Patents by Inventor Jeffrey J. Smith
Jeffrey J. Smith 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).
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Publication number: 20120120588Abstract: An A filler module may include, but is not limited to: a body portion; and at least one conductive portion receivable within a component port of a computing device. A method for initializing a computing system may include but is not limited to: detecting a presence or absence of one or more filler modules within one or more computing device component ports; and determining compliance with an allowed filler module configuration according to the detection of the presence or absence of the one or more filler modules withing the one or more computing device component ports. A system comprising: a computing device component port; and a processing device configured to: detect a presence or absence of one or more filler modules within one or more computing device component ports, and determine compliance with an allowed filler module configuration according to the detection of the presence or absence of the one or more filler modules within the one or more computing device component ports.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 12, 2010Publication date: May 17, 2012Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATIONInventors: David T. Windell, Jeffrey J. Smith, Timothy A. Meserth, Seth D. Lewis
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Patent number: 8074171Abstract: A method for providing notification of content potentially omitted from within an active document in a document preparation application comprises defining a natural language model for a set of phrasal forms associating each phrasal form with a content type; parsing a textual content of the active document to generate one or more natural language tokens; accessing the natural language model to identify each of the one or more natural language tokens that matches with a phrasal form; generating a list of expected content items having an expected content item for each of the one or more natural language tokens that matches with a phrasal form; scanning the active document to attempt to locate each expected content item; and displaying a notification of each expected content item not located. Each expected content item is generated based upon the content type associated with the corresponding matching phrasal form in the natural language model.Type: GrantFiled: June 6, 2008Date of Patent: December 6, 2011Assignee: International Business Machines CorporationInventors: Robert J. Harlow, Jeffrey J. Smith, David T. Windell
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Publication number: 20110231331Abstract: Methods, apparatus, and products are disclosed for enhancing a shopping experience that include: determining, by a self-checkout terminal, that a shopper invoked a help event; selecting, by the self-checkout terminal in dependence upon the help event, a shopper assistant to assist the shopper; and providing, by the self-checkout terminal to the shopper, distinguishing information identifying the shopper assistant.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 19, 2010Publication date: September 22, 2011Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATIONInventor: Jeffrey J. Smith
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Publication number: 20110191478Abstract: A quick access display with a small screen is physically attached to the outside of a laptop computer. Selected and key information in formatted display frames is electronically pushed to the quick access display by an application program loaded to run on the laptop computer's operating system. The formatted display frames are communicated over a universal serial bus (USB), or wirelessly by radio frequency identification (RFID) chips, BLUETOOTH, or IEEE-802.11 Wi-Fi. Operating power for the quick access display is provided by long-life watch batteries and the electronics are implemented in low power MOS technologies.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 29, 2010Publication date: August 4, 2011Applicant: International Business Organization Name Machines CorporationInventors: Todd M. Eischeid, Daniel P. Kelaher, Jeffrey J. Smith, David T. Windell
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Patent number: 7958447Abstract: A method for providing navigational control of paginated electronic information, includes: loading paginated information into an electronic device capable of displaying paginated information in response to a user's selection; determining the total number of pages in the paginated information, and the number and page lengths of chapters, indexes, appendices, and prefaces; calibrating one or more page navigation controls based on the determined total number of pages in paginated document, and number and page length of chapters, indexes, appendices, prefaces; setting detents and resistance points on the navigation controls based on the calibration; changing displayed paginated content in response to the user's positional touch of the one or more navigation controls; wherein the detents and resistance points are implemented virtually in navigational software, or physically with a series of elevations or ridges that interface with the navigational software; and the level of resistance varies in response to the pagType: GrantFiled: May 23, 2008Date of Patent: June 7, 2011Assignee: International Business Machines CorporationInventors: Timothy A. Meserth, Mark E. Molander, Thomas J. Sluchak, Jeffrey J. Smith, David T. Wendell
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Patent number: 7701327Abstract: A wireless display panel for an electronic system includes a plurality of light status indicators. Each light status indicator includes a first chamber attached to the wireless display panel and having an excitable gas inside an end of thereof and a second chamber attached to a surface of the electronic system. The first and second chambers being formed of conducting material and corresponding to each other, connecting with each other to form a sealed enclosure when the wireless display panel is connected with the electronic system. Each light status indicator also includes a generator attached to the surface of the electronic system and surrounded by the second chamber, outputting alternating current (AC) power inside the sealed enclosure for wirelessly transmitting AC current to excite the excitable gas, as determined by the electronic system.Type: GrantFiled: January 11, 2008Date of Patent: April 20, 2010Assignee: International Business Machines CorporationInventors: William R. Duffy, III, Jeffrey J. Smith, David T. Windell
