Patents Examined by Heather R. Herndon
  • Patent number: 7028259
    Abstract: A software utility scans a word processing document to locate citations to court opinions. It parses each citation to determine its constituent elements, such as the citation's case name, the reporters in which it is published, its jurisdiction and court, and its date. It then compares the citation as it is written against stylistic rules for legal citations. If it finds a deviation from one of the stylistic rules, it displays a message to inform the user of the error and, if possible, suggests specific changes to correct the error. If the user accepts one of the corrections, the utility makes that change to the word processing document.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 1, 2001
    Date of Patent: April 11, 2006
    Inventor: Robert L. Jacobson
  • Patent number: 7017120
    Abstract: The invention provides a method and system for defining a personalized sequence of discrete media content segments to be played at particular times. The media content segments are selected from live media content segments and archived media content segments. The method includes specifying an order of play of the media segments; specifying specific live media content segments having defined start times, durations and repeat intervals; and deriving a play sequence. The media content segments may be audio or video content segments. The system in a preferred embodiment is carried out using a series of web pages and the content defined by the sequence is provided to the user over a computer network.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 28, 2001
    Date of Patent: March 21, 2006
    Inventor: J. Mitchell Shnier
  • Patent number: 6996770
    Abstract: Methods and systems for generating and sending an XML document are described. In one embodiment, an XML response generator responds to a client request without having to first build and save a hierarchical tree structure in memory that represents the response.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 26, 1999
    Date of Patent: February 7, 2006
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Brian J. Deen, Joel M. Soderberg
  • Patent number: 6996776
    Abstract: A technique, system, and computer program by which content created from source files in a first data format and converted to presentation files in a second data format can be read and used by a subsystem which reads content in a third data format other than the first and second data formats. Identifying information from the source files and/or presentation files is extracted and stored in a map file in the third format. If desired, a Table of Contents (TOC) file in the third data format can also be created by using the map file and a TOC file in the second data format. The first data format can be Standardized General Markup Language (SGML), the second data format can be HyperText Markup Language (HTML) and the third data format can be Extensible Markup Language (XML).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 16, 2000
    Date of Patent: February 7, 2006
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Gary R. Makely, Carl T. Anderson, Keith A. Wells, Gregory F. Bush, Susan R. Mazzara
  • Patent number: 6986100
    Abstract: A method for balancing the allocation of available display slots on a Web page among a plurality of different sources of display items comprises (a) defining for each source a set of candidate items to be displayed, (b) selecting items from a pool of all candidate sets, in a manner that normalizes the probability that the items of any one candidate set will be selected in relation to the items of the other candidate sets, and (c) inserting the selected items into the available display slots of the Web page.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2000
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2006
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: John D. Roper, Steven D. Copson, Daniel B. Cook, Peter H. Brussard, Mark Ugar, Arnold N. Blinn, Kathryn L. Sparr, John A. Dunning, Jr.
  • Patent number: 6976229
    Abstract: A display showing an imported story track, an authored story track, and a story-in-progress track. Each story contains one or more objects. The display also shows a large photo corresponding to a selected object in a story. Furthermore, the display also provides visual forms showing audio clips associated with the large photo displayed. The photo may have more than one associated audio clips. Control buttons are available to navigate among the three tracks and among the objects on each track. Other control buttons allow a user to record audio clips and to author new stories.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 1999
    Date of Patent: December 13, 2005
    Assignee: Ricoh Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Marko Balabanovic, Lonny L. Chu, Gregory J. Wolff
  • Patent number: 6968501
    Abstract: To provide a document format identification apparatus capable of correctly identifying a document format even in an environment where a number of types of scanners are used. The document format identification apparatus includes: an extraction unit for extracting a feature for a document the format of which to be identified; a generation unit for generating, based on the feature extracted by the extraction unit, document format data containing identification data for identifying a document format and correction information for correcting a feature difference produced by a difference in type of the image input apparatus; and an identification unit, for correcting document format data stored in a storage unit and document format data generated by the generation unit based on the correction information and for identifying a document format of a document to be identified by comparing the corrected document format data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 29, 2001
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2005
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Kenichi Kazumi
  • Patent number: 6966038
    Abstract: A system and method for providing a bookmark section within each program GUI. The bookmark section contains one or more selectable portions that enable a user to select one or more bookmarks corresponding to programs, files within programs, views within programs or files, or any other graphical presentation that is accessible within the system. The user selects a bookmark and proceeds directly to the desired location in the system corresponding to that bookmark with a single step. The user may create bookmarks so that locations within the system may be quickly accessed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 22, 1999
    Date of Patent: November 15, 2005
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Robert Shaver, Douglas Walter Conmy
