Patents Examined by Matthew L. Brooks
  • Patent number: 7634418
    Abstract: Usage status in a facility is comprehended so that service information such as user waiting times is quickly offered to users and others. This is configured to comprise detection units (antennas) detecting unique information of tickets carried by visitors in areas for keeping the visitors waiting, and a calculation unit (control PC, information management center) calculating visitor information representative of congestion status of the visitors in the areas.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 2005
    Date of Patent: December 15, 2009
    Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
    Inventor: Mitsugu Kato
  • Patent number: 7627484
    Abstract: A method and apparatus are disclosed for managing access control for a business process that is managed using a state machine. A domain represents the various trading mechanisms that are supported by a business process. Domains are placed at the highest level in a tree structure. Within each domain, there is one or more different flow types defined, such as flow types for buyers and sellers. Within each flow type, one or more flows or business processes may be defined. A flow defines the order of the steps required to produce an object. Each flow typically begins with a mandatory “start” state, having one or more transitions to additional states. Each transition may contain an access control guard. The guards on the transitions leading from the start state can be referenced to determine the user's authorization to access the domains, flow types, and flows.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 11, 2001
    Date of Patent: December 1, 2009
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Mitchell Adam Cohen, John Scott Houston, Jianren Li
  • Patent number: 7620559
    Abstract: A system for disposing of medical waste is generally configured to sort waste items into a plurality of disposable containers according to applicable rules and regulations governing the handling and/or disposal of such items. In some embodiments, a system comprises sorting stations, each of which houses a number of disposable containers. Each station can identify an item of waste, determine the most appropriate container for the item, and facilitate disposal of the item in the appropriate container.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 3, 2006
    Date of Patent: November 17, 2009
    Assignee: Vesta Medical, LLC
    Inventors: Scott R. Mallett, Randall C. Danta, Peter Regla, Alan D. Corey, Alan A. Davidner
  • Patent number: 7617113
    Abstract: A system for disposing of medical waste is generally configured to sort waste items into a plurality of disposable containers according to applicable rules and regulations governing the handling and/or disposal of such items. In some embodiments, a system comprises sorting stations, each of which houses a number of disposable containers. Each station can identify an item of waste, determine the most appropriate container for the item, and facilitate disposal of the item in the appropriate container.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 3, 2006
    Date of Patent: November 10, 2009
    Assignee: Vesta Medical, LLC
    Inventors: Scott R. Mallett, Randall C. Danta, Peter Regla, Alan D. Corey, Alan A. Davidner
  • Patent number: 7606718
    Abstract: An interactive voice and data response system that directs input to a voice, text, and web-capable software-based router, which is able to intelligently respond to the input by drawing on a combination of human agents, advanced speech recognition and expert systems, connected to the router via a TCP/IP network. The digitized input is broken down into components so that the customer interaction is managed as a series of small tasks rather than one ongoing conversation. The router manages the interactions and keeps pace with a real-time conversation. The system utilizes both speech recognition and human intelligence for purposes of interpreting customer utterance or customer text. The system may use more than one human agent, or both human agents and speech recognition software, to interpret simultaneously the same component for error-checking and interpretation accuracy.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 5, 2004
    Date of Patent: October 20, 2009
    Assignee: Interactions, LLC
    Inventor: Michael Cloran
  • Patent number: 7593856
    Abstract: Computer software for and method of determining livestock ownership comprising inputting an image of a livestock brand whose ownership is to be determined, automatically determining one or more computed closest fits to the image from a database of livestock brands, and outputting owner information from the database of livestock brands concerning one or more of the one or more computed closest fits.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 10, 2005
    Date of Patent: September 22, 2009
    Assignee: Nickel Brand Software, Inc.