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Publication number: 20100037147Abstract: A system, method and computer program product for verifying an avatar owner as a human user of an avatar in a virtual world environment in which users may interact through avatars, representing each one or more users visually, and wherein users, interact through their the representing avatars, via client devices in network communication with a server device. The method includes receiving a request for challenging an avatar in the virtual world environment to determine whether that avatar is controlled by an application program user (bot). Then, in response to the challenging, a user client device associated with a challenged avatar is identified and a HIP message for detecting a human user versus a bot controlling the challenged avatar is generated and communicated, for receipt at a user client device. The HIP message requires an response from the corresponding user. It is determined from the response, whether the user is a bot or a human user.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 5, 2008Publication date: February 11, 2010Applicant: International Business Machines CorporationInventors: David F. Champion, Jeffrey J. Smith, Kevin J. Smith, David T. Windell
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Publication number: 20100031363Abstract: The invention provides a method and system for securing information for a virtual world environment. The method includes creating information for a virtual world environment, transmitting the information to the virtual world environment from the memory, selectively removing the information from the virtual world environment, and selectively storing the information on a memory external to the server to prevent access from the server.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 31, 2008Publication date: February 4, 2010Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATIONInventors: Timothy A. Meserth, Jeffrey J. Smith, David T. Windell
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Publication number: 20090306962Abstract: A method for providing notification of content potentially omitted from within an active document in a document preparation application comprises defining a natural language model for a set of phrasal forms associating each phrasal form with a content type; parsing a textual content of the active document to generate one or more natural language tokens; accessing the natural language model to identify each of the one or more natural language tokens that matches with a phrasal form; generating a list of expected content items having an expected content item for each of the one or more natural language tokens that matches with a phrasal form; scanning the active document to attempt to locate each expected content item; and displaying a notification of each expected content item not located. Each expected content item is generated based upon the content type associated with the corresponding matching phrasal form in the natural language model.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 6, 2008Publication date: December 10, 2009Applicant: International Business Machines CorporationInventors: Robert J. Harlow, Jeffrey J. Smith, David T. Windell
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Publication number: 20090293009Abstract: A method for providing navigational control of paginated electronic information, includes: loading paginated information into an electronic device capable of displaying paginated information in response to a user's selection; determining the total number of pages in the paginated information, and the number and page lengths of chapters, indexes, appendices, and prefaces; calibrating one or more page navigation controls based on the determined total number of pages in paginated document, and number and page length of chapters, indexes, appendices, prefaces; setting detents and resistance points on the navigation controls based on the calibration; changing displayed paginated content in response to the user's positional touch of the one or more navigation controls; wherein the detents and resistance points are implemented virtually in navigational software, or physically with a series of elevations or ridges that interface with the navigational software; and the level of resistance varies in response to the pagType: ApplicationFiled: May 23, 2008Publication date: November 26, 2009Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATIONInventors: Timothy A. Meserth, Mark E. Molander, Thomas J. Sluchak, Jeffrey J. Smith, David T. Windell
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Publication number: 20090179577Abstract: A wireless display panel for an electronic system includes a plurality of light status indicators. Each light status indicator includes a first chamber attached to the wireless display panel and having an excitable gas inside an end of thereof and a second chamber attached to a surface of the electronic system. The first and second chambers being formed of conducting material and corresponding to each other, connecting with each other to form a sealed enclosure when the wireless display panel is connected with the electronic system. Each light status indicator also includes a generator attached to the surface of the electronic system and surrounded by the second chamber, outputting alternating current (AC) power inside the sealed enclosure for wirelessly transmitting AC current to excite the excitable gas, as determined by the electronic system.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 11, 2008Publication date: July 16, 2009Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATIONInventors: William R. Duffy, III, Jeffrey J. Smith, David T. Windell
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Publication number: 20090183113Abstract: A method, system and computer program product for supporting activity-centered, automated grouping of application and data resources, includes generating a user interface in a display device, presenting a set of application, data or hardware resources for user interaction in the user interface, defining an activity group associated with the resources in response to a user performing a consolidated user interface action, generating an interface control object in the graphical user interface representing the activity group, and invoking the resources associated with the activity group in response to user activation of the interface control object.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 10, 2008Publication date: July 16, 2009Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATIONInventors: Jeffrey J. Smith, David T. Windell
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Patent number: 7562227Abstract: A method for authenticating a user with a procedural memory based password system is provided. The procedural password system allows the use of the same password on multiple devices that have different input keyboards. The system stores the password as a sequence of relative position keystrokes. To authenticate the user, the system compares the relative positions and sequence of the keys entered by the user against those stored in a database. Since the password consists of relative positions of the entered keys, the user may use the same password on devices that have different input mechanisms.Type: GrantFiled: March 24, 2008Date of Patent: July 14, 2009Assignee: International Business Machines CorporationInventors: Aaron R. Cox, Brad M. Johnson, Thomas J. Sluchak, Jeffrey J. Smith
