Patents Represented by Attorney, Agent or Law Firm Robert H. Frantz
  • Patent number: 7552136
    Abstract: An information aggregation and management system and method having selective “drill-down” capabilities and employing an Object-Action Navigation methodology. A user first selects an object of interest, and then selects one or more actions to perform on said selected object. An informational object may be selected from a Context Pane, and then an available action for that object may be selected from execution. A Content Pane displays the results of the actions on the object or objects. The user may rearrange, summarize, maximize, filter and sort information for display to effectively manage display area and minimize operations necessary to obtain information and analysis of interest.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 2001
    Date of Patent: June 23, 2009
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: John Falk Kelley, Jason Thomas Yuen, Michael P. Heck, Matthew D. Garay
  • Patent number: 7535793
    Abstract: A system and method for detecting concealed cargo, such as explosives contained in a closed vehicle trunk, by characterizing the transfer function between sets of wheels of the vehicle and automatically detecting changes of transfer functions due to changes in mass loading. The system and method contacts a first tire of the vehicle and transduces a signal such as a sweeping acoustic signal into the vehicle, simultaneously collecting the signal transmitted and attenuated through the vehicle to an second tire. The collected signal is analyzed and compared to previous transfer function characterization results to detect significant changes in the transfer function. If a significant change is detected, a system operator is alerted to prompt further preemptive action, such as a full search of the vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 20, 2006
    Date of Patent: May 19, 2009
    Inventor: Robert H. Frantz
  • Patent number: 7529371
    Abstract: Authentication of cellular telephone device by providing a first one-time pad cryptological table to a security server which has multiple sequenced One Time Pad value entries including a previous use indicator initialized as “unused”, and providing a second one-time pad cryptological table to an authentic device initially synchronized with the first table. A cloned copy of the second table is stored in an inauthentic cellular telephone device, these third table being initially synchronized with the second table. The authentic device selects an unused entry in the second table and transmits it to the server when requesting service. If the received entry matches a next sequential unused entry in the first table, the server grants service, and both server and authentic device mark that entry as used. If the received entry does not match a sequentially next unused entry in the first table, service is denied to the requesting device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 22, 2004
    Date of Patent: May 5, 2009
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Yen-Fu Chen, John Hans Handy-Bosma, Jun Sawada, Mei Yang Selvage, Keith Raymond Walker
  • Patent number: 7529981
    Abstract: A corrective action method or subsystem for providing corrective actions in a for a computing domain shared among multiple customers wherein different domain resources are shared by different customers, and each customer's corrective action preferences are accommodated differently according a repository of customer preferences. A database may be queried when a fault event or out-of-limits condition is detected for a given shared resource to determine which customers share the resource, determine each affected customer's response preferences, and to perform corrective actions according to those response preferences. For example, three customers may share a particular hard drive in a shared computing system. One customer may prefer to receive an email notice when the drive is nearly full, another may prefer to receive additional allocation of disk space elsewhere, and the third may prefer to receive a written report of space utilization.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 17, 2003
    Date of Patent: May 5, 2009
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Rhonda L. Childress, Mark Anthony Laney, Reid Douglas Minyen, Neil Raymond Pennell
  • Patent number: 7526759
    Abstract: A system and method for debugging system solutions under design which cooperates with a solution design platform in which relationships between two or more system-level computing components are defined, in which each system-level computing component is associated with a behavioral model, and in which each relationship between system-level computing components is defined as a message-based communications interface. During simulation of the solution, messages are created by analysis of each behavioral model, and are transported or exchanged between system components. The debugging facility monitors interfaces between the system-level components, captures messages at the monitored interfaces, and adds tracking information to the captured messages. Following simulation, the stored messages and tracking information can be reformatted and displayed for review by the user to assist in determination of the problems in system-level operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 19, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 28, 2009
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Amir Farrokh Sanjar, Cristi Nesbitt Ullmann, Paul Stuart Williamson
  • Patent number: 7519672
    Abstract: A system and method for providing implementing proxy handling of instant messages and the like, wherein proxy recipients are designated by an original recipient, and one or more redirection rules are established indicating conditions under which said designated proxy recipients are to be sent redirected messages. When an instant message is received directed towards the original recipient, the redirection rules are evaluated and the message is redirect to a designated proxy recipient according to the redirection rules, with the display of the received message being suppressed or blocked on the intended original recipient's user interface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 14, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 14, 2009
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Gregory Jensen Boss, Yen-Fu Chen, Rick Allen Hamilton, II, Aroopratan D. Pandya, James Wesley Seaman, Timothy Moffett Waters
  • Patent number: 7512693
    Abstract: Access to state data by a client process such as state data in an Online Transaction Processing arrangement is controlled through generation of and exchanging of a dual-component token. The first component of the token is an Index value which indirectly points to a block of state data assigned to process or user. The second component of the token is a sequence value, such as a Random Unique Sequence value, which is also associated with the block of state data for a process. With each transaction request, a user process provides the token to the OLTP server, which then verifies the sequence numbers of the state data and the token match before allowing access to the data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 13, 2004
