Patents Examined by Andrea Leggett
  • Patent number: 8689118
    Abstract: Example methods and apparatus to conceal portions of a visual object diagram in a process control system are disclosed. A disclosed example method includes receiving a selection to conceal a first functional block within a visual object diagram, wherein the first functional block is associated with a first view parameter, determining a link from a process control parameter within the first functional block to a first intersection within a second functional block within the visual object diagram, wherein the link is associated with a second view parameter, coupling the first view parameter and the second view parameter to the first intersection, and concealing the link and the first functional block.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 18, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 1, 2014
    Assignee: Fisher-Rosemount Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Brandon Hieb, Gary Keith Law, David R. Denison, Cheyenne Hernandez
  • Patent number: 8689109
    Abstract: Techniques are described for facilitating access of computing system users to restricted or other functionality, such as internal functionality of a business or other organization. The functionality access may be facilitated by an access provider system that executes on a client computing system of an authorized user, such as a program operating in conjunction with another presentation program that presents publicly available information by modifying interactions available to the user when using the presentation program or otherwise providing additional information to the user. In some situations, the additional information is provided by temporarily modifying the information being presented by the presentation program, such as to provide additional information that is related to functionality corresponding to a subject area of the currently presented information and/or corresponding to an aspect of the currently presented information that is indicated by the user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 1, 2014
    Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Patrick G. Franklin, Zheyin Li, James K. Keiger, Suresh Kumar, Ramanathan Palaniappan, Kamil Jiwa, Ares Sakamoto
  • Patent number: 8689110
    Abstract: A computer-readable medium, computer-implemented method, and multi-channel user interface system are provided. In one embodiment, a computer-readable medium has instructions stored thereon that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform a method. The instructions include providing source code and metadata for a base set of user interfaces, where the base set of user interfaces is capable of being executed on multiple channel. The metadata is capable of configuration for a specific channel. The configuration of metadata for a specific channel includes projecting one or more task flows from a task flow template and configuring one or more regions for each task flow.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 8, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 1, 2014
    Assignee: Oracle International Corporation
    Inventors: Manish Verma, George Colliat, Jean Christophe Meriaux, Pulak Das
  • Patent number: 8689114
    Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention address deficiencies of the art in respect to activity thread management and provide a method, system and computer program product for activity objectification for non-activity objects in an activity-centric collaboration tool. In an embodiment of the invention, a method for activity objectifying non-activity/task objects in an activity-centric collaboration tool can be provided. The method can include selecting a non-activity/task object in an activity thread for an activity map of the activity-centric collaboration tool, and associating an activity attribute with the selected non-activity/task object. The non-activity/task object further can be decorated with a user interface control corresponding to a value for the activity attribute, and a state for the user interface control can be changed responsive to changes in the value for the activity attribute.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 8, 2006
    Date of Patent: April 1, 2014
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Michael Muller, Miguel A. Estrada, Thomas P. Moran, Andrew L. Schirmer, Werner Geyer, Suzanne O. Minassian, Michael Chi Hung Wu
  • Patent number: 8683335
    Abstract: An information processing device includes: a storage unit; a first display control unit; and a demanding unit. The storage unit that stores attribute data representing specified attribute of contents and category data representing a category of the attribute correlated to each other. The first display control unit that provides controls for displaying information for a selected attribute and for displaying, in a categorized state, information for related attributes correlated to the same category as that of the attribute on a correlation display screen. The demanding unit that demands data search by referring to the correlated attribute selected corresponding to information selected from among those displayed on the correlation display screen to an information provision device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 13, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 25, 2014
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Yasuhiro Shirai, Toshihiro Morita, Susumu Morita, Taku Sugawara
  • Patent number: 8683375
    Abstract: An approach is provided for improved messaging user interfaces. A subset of available messaging services is selected based, at least in part, on a touch control area of a user interface of a device. The user interface includes, at least in part, tabs corresponding to each of the available messaging services. Presentation of the user interface is caused, at least in part, at the device. The tabs presented in the user interface correspond to the subset.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 16, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 25, 2014