    Inventor: Loretta A. Martinez
  • Patent number: 7587324
    Abstract: Methods and systems are provided to detect user satisfaction based on user interaction patterns and properties. Methods and systems may monitor an interaction between a user and a computer and may compare the monitored interaction with a baseline value to determine a deviation from baseline. The deviation may be used to determine a value for user satisfaction. Methods and systems may improve user satisfaction by tracking user actions during an interaction with an application and determining if the user actions deviate from an application script corresponding to the interaction. A link from a deviated action to a next logical point in a task script may be provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 2004
    Date of Patent: September 8, 2009
    Assignee: SAP AG
    Inventor: Matthias Kaiser
  • Patent number: 7567910
    Abstract: A method is designed for validating an entrance to an event site. The method is carried out by the steps of accessing to a ticket issue server through a network by a portable terminal device to request an issue of ticket data, accepting a request of the ticket data at the ticket issue server and transmitting the ticket data in place of a physical ticket to the portable terminal device in response to the request, and receiving the ticket data by the portable terminal device to reproduce the ticket data in a visible or audible form at the event site for validating of the entrance to the event site.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 25, 2001
    Date of Patent: July 28, 2009
    Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
    Inventors: Yutaka Hasegawa, Shinji Koezuka, Nobuo Tsunashima, Masaya Okura
  • Patent number: 7565299
    Abstract: A system for disposing of medical waste is generally configured to sort waste items into a plurality of disposable containers according to applicable rules and regulations governing the handling and/or disposal of such items. In some embodiments, a system comprises sorting stations, each of which houses a number of disposable containers. Each station can identify an item of waste, determine the most appropriate container for the item, and facilitate disposal of the item in the appropriate container.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 20, 2007
    Date of Patent: July 21, 2009
    Assignee: Vesta Medical, LLC
    Inventors: Scott R. Mallett, Randall C. Danta, Peter Regla, Alan D. Corey, Alan A. Davidner
  • Patent number: 7562025
    Abstract: A system for disposing of medical waste is generally configured to sort waste items into a plurality of containers according to applicable rules and regulations governing the handling and/or disposal of such items. In some embodiments, a system comprises sorting stations each of which houses a number of disposable containers. Each station can identify an item of waste, determine the most appropriate container for the item, and facilitate disposal of the item in the appropriate container. In some embodiments, a detection system for determining a presence and/or a quantity of waste items within a container is also provided. In some embodiments, access to discarded waste items is restricted once the waste items have been placed in a container.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 20, 2007
    Date of Patent: July 14, 2009
    Assignee: Vesta Medical, LLC
    Inventors: Scott Mallett, Randall Danta, James Benson, Alan Corey, Alan Davidner, Peter Regla
  • Patent number: 7552058
    Abstract: Convenient and automatic methods are disclosed for reporting a violation of a do-not-call list. The only action required by the callee is to enter a predetermined touch tone pattern on their telephone key pad when they receive the call (e.g. pressing 999), and then hanging up. Network node(s) on the telephone network receive the touch tones and interpret the touch tone pattern as an indication of a violation of the do-not-call list. The network node stores the phone number of the caller, the callee number and the time of the call. The network node automatically generates and sends a notice of violation to the agency administering the do-not-call registry. In alternative embodiments, two network nodes may be involved in automatically generating and transmitting the notice of violation. The nodes may be nodes in a Signaling System 7 network.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 6, 2004
    Date of Patent: June 23, 2009
    Assignee: Sprint Spectrum L.P.
    Inventor: Boaquan Zhang
  • Patent number: 7533028
    Abstract: A system for disposing of medical waste is generally configured to sort waste items into a plurality of disposable containers according to applicable rules and regulations governing the handling and/or disposal of such items. In some embodiments, a system comprises sorting stations, each of which houses a number of disposable containers. Each station can identify an item of waste, determine the most appropriate container for the item, and facilitate disposal of the item in the appropriate container.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 12, 2007
    Date of Patent: May 12, 2009
    Assignee: Vesta Medical, LLC
    Inventors: Scott R. Mallett, Randall C. Danta, Peter Regla, Alan D. Corey, Alan A. Davidner
  • Patent number: 7533029
    Abstract: A system for disposing of medical waste is generally configured to sort waste items into a plurality of disposable containers according to applicable rules and regulations governing the handling and/or disposal of such items. In some embodiments, a system comprises sorting stations, each of which houses a number of disposable containers. Each station can identify an item of waste, determine the most appropriate container for the item, and facilitate disposal of the item in the appropriate container.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 12, 2007
    Date of Patent: May 12, 2009
    Assignee: Vesta Medical, LLC
    Inventors: Scott R. Mallett, Randall C. Danta, Peter Regla, Alan D. Corey, Alan A. Davidner
  • Patent number: 7529680
    Abstract: A facility for screening service requests for requesting assistance is described. The facility receives from a user a service request that requests assistance with solving a problem associated with a system accessible to the user and includes information related to the system. The facility searches a collection of system status information for at least one entry that corresponds with the received information related to the system. Where a corresponding entry is found, the facility provides to the user an indication of the correspondence and an opportunity to cancel the service request.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 2002
    Date of Patent: May 5, 2009
    Assignee: Siebel Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Mark Sunday, Ken Wells, Mitchell Kreaden, Anthony Deighton, Dougal Brindley
  • Patent number: 7523040
    Abstract: A system for tracking and facilitating control of body weight of a person including a computing device to execute software elements including a weight tracker to receive undated body weights from the user and to display a graphical representation of the body weight of the person over time, a journal to display food items consumed by the person, and a display to present the graphical representation of the body weight of the person over time to the person, the graphical representation including at least one user selectable indicia consisting of at least one point on the graphical representation of the body weight of the person over time indicative of a past time period, which, when selected displays the food items consumed during the past time period, the graphical representation including a plurality of milestones plotted on the graphical representation indicative of weight targets reached by the individual over time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 2003
    Date of Patent: April 21, 2009
    Assignees: Weight Watchers International, Inc., WEIGHTWATCHERS.COM, Inc.