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Patent number: 6749757Abstract: An improved production water treatment system and method are disclosed. The treatment apparatus includes a vertically oriented vessel with tangentially disposed injection nozzles including one or more injection nozzles for the introduction of production water and one or more injection nozzles for the introduction of recycled water from the vessel and a sparge gas. The tangential orientation of the injection nozzles creates a cyclonic flow within the vessel for improved sparge gas bubble/hydrocarbon contact. A hydrocarbon-rich layer migrates to the top surface of the liquid in the vessel where it is removed about a center axis of the vessel. The resulting hydrocarbon-lean production water has a sufficiently low hydrocarbon content that it is eligible for more intensive processing, such as with organophillic clay cartridges.Type: GrantFiled: August 26, 2002Date of Patent: June 15, 2004Assignee: Amcol International CorporationInventors: Jeffrey J. Smith, Jerald W. Darlington, John Occhipinti, Gerard A. Just
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Publication number: 20040035799Abstract: An improved production water treatment system and method are disclosed. The treatment apparatus includes a vertically oriented vessel with tangentially disposed injection nozzles including one or more injection nozzles for the introduction of production water and one or more injection nozzles for the introduction of recycled water from the vessel and a sparge gas. The tangential orientation of the injection nozzles creates a cyclonic flow within the vessel for improved sparge gas bubble/hydrocarbon contact. A hydrocarbon-rich layer migrates to the top surface of the liquid in the vessel where it is removed about a center axis of the vessel. The resulting hydrocarbon-lean production water has a sufficiently low hydrocarbon content that it is eligible for more intensive processing, such as with organophillic clay cartridges.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 26, 2002Publication date: February 26, 2004Inventors: Jeffrey J. Smith, Jerald W. Darlington, John Occhipinti, Gerard A. Just
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Patent number: 6409924Abstract: System in fluid communication with an oil-contaminated water supply, such as a water leg portion of an offshore drilling or production platform sump tank, for conveying the separated water into contact with an organophilic clay in a vessel maintained at an operating pressure of at least 10 psig, such that the hydrocarbons and other organic material will be adsorbed onto the organophilic clay and will be conveyed back to the ocean water without contamination.Type: GrantFiled: April 2, 2001Date of Patent: June 25, 2002Assignee: AMCOL International CorporationInventors: Michael R. Johnson, Jeffrey J. Smith
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Patent number: 6398966Abstract: Apparatus in fluid communication with a water leg portion of a hydrocarbon-contaminated water, e.g., a water leg portion of an offshore drilling or production platform sump tank for conveying water, separated from oil, into contact with organophilic media canisters such that the hydrocarbons and other organic materials commingled with the sump tank water will be adsorbed onto the organophilic media and detected by the embedded probe in selected canisters. The canisters are provided in a plurality of stacks and are in fluid communication with a header disposed at the bottom of the vessel housing the various stacks of canisters. Solids that do not pass through the canisters are accumulated at the bottom of the vessel and easily drained through a drain port. The water will pass through the media and will be conveyed back to the ocean water without contamination.Type: GrantFiled: August 9, 2001Date of Patent: June 4, 2002Assignee: AMCOL International CorporationInventors: Jeffrey J. Smith, Jerald W. Darlington, Jr., Michael R. Johnson, John Occhipinti, Elmo Robichaux, Michael A. Berger
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Patent number: 6398951Abstract: Apparatus in fluid communication with a water leg portion of a hydrocarbon-contaminated water, e.g., a water leg portion of an offshore drilling or production platform sump tank for conveying water, separated from oil, into contact with organophilic media canisters such that the hydrocarbons and other organic materials commingled with the sump tank water will be adsorbed onto the organophilic media and detected by the embedded probe in selected canisters. The canisters are provided in a plurality of stacks and are in fluid communication with a header disposed at the bottom of the vessel housing the various stacks of canisters. Solids that do not pass through the canisters are accumulated at the bottom of the vessel and easily drained through a drain port. The water will pass through the media and will be conveyed back to the ocean water without contamination.Type: GrantFiled: August 9, 2001Date of Patent: June 4, 2002Assignee: AMCOL International CorporationInventors: Jeffrey J. Smith, Jerald W. Darlington, Jr., Michael R. Johnson, John Occhipinti, Elmo Robichaux, Michael A. Berger
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Patent number: 6358422Abstract: Apparatus in fluid communication with a water leg portion of a hydrocarbon-contaminated water, e.g., a water leg portion of an offshore drilling or production platform sump tank for conveying water, separated from oil, into contact with organophilic media canisters such that the hydrocarbons and other organic materials commingled with the sump tank water will be adsorbed onto the organophilic media and detected by the embedded probe in selected canisters. The canisters are provided in a plurality of stacks and are in fluid communication with a header disposed at the bottom of the vessel housing the various stacks of canisters. Solids that do not pass through the canisters are accumulated at the bottom of the vessel and easily drained through a drain port. The water will pass through the media and will be conveyed back to the ocean water without contamination.Type: GrantFiled: November 3, 2000Date of Patent: March 19, 2002Assignee: AMCOL International CorporationInventors: Jeffrey J. Smith, Jerald W. Darlington, Jr., Michael R. Johnson, John Occhipinti, Elmo Robichaux, Michael A. Berger
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Patent number: D643434Type: GrantFiled: September 24, 2010Date of Patent: August 16, 2011Assignee: International Business Machines CorporationInventors: William J. Grady, IV, Jason E. Minyard, Jeffrey J. Smith