Patents Examined by Isaac Woo
  • Patent number: 7340451
    Abstract: A process is disclosed for retrieving information in large heterogeneous data bases, wherein information retrieval through visual querying/browsing is supported by dynamic taxonomies; the process comprises the steps of: initially showing a complete taxonomy for the retrieval; refining the retrieval through a selection of subsets of interest, where the refining is performed by selecting concepts in the taxonomy and combining them through Boolean operations; showing a reduced taxonomy for the selected set; and further refining the retrieval through an iterative execution of the refining and showing steps.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 8, 2004
    Date of Patent: March 4, 2008
    Inventor: Giovanni Sacco
  • Patent number: 7337192
    Abstract: The present invention may generally be thought of as a software reference tool that enables users to easily understand XML and other file types, including proprietary file types, and that provides the user the capability to map from one file type to another by using system templates that correspond to each file type. The data mapped from one file type to another has been pre-programmed or selected by the user to include only the data elements that are key to the transaction involved.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2005
    Date of Patent: February 26, 2008
    Inventors: David Stark, Mary Stark
  • Patent number: 7337191
    Abstract: A method and system is provided for communicating service and maintenance information about equipment located at distributed building sites. A customer web portal is provided with a database for storing the equipment service information. The web portal provides an efficient way of determining the service activity for equipment located at distributed sites without the need for maintaining service related information at each site. The user can also obtain information about individual service orders and service agreements for individual pieces of equipment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 28, 2003
    Date of Patent: February 26, 2008
    Assignee: Siemens Building Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Brad Haeberle, Michael Dehart, Karen Wisniewski, Doug Emery
  • Patent number: 7337181
    Abstract: The routing of prioritized documents such as email messages is disclosed. In one embodiment, a computer-implemented method first receives a text. The method assigns a priority to the document, based on a text classifier such as a Bayesian classifier or a support-vector machine classifier. The method then routes the text based on a routing criteria. In one embodiment the routing is directed by a measure of priority that reflects the expected cost of delayed review of the document.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 15, 2003
    Date of Patent: February 26, 2008
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventor: Eric Horvitz
  • Patent number: 7328224
    Abstract: The user describes in advance conflict process rules, which indicate descriptions for avoiding conflicts that occur between setup data, in a conflict process rule description file (301). An inference engine (302) refers to this conflict process rule description file (301) and generates complementary rules indicating complementary conflict avoidance descriptions. The complementary rules are implemented by generating inverse logic rules of given descriptions for a function, which are described to allow inference by analogy.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 2006
    Date of Patent: February 5, 2008
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Hirokazu Kawamoto, Masanori Aritomi, Tomonori Minagawa
  • Patent number: 7320004
    Abstract: A system and method for managing database files in a client management tool are provided. A computer system utilizes a standardized format for storing and recalling client management data. To utilize data not stored in the standardized format, the client management tool accepts alternatively formatted database files and converts them to the standardized format. Additionally, the client management tool accepts inputs defining one or more correlations from a database file to the standardized format for converting. The client management tool also manipulates client management files to allow additional management data to be incorporated into the file.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 28, 2000
    Date of Patent: January 15, 2008
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Steve A. DeLuca, Sally J. Martin
  • Patent number: 7318061
    Abstract: A media validation and registration system includes media storage devices which contain a quantity of content thereon, a user computer processor assembly structured to access a select media storage device, a verification module, and a communicative link between the verification module and the user computer processor assembly. Each media storage device includes a unique unit identifier, the verification module identifying the unique unit identifier of the select media storage device and receiving user information associated therewith. The verification module is also structured to apply supplemental content in association with a first user whose user information is associated with the unique unit identifier for the select media storage device, and to allow the user to register the media storage device through a computer network, e.g., the Internet, and also to verify the status of the registration by going to a website of the publisher or distributor of the media storage device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 21, 2005
    Date of Patent: January 8, 2008
    Assignee: Rothschild Trust Holdings, LLC
    Inventor: Leigh M. Rothschild
  • Patent number: 7310628
    Abstract: User information from a terminal is input to a user information inputting section 8, retrieval keys are input to a retrieval key inputting section 7 and retrieval demanding signal is input to a user demand inputting section 6. A content retrieving section 10 searches a database B based upon the retrieval keys and outputs a retrieval result list to a retrieval result list editing section 11. A terminal ability information acquiring section 9 acquires information about processing ability of the terminal from the user information input to the user information inputting section 8 and the retrieval result list editing section 11 edits the retrieval result list from the content retrieving section 10 based upon its processing ability information, and on the other hand, an output content editing section 13 edits the contents based upon the terminal ability information, and then both sections delivers through their delivering sections 12, 14 to the terminal, respectively.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 16, 2001