  • Patent number: 6963332
    Abstract: A method for inputting Japanese letters and a device with which the method is carried out are provided. The method involves prearranging predetermined letters and symbols in a matrix array of M columns and N rows, and inputting a desired letter or symbol by designating the corresponding column and row coordinate. In one embodiment, the designation of the corresponding coordinate is accomplished by use of the pointer of a direction designation unit, the unit having positions corresponding to the coordinates uniformly spaced in a circular pattern.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 8, 1999
    Date of Patent: November 8, 2005
    Assignee: NEC Corporation
    Inventor: Mitsuhiro Watanabe
  • Patent number: 6959418
    Abstract: The method for reformatting a tag-based code containing at least one corresponding beginning and end tag pair generally includes locating each beginning and end tag of the tag-based code, separating distinct tags and data associated therewith into separate lines, maintaining a tag structure state machine for determining a tag structure corresponding to each line, and delineating each line with a representation of a tag structure corresponding to the line based on the state-machine of the tag structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 27, 2001
    Date of Patent: October 25, 2005
    Assignee: Networks Associates Technology, Inc.
    Inventor: Peter Churchyard
  • Patent number: 6954894
    Abstract: A method for production and post-production processing of multi-media input data where the method comprises the steps of inputting one or more multi-media input data sets inputting one or more templates and applying the one or more templates to the one or more input data sets so to produce a processed output data set for storage, and/or display and/or further processing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 1999
    Date of Patent: October 11, 2005
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: James Anthony Balnaves, John Charles Brook, Julie Rae Kowald, Rupert William Galloway Reeve, John Richard Windle
  • Patent number: 6952806
    Abstract: An electronic medium is a new form of publication for a source material, such as a book. The medium includes information about features of the source material and features of secondary information related to the source material. The medium can be used with a visualization system. With the system, a user is provided with tools that respond to the user's needs and requests at a level of the collection, rather than just with a single work.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 21, 2000
    Date of Patent: October 4, 2005
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventors: Stuart Kent Card, Tobias Hans Höllerer, James Edward Pitkow, Richard Carl Gossweiler, III
  • Patent number: 6950992
    Abstract: An external-character font creation system is provided which includes: a display unit displaying an external-character code registration screen which is used when a master code is registered in an external-character code table that shows a correspondence between an external-character code of an external character to be registered and a master code; and an edit unit registering a master code corresponding to an external-character code in the external-character code table; a font selecting section selecting a plurality of external-character fonts of the external-character file by using a font selection screen which is used when selecting an external-character font file created corresponding to an external-character font file from among a plurality of external-character files created based on a correspondence relationship between a master font and an external-character font; and an external-character file creating section creating an external-character file of the external-character font selected by the font sel
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2001
    Date of Patent: September 27, 2005
    Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
    Inventor: Kaoru Shimamura
  • Patent number: 6948118
    Abstract: A method, system and apparatus for bookmarking a path to a presently displayed Web page are provided. The path is made of a plurality of web pages that have previously been accessed and from which the presently displayed Web page emanates. When a user wants to bookmark the presently displayed Web page, the user is given an option to choose all the Web pages that were previously accessed. If the user so chooses, all the Web pages are bookmarked at once. When the bookmark folder is accessed anytime thereafter, the bookmarked Web pages are displayed as a chain of bookmarked Web pages and in the order they were accessed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 11, 2001
    Date of Patent: September 20, 2005
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Denise Marie Genty, Gerald Francis McBrearty, Johnny Meng-Han Shieh, Shawn Patrick Mullen, James Stanley Tesauro
  • Patent number: 6944816
    Abstract: An automated system for performing a Kepner Tregoe analysis provides a graphical user interface having dedicated data entry screens that include i) a first screen for entering criteria to be used in the Kepner Tregoe analysis, ii) a second screen for entering a relative importance value between each of the criteria and all others of the criteria, iii) a third screen for entering candidates to be used in the Kepner Tregoe analysis, and iv) a fourth screen for entering a raw score associated with each of the criteria for each of the candidates. A separate and dedicated score processor calculates the various parameters associated with the Kepner Tregoe analysis. A text file generator arranges the data for use by a spread sheet processor that will then function solely as part of an output device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 5, 2001
    Date of Patent: September 13, 2005
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Navy
    Inventor: Darryl Updegrove
  • Patent number: 6934910
    Abstract: For inserting a data object as for example a mathematical formula or special characters like Greek characters into a text document, instruction symbols representing the data object are inputted in the form of text characters into the text document. A text portion containing instruction symbols is selected, and the instruction symbols contained in the selected text portion are converted into a data object represented by the instruction symbols. The invention allows rapid input of data objects into the text document, in particular simple mathematical formulae or single special characters without entering a formula editor or the like.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2000
    Date of Patent: August 23, 2005
    Assignee: Sun Microsystems, Inc.
