Patents by Inventor John R. Hind

John R. Hind 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).

  • Publication number: 20120260254
    Abstract: Tasks are automated using assemblies of services. An interface component allows a user to collect services and to place selected services corresponding to a task to be automated onto a workspace. An analysis component performs an analysis of available data with regard to the selected services provided on the workspace and a configuration component automatically configures inputs of the selected services based upon the analysis of available data without intervention of the user. A dialog component is also provided to allow the user to contribute information to configure one or more of the inputs of the selected services. When processing is complete, an output component outputs a script that is executable to implement the task to be automated.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 15, 2012
    Publication date: October 11, 2012
    Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Li Chen, John R. Hind, Yongcheng Li, Lun Xiao
  • Patent number: 8275648
    Abstract: A system and method to manage a survey for a community development asset. The system includes a response repository, a sampler, a respondent profile filter, and an inference generator. The response repository stores a plurality of survey responses from survey respondents about a community development asset. The sampler selects a sample response of the plurality of survey responses. The sample response corresponds to an identified respondent. The respondent profile filter identifies a community with which the identified respondent is associated. The inference generator infers a similar response from the community associated with the identified respondent based on the sample response of the identified respondent.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 22, 2007
    Date of Patent: September 25, 2012
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Scott R. Carrier, Helena S. Chapman, John R. Hind
  • Publication number: 20120226762
    Abstract: A server system runs a bot service that registers an FAQ (frequently asked questions) for a document having an embedded object. The FAQ includes one or more question-and-answer (Q&A) pairs. The bot service receives, from each electronics device that renders a copy of the document, a request from the embedded object for the FAQ registered for the document, and transmits the FAQ to each electronic device from which a request is received. Each electronics device displays the FAQ, including the one or more Q&A pairs, within its rendered copy of the document. Any viewer of a copy of the document with the embedded object can submit a question to the bot service through the embedded object. The bot service uses a messaging service to obtain an answer to the question from an author. The FAQs displayed at the electronics devices are updated to include the new Q&A pair.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 16, 2012
    Publication date: September 6, 2012
    Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: John R. Hind, Li Chen, Yongcheng Li, Lun Xiao
  • Patent number: 8258924
    Abstract: Techniques are disclosed for writing data directly onto a product to record each ownership transfer. As a result, the product itself now carries a traceable, auditable, non-forgeable, non-repudiable proof of ownership (and, optionally, ownership history) that can be used in a variety of ways. This recorded ownership transfer information provides an electronic receipt, which may be used by the present owner to prove his or her ownership. (Optionally, other types of transfers may be recorded in addition to, or instead of, ownership transfers.) A transfer agent or registrar creates a unique transaction identifier to represent the transfer, and preferably creates a cryptographic signature over fields representing the transfer. This information is then recorded in a repository that is external from the product.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 2007
    Date of Patent: September 4, 2012
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: John R. Hind, Marcia L. Stockton
  • Publication number: 20120222109
    Abstract: Provided are a computer program product, system, and method for providing a declaration of security requirements to a security program to use to control application operations. The application communicates to the security program a declaration of security requirements indicating application actions designated to be performed with respect to resources in the computer system. The application is executed to perform application operations in response to communicating the declaration of security requirements to the security program. During the execution of the application, the actions are performed with respect to the resources at the computer system indicated in the declaration of security requirements.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 24, 2011
    Publication date: August 30, 2012
    Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Jeffrey A. Calcaterra, John R. Hind
  • Publication number: 20120222115
    Abstract: Provided are a computer program product, system, and method for using a declaration of security requirements to determine whether to permit application operations. A declaration of security requirements indicates actions the application designates to perform with respect to resources in a computer system, wherein a plurality of the indicated actions are indicated for at least two operation modes of the application. A detection is made of whether the application is requesting to perform a requested action with respect to a requested resource in the computer system. A determination is made of a current operation mode of the application comprising one of the at least two operation modes in response to detecting that the application is requesting the requested action. A determination is made as to whether the declaration of security requirements indicates the requested action with the current operation mode.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 24, 2011
    Publication date: August 30, 2012
    Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Jeffrey A. Calcaterra, John R. Hind
  • Patent number: 8239445
