Patents Examined by Ba Huynh
  • Patent number: 8296666
    Abstract: This application relates to information analysis and more particularly to a system and method for interactive visual representation of information content and relationships using layouts and gestures. A visualization tool is provided which facilitates both ad-hoc and more formal analytical tasks as a flexible and expressive thinking environment. The tool provides a space focused on ‘Human Interaction with Information’ and enabling evidence marshalling. Capabilities of the tool include put-this-there cognition, automatic analysis templates, and gestures for the fluid expression of thought and scalability mechanisms to support large analysis tasks.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2005
    Date of Patent: October 23, 2012
    Assignee: Oculus Info. Inc.
    Inventors: William Wright, David Schroh, Pascale Proulx, Alex Skaburskis, Brian Cort
  • Patent number: 8291338
    Abstract: A method, apparatus and computer-usable medium for improved management of object properties in an integrated development environment (IDE). A cursor mode allows the underlying properties of one or more predetermined objects in a graphical editor to be dynamically viewed and modified by a user. One or more object's properties are displayed in an object properties pop-up viewer/editor window adjacent to the cursor when a user “mouses-over” target objects in a graphical editor and are editable upon explicit user gesture. The properties pop-up viewer/editor window is implementable to move with the cursor, i.e., cursor-attached, and to remain open to dynamically display, without additional user gestures, the respective properties of each predetermined object a user mouses-over.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 20, 2006
    Date of Patent: October 16, 2012
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Michael T. Stokes, David Kirk Grotjohn, Lucinio Santos
  • Patent number: 8286104
    Abstract: In an aspect, a method includes the actions of displaying, at a touch-sensitive display, a plurality of characters that each represent a distinct consonant included in a language script; receiving, at the touch-sensitive display, a touch selection of a first character from the plurality of characters, the touch selection being received at a location on the touch-sensitive display at which the first character is displayed; and in response to receiving the touch selection: detecting a gesture input, selecting a vowel marker based at least in part on an association of the gesture input with one or more vowel markers; and displaying, at the touch-sensitive display, an updated representation of the first character based at least in part on the selected vowel marker. Other embodiments of this aspect include corresponding systems, apparatus, and computer programs, configured to perform the actions of the methods, encoded on computer storage devices.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 6, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 9, 2012
    Assignee: Google Inc.
    Inventor: Davinci Yonge-Mallo
  • Patent number: 8271883
    Abstract: A method is provided for keeping presentation of information to a minimum. A perspective comprises areas, and each area can have one or more portlets which display information. Each area has an associated list of portlet types that can be instantiated within the area. Each portlet can be manually placed into or out of a locked state. Various portlets can also be in a dirty state if they contain unsaved information, such as in a partially completed form. When a new portlet is to be added to the perspective, first an area which supports creation of that type of portlet is selected. The existing portlets within that area are then examined, and if one exists which is not locked and is not dirty, then it is replaced with the new portlet. If no such existing portlet is eligible for replacement, then the new portlet is created and added to the existing portlets.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2010
    Date of Patent: September 18, 2012
    Assignee: Alcatel Lucent
    Inventors: Michael N. Tofinetti, Katha Kulasingam, David Kiesekamp
  • Patent number: 8266535
    Abstract: A method and apparatus of providing a teleforum. The method includes generating simultaneous outbound invitation calls to multiple invitees and transmitting a message to each invitee, inviting him or her to become a teleforum participant. Teleforum participants who accept the invitation are connected to the teleforum in a listen-only mode. During the teleforum, a teleforum participant may request active participation in the teleforum. The method also includes allowing the participant to actively participate in the teleforum. Active participation may include but is not limited to such activities as: speaking to the teleforum, asking a question, responding to a poll, making a donation, providing information, leaving a message, being transferred to a subconference, receiving feedback from participants, leaving a voicemail, volunteering for future activities or receiving media transmitted outside of the teleforum.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 11, 2007
    Date of Patent: September 11, 2012
    Assignee: Broadnet Teleservices, LLC
    Inventors: Brian Brown, Lorin Jurow
  • Patent number: 8255811
