Patents by Inventor Lawrence F. Weiss
Lawrence F. Weiss 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: 20080316002Abstract: Provided is a pre-configuration system and method for defining user configuration preferences for consumer devices and computer software and hardware at time of purchase and, then, automatically configuring the target devices when the device is packaged or first used. Information gathered in conjunction with the purchase of a target device is employed to determine the user configuration and then the user configuration is applied to the target device. A target device and associated hardware are imbedded with RFID tags thus enabling elimination of the configuration of a device by the end user. As a result, both user documentation and support calls are reduced. This is accomplished using RFID technology that enables labor free, automated transmittal of configuration data to the user device.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 25, 2007Publication date: December 25, 2008Inventors: PETER T. BRUNET, Anh Lu, Lawrence F. Weiss
-
Patent number: 7054952Abstract: Several different embodiments of an electronic document delivery system are described including a client machine (e.g., a palmtop/handheld computer or wireless communication device) coupled to a transcoder proxy. One embodiment of the system allows a client machine with limited resources to support JAVASCRIPT. The transcoder proxy receives an electronic document in a first digital format (e.g., HTML or XML). A JAVASCRIPT event may be associated with an element of the document including JAVASCRIPT code executed in response to the JAVASCRIPT event. The transcoder proxy assigns a unique identifier to the element, and forms a model of a logical structure of the document (e.g., a document object model or DOM). The transcoder proxy uses the model to produce an “original” script including a portion of the document expressed in a second digital format (e.g., a scripting language), and provides the original script to the client machine.Type: GrantFiled: December 9, 1999Date of Patent: May 30, 2006Assignee: International Business Machines Corp.Inventors: Richard S. Schwerdtfeger, Lawrence F. Weiss, Rabindranath Dutta
-
Patent number: 6864912Abstract: A system and method are described for selectively providing display data to a display device dependent upon an optically detected proximity of a user's face to a camera. One embodiment of a computer system includes the camera, the display device, and a processing system. The camera produces image signals representing a first image and a second image of the user's face, wherein the first image precedes the second image in time. The processing system receives the image signals and analyzes the first and second images to determine the proximity of the user's face to the camera. More specifically, the processing system compares the first and second images to determine the proximity of the user's face to the camera in the second image relative to the proximity of the user's face in the first image. The processing system provides the display data to the display device dependent upon the proximity of the user's face to the camera.Type: GrantFiled: December 16, 1999Date of Patent: March 8, 2005Assignee: International Business Machines Corp.Inventors: Robert B. Mahaffey, Lawrence F. Weiss, Richard S. Schwerdtfeger, Frederik C. Kjeldsen
-
Patent number: 6829746Abstract: Several different embodiments of an electronic document delivery system are described including a client machine (e.g., a palmtop/handheld computer or wireless communication device) coupled to a transcoder proxy. The system allows a client machine with limited resources to provide interactive aspects of electronic documents such as Web pages and/or an assistive technology solution for a physically challenged user. The transcoder proxy receives an electronic document including one or more elements and expressed in a first digital format (e.g., HTML or XML). The transcoder proxy assigns a unique identifier to each element, produces an “original” script including at least a portion of the document expressed in a second digital format (e.g., a scripting language), and provides the original script to the client machine. The transcoder proxy may form a model of the document (e.g., a document object model or DOM), and may use the model to produce the original script.Type: GrantFiled: December 9, 1999Date of Patent: December 7, 2004Assignee: International Business Machines Corp.Inventors: Richard S. Schwerdtfeger, Lawrence F. Weiss, Rabindranath Dutta
-
Patent number: 6812941Abstract: Several different methods for presenting (e.g., displaying) a hierarchical structure are presented. The hierarchical structure includes multiple elements, and defines hierarchical relationships between the elements. The hierarchical structure may be embodied within an electronic document such as a Web document, an interactive application program, or a map divided into sections. Each element has a “presentation property” which may be a value or a function. A single one of the elements has “focus” (e.g., in accordance with the coding of the document by an author, by default, etc.). A “view depth” method includes forming a model (e.g., a tree structure) of the hierarchical structure. The model includes multiple levels ranked with respect to one another, multiple nodes representing elements, and at least one branch.Type: GrantFiled: December 9, 1999Date of Patent: November 2, 2004Assignee: International Business Machines Corp.Inventors: Frances C. Brown, Richard S. Schwerdtfeger, Lawrence F. Weiss
