Patents Examined by Alicia M Lewis
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Patent number: 8046329Abstract: Systems and methods for computer system data backup. A computer system includes an application server operating on a first host and a backup application configured to create new target database images for a sequence of backup datasets. The backup datasets include data from source databases associated with the application server. At least one of the source databases is hosted on a remote source host separate from the first host. The computer system includes a client registered with the application server and installed on a backup host. The client stores a seed document in each of the new target database images and modifies each seed document to specify which portions of a backup dataset in the sequence are to be stored in each new target database image. The backup application updates each new target database image based on the contents of a seed document.Type: GrantFiled: June 30, 2008Date of Patent: October 25, 2011Assignee: Symantec Operating CorporationInventors: Amrish Shah, Udayan Majumdar
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Patent number: 8041753Abstract: A method and apparatus for hyperlinking a main file with N target files stored in a computer readable medium (N?1). A primary filename of the main file, which is hyperlinked with N target file addresses to form a composite filename, has a form of F.E. The composite filename has a form of F(A).E, wherein F and E respectively represent a name component and an extension component of the primary filename. The N target files are denoted as T1, T2, . . . , TN having the associated N target file addresses respectively denoted as A1, A2, . . . , AN, wherein A represents A1, A2, . . . , AN. The symbol ( between F and A denotes a first control character that separates F and A. The symbol ) between A and E denotes a second control character that separates A and E. The composite filename is stored in the computer readable medium.Type: GrantFiled: October 1, 2007Date of Patent: October 18, 2011Assignee: International Business Machines CorporationInventor: Fernando Incertis Carro
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Patent number: 8005813Abstract: Expert domains for a query category represent domains from which a high percentage of search results for queries associated with the query category are retrieved. The expert domains are identified by establishing a base statistical model that indicates frequencies of appearance for domains in search results retrieved for queries corresponding to multiple categories. In addition, frequencies of domain appearance are determined for search results retrieved for queries associated with a category. Domains that appear more frequently in the search results corresponding to the category are identified as expert domains for the category. A user may be allowed to customize expert domains related to one or more categories by adding or removing expert domains for the category.Type: GrantFiled: September 12, 2007Date of Patent: August 23, 2011Assignee: AOL Inc.Inventors: Abdur R. Chowdhury, Gregory S. Pass, Gerald Frederick Campbell
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Patent number: 8005835Abstract: Computer systems and methods allow users to annotate content items found in a corpus such as the World Wide Web. Annotations, which can include any descriptive and/or evaluative metadata related to a document, are collected from a user and stored in association with that user. Users are able to annotate and view their annotations for any document they encounter while interacting with the corpus, including hits returned in a search of the corpus. Users are also able to search their annotations or to limit searches to documents they have annotated. Metadata from annotations can also be aggregated across users and aggregated metadata applied in generating search results.Type: GrantFiled: March 15, 2005Date of Patent: August 23, 2011Assignee: Yahoo! Inc.Inventors: Eckart Walther, Qi Lu, David Ku, Kevin Lee, Chung-Man Tam, Ali Diab
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Patent number: 8005850Abstract: Computer systems and methods allow users to annotate content items found in a corpus such as the World Wide Web. Annotations, which can include any descriptive and/or evaluative metadata related to a document, are collected from a user and stored in association with that user. Users are able to annotate and view their annotations for any document they encounter while interacting with the corpus, including hits returned in a search of the corpus. Users are also able to search their annotations or to limit searches to documents they have annotated. Metadata from annotations can also be aggregated across users and aggregated metadata applied in generating search results.Type: GrantFiled: March 15, 2005Date of Patent: August 23, 2011Assignee: Yahoo! Inc.Inventors: Eckart Walther, Qi Lu, David Ku, Kevin Lee, Chung-Man Tam, Ali Diab
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Patent number: 7966352Abstract: A system and process for harvesting context information from selected content is described. One may use a stylus to indicate what content is to be captured. The context information that may be associated with selected content may include URLs, file names, folder names, text from the content, and ink.Type: GrantFiled: January 26, 2004Date of Patent: June 21, 2011Assignee: Microsoft CorporationInventors: Vikram Madan, Issa Khoury, Gerhard Schobbe, Guy Barker, Judy Tandog
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Patent number: 7937399Abstract: A searching method for tree data structure topology employs an array generated as a search key array representing a tree serving as search key to represent a parent-child relationship between nodes. The array has the node identifier assigned to a parent node associated with a corresponding non-root node. Non-root nodes are nodes other than a root node, and the node identifier assigned to the parent node corresponds to the node identifier assigned to associated non-root nodes. An offset is applied to node identifiers in the search key array, the node identifiers to which offset is applied are compared with corresponding node identifiers contained in a portion in a C-P array, the portion determined according to the offset, and a vertex node list indicating a search result is stored, wherein the search result contains node identifiers included in a portion of the C-P array whose all nodes matched in comparison.Type: GrantFiled: January 23, 2006Date of Patent: May 3, 2011Assignee: Turbo Data Laboratories, Inc.Inventor: Shinji Furusho