    Assignee: Nokia Corporation
    Inventors: Hitoshi Sano, Sangita Shah
  • Patent number: 8683336
    Abstract: There is provided an inter-device operation interface that is displayed on a display unit of a device control terminal that controls an operation between devices connected through a network, including: a contents display area to display information of contents held by a device; an operation display area to display information of an operation executed to the contents; and a device display area to display information serving as a target of the operation, and wherein, when information displayed in each of the display areas is selected by using the operation unit of the device control terminal, a service provided by the device connected through a wide-area network is displayed in the device display area as the candidate of the target.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 21, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 25, 2014
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventor: Junichi Rekimoto
  • Patent number: 8677281
    Abstract: A system, apparatus and method for experience time sampling via a mobile graphical user interface. A method includes receiving mood data from an individual in predefined time intervals via a mood mapping graphical user interface hosted by a mobile device. The mood mapping graphical user interface is comprised of a 2×2 diagram having a valence dimension and an intensity dimension. Other embodiments are described and claimed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 9, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 18, 2014
    Assignee: Intel-GE Care Innovations LLC
    Inventor: Margaret Morris
  • Patent number: 8677282
    Abstract: Systems, methods and articles of manufacture are disclosed for presenting image slices in a windowing environment based on multi-touch user input, the image slices generated by an imaging system. A series of image slices may be provided that represent a view of an object. A gesture may be defined based on at least a count of fingers represented in multi-touch user input. Further, the defined gesture may be associated with a corresponding action for manipulating an image slice. Multi-touch user input may be received. Upon determining that the received multi-touch user input includes the defined gesture, the corresponding action may be performed on an image slice of the series to generate a resultant image slice. The resultant image slice may be output via an output device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 13, 2009
    Date of Patent: March 18, 2014
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Brian J. Cragun, Michael J. Fork
  • Patent number: 8677270
    Abstract: An apparatus and method provide a companion application via a companion application corresponding to a host window provided by a host application, the companion window providing information or metadata descriptive of data in the host window. The host application and companion applications may be separate applications such that the host application is unaware of the companion application. The companion application may hook into the host application (e.g., via an application programming interface) and may monitor host application activities and/or data. Based on identification of data or events in the host application, the companion application may obtain information characterizing or providing a context for data provided by the host application. The host window and companion window may be attached to each other, the host window providing host application data and the companion window providing data describing the host application data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 4, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 18, 2014
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: George P. Moromisato, Noah B. Edelstein, Aditya G. Bhandarkar, Raymond E. Ozzie, Abhay V. Parasnis
  • Patent number: 8661353
    Abstract: A method and system are disclosed in which a group of people are able to replicate the physical world experience of going with a group of friends to pick a movie, watch the movie together, and provide commentary on the movie itself in the virtual world on a virtual couch while each user is sitting in different physical locations. Additionally, the virtual representation of the destination that the group of people are watching the movie together in can be themed to allow users to watch movies in different locations pivoting on special events or by the users choice.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2009
    Date of Patent: February 25, 2014
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Andrew Lawrence Mattingly, Brian Charles Kramp, Thomas M. Soemo, Eddie Mays
  • Patent number: 8656297
    Abstract: A computing device creates lightweight state files. The state files may include information relating to user processes, user-interface elements, and time points. When loaded, the state files restore the saved state. State files may be transferred to different computing devices thus making a computer state portable. A series of state files viewed as a stream showing changes in the system state over time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 2010
    Date of Patent: February 18, 2014
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Michael F. Koenig, Ira L. Snyder, Neil S. Fishman
  • Patent number: 8656283
    Abstract: An interactive storybook system and method are provided that allow users with or without the assistance of an operator to make a storybook their own by replacing markers with provisional words and provisional images of their own choosing. The computer-based interactive storybook application may be used by teachers, parents, therapists, and other adults to help them achieve educational and therapeutic advancement.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 9, 2013
    Date of Patent: February 18, 2014
    Inventor: Margery Kravitz Schwarz
  • Patent number: 8650504