    Date of Patent: March 31, 2009
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventor: James Lewis Hollingsworth
  • Patent number: 7503012
    Abstract: A program or system function on a computer system is automatically invoked by receiving a user-selected first insertion point or replacement area within a first user interface to a destination computer file. Subsequent to receiving the first insertion point within a destination file, a second user interface to content of a source computer file is provided upon user command. Then, responsive to a user highlighting text within the second user interface, the highlighted text is automatically copied from the application program to a clipboard buffer. Auto-trigger rules are searched for a rule which correlates to said highlighted text copied to the clipboard and, upon finding a correlating rule, one or more programs or system functions are invoked according to the found rule without need to modify or change said application program.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 13, 2004
    Date of Patent: March 10, 2009
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Yen-Fu Chen, John W. Dunsmoir
  • Patent number: 7499878
    Abstract: Battery life for a portable networked client device is preserved by providing a web page content web server with a set of non-advertisement web objects for a web page, the web page containing at least one inclusion method to one or more advertisement objects stored on an advertisement server separate from the non-advertisement web objects, by receiving by the web server a battery condition and a page request for the web page from a networked client device, and, responsive to the battery condition being low, by transmitting the non-advertisement web objects from the web page content web server to the networked client device, but avoiding incremental battery energy consumption of the networked client device normally required to execute, process, or display the advertisement objects by restricting download of the advertisement objects.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2001
    Date of Patent: March 3, 2009
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Janani Janakiraman, Rabindranath Dutta
  • Patent number: 7499865
    Abstract: Environment asset inventories of computing environment assets are arranged into computing environments, and at least one collector interface is disposed between the environments to detect movement of an asset and to produce asset movement reports. Upon receipt of a movement report, one or more backup copies of a environment asset inventory are accessed, and compared a modified environment asset inventory. A history of each asset in each inventory is maintained. A history report regarding the life of an asset from first introduction into an environment throughout movements between environments is produced, including any applicable patches and upgrades configured into an environment. A discrepancy report is generated including assets, locations, status, and a revision level indicators.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 2004
    Date of Patent: March 3, 2009
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Vijay Kumar Aggarwal, Craig Lawton, Christopher Andrew Peters, Puthukode G. Ramachandran, Lorin Evan Ullmann, John Whitfield
  • Patent number: 7496230
    Abstract: Image or graphic elements such as pictures, icons and clip art, are intercepted during transfer from a computer source to a computer destination, such as during a cut-and-paste operation. Embedded text within the intercepted element is optically recognized, and encoded text is extracted. It is determined if the language of the text matches a desired language of the destination. If not, a translation of the optically-recognized text data is performed, and the translated text data is rendered into image data. The image data is then substituted into the intercepted element to overlay or replace the original embedded text, thereby “translating” the image or graphic element to a desired destination language. The modified image or graphic element is then delivered to the destination, such as a document, program, file or data structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 10, 2004
    Date of Patent: February 24, 2009
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Yen-Fu Chen, John W. Dunsmoir
  • Patent number: 7496888
    Abstract: A palette is displayed containing icons representing available system components for use in a solution. Associated with the icons are partially defined behavioral models, implementation logic, and user-modifiable parameters and options in a markup language format. Instances of the configurable behavioral models are instantiated through selection by a user. A design area of the display shows icons for the instances, where they are placed and arranged by the user, including connection logic and user-input model interface and behavioral logic parameters. The models are configured according to the parameters by modifying the associated markup language. A system solution behavioral model is automatically created in a modeling language comprising a collection of the interconnected and fully defined component behavioral model instances, allowing simulation of operation of the system solution.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 7, 2005
    Date of Patent: February 24, 2009
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Amir Farrokh Sanjar, Cristi Nesbitt Ullmann, Paul Stuart Williamson
  • Patent number: 7483899
    Abstract: A stored transcript of a first conversation thread has beginning and ending points with a series of messages in between. A continuation point is inserted between two messages within the first thread, and an storaae indicator is displayed proximate to an entry for the first thread in a hierarchical list of stored conversations; When the indicator is operated, the transcript is retrieved, a portion of the first thread is copied in into a second user interface, the copied oortion being defined by two points selected from a the beginning point, the continuation point, and the ending point. Newly authored and received messages are aooended in the second user interface to the copied portion of the first thread, such that a second thread of conversation is provided having the copied portion of the first thread with the copied portion refreshing the user of a context of said first conversation thread.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 11, 2005
    Date of Patent: January 27, 2009
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Richard Edmond Berry, Yen-Fu Chen, John Hans Handy-Bosma, Peter Y. Hsu, Mei Y Selvage, Alan R. Tannenbaum, Anthony Christopher Courtney Temple, Keith Raymond Walker
  • Patent number: 7484012