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Patent number: 7827189Abstract: There has been conventionally a problem that when the searcher uses, for example, “dry wine” selected according to the searcher's preference as a search key, the searcher cannot be satisfied with the search result because wine entries stored in a database as “dry wines” depend on objective evaluation by another person. A sense database is created by using, as a subjective search index, sense parameter information such as potential variation caused by pungency obtained by a pseudo sensor irrespective of one's ability. Specifically the database comprises a sense information obtaining section for obtaining sense information by associating the sense parameter information acquired by the sensor with representative information, a sense information storage section, a search key obtaining section, and a searching section for searching the sense information storage section using a search key.Type: GrantFiled: May 12, 2004Date of Patent: November 2, 2010Assignee: Ajikaori Senryaku Kenkyusyo Co., Ltd.Inventor: Masahide Hayama
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Patent number: 7814115Abstract: A search query comprising a plurality of search terms is used to generate a plurality of search results. The search query, in its entirety, is represented by an object in multi-dimensional space. The multi-dimensional space comprises a plurality of dimensions to represent a plurality of search criteria, respectively. The object has a position in the multi-dimensional space based on values of the search criteria. The object is manipulated simultaneously in at least two dimensions of the multi-dimensional space to simultaneously modify respective values of at least two of the search criteria. The search results are filtered based on the modified values of the search criteria to produce a subset of the search results, and the subset is displayed.Type: GrantFiled: October 16, 2007Date of Patent: October 12, 2010Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I, LPInventors: Scott White, Steven Neil Tischer
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Patent number: 7801906Abstract: The invention receives a request to store a file having a filename written in a first text encoding, converts the filename into a Unicode filename and stores the Unicode filename and the file into memory. The invention then sets a flag, associated with the memory, indicating that a first text encoding has been used. To retrieve a Unicode filename, the invention receives a request to locate a Unicode filename from memory. Next, the invention uses a predetermined text encoding to convert the filename into Unicode. The invention then searches for the Unicode filename in the memory. If the Unicode filename is not found, the invention uses a next text encoding from the set of text encodings which have been used, to repeat the conversion and searches the memory until the Unicode filename is identified. Lastly, the Unicode file is retrieved.Type: GrantFiled: February 22, 2006Date of Patent: September 21, 2010Assignee: Apple Inc.Inventors: Mark S. Day, Donald J. Brady, Deric S. Horn
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Patent number: 7783672Abstract: Provided are support mechanisms for a user interface mechanism that performs group policy management. The support mechanisms include a context menu map that provides a consistent and efficient way to generate interactive context menus for nodes using only straightforward declarations. The declarations are processed to invoke code with corresponding parameters that in turn generates a data structure corresponding to a context menu that is to be displayed. The data structure is processed into another data structure, from which data is extracted to meet the requirements of a hosting management application. An intermediary communications object is provided to separate the user interface into multiple components which each exchange data. A progress dialog is also provided to update the user as to the progress of lengthy operations performed on various managed objects, and to drive those operations. Refresh logic replicates changes made at one location in the user interface to other nodes.Type: GrantFiled: April 9, 2003Date of Patent: August 24, 2010Assignee: Microsoft CorporationInventors: William J. Whalen, Carey Tanner, Matthew Wetmore
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Patent number: 7765186Abstract: Transactional database replication techniques are disclosed. The techniques can be realized in many ways, such as in a replicator module that can be instantiated at each site in a distributed system. The techniques support a variety of data storage technologies such as traditional durable transactional databases as well as in-memory data storage systems, and a variety of data types such as relational, flat file, XML, and object-oriented data. Guaranteed levels of distributed transactional data consistency for both reads and writes are enabled for database applications. The techniques also support the ability of applications distributed across a network to perform updates concurrently, and the ability to replicate many standard database systems without needing to modify their intrinsic behavior or needing them to be aware of the replicator, and the ability to tolerate network and process failures without any change to the data consistency guarantees provided to the applications.Type: GrantFiled: November 30, 2005Date of Patent: July 27, 2010Assignee: Progress Software CorporationInventors: Carl Hu, Frederick A. Tompkins, Jr., Benjamin A. Rousseau
