Patents by Inventor Christoph Hofmann

Christoph Hofmann has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 7389983
    Abstract: The present invention relates to an input unit of a letter sorting system which comprises separable first and second conveyor lines. The first line is positioned proximate to an isolating device which processes letters. The first line comprises a conveyor surface and supporting wall along with a linear guide which extends beyond the surface. On the linear guide runs a separating blade. The second line also comprises a conveyor surface and supporting wall along with a linear guide, however this linear guide does not run beyond the length of the second conveyor line supporting surface. At least one second separating blades run on the second conveyor line linear guide. In operation, letters are placed on the second conveyor supporting surface from bins. The placement may be in a select order. The second conveyor line is then brought proximate to the first conveyor line where the two are then coupled.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 7, 2005
    Date of Patent: June 24, 2008
    Assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Peter Berdelle-Hilge, Christoph Hofmann
  • Patent number: 7373424
    Abstract: Methods and systems for reliably exchanging a message among collaborating applications are disclosed. The methods and systems utilize a central exchange infrastructure (XI) for executing collaborative business processes among heterogeneous applications. Reliable message transmission is guaranteed by an Exactly Once Protocol (EOP), in which a database associated with the messaging and transport layer (MTL) of an HTTP-compliant server is used for storing a message identifier and comparing the message identifier to previously received message identifiers. If there is no match, the XI facilitates an exchange of message content of application data from a sending application to a receiving application.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2003
    Date of Patent: May 13, 2008
    Assignee: SAP AG
    Inventors: Peter Surma, Stefan Rossmanith, Christoph Hofmann
  • Patent number: 7197701
    Abstract: Computer-implemented methods, computer systems and computer program products for display state adjustment of tree-nodes. A tree has a plurality of nodes, wherein each node has a predefined control attribute and a predefined display attribute. A computer system changes the control attribute of a node that has a parent-node. The computer system adjusts the display attribute of the node with respect to the control attribute of the node and the display attribute of the parent-node according to predefined display rules. The computer system visualizes the display attribute of the node. If the node defines a sub-tree of the tree, the computer system repeats the adjusting and visualizing steps for each sub-node of the sub-tree.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 21, 2002
    Date of Patent: March 27, 2007
    Assignee: SAP Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventor: Christoph Hofmann
  • Patent number: 7182331
    Abstract: The present invention relates to an input unit of a letter sorting system which comprises separable first and second conveyor lines. The first line is positioned proximate to an isolating device which processes letters. The first line comprises a conveyor surface and supporting wall along with a linear guide which extends beyond the surface. On the linear guide runs a separating blade. The second line also comprises a conveyor surface and supporting wall along with a linear guide, however this linear guide does not run beyond the length of the second conveyor line supporting surface. At least one second separating blades run on the second conveyor line linear guide. In operation, letters are placed on the second conveyor supporting surface from bins. The placement may be in a select order. The second conveyor line is then brought proximate to the first conveyor line where the two are then coupled.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 24, 2003
    Date of Patent: February 27, 2007
    Assignee: Siemens AG
    Inventors: Peter Berdelle-Hilge, Christoph Hofmann
  • Publication number: 20060230281
    Abstract: A method of determining whether to authorize a user of a computer system to perform an action in the computer system is described. Besides the explicit authorization grants, a new, more secure semantics is defined where only unassigned users or actions are granted generically.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 31, 2005
    Publication date: October 12, 2006
    Inventor: Christoph Hofmann
  • Publication number: 20060056954
    Abstract: The present invention relates to an input unit of a letter sorting system which comprises separable first and second conveyor lines. The first line is positioned proximate to an isolating device which processes letters. The first line comprises a conveyor surface and supporting wall along with a linear guide which extends beyond the surface. On the linear guide runs a separating blade. The second line also comprises a conveyor surface and supporting wall along with a linear guide, however this linear guide does not run beyond the length of the second conveyor line supporting surface. At least one second separating blades run on the second conveyor line linear guide. In operation, letters are placed on the second conveyor supporting surface from bins. The placement may be in a select order. The second conveyor line is then brought proximate to the first conveyor line where the two are then coupled.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 7, 2005
    Publication date: March 16, 2006
    Applicant: SIEMENS AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT
    Inventors: Peter Berdelle-Hilge, Christoph Hofmann
  • Publication number: 20060028994
    Abstract: A messaging system may include a sender backend system, a receiver backend system, and one or more intermediate hubs. The backend systems and message hubs may have messaging software with different protocol versions. The messaging system is downward compatible such that messages routed from the sender backend system through intermediate message hubs are received by the receiver backend system with a protocol version compatible with that of the receiver backend system.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 4, 2004
    Publication date: February 9, 2006
    Inventors: Christoph Hofmann, Stefan Rossmanith, Andreas Dahl
  • Publication number: 20060020678
    Abstract: A system and method for filtering messages in a messaging system is described. The system includes a user interface configured to receive user input for defining one or more message filters. Each message filter specifies predefined criteria by which a message is to be stopped. The system further includes a filter module comprising the one or more filters, and a queue connected with the filter module for queuing messages stopped according to one of the one or more filters. In a method, messages in the messaging system are stopped according to predefined criteria. Stopped messages are restarted according to a job executed by the messaging system.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 26, 2004
    Publication date: January 26, 2006
    Inventors: Joerg Kessler, Stefan Rossmanith, Christoph Hofmann, Peter Surma, Andreas Dahl
  • Publication number: 20050226240