    Abstract: An order receiving apparatus includes: a display unit configured to display an order input screen including a menu item space in which operation images for receiving orders of menu items are allocated and a menu allocation screen including the menu item space and a list of menu items for which the operation images can be allocated to the menu item space; a first selecting unit configured to select a menu item from among the menu items included in the list; a second selecting unit configured to select an allocation position to which the selected operation image of is allocated in the menu item space; and an updating unit configured to update the definition information according to the selected menu item and the selected allocation position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 7, 2010
    Date of Patent: February 11, 2014
    Assignee: Toshiba Tec Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Kenji Shimizu, Masanori Sambe, Takashi Makiyama, Yumiko Okuma, Hisashi Sato
  • Patent number: 8650505
    Abstract: A state menu selection system that provides a function control set relating to an active application, maps at least one function from the function control set to at least one input device, and activates a function from the control set upon activation of the corresponding input device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 2007
    Date of Patent: February 11, 2014
    Assignee: RPX Corporation
    Inventors: Akseli Anttila, Petri Piippo, Timo-Pekka Viljamaa, Rob Harr-Van-Der, Tuomas Vaittinen
  • Patent number: 8650494
    Abstract: According to one general aspect, a method of remotely controlling a remote computing device from a local computing device that is executing a web browser, may include receiving, via a Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), at least a graphical human interface output from the remote computing device. The method may also include displaying, within a display area defined by a Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) web element, wherein the HTML web element is interpreted by the web browser, the graphical human interface output from the remote computing device. The method may further include receiving, from the remote computing device via HTTP, at least one update to the graphical human interface output. And, the method may include dynamically updating the graphical human interface output displayed within the display area defined by the HTML web element, wherein updating is based upon the received at least one update to the graphical human interface output.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 2010
    Date of Patent: February 11, 2014
    Assignee: Google Inc.
    Inventors: Satish Kumar Sampath, Bjorn Bringert
  • Patent number: 8645839
    Abstract: An apparatus and a method for an online desktop distribution is described. In one embodiment, an online desktop operates on a client with an online desktop distributor having an operating system with one or more kernels compiled for usermode. A server coupled to the client stores and uploads a user profile setting to the client to configure the online desktop on the client based on a user login on the online desktop. The online desktop can be booted from the client with the online desktop distributor or run as a hosted operating system in usermode under a default operating system of the client.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 2008
    Date of Patent: February 4, 2014
    Assignee: Red Hat, Inc.
    Inventor: James Paul Schneider
  • Patent number: 8645849
    Abstract: Methods and devices enable displaying selected portions of one or more webpages in user defined view windows presented on a computing device display desktop. A selected webpage may be rendered into a full-sized render buffer in order for a rendering engine to render all the elements properly. One or more view windows are created on the display desktop that show user selected portions of the render buffer. In this manner users can select portions of one or more websites for presentation on their computing device desktop, position the selected portions at their preferred locations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 17, 2013
    Date of Patent: February 4, 2014
    Assignee: QUALCOMM Incorporated
    Inventors: Babak Forutanpour, Kurt W. Abrahamson
  • Patent number: 8640032
    Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for delivering invitational content based on a prediction of the intent of a user. In particular, partial action sequences are identified in a journal of events associated with the user. Thereafter, the partial sequences are analyzed and scored based on their degree of proximity to completion. Based on this scoring, a queue of invitational content can then be generated, where the scoring can be used to select and order the invitational content for the user. In some configurations, the information in the journal can be used to determine future time intervals at which sequences will be completed by the user. Consequently, a queue can be adjusted to provide delivery of appropriate invitational content at these future time intervals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2010
    Date of Patent: January 28, 2014
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Eswar Priyadarshan, Kenley Sun, Dan Marius Grigorovici, Jayasurya Vadrevu, Omar Abdala
  • Patent number: 8640030
    Abstract: A system for handling video tags. The tags are displayed synchronized to a video. A controller manages and modifies tag data that can be created by one or more users. The controller identifies a tag dataset for use with a video and provides information for synchronization and display of the tags. Various user interface features are disclosed to allow one or more users to author, publish, view and manipulate tags. Features of a social-network website implementation are disclosed whereby a user community can post, filter, rate and display tags. User profiles are used to define tag characteristics associated with a particular user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 7, 2007
    Date of Patent: January 28, 2014
    Assignee: Fall Front Wireless NY, LLC
    Inventor: Charles J. Kulas