    Abstract: A system for auto-sorting of lists based on most frequent component access or partner collaboration. The elements in the lists may represent collaboration partners (e.g. instant messaging contacts), and/or collaboration components such as Web addresses, events, collaborative documents, activity objects, and/or desktop applications. The system monitors component accesses and/or partner collaborations over a configurable time period to determine the frequency of collaborations with specific collaboration partners, and/or the frequency of accesses to collaboration components. The disclosed system then determines a set of collaboration partners and/or components that are most frequently collaborated with and/or accessed, and moves the list elements representing those collaboration partners and/or components into a top-located sub-list within a list of elements representing a larger number of collaboration partners and/or components in a user interface provided to a local user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2006
    Date of Patent: August 28, 2012
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Angelo Lynn, Latoya Sankey, Ebubechukwu I. Okafor, Doris L. Jones, Chenita D. Daughtry, Razeyah Stephen, Daniel B. Kehn
  • Patent number: 8250474
    Abstract: A chronology display is generated for use with a web presentation or other form of network presentation. The chronology display may include a plurality of intervals, with each interval representative of a period of time. In an embodiment, some of the intervals may indicate a number of content items provided on the network presentation during the time period that corresponds to each particular interval. The indication may be provided by a characteristic, such as for example, a color or shading that represents the number of content items provided on the network presentation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 26, 2007
    Date of Patent: August 21, 2012
    Assignee: Topix LLC
    Inventors: Keith Peters, Bryn Dole, Robert Torres
  • Patent number: 8245143
    Abstract: A method and handheld electronic device having a graphical user interface which arranges icons dynamically are provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 7, 2009
    Date of Patent: August 14, 2012
    Assignee: Research In Motion Limited
    Inventors: David Paul Yach, Mihal Lazaridis
  • Patent number: 8230358
    Abstract: Some embodiments of the invention provide a method that defines movement in a graphical user interface (GUI) of a computer system. This method detects an interaction between a cursor and a first object in the GUI. Based on this interaction, the method moves a second object in the GUI. In some embodiments, the movement of the second object is a rotational movement within the GUI. In other embodiments, the second object's movement is a translation movement, such as a rectilinear translation movement or a curvilinear translation movement. Also, in some embodiments, the second object relates to a special effect that is applied to another object in the GUI. For instance, in some embodiments, the second object is a shadow of a third object in the GUI.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 22, 2004
    Date of Patent: July 24, 2012
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventor: Imran Chaudhri
  • Patent number: 8230346
    Abstract: A graphical user interface for an information mediation system is provided for assisting the user to discover an information source that matches a sense of value of the user which normally can not be explicitly expressed in language, from a plurality of information sources such as bulletin board sites. The information mediation apparatus collects information from the plurality of information sources, analyzes the information, and generates one or more guideposts corresponding to information values thereof and data indicating a correlation between the plurality of information sources relative to the guideposts. A client apparatus receives one or more guideposts and a set of data containing information indicating the correlation of the information sources relative to the guidepost from the information mediation apparatus, and displays the correlation between these information sources in such a mode that the user can easily understand.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 20, 2007
    Date of Patent: July 24, 2012
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Takayuki Ishida, Yoshiharu Dewa, Megumi Nozu, Hiroki Kato, Hirotoshi Maegawa
  • Patent number: 8225229
    Abstract: A device may determine an area at which a user gazes on the display screen. The device may identify on the display screen a screen region which does not overlap the area, may darken the identified screen region, and/or may refresh the display screen by updating a screen region that overlaps the area and not updating the identified screen region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 9, 2006
    Date of Patent: July 17, 2012
    Assignee: Sony Mobile Communications AB
    Inventors: Ola Karl Thorn, Simon Lessing
  • Patent number: 8225225
    Abstract: Detail-in-context techniques are described. In an implementation, an original image is distorted to produce a distorted region for a selected object at a first position in an original image displayed on a display screen. The distorted region magnifies at least a portion of the object. A signal is received to drag the object and the distorted region from the first position to a second position. A signal is received to drop the object at the second position. The distorted region is removed from the original image after the object is dropped at the second position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2008
    Date of Patent: July 17, 2012
    Assignee: Noregin Assets, N.V., L.L.C.