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus, including computer systems and program products implementing a messaging protocol. The messaging protocol may be a messaging protocol for transporting a message across a messaging landscape in a collaborative network. Techniques include sending a message that is defined to include a structured message header with information related to at least one component from a set of components defined by a protocol, including protocol version information in a message such that a component of a messaging landscape can interpret the message based on the version information, defining a message as one of a class of messages, end-to-end acknowledgement for messages, and security for headers and payloads of messages.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 31, 2004
    Publication date: October 13, 2005
    Inventors: Frank Hoffmann, Juergen Frank, Steven Winkler, Christoph Hofmann
  • Publication number: 20040117428
    Abstract: Systems and techniques are disclosed for transmitting a message through an application integration system without having to converting the message from a format that native to both a sending application and a receiving application. A computer-implemented method for transmitting a message from a sending application through an application integration system includes determining a receiving application of the message, and determining a file format used by the receiving application. If the file format used by the receiving application is substantially identical to a file format used by the sending application, the method includes wrapping the message in a markup language file envelope according to a markup language used by the application integration system. The message is then routed in the markup language file envelope to the receiving application.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 19, 2003
    Publication date: June 17, 2004
    Inventors: Peter Surma, Andreas Dahl, Stefan Rossmanith, Christoph Hofmann
  • Patent number: 6749193
    Abstract: The invention relates to a device and a method for loading the input unit of a letter sorting system with letters that are stood on their edges. The device comprises of at least one stack receiving device which is located on a carriage and which can receive a stack of letters at a given location. The device comprise a stack base which can be moved beyond the carriage in the direction of the stack, horizontally, and one or two separating blades which hold the stack. The blades can be displaced along the stack base and can rotate in and out of the stack receiving device. The dimensions and the height of the stack receiving device are configured in such a way that the stack base can be moved onto the letter conveyor line with the separating blade(s) of the stack receiving device and urged to the input unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 2003
    Date of Patent: June 15, 2004
    Assignee: Siemens AG
    Inventors: Peter Berdelle-Hilge, Christoph Hofmann
  • Publication number: 20030212690
    Abstract: Methods and systems for reliably exchanging a message among collaborating applications are disclosed. The methods and systems utilize a central exchange infrastructure (XI) for executing collaborative business processes among heterogeneous applications. Reliable message transmission is guaranteed by an Exactly Once Protocol (EOP), in which a database associated with the messaging and transport layer (MTL) of an HTTP-compliant server is used for storing a message identifier and comparing the message identifier to previously received message identifiers. If there is no match, the XI facilitates an exchange of message content of application data from a sending application to a receiving application.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 27, 2003
    Publication date: November 13, 2003
    Inventors: Peter Surma, Stefan Rossmanith, Christoph Hofmann
  • Publication number: 20030173259
    Abstract: The present invention relates to an input unit of a letter sorting system which comprises separable first and second conveyor lines. The first line is positioned proximate to an isolating device which processes letters. The first line comprises a conveyor surface and supporting wall along with a linear guide which extends beyond the surface. On the linear guide runs a separating blade. The second line also comprises a conveyor surface and supporting wall along with a linear guide, however this linear guide does not run beyond the length of the second conveyor line supporting surface. At least one second separating blades run on the second conveyor line linear guide. In operation, letters are placed on the second conveyor supporting surface from bins. The placement may be in a select order. The second conveyor line is then brought proximate to the first conveyor line where the two are then coupled.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 24, 2003
    Publication date: September 18, 2003
    Inventors: Peter Berdelle-Hilge, Christoph Hofmann
  • Publication number: 20030141651
    Abstract: The invention relates to a device and a method for loading the input unit of a letter sorting system with letters that are stood on their edges. The device comprises of at least one stack receiving device which is located on a carriage and which can receive a stack of letters at a given location. The device comprise a stack base which can be moved beyond the carriage in the direction of the stack, horizontally, and one or two separating blades which hold the stack. The blades can be displaced along the stack base and can rotate in and out of the stack receiving device. The dimensions and the height of the stack receiving device are configured in such a way that the stack base can be moved onto the letter conveyor line with the separating blade(s) of the stack receiving device and urged to the input unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 28, 2003
    Publication date: July 31, 2003
    Inventors: Peter Berdelle-Hilge, Christoph Hofmann
  • Publication number: 20030079182
    Abstract: Computer-implemented methods, computer systems and computer program products for display state adjustment of tree-nodes. A tree has a plurality of nodes, wherein each node has a predefined control attribute and a predefined display attribute. A computer system changes the control attribute of a node that has a parent-node. The computer system adjusts the display attribute of the node with respect to the control attribute of the node and the display attribute of the parent-node according to predefined display rules. The computer system visualizes the display attribute of the node. If the node defines a sub-tree of the tree, the computer system repeats the adjusting and visualizing steps for each sub-node of the sub-tree.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 21, 2002
    Publication date: April 24, 2003
    Inventor: Christoph Hofmann
  • Patent number: 6179284
    Abstract: A method and a device form a scaled flow of overlapped articles from a flow of individual, flat and elastic articles, e.g. for stacking, without the following articles impacting with the rear edges of the preceding articles. In order to achieve a high flow rate, independent of the article length, the respectively preceding article remains during the overlapping in a locally fixed position until the supplied, respectively following article impacts from the side with the preceding article in accordance with the predetermined overlapping length. Following this, the two articles as well as all previous articles are jointly transported further until the rear edge of the now last, preceding article has reached the locally fixed position according to the predetermined overlapping length.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 10, 1998
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2001
    Assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Uwe Maertin, Christoph Hofmann, Armin Zimmermann