    Date of Patent: December 18, 2007
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Kazuo Sugimoto, Yoshimi Moriya, Yoshihisa Yamada, Kohtaro Asai, Hirofumi Nishikawa, Tokumichi Murakami
  • Patent number: 7308439
    Abstract: The present invention provides systems and methods for automating a search over a network such as the Internet. A user selects data such as text from within an application. The selected data is activated and a search is performed without the user having to leave the application. The search is performed while the user is continuing within the application. When the search is complete, the search results are made available to the user within the application from which the search was initiated. In one embodiment, the data is pre-searched and the results are cached such that the results are already available should the user desire. The present invention is particularly suited to integration with an operating system such that the methods of the present invention are thereby available to all applications. Alternatively, the present invention can be specific to a particular application.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 6, 2001
    Date of Patent: December 11, 2007
    Assignee: Hyperthink LLC
    Inventors: Bruce R. Baird, John M. Zollinger
  • Patent number: 7305402
    Abstract: Methods, systems, and computer program products for organizing and viewing electronic objects (such as incoming electronic mail messages, documents, and so forth) according to relationships among the objects. Objects may be organized according to user-selectable, node-specific criteria. These criteria may be dynamically learned, based upon a particular user's behavior, using the disclosed techniques.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 10, 2001
    Date of Patent: December 4, 2007
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: John R. Hind, Hiroyuki Miyamoto, Abdolreza Salahshour
  • Patent number: 7302441
    Abstract: Disclosed is a data processing system, a data processing system-implemented method and an article of manufacture for providing general user availability while integrity processing of rolled-in data is deferred and performed incrementally. The data processing system includes a data warehouse administration module for administering a data warehouse to include a table dividable into portions for containing rows of rolled-in data, a first and a second delimiter delimiting the start and the end respectively of each portion, a metadata element having an entry corresponding to the start and end delimiters delimiting each portion, a third delimiter for delimiting, between the first delimiter and the third delimiter, a sub-portion of the portion, and an operations management module having operation mechanisms for performing operations on the data warehouse responsive to the delimiters.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 20, 2004
    Date of Patent: November 27, 2007
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Petrus Kai Chung Chan, Miroslaw Adam Flasza, Dieu Quang La, Bruce Gilbert Lindsay, William T. O'Connell
  • Patent number: 7302445
    Abstract: An exemplary embodiment of the invention relates to a method, system, and storage medium for providing a dynamic multi-dimensional commodity modeling process. The method comprises creating a commodity hierarchy data structure. The commodity hierarchy data structure includes at least one top level node and at least one leaf node dependent upon the top level node. The method further comprises assigning uniform attributes to nodes in the hierarchy and selectively assigning at least one dimensional attribute to a node for invoking an analysis based upon the dimensional attribute. The dependent nodes inherit dimensional attributes assigned to corresponding upper level nodes. Other embodiments include an apparatus, a system, and storage medium.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 29, 2003
    Date of Patent: November 27, 2007
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: George M. Hurtis, Ivory W. Knipfer, Jeffrey G. Komatsu, Manivannan Thavasi
  • Patent number: 7293025
    Abstract: A system and method of training employees via a hosted learning management training system is provided. A test is shown on or near at least one local computer in a store or office. An employee is able to enter answers to the test questions on the local computer. A remote computer server is provided in communication with the local computer. Only the employee identifier and test information are transmitted from the local computer to the server when an employee interacts with the training program. Answers tallied on the server are preferably transmitted back to the local computer for access by the employee or supervisor. The local computer is preferably owned by a first company and the remote server is preferably owned by an information company servicing the first company. The first company pays the information company a subscription fee for participating in the training program.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 2004
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2007
    Inventor: David Harouche
  • Patent number: 7284005
    Abstract: Methods, apparatus, and articles of manufacture for transferring data from a defined source business component to a defined destination business component and/or between user-specified fields associated with the defined business components are disclosed herein. Embodiments of the invention enable a user to populate data fields of a first user interface display with data previously entered in data fields of a second user interface display by mapping the location of the data within a database, to the data fields of the first user interface display.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2001
    Date of Patent: October 16, 2007
    Assignee: Siebel Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Antonius Adhi Wiryawan, Re Lai, Weide Ju, Hichem Sellami, Durgesh Kotwal