    Abstract: An Internet user transfers directly to a domain within an e-community by providing a home identity cookie having an extensible data area and enrollment token to a web browser by a home domain server, and enrolling through an e-community for a user of the web browser by redirecting the home identity cookie via the web browser to each of the affiliated domains in the e-community until each affiliated domain has been visited once by the web browser. Upon each visit to each affiliated domain, an affiliated domain identity cookie is sent to the web browser including an enrollment successful indicator. Enrollment success indicators are accumulated and persistently stored received in the extensible data area of said home identity cookie. Subsequently, the identity of the user is vouched for at an affiliated domain through exchange of a vouch-for request and vouch-for response between the home domain server and an affiliated domain server.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 6, 2005
    Date of Patent: January 27, 2009
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Heather Maria Hinton, George Robert Blakley, III, Greg Clark
  • Patent number: 7478086
    Abstract: During an online chat, meeting, or other collaboration session among many participants, identification data items associated with a new participant are received and stored into a multi-field contact record in a local contact list. Storage of the new record triggers automatic extraction of a search key value for each data item of the contact record, including at least an email address value for the new participant. The extracted search key value is used to search a trusted administered contact information store for corresponding data items; and the contact record is automatically modified to include the corresponding data item from the trusted administered contact information data store.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 20, 2006
    Date of Patent: January 13, 2009
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventor: Jonathan Samn
  • Patent number: 7478336
    Abstract: An Intermediate Viewer having a user interface which allows viewing, manipulation, and transfer of information elements contained in a transfer buffer to be transferred to a plurality of destination points or areas, with the destination points or areas being defined as belonging to one or more sets of destination points or areas.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 6, 2003
    Date of Patent: January 13, 2009
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Yen-Fu Chen, John W. Dunsmoir, John H. Bosma, Keith R. Walker, Mei Ying Selvage
  • Patent number: 7475390
    Abstract: A process for transferring content from one computer resource to another by enabling automatic cutting-and-pasting in a destination first, source second sequence, a user selecting insertion points in the contents of a destination computer resource, followed by the user selecting information elements in a source computer resource, subsequently automatically intercepting transfer of the selected information elements to the destination, determining which intercepted information elements are expressed in a natural language not matching a user-specified natural language, invoking a rule management user interface to allow the user to define an action to be taken, performing the specified language handling actions on the intercepted information elements, and transferring translated information elements to the destination computer resource.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 12, 2004
    Date of Patent: January 6, 2009
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Viktors Berstis, Yen-Fu Chen, John W. Dunsmoir
  • Patent number: 7475025
    Abstract: In an online four-tier offering and bidding process, a first offeror notifies traders of available products or services. Each trader then communicates offerings to resell the offered products or services to brokers associated with each trader. Then, the brokers respond with bids to purchase the offered products or services according to a reseller master agreement (RMA) which entitles each broker to offer to end users a subset of the offered products and services. A guest profile in the process contains entitlement definitions indicating allowable items about which a guest user may receive information but for which is to be restricted from placing bids, also according to the RMA. The process prepares entitled offerings through filtering an available items list according to the profiles so as to include only offered items per the guest's entitlement. These entitled offerings are then presented to one or more guests for review.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 8, 2001
    Date of Patent: January 6, 2009
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Leland James Wiesehuegel, Rebecca Lynn Roberts, William James Morrison, Jacob Marvin Rzepka
  • Patent number: 7461151
    Abstract: A system and method for controlling the flow of documents by associating Globally Unique Identifiers with each original document, each reply document, each copy document and each forwarded document, such as e-mail messages. Historical analysis is performed on a locally stored history records containing the Globally Unique Identifiers extracted from received documents to determine which recipients are active participants and which are inactive participants, according to user preferences and thresholds. Lists for direct recipients (e.g. “To” list), carbon copy recipients, and blind copy recipients are automatically proposed to a user of a document handling system when authoring a new document, replying to a document, or forwarding a document, according to the results of the historical participation analysis, thereby stemming information flow to participants who are not active in an ad hoc asynchronous conversation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 13, 2003
    Date of Patent: December 2, 2008
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: James C. Colson, Brian Lee White Eagle
  • Patent number: 7454191
    Abstract: Changes in user behavior of usage of wireless services from a mobile device are encouraged in order to effect shaping of traffic and utilization patterns among a plurality of cells within a rate plan region, wherein a discount indicator disposed in said mobile device is provided to notify a user of a discount available for consuming wireless service from a given cell. A geo-cost policy is established for that user or mobile device in which rules and conditions according to the available discounts and class of service are defined. A service completer queues services and automatically completes queued services upon present conditions meeting said geo-cost policy rules, such as delaying and later delivering messages when the mobile device is relocated to a cell where discounts are being offered.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 2006
    Date of Patent: November 18, 2008
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Christopher James Dawson, Rick Allen Hamilton, II, James Wesley Seaman, Timothy Moffett Waters