    Abstract: A method, system and program product are presented for enabling a session, as defined by a series of related transactions to perform a unit of work, to be created between a client and a particular server where the server is managed by a dispatcher. Modifications to the Uniform Resource Locator (URL) are used to create a method of transferring information form the client to the server. The server implements a server-side storage area (cookie jar) to temporarily store information about the client and the session so that the client is routed to the same server for successive messages in the same session and no reliance is made upon an ability by the client to store or return cookies.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 25, 2000
    Date of Patent: August 7, 2012
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Christopher A. S. Gage, John R. Hind, Marcia L. Peters
  • Publication number: 20120197804
    Abstract: Techniques are disclosed for writing data directly onto a product to record each ownership transfer. As a result, the product itself now carries a traceable, auditable, non-forgeable, non-repudiable proof of ownership (and, optionally, ownership history) that can be used in a variety of ways. This recorded ownership transfer information provides an electronic receipt, which may be used by the present owner to prove his or her ownership. (Optionally, other types of transfers may be recorded in addition to, or instead of, ownership transfers.) A transfer agent or registrar may create a unique transaction identifier to represent the transfer, and preferably creates a cryptographic signature over fields representing the transfer. This information may be recorded in a repository that is external from the product.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 8, 2012
    Publication date: August 2, 2012
    Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: John R. Hind, Marcia L. Stockton
  • Patent number: 8230017
    Abstract: A method, system and apparatus for a collaborative system, method and apparatus configured for optimal page sharing. The system of the invention can include a collaborative application disposed in a collaborative peer and configured for communicative coupling to other collaborative peers. The system can further include a compressor/decompressor disposed in the collaborative peer. The compressor/decompressor can include logic programmed to pre-process a shared page for the collaborative application by compressing the shared page before transmitting the shared page to the other collaborative peers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 2005
    Date of Patent: July 24, 2012
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Roderick C. Henderson, John R. Hind, Yongcheng Li
  • Publication number: 20120173678
    Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention provide a method, system and computer program product for network aware provisioning in a mobility supporting cloud computing environment. In an embodiment of the invention, a method for network aware provisioning in a mobility supporting cloud computing environment is provided. In the method, a request is received from a mobile computing device for access to a service in a cloud computing environment and both an expected path of travel for the mobile computing device and also a network access speed along the expected path of travel is determined. Thereafter, a particular instance of the service executing in a host in the cloud computing environment able to accommodate a degree of interaction between the mobile computing device resulting from the network access speed determined for the expected path of travel is selected. Finally, the particular instance of the service is provisioned for access by the mobile computing device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 8, 2011
    Publication date: July 5, 2012
    Applicant: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Ronald P. Doyle, John R. Hind, David L. Kaminsky
  • Publication number: 20120166929
    Abstract: Exemplary embodiments disclose a method and system for providing a context-sensitive user interface.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 28, 2010
    Publication date: June 28, 2012
    Applicant: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Roderick C. Henderson, John R. Hind, Yongchen Li
  • Publication number: 20120167227
    Abstract: Obscuring information in messages to be exchanged over a communications network. In one aspect, the information comprises path name information and parameters for use in a Uniform Resource Locator (“URL”). In another aspect, the information comprises links and parameters used in forms, where hidden parameters are removed from a form and used as URL parameters. A compression dictionary is used to create a compressed form of the information. An identifier of the dictionary and an error detection code (such as a checksum) computed over the compressed information are concatenated with the compressed information, and this is encoded for sending on an outbound message. The original information is then recovered from an inbound message which contains the obscured information by reversing the processing used for the obscuring.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 4, 2012
    Publication date: June 28, 2012
    Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Roderick C. Henderson, JR., John R. Hind, Belinda Y. Langner, Yongcheng Li
  • Patent number: 8176166
    Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention address deficiencies of the art in respect to URI management for bookmarks and provide a novel and non-obvious method, system and computer program product for autonomic management of URIs in a URI bookmark list. In one embodiment of the invention, a method for autonomically managing bookmarks in a bookmark list can be provided. The method can include parsing a list of bookmarks to test validity for network addresses within the bookmarks, and, for each of the bookmarks containing an invalid network address, inferring a correct network address. For example, inferring a correct network address can include comparing a chunk of an image of expected content for the bookmark with pre-stored chunks of content and retrieving a network address for a closely matching one of the pre-stored chunks of content.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 19, 2007
    Date of Patent: May 8, 2012
