Patents by Inventor Gerald F. Cermak

Gerald F. Cermak 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: 7792121
    Abstract: Serialized data from broadcast services is provided to a broadcast server for transmitting to one or more client devices. The serialized data may correspond to shared data, private data, or control data. Data is scheduled for transmission based on weighted priorities including quality of service metrics. The transmission frame is arranged according to a frame protocol that includes provisions for a table of contents indexing system for the shared data. Packets of shared data are formatted based on criteria that is known by the particular broadcast service and corresponding application that is resident on the client device. The client device receives the table of contents at the transport layer, and notifies applications of data that will be available in the next frame. Applications submit prioritized requests to the transport layer, requesting data in the next frame. Data is retrieved by the transport layer, and deserialized by handlers for each application.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 3, 2003
    Date of Patent: September 7, 2010
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: R. Donald Thompson, III, Davide Massarenti, Cosmin A. Corbea, Gerald F. Cermak, Gideon A. Yuval
  • Patent number: 7738881
    Abstract: The present invention leverages changes in the sensed strength of radio signals at different locations to determine a device's location. In one instance of the present invention, inference procedures are used to process ambient commercial radio signals, to estimate a location or a probability distribution over the locations of a device. In another instance of the present invention, a system utilizes learning and inference methods that are applied to rank vector of signal strength vectors. Moving to such rank orderings leads to systems that bypass consideration of absolute signal strengths in location calculations. The present invention facilitates approximations for locating a device by providing a system that does not require a substantial number of available ambient signal strengths while still providing useful location inferences in determining locations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2003
    Date of Patent: June 15, 2010
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: John C. Krumm, Gerald F. Cermak, Eric J. Horvitz, Edward C. Miller, Adel Amin AbdelAzim Youssef
  • Patent number: 7319877
    Abstract: The present invention leverages changes in the sensed strength of radio signals at different locations to determine a device's location. In one instance of the invention, inference procedures are used to process ambient commercial radio signals, to estimate a location or a probability distribution over the locations of a device. In an instance of the invention, learning and inference methods are applied to rank vector of signal strength vectors. Moving to such rank orderings leads to methods that bypass consideration of absolute signal strengths in location calculations. The invention facilitates approximations for locating a device by providing a method that does not require a substantial number of available ambient signal strengths while still providing useful location inferences in determining locations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2003
    Date of Patent: January 15, 2008
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: John C. Krumm, Gerald F. Cermak, Eric J. Horvitz, Edward C. Miller, Adel Amin AbdelAzim Youssef
  • Patent number: 7202816
    Abstract: The present invention employs approximate device locations determined from changes in the sensed strength of radio signals at different locations. In one instance of the invention, the approximate device locations are based on inference procedures that are used to process ambient commercial radio signals, to estimate a location or a probability distribution over the locations of a device. In another instance of the invention, approximate device locations derived from learning and inference methods that are applied to rank vector of signal strength vectors are utilized. Moving to such rank orderings leads to methods that bypass consideration of absolute signal strengths in location calculations. The invention utilizes approximations for a device location that is based on a method that does not require a substantial number of available ambient signal strengths while still providing useful location inferences in determining locations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2003
    Date of Patent: April 10, 2007
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: John C. Krumm, Gerald F. Cermak, Eric J. Horvitz, Edward C. Miller, Adel Amin AbdelAzim Youssef
  • Publication number: 20040131014
    Abstract: Serialized data from broadcast services is provided to a broadcast server for transmitting to one or more client devices. The serialized data may correspond to shared data, private data, or control data. Data is scheduled for transmission based on weighted priorities including quality of service metrics. The transmission frame is arranged according to a frame protocol that includes provisions for a table of contents indexing system for the shared data. Packets of shared data are formatted based on criteria that is known by the particular broadcast service and corresponding application that is resident on the client device. The client device receives the table of contents at the transport layer, and notifies applications of data that will be available in the next frame. Applications submit prioritized requests to the transport layer, requesting data in the next frame. Data is retrieved by the transport layer, and deserialized by handlers for each application.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 3, 2003
    Publication date: July 8, 2004
    Applicant: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: R. Donald Thompson, Davide Massarenti, Cosmin A. Corbea, Gerald F. Cermak, Gideon A. Yuval