portion of the amorphous silicon layer; and
irradiating the amorphous silicon layer with light to convert it to a polysilicon layer, the light reflecting layer partially reflecting the light away from the first portion of the amorphous silicon layer wherein a first portion of the polysilicon layer has a first polysilicon grain size and a second portion of the polysilicon layer has a second polysilicon grain size, which is larger than the first polysilicon grain size, the first portion of the polysilicon layer being derived from the first portion of the amorphous silicon layer.
18. The method according to claim 17, wherein the light reflecting layer comprises at least one dielectric film.
19. The method according to claim 17, wherein the irradiating step is performed with a laser.
20. The method according to claim 19, wherein the laser comprises one of an excimer laser and a green laser.
21. The method according to claim 17, wherein the light reflecting layer is composed of an oxide material.
22. The method according to claim 17, wherein the light reflecting layer is composed of a nitride material.