Abstract: A collaborative phone-based file exchange technique that wirelessly synchronizes a user's work context with his or her mobile phone and makes this context readily available and sharable in collaborative situations. When the user is away from their desk, collaboration with others is possible by sharing/downloading between the mobile phone and a paired PC, which may be a colleague's computer or a meeting room workstation/computer. When the user returns to their office, any recently downloaded files are automatically synchronized back to their office PC.

Abstract: A method for controlling coupler nodes in a vehicle system includes monitoring coupler forces between vehicle units in the vehicle system. The vehicle units include plural propulsion-generating vehicles. The method also includes identifying one or more nodes in the vehicle system based on the coupler forces. The one or more nodes represent one or more respective locations in the vehicle system disposed between a tensile section of the vehicle system experiencing a tensile force and a compressive section of the vehicle system experiencing a compressive force. The method also includes independently controlling tractive operations of the propulsion-generating vehicles based on the one or more nodes that are identified in order to control at least one of a number of the one or more nodes that are identified in the vehicle system or the one or more locations of the one or more nodes.

Abstract: The present disclosure includes a method and system for detecting a change in circumstances of a customer and for proactively providing a response thereto, such as insurance quotes and/or coverage changes, to the customer and/or to one or more dependents of the customer. The customer may also initiate and accept an insurance quote for the dependent, and the dependent may initiate and accept an insurance quote on his/her own behalf. The insurance company may utilize data known to the company, or provided by an existing dependent of the customer, to communicate the response to the customer. The response may be communicated independently of a direct request from the dependents. Other dependents of the customer may also receive communications and provide authorization to change an existing policy. The response may also be communicated to a batch of customers meeting certain common criteria, independent of a direct customer request.

Abstract: A communication management system for a vehicle includes a control module, a communication module, and a management module. The control module is disposed on-board a lead powered unit of the vehicle. The control module is configured to automatically change propulsion energy settings of a remote powered unit of the vehicle. The communication module transmits instructions to the remote powered unit to automatically change the propulsion energy settings of the remote powered unit. The communication module identifies communication gaps that represent interruption in one or more communication connections between the lead powered unit and the remote powered unit. The management module compares the propulsion energy settings of the lead powered unit and of the remote powered unit during the communication gaps and, based on the propulsion energy settings, prevents the control module from switching from automatic control of the propulsion energy settings of the remote powered unit to manual control.

Abstract: The present disclosure provides method and system for converting a free text expression of an identity to a phonetic equivalent code. The conversion follows a set of rules based on phonetic groupings and compresses the expression to a shorter series of characters than the expression. The phonetic equivalent code may be compared to one or more other phonetic equivalent code to establish a correlation between the codes. The phonetic equivalent code of the free text expression may be associated with the code of a known identity. The known identity may be provided to a user for confirmation of the identity. Further, a plurality of expressions stored in a database may be consolidated by converting the expressions to phonetic equivalent codes, comparing the codes to find correlations, and if appropriate reducing the number of expressions or mapping the expressions to a fewer number of expressions.

Abstract: A communication management system for a vehicle includes a control module, a communication module, and a management module. The control module is disposed on-board a lead powered unit of the vehicle. The control module is configured to automatically change propulsion energy settings of a remote powered unit of the vehicle. The communication module transmits instructions to the remote powered unit to automatically change the propulsion energy settings of the remote powered unit. The communication module identifies communication gaps that represent interruption in one or more communication connections between the lead powered unit and the remote powered unit. The management module compares the propulsion energy settings of the lead powered unit and of the remote powered unit during the communication gaps and, based on the propulsion energy settings, prevents the control module from switching from automatic control of the propulsion energy settings of the remote powered unit to manual control.

Abstract: The present disclosure provides method and system for converting a free text expression of an identity to a phonetic equivalent code. The conversion follows a set of rules based on phonetic groupings and compresses the expression to a shorter series of characters than the expression. The phonetic equivalent code may be compared to one or more other phonetic equivalent code to establish a correlation between the codes. The phonetic equivalent code of the free text expression may be associated with the code of a known identity. The known identity may be provided to a user for confirmation of the identity. Further, a plurality of expressions stored in a database may be consolidated by converting the expressions to phonetic equivalent codes, comparing the codes to find correlations, and if appropriate reducing the number of expressions or mapping the expressions to a fewer number of expressions.

Abstract: A resource reference is detected in a base resource, such as a web page or an email message. The resource reference refers to a target resource, such as another webpage or another email message. An appropriate activity-based resource type for the resource reference is then identified. The resource reference is then linked to an activity-based resource such that when the base resource is displayed and a user interacts with the resource reference, the activity-based resource is displayed to the user. The activity-based resource comprises a calculated field that has a value that indicates how one or more users have interacted with one or more resources. The value of the calculated field is calculated using activity data indicating how users interacted with the resources. The activity data is generated without receiving input of the activity data from the users.

Abstract: A system and method for managing software application windows in a graphical user interface having a desktop and taskbar display area are provided. Each instantiated program is represented as one or more graphical windows in the desktop and as a control tile in the taskbar. Control tiles are grouped into control tile groups that facilitate organization and single access control. Project control tile groups allow the grouping of multiple software applications. Additionally, minimized control tile group layout and state may be preserved and previewed prior to being restored.