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: John R. Hind, David P. Johnson
  • Publication number: 20120071991
    Abstract: The present invention is a method for synchronizing multiple layers of constrained optimization with both layers having some common variables in a to processing plant. The layers of optimization can include Planning, Scheduling, Real-Time Optimization and Model Predictive Control.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 19, 2011
    Publication date: March 22, 2012
    Applicant: EXXONMOBIL RESEARCH AND ENGINEERING COMPANY
    Inventors: Tod J. Peterson, William P. Snow, John R. Hind, Kiran R. Sheth
  • Patent number: 8141072
    Abstract: A method for customizing end-user or administrative software documentation such as installation instructions is provided. A software provider first collects computer system information for multiple computer sub-systems used by a customer. The collected computer system information comprises sub-system descriptions of each of the multiple computer sub-systems, software descriptions of all software that is currently residing in each of the multiple computer sub-systems, and hardware descriptions of all hardware that are allocated to each of the multiple computer sub-systems. The software provider then receives, from the customer, the name of new software that is to be installed in a user-selected computer sub-system. Based on the collected computer system information, the software provider determines which specific device in the user-selected computer sub-system should have the new software installed. At run time, variables in the installation instructions are replaced with a device's name.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 3, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 20, 2012
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Tricia Y. Garrett, Jennifer Heins, John R. Hind, Lee A. Kowalski, Robert E. Moore
  • Patent number: 8099600
    Abstract: A method, system and apparatus for detecting and preventing content distribution site impersonation. In this regard, a method for detecting and preventing content distribution site spoofing can include the steps of loading a markup language document and a corresponding digital signature for processing and ensuring that the digital signature originates from a pre-specified source of the markup language document incorporated within the markup language document. The method further can include the steps of dynamically computing a hash value for the markup language document and comparing the dynamically computed hash value to a hash value encrypted within the digital signature. Finally, the method can include the step of detecting content distribution site spoofing either if the digital signature does not originate from the pre-specified source, or if the dynamically computed hash value does not match the hash value encrypted within the digital signature.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 23, 2004
    Date of Patent: January 17, 2012
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: John R. Hind, Marcia L. Stockton
  • Publication number: 20120005275
    Abstract: A computer implemented method correlates a digital resource with an electronic message. A processor detects a focus on a targeted item that identifies a digital resource. The targeted item is in a user history that presents a history of a user's access to multiple digital resources. The processor then auto-populates a draft of an electronic message with the targeted item that was focused in the user history.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 30, 2010
    Publication date: January 5, 2012
    Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: LI CHEN, JOHN R. HIND, YONGCHENG LI, LUN XIAO
  • Patent number: 7996757
    Abstract: Techniques are disclosed for incrementally rendering content in a content framework (such as a portal page provided by a portal system). Upon receiving a request for a portal page, a portal server immediately returns a response including the results from portlets which have acquired their content. If some portlets have not yet finished, subsequent content is delivered at a later time through use of one of several alternative programmatically-generated mechanisms. Capabilities of existing browsers are leveraged for several embodiments, including use of refresh headers, multipart MIME (“Multi-purpose Internet Mail Extensions”) types, and portal pages structured using frames.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2007
    Date of Patent: August 9, 2011
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: John R. Hind, Thomas Schaeck, Brad B. Topol
  • Patent number: 7979500
    Abstract: A computer implemented user interface allows composition of an electronic mail message. A user selects at least one pre-existing email from an email inbox. An envelope is then created by parsing each of the selected pre-existing emails. The pre-existing email is displayed as a tree structure comprising an envelope with at least a label sub-node in a new email view. A new email is composed by selecting parts from the tree structure. The sub-nodes may further comprise a content sub-node. The content sub-node further comprises multi-media parts, and the new email body is composed by selecting parts from the content sub-node.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 19, 2009
    Date of Patent: July 12, 2011
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Li Chen, John R. Hind, Yongcheng Li, Lun Xiao
  • Publication number: 20110119338
    Abstract: A computer implemented user interface allows composition of an electronic mail message. A user selects at least one pre-existing email from an email inbox. An envelope is then created by parsing each of the selected pre-existing emails. The pre-existing email is displayed as a tree structure comprising an envelope with at least a label sub-node in a new email view. A new email is composed by selecting parts from the tree structure. The sub-nodes may further comprise a content sub-node. The content sub-node further comprises multi-media parts, and the new email body is composed by selecting parts from the content sub-node.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 19, 2009
    Publication date: May 19, 2011
    Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: LI CHEN, JOHN R. HIND, YONGCHENG LI, LUN XIAO