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Patent number: 7752210Abstract: A method of determining a geographical location from IP address information comprising: interrogating a database of IP address information mapped to domain name information by submitting a given IP address; the database returning a domain name in response to the given IP address; deriving one or more likely web site addresses from the domain name; and scanning the or each derived web site address for geographical address information to determine likely geographical address information.Type: GrantFiled: December 22, 2003Date of Patent: July 6, 2010Assignee: Yahoo! Inc.Inventors: Soren Riise, Devesh Patel
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Patent number: 7739254Abstract: A system identifies a set of documents from a corpus of documents that are relevant to a word, phrase or sentence and that were published at approximately a same time period, where each document of the set of documents includes news content and has an associated headline. The system extracts headlines from the set of documents and derives a score for each headline of the extracted headlines based on how many times selected words in each headline occurs among all of the extracted headlines.Type: GrantFiled: September 30, 2005Date of Patent: June 15, 2010Assignee: Google Inc.Inventor: Douwe Osinga
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Patent number: 7730045Abstract: Database indexes include multiple fields that are used to track how the components of the index are used. An index component monitoring mechanism tracks how the components of the index are used, and updates fields in the index accordingly. Such component-level statistics allow a query optimizer to make more intelligent decisions regarding when to build a new index and when to discard an index, and also provide information regarding which queries are using the index, the maintenance cost of the index, and the selectivity of the index when used to process a query.Type: GrantFiled: March 27, 2008Date of Patent: June 1, 2010Assignee: International Business Machines CorporationInventors: Eric Lawrence Barsness, John Matthew Santosuosso
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Patent number: 7711730Abstract: A method for generating an execution plan for updating and retrieving data from a database in a single process includes: receiving a statement by a server to update a database with a first set of data and to retrieve a second set of data from the database; building a first execution plan to update the database with the first set of data; building a second execution plan to retrieve the second set of data from the database; and building a single execution plan including a combination of the first and second execution plans. The single execution plan allows for the updating and retrieval of data with a single crossing of an interface between a client and the database. By performing both functions in this manner, the efficiency of performing such tasks on the database is significantly increased.Type: GrantFiled: December 22, 2003Date of Patent: May 4, 2010Assignee: International Business Machines CorporationInventors: Margaret A. Bernal, Karelle L. Cornwell, Hsuiying Y. Cheng, Yao-Ching S. Chen, Christopher J. Crone, Fen-Ling Lin, James W. Pickel, Yumi K. Tsuji, Julie A. Watts
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Patent number: 7660791Abstract: A system and method are provided for determining document relevance determination to a selected category for a document contained within a linked network of documents. The network may be represented by a network map including nodes representing documents and edges representing links between the documents. The method may include identifying each node in the network map known to belong to the selected category, identifying each node known to be outside of the selected category, and identifying nodes having an unknown category. The method may also include assigning a category rank based on the node category identification, identifying each link from each node and each link to each node, and assigning link weights based on the identified links. The method may additionally include determining node relevance to the selected category based on the assigned category rank and the assigned link weights.Type: GrantFiled: February 28, 2005Date of Patent: February 9, 2010Assignee: Microsoft CorporationInventor: Erik W. Selberg
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Patent number: 7650345Abstract: In an electronic document such as a map, an entity lookup system associates primitive data with entity data though parallel or corresponding grids of a primitive quad-tree and an entity quad-tree. A key is assigned to grids in the primitive quad-tree in association to particular grids in the entity quad-tree.Type: GrantFiled: February 28, 2005Date of Patent: January 19, 2010Assignee: Microsoft CorporationInventors: David R Buerer, Duncan M Lawler
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Patent number: 7634472Abstract: A method and apparatus using feedback obtained by user clicks and the position of the clicked images in the search result to determine user preferences for data that best satisfies particular queries. User click information is tracked to determine which images users click on for particular queries. This information is used to update and improve future query results. The described embodiment determines a user preference score for each image that is clicked for a given query. The placement of a clicked image in the search results is considered when computing the image/query score.Type: GrantFiled: December 5, 2003Date of Patent: December 15, 2009Assignee: Yahoo! Inc.Inventor: John J. Thrall
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Patent number: 7606840Abstract: The present disclosure provides systems and methods for maintaining and controlling different versions of electronic files in a distributed server environment. As such, one embodiment, among others, accesses a local file and compares the local file to a master file. The local file has a local file identifier, which comprises a name portion and a version number portion. The master file has a master file identifier, which comprises a name portion and a version number portion. The name portion of the master file identifier is substantially identical to the name portion of the local file identifier.Type: GrantFiled: June 15, 2004Date of Patent: October 20, 2009Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I, L.P.Inventor: Dale W. Malik