Abstract: A system and method for managing software application windows in a graphical user interface having a desktop and taskbar display area are provided. Each instantiated program is represented as one or more graphical windows in the desktop and as a control tile in the taskbar. Control tiles are grouped into control tile groups that facilitate organization and single access control. Project control tile groups allow the grouping of multiple software applications. Additionally, minimized control tile group layout and state may be preserved and previewed prior to being restored.

Abstract: The present invention enables the management of arbitrary regions of a window. A surrogate window is created to contain a region of interest in a source window. A surrogate window may also be shared among multiple devices. A user may interact with the content in a source window or its surrogate window(s). A surrogate window is updated to reflect any content change in the region of interest in the source window. In the case that a user resizes a surrogate window, the entire content of the surrogate window is scaled accordingly so the entire content remains visible.

Abstract: A system and process for providing a geometric model database for use in an ubiquitous computing environment. In general, the geometric model database system and process is capable of accepting information about the geometric state of the environment, building a geometric model of this environment, maintaining and storing the geometric model, and handling queries about the environment's geometric state. The task of building a geometric model begins by establishing a set of entities that are of interest in the environment. An entity represents an object which exists in the physical world. In the geometric model database, an entity is represented by a coordinate frame and an extent. Extents refer to the physical size, or some service region such as a field of view, associated with an entity. The location of an entity in the physical world is defined using “measurements”. In general, a measurement is simply a mathematical description of the geometric relationship between two entities.

Abstract: A floating garden device for displaying and watering at least one living plant as the garden floats on a body of water. The device is composed of a buoyant body and at least one plant mounting recess attached to the buoyant body. The recess is comprised of a sidewall and a bottom. The bottom is positioned in a non-horizontal orientation, generally forming an angle between five degrees and forty-five degrees. The recess is located such that only a portion of the bottom is in fluid communication with the water, thus not submerging the entire bottom. The garden device may have at least one fluid passageway extending through the mounting recess bottom such that the water may fill the submerged portion of the mounting recess, or it may have a wicking device attached to the recess bottom such that the wicking device extends into the water.

Abstract: A system and process for providing a geometric model database for use in an ubiquitous computing environment. In general, the geometric model database system and process is capable of accepting information about the geometric state of the environment, building a geometric model of this environment, maintaining and storing the geometric model, and handling queries about the environment's geometric state. The task of building a geometric model begins by establishing a set of entities that are of interest in the environment. An entity represents an object which exists in the physical world. In the geometric model database, an entity is represented by a coordinate frame and an extent. Extents refer to the physical size, or some service region such as a field of view, associated with an entity. The location of an entity in the physical world is defined using “measurements”. In general, a measurement is simply a mathematical description of the geometric relationship between two entities.

Abstract: In a multiple-display configuration comprising multiple display devices, the display device on which a display item, such as a mouse cursor, is located, is indicated without obscuring the view of any information being rendered on any display device. In an exemplary configuration, light emitting devices, such as LEDs for example, are located on the periphery of each display device. To indicate that the display item is located on a specific display device, the LEDs associated with that display device are activated.

Abstract: Methods and systems for using a foot-based interface to interact with a computer are described. An application program from a plurality of application programs is executed on an operating system of a personal computer. The application program is configured to receive user input via a foot-based interface. Further, user input is received from the foot-based interface and mapped into a command. Moreover, the command controls an application program function. Also, the command is executed and an output corresponding to the execution of the command is generated. Additionally, the output is displayed to the user.

Abstract: A method for determining whether a battery is electrically and physically connected to a battery charger includes monitoring a battery charging voltage supplied by a battery charger that has superimposed a known signal on the battery charging voltage, and determining that the battery charger is connected when the known superimposed signal is present and that the battery charger is not connected when the known superimposed signal is absent.

Abstract: A system for charging a battery is described. The system includes a direct current (DC) power source configured to supply a DC power source output signal, a converter configured to convert the DC power source output signal into a converter output signal, a battery coupled to the converter and having a plurality of terminals, and a controller configured to receive a measure of a terminal charge across the terminals and configured to adjust a power that charges the battery based on the terminal charge.

Abstract: A truss structure well suited for use as an engine strut on a commercial aircraft. The truss structure is cast as a single piece integrally formed component from a titanium alloy or another suitably lightweight, structurally strong material. The truss structure includes a plurality of integrally formed attachment structures which enable the truss structure to be secured to an element of an aircraft such as a wing. A plurality of attachment areas for an element such as an engine is also formed that allows the element (e.g. jet engine) to be secured to the truss structure. The truss structure includes a plurality of elongated rails and truss elements that are arranged to provide redundant load paths to ensure that a failure of any one truss element or elongated rail will not result in a failure of the overall truss structure to support whatever load is required.

Abstract: A method for charging a plurality of batteries wherein each battery includes an anode and a cathode. The method includes electrically coupling n batteries to form a string of batteries, electrically coupling n battery charger assemblies to the n batteries such that each respective battery charger assembly is coupled to an anode and a cathode of a respective battery, and charging the plurality of batteries utilizing the n battery charger assemblies.