Patents by Inventor David A. Goiffon

David A. Goiffon 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: 6785882
    Abstract: A process-driven object management system for managing data and code modules is disclosed. The object management system includes a repository that stores objects, wherein ones of the objects referred to as “Asset elements” each describe a respective code or data module. The object management system includes a set of scripted tools for performing renovation, transformation, and code development tasks on the code and data modules. According to one aspect of the invention, the tool invocation constructs are stored as objects in the repository, such that some of the same object management tools and automated repository interface functions used to manage the Asset element can also be used to manage and veiw the tool objects.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 24, 1999
    Date of Patent: August 31, 2004
    Assignee: Unisys Corporation
    Inventors: David A. Goiffon, Gerald E. Hartmann, David R. Johnson
  • Patent number: 6453312
    Abstract: A computer-implemented system and method for allowing users to interactively develop search queries is provided. The system performs query development utilizing a hierarchical concept tree stored in memory, wherein the nodes of the concept tree are concepts that describe various search topics. Parent/child relationships are created between the concepts, with children concepts describing sub-categories of a parent concept, and so on. Any concept at any level in the tree structure may be related to one or more character strings descriptive of the related concept. Query development is performed by traversing the various relationships in the hierarchical tree structure to selectively add related character strings to a potential query. According to one embodiment, the user is allowed to control the manner and extent of the traversal, and is further allowed to de-select any located concepts and character strings for further use in query development.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 14, 1998
    Date of Patent: September 17, 2002
    Assignee: Unisys Corporation
    Inventors: David A. Goiffon, David R. Johnson, Gerald E. Hartmann
  • Patent number: 6427230
    Abstract: A system for maintaining an object repository within an object management system where the objects are software constructs and the system provides a set of tools for creating packages of the objects that can be reused as well as monitored as they are changed or recombined. The packages themselves become new objects for the repository to store. The set of relationships within a package is also stored as are any relationships between any of the objects within the object management system object repository.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 9, 1998
    Date of Patent: July 30, 2002
    Assignee: Unisys Corporation
    Inventors: David A. Goiffon, David R. Johnson
  • Patent number: 6327593
    Abstract: A system and method is provided for allowing users to interactively modify a search index used in performing concept-based searches. The system includes a repository for storing a network of natural language concepts. The repository further stores associations between selected ones of the natural language concepts and other data items that are cataloged according to the natural language concepts, wherein the data items may be stored within the repository, or on one or more remote systems. A user provides one or more natural language concepts as a search query used to locate associated ones of the data items. Subsequent iterations of a search may be performed to modify the scope of the search. After successful search results are obtained, the user may create one or more new associations, wherein each association relates any of the one or more natural language concepts included within a query with any selected one of the data items located during any iteration of the search.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 23, 1998
    Date of Patent: December 4, 2001
    Assignee: Unisys Corporation
    Inventor: David A. Goiffon
  • Patent number: 6226792
    Abstract: An object management system is providing for managing, cataloging, and discovering various potentially reusable code and data components that exist within an Information Technology (IT) platform, and which each have well-defined interfaces with other components. For each of these re-usable code and data components, an associated software object called an “asset element” is created that describes the associated component. Relationships are created between various asset elements to represent the relationships existing between the software components. Other software objects called “locator elements” are created that each describes an application concept or sub-concept. This application concept or sub-concept is associated with a problem solved by the code and data components within the IT platform. Relationships are created between the various locator elements to correlate the concepts and sub-concepts to software constructs represented by asset elements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 14, 1998
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2001
    Assignee: Unisys Corporation
    Inventors: David A. Goiffon, Gerald E. Hartmann, David R. Johnson