-
Patent number: 6738951Abstract: An electronic document delivery system is described including a client machine coupled to (i.e., in wired or wireless communication with) a transcoder proxy. The client machine may be, for example, a palmtop or handheld computer or a wireless communication device with limited memory and/or processing capability. The client machine includes a Braille display and provides Braille format information identifying a selected Braille format to the transcoder proxy. The transcoder proxy is coupled to receive the Braille format information and electronic documents. Each electronic document includes presentation information (e.g., text and/or user controls such as buttons). The transcoder proxy includes a rule set including rules for translating electronic documents from any one of a set of first digital formats (e.g., a text-based markup language such as HTML, extensible markup language/XML, POSTSCRIPT, or portable document format/PDF) to any one of various Braille formats (e.g.Type: GrantFiled: December 9, 1999Date of Patent: May 18, 2004Assignee: International Business Machines Corp.Inventors: Lawrence F. Weiss, Richard S. Schwerdtfeger, Rabindranath Dutta
-
Patent number: 6725424Abstract: Several embodiments of an electronic document delivery system are described including a client machine (e.g., a palmtop/handheld computer or wireless communication device) coupled to a transcoder proxy. The system allows a client machine with limited resources to provide an assistive technology solution for a physically challenged user. In one embodiment, the client machine includes an assistive technology which functions as an interface for a device (e.g., a Braille display or a speech engine). The transcoder proxy receives an electronic document expressed in a first digital format (e.g., HTML or XML). The transcoder proxy assigns a unique identifier to the element, and forms a model of a logical structure of the document (e.g., a document object model or DOM). The transcoder proxy uses the model to produce an “original” script including a portion of the document expressed in a second digital format (e.g., a scripting language).Type: GrantFiled: December 9, 1999Date of Patent: April 20, 2004Assignee: International Business Machines Corp.Inventors: Richard S. Schwerdtfeger, Lawrence F. Weiss, Rabindranath Dutta
-
Patent number: 6549221Abstract: Systems and methods for presenting (e.g., displaying) a hierarchical structure are presented. The hierarchical structure includes multiple elements and defines hierarchical relationships between the elements. The hierarchical structure may be embodied within an electronic document such as a Web document, an interactive application program, or a map divided into sections. Each element has a “presentation property” which may be a value or a function. One of the elements has “focus” (e.g., as created, by default, etc.). A “branch isolation” method includes forming a tree-like model of the hierarchical structure having multiple nodes and at least one branch. Each node represents one of the elements. One node is a root node and occupies a highest level in the hierarchical structure. A given branch connects a first node in a first level to a second node in a level directly below the first level. Each branch represents a hierarchical relationship between connected nodes.Type: GrantFiled: December 9, 1999Date of Patent: April 15, 2003Assignee: International Business Machines Corp.Inventors: Frances C. Brown, Richard S. Schwerdtfeger, Lawrence F. Weiss
-
Publication number: 20020126090Abstract: A computer system is described including a camera, a display device (e.g., a display monitor) having a display screen, and a processing system coupled to the camera and the display device. The camera produces image signals representing one or more images of an object under the control of a user. The processing system receives the image signals, and uses the image signals to determine a state of the object. The state of the object may be, for example, a position of the object, an orientation of the object, or motion of the object. Dependent upon the state of the object, the processing system controls cursor movement and selection of a selectable item at a current cursor location. The object may be a body part of the user, such as a face, a hand, or a foot. The object may also be a prominent feature of a body part, such as a nose, a corner of a mouth, a corner of an eye, a finger, a knuckle, or a toe. The object may also be an object held by, attached to, or worn by the user.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 18, 2001Publication date: September 12, 2002Applicant: International Business Machines CorporationInventors: Scott Kirkpatrick, Frederic C. Kjeldsen, Robert B. Mahaffey, Richard S. Schwerdtfeger, Lawrence F. Weiss