    Inventors: Zeenat Jetha, David J. P. Baar, Andrew Carlisle, Maria Lantin
  • Patent number: 8185824
    Abstract: A method and apparatus are provided which present hierarchical data to a user via a graphical user interface. In the interface, hierarchical data is represented by nodes, beginning with one or more top nodes and extending into lower hierarchical levels by the display of child nodes, child's child nodes, and so forth. The arrangement of nodes on the graphical user interface is such that scaling portrays the various hierarchical levels, and nodes do not spatially interfere with one another. Navigation through the hierarchical data is provided by allowing the user to select any visible node, at which point a zoom-in or zoom-out view to the selected node as a centrally located node on the interface is performed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 23, 2007
    Date of Patent: May 22, 2012
    Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Frederick H. Mitchell, David K. Bainbridge
  • Patent number: 8185825
    Abstract: The display of a search box within a toolbar is controlled based on the search provider settings of search box native to an application or operating system, such as a search box natively provider by a web browser. The search box is maintained within the toolbar when the search provider for the native search box differs from the toolbar search provider. The search box may be removed or “hidden” from the toolbar when the search provider for the native search box is the same as the toolbar search provider.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 29, 2009
    Date of Patent: May 22, 2012
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Adrian Mark Chandley, Shannon Katherine Westphal
  • Patent number: 8181120
    Abstract: An example television Widget movement method involves receiving a dedicated command from a remote controller that activates the plurality of Widget programs, wherein the Widget programs, when in Display mode, display Widget representations on a display; receiving a command from the remote controller that establishes one of the plurality of displayed Widget programs as being in focus; and receiving a command from the remote controller that places the Widget program that is currently in focus in a Move Mode, where the Widget representation can be moved about the display while in Move Mode, wherein when the Widget is in Move Mode, the Widget representation is responsive to navigation commands from the remote controller to move about the display, and wherein such movement is animated using a 3 dimensional graphics engine. This abstract is not to be considered limiting, since other embodiments may deviate from the features described in this abstract.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 2, 2009
    Date of Patent: May 15, 2012
    Assignees: Sony Corporation, Sony Electronics Inc.
    Inventors: Steven Friedlander, Thomas Patrick Dawson, Seth Hill, Ted Dunn
  • Patent number: 8171416
    Abstract: A system and method for confirming messages being sent within an instant messaging environment. An instant messaging system is disclosed, comprising a confirmation enablement system that allows a user to selectively enable a requires confirmation option for a contact associated with the user; and a send message interface that displays a confirmation requirement for messages being sent to the contact if the requires confirmation option is enabled, wherein the confirmation requirement must be confirmed by the user before the message can be sent.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 2005
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2012
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Ryan L. Urquhart, David J. Schell, Vonetta M. Urquhart
  • Patent number: 8156439
    Abstract: A computer for use in the transfer and monitoring of data and a method of verifying the transfer of patient physiological data is herein disclosed. The computer comprises a display for displaying data, a controller for controlling the display of the data, a graphical user interface being disposed to display data, a first input device connected to the controller for entering data that is recorded and displayed by a data recording device and a second input device connected to the controller for entering data into the controller that is indicative of the spatial arrangement of the display of the data by the data recording device, wherein the controller uses the data indicative of the spatial arrangement of the display of data by the data recording device to display the data in the graphical user interface according to the data by the data recording device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 24, 2007
    Date of Patent: April 10, 2012
    Assignee: The General Electric Company
    Inventor: John Booth
  • Patent number: 8132117
    Abstract: A method and system for highlighting a parameter image representative of a flight parameter of an aircraft to a user in a multi-parameter aircraft instrument display, such as a flat panel display. An electronic instrument display is configured to present parameter images, at least one of which includes a first indicator configured to indicate a specific value (e.g., a target value) for a flight parameter and a second indicator configured to indicate an actual flight parameter value that changes according to variations in the flight parameter. A graphics rendering controller is configured to generate the parameter images and to enlarge a portion of the parameter image when the actual flight parameter value is within a predetermined range from the target value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 2, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2012
    Assignee: Innovative Solutions and Support, Inc.
    Inventor: Geoffrey S.M. Hedrick
  • Patent number: 8122368
    Abstract: A method, system and computer-usable medium are disclosed for providing graphical completion status information for the management of serial computer operations that are forked into parallel operations. A first interactive progress bar, comprising a plurality of progress indicator segments, is implemented to show the completion status of a composite application. A second progress bar is implemented for each element of the composite application as it is executed. Elements that are serially executed may require prerequisite or dependent operations. Forking operations are performed to execute elements in parallel. One or more progress indicator segments are selected to display information about their related computer operations. The user interacts with the information to pause, modify, reorder, reverse, retarget, or reverse the selected computer operations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 2007
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2012
    Assignee: Internaitonal Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Al Chakra, Lama Chakra
  • Patent number: 8117549
    Abstract: The invention provides an electronic workflow method and system that includes a client workstation having a high-resolution image displaying device and an input device, that captures actions that are performed on the image displaying device. The performed actions may include actions that are performed in an interpretation process of medical images displayed by the displaying device. An extensible markup language (XML) schema may be employed to capture and represent the tasks or subtasks. The XML schema records the condensed audit trail of the user actions that are performed during the image review and interpretation process. The invention stores the instructions or actions of the electronic workflow system, although the actions may be stored as an entire “movie” of the electronic workflow system. Thus, the invention dramatically reduces storage, transmission, and time requirements for play back, among providing other benefits.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 26, 2006
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2012
    Inventor: Bruce Reiner