  • Patent number: 7281017
    Abstract: Views for software atomization provide runtime transformations of existing atoms in atom databases to create new or virtual atom databases. Views provide for sharing of code and data atoms that are stored in an atom database, as well as providing sharing of code and data atoms that are loaded into memory. A view is a set of transformation operations, including insert a new atom, modify an existing atom, or delete an existing atom, which can be applied to an atom database. The transformation operations can be applied, either literally, to create a new atom database on disk, or virtually, to create, at runtime, a virtual atom database, without actually having to create an actual atom database on disk. Modifying an existing atom can be done in a variety of ways, including changing the atom bytes, or the atom references, or an attribute of the atom.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 21, 2002
    Date of Patent: October 9, 2007
    Assignee: Sumisho Computer Systems Corporation
    Inventors: Mathew J. Hostetter, Benjamin R. Harrison
  • Patent number: 7281016
    Abstract: To secure the capacity of a storing unit by quickly searching and deleting unnecessary electronic information from the storing unit, an electronic information management server has a feature extracting unit extracting a feature of electronic information stored in a storing unit connected to a network, a deciding unit that decides whether the electronic information is to be deleted from the feature extracted by the feature extracting unit based on an instruction from a client, and a deleting unit that deletes from the storing unit via the network the electronic information decided to be deleted by the deciding unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 16, 2001
    Date of Patent: October 9, 2007
    Assignee: Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Shinichi Yada
  • Patent number: 7275061
    Abstract: The invention provides for indexing and cataloging of content on the Internet, as well as from other stores of information, may be performed by applying a process that employs an orthogonal corpus, or corpora, of information, such as an Encyclopedia. To this end, the processes described herein identify the topics discussed within the corpus. The process also identifies within the corpus a set of keywords that are relevant to the topics presented in the corpus. The keywords associated with a topic may be employed to identify documents stored in another database that are related to the topic. A graphical representation of the index of topics found in the corpus may then be generated, with individual topics operating as links to these related documents. Thus, a user interested in reviewing content in the corpus related to a certain topic, may also activate a link in the graphical representation of the index to access other documents that have been identified as related to the topic of interest to the user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 13, 2000
    Date of Patent: September 25, 2007
    Assignee: Indraweb.com, Inc.
    Inventors: Henry Kon, George Burch
  • Patent number: 7263529
    Abstract: A method and system for creating and maintaining databases of user profiles and value ratings for information sources, and for generating lists of information sources having high estimated values. User controlled systems for accessing information sources through the internet or other networks are monitored by a server. The server updates the user profiles and computes value ratings associated with the user profiles for various information sources in accordance with monitored information. Estimated values for information sources to a particular user are obtained as a function of the value ratings associated with profiles of other users and the degree of similarity between the particular user's current profile and other user profiles. Previous profiles are not deleted when updated but are retained and treated substantially as other profiles in computing value estimates. Information sources can be other users.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 29, 2003
    Date of Patent: August 28, 2007
    Assignee: Pitney Bowes Inc.
    Inventors: Robert A. Cordery, Richard W. Heiden, Christopher C. Lang
  • Patent number: 7260581
    Abstract: In one aspect, the present invention is a web-based system that facilitates rapid and reliable documenting, cataloging, and distributing of proven error proofing techniques. More specifically, and in an exemplary embodiment, a system includes a plurality of clients coupled to a web-based server. Each client includes a plurality of user interface classes and at least one class that provides access to a database. The server includes a plurality of servlets, and at least some of said servlets provide at least one of a database and server access capability to each client. The system further includes a database having a plurality of tables, and at least one of said tables includes at least one error proofing example. The database is accessed by each client via the server.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 2000
    Date of Patent: August 21, 2007
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Michael O. Cimini, Jeffrey S. Keller, Gene E. Wiggs, Bethany B. Kniffin, Christopher R. Hammond, Peder Fitch
  • Patent number: 7257594
    Abstract: Data integration including extracting a first native record having a first native format from a first native repository through a first adapter, the first adapter loosely coupled for data integration to a data integration application, the first native format having a datatype; transforming the first native record having first native format to a first native record having dynamic common format, the dynamic common format being a subset of a dynamic common model, the dynamic common model comprising mappings to and from the dynamic common format for all native records in all datatypes; transforming the format of the first native record having dynamic common format to a first native record having second native format; and inserting through a second adapter, also loosely coupled to the application, the first native record the second native format into a second native repository.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 6, 2004
    Date of Patent: August 14, 2007
    Assignee: Petris Technology Corporation
    Inventors: Aderbad Tamboli, John Jacobs