    Inventors: David Kirchhoff, Lisa Connelly, Anna Crook, Sheila Kelly, Karen Miller-Kovach, Amie Perl, Palma Posillico, Thilo Semmelbauer, Amy Sheppard
  • Patent number: 7487100
    Abstract: A system for disposing of medical waste is generally configured to sort waste items into a plurality of containers according to applicable rules and regulations governing the handling and/or disposal of such items. In one embodiment, at least one of the medical waste items is a regulated drug that is regulated by, for example, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). The regulated drug is inaccessible once disposed in the container. In some embodiments, a system comprises sorting stations each of which houses a number of disposable containers. Each station can identify an item of waste, determine the most appropriate container for the item, and facilitate disposal of the item in the appropriate container. In some embodiments, a detection system for determining a presence and/or a quantity of waste items within a container is also provided. In some embodiments, access to discarded waste items is restricted once the waste items have been placed in a container.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 12, 2007
    Date of Patent: February 3, 2009
    Assignee: Vesta Medical, LLC
    Inventors: Scott Mallett, Randall Danta, James Benson, Alan Corey, Alan Davidner, Peter Regla
  • Patent number: 7483837
    Abstract: A system for disposing of medical waste is generally configured to sort waste items into a plurality of disposable containers according to applicable rules and regulations governing the handling and/or disposal of such items. In some embodiments, a system comprises sorting stations, each of which houses a number of disposable containers. Each station can identify an item of waste, determine the most appropriate container for the item, and facilitate disposal of the item in the appropriate container.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 2004
    Date of Patent: January 27, 2009
    Assignee: Vesta Medical, LLC
    Inventors: Scott R. Mallett, Randall C. Danta, Peter Regla, Alan D. Corey, Alan A. Davidner
  • Patent number: 7454358
    Abstract: A system for disposing of medical waste is generally configured to sort waste items into a plurality of containers according to applicable rules and regulations governing the handling and/or disposal of such items. In some embodiments, a system comprises sorting stations each of which houses a number of disposable containers. Each station can identify an item of waste, determine the most appropriate container for the item, and facilitate disposal of the item in the appropriate container. In some embodiments, a detection system for determining a presence and/or a quantity of waste items within a container is also provided. In some embodiments, access to discarded waste items is restricted once the waste items have been placed in a container.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 12, 2007
    Date of Patent: November 18, 2008
    Assignee: Vesta Medical, LLC
    Inventors: Scott Mallett, Randall Danta, James Benson, Alan Corey, Alan Davidner, Peter Regla
  • Patent number: 7383195
    Abstract: A system for disposing of medical waste is generally configured to sort waste items into a plurality of disposable containers according to applicable rules and regulations governing the handling and/or disposal of such items. In some embodiments, a system comprises sorting stations, each of which houses a number of disposable containers. Each station can identify an item of waste, determine the most appropriate container for the item, and facilitate disposal of the item in the appropriate container.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 2004
    Date of Patent: June 3, 2008
    Assignee: Vesta Medical, LLC
    Inventors: Scott R. Mallett, Randall C. Danta, Peter Regla, Alan D. Corey, Alan A. Davidner
  • Patent number: 7341147
    Abstract: A system for disposing of medical waste is generally configured to sort waste items into a plurality of disposable containers according to applicable rules and regulations governing the handling and/or disposal of such items. In some embodiments, a system comprises sorting stations, each of which houses a number of disposable containers. Each station can identify an item of waste, determine the most appropriate container for the item, and facilitate disposal of the item in the appropriate container.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 2004
    Date of Patent: March 11, 2008
    Assignee: Vesta Medical, LLC
    Inventors: Scott R. Mallett, Randall C. Danta, Peter Regla, Alan D. Corey, Alan A. Davidner