    Inventor: Thomas Lange
  • Patent number: 6931588
    Abstract: A hypertext display device of the present invention has a user interface (designating unit) for designating an object (informing data) such as a link text attached contrived for telling an user in HTML data. When interfaced, the displayed hypertext data, including the object, is acquired by a first information acquiring unit and link information designated by the user interface is stored in a table in a pair. The displayed HTML data themselves and the HTML data indicated by the link information are sequentially acquired by data acquiring unit referring to the table and then stored in a data storage unit. Both acquired information is stored in a table in a pair. The displayed HTML data themselves and the HTML data indicated by the link information are sequentially acquired by data acquiring unit referring to the table and then stored in data storage unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 8, 1999
    Date of Patent: August 16, 2005
    Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
    Inventor: Ichiro Nakano
  • Patent number: 6931592
    Abstract: A system and method for reviewing an electronic document. A copy of an electronic document is sent to a reviewer, the copy of the electronic document having a first property identifying the location of the electronic document in the memory and indicating that review of the copy has been requested. The reviewer uses an application program to open the copy of the electronic document. The application program detects properties and in response to the first property, automatically displays a review toolbar. The edited electronic document is then sent back to the author having at least a first property. The application program executed by the author detects the properties and in response to the first property, retrieves the original electronic document from the memory and automatically prompts the author to merge the edited electronic document into the electronic document.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 22, 2000
    Date of Patent: August 16, 2005
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Alan Ramaley, Suresh Tharamal, Sean E. McAteer, Thomas W. Olsen, Valerie D. Serdy
  • Patent number: 6922811
    Abstract: Disclosed are a method which is used in a computer or a communicative mobile telephone to achieve the JiuGong input of Chinese characters and a Chinese language computer or mobile telephone thereof, in which Chinese characters are divided into two classes, that is, monolithic character and transverse character, the character fonts of starting strokes are divided into nine classes, each of which respectively corresponds to the number keys 1-9 to input, 81 radicals in nine groups are used, the JiuGong pattern introduction method is adopted, and the number keys 1-9 are used to input, so that two or three keys are enough to carry out the input of a character to be inputted. The method of this invention is easy to study and could be grasped within two minutes or three without learning by rote, even an inputter who is a tyro could in short time make the input speed up to above 30 words per minute.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 1, 1999
    Date of Patent: July 26, 2005
    Assignee: QCode Information Technology Limited
    Inventors: Lap Yan Leung, Man Kin Lau
  • Patent number: 6920608
    Abstract: Methods and systems provide a “chart view” for a markup language referred to as Reusable Data Markup Language (“RDML”). Generally, a chart view comprises the components necessary for automatically manipulating and displaying a graphical display of numerical data contained in RDML markup documents. RDML is a markup language, such as the Hypertext Markup Language (“HTML”) or the Extensible Markup Language (“XML”). Generally, RDML facilitates the browsing and manipulation of numbers, as opposed to text as in HTML, and does so by requiring attributes describing the meaning of the numbers to be attached to the numbers. Upon receiving RDML markup documents, the chart view transforms, formats, manipulates and displays data stored in the markup documents using the attributes describing the meaning of the data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 18, 2000
    Date of Patent: July 19, 2005
    Assignee: E Numerate Solutions, Inc.
    Inventor: Russell T. Davis