Patents Examined by Paul R. Lintz
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Patent number: 6658634Abstract: Disclosed is a system and method for eliminating the unnecessary toggling of logic in a logic network. The method and system can be incorporated directly into logic synthesis software, or may be implemented manually. Provided is a mechanism for identifying critical nets and then inserting net latches at the critical nets wherein each net latch is controlled by an enable signal that also controls a related output latch. Each net latch is comprised of a circuit which can on command hold static the last logic level on a given logic node.Type: GrantFiled: May 7, 1998Date of Patent: December 2, 2003Assignee: International Business Machines CorporationInventors: Kenneth J. Goodnow, Michel S. Michail, Clarence R. Ogilvie, Wilbur D. Pricer, Sebastian T. Ventrone
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Patent number: 6477531Abstract: A method for automated technical support in a computer network having a client machine, and at least one server. The method begins in response to entry by a user of a problem areas and description. During a guided self-help session, the user is presented with active content, for example, technical support information that may be “activated” via a diagnostic map. A given diagnostic map encapsulates a set of one or more methods that, upon execution, explore the user's machine and gathers diagnostic data. The active content is useful to facilitate diagnosis or self-repair during the self-help session.Type: GrantFiled: December 18, 1998Date of Patent: November 5, 2002Assignee: Motive Communications, Inc.Inventors: Francis X. Sullivan, Brian Jay Vetter
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Patent number: 6446077Abstract: Dynamic inheritance for data in a replicated tree structured database which is dynamically inherited from parent objects is provided by only replicating original modifications, and then causing each system to propagate inherited information across it's local tree of objects. When a change to a security descriptor or a reparenting of objects is received, a breadth first tree traversal is used to find all the affected objects. An ID list is incrementally deleted as each object is updated. A security descriptor propagator queue is used to track the progress of updates, and items are taken off the list only after they are committed to the database. A gate is used to ensure that that transactions which add new objects and the security descriptor propagation transactions which write new security descriptors are mutually exclusive.Type: GrantFiled: September 21, 1998Date of Patent: September 3, 2002Assignee: Microsoft CorporationInventors: Dave Straube, Tim Williams
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Patent number: 6446079Abstract: A network management protocol for the efficient retrieval of items of information or objects from managed elements or other network management systems in a digital communications network is described. The new protocol introduces one or more qualifier bits appended to an information retrieval command wherein the qualifier bit specifies the subclasses of the objects requested.Type: GrantFiled: March 13, 1998Date of Patent: September 3, 2002Assignee: Alcatel Networks CorporationInventors: Mark Tooker, Jonathan Bosloy, John Burns, Robert Muller
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Patent number: 6439783Abstract: A computerized query optimizer for use with a database system having an ordered set of records. The optimizer employs a scanner and an evaluator. A query is composed as ranges of record values related by logical operators. The query is converted to a Boolean tree in canonical form. The tree is optimized to express the ranges as a set of disjoint semi-open ranges. The scanner reads a next record from the database. The evaluator, using the query, delivers a logical true or false condition for the record. In addition, the evaluator also delivers an interval of values having the same logical condition as the logical condition of the record. If this logical condition is false, the scanner skips over records having values of the interval, otherwise, if the logical condition is true, records having values of the interval are selected.Type: GrantFiled: January 16, 1997Date of Patent: August 27, 2002Assignee: Oracle CorporationInventor: Gennady Antoshenkov
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Patent number: 6434561Abstract: A method of accessing electronic resources via machine readable data embedded on a document which comprises compressing input data with a transmitter adapted to save a first bandwidth using a compression method adapted to minimize utilization of bandwidth by the compressed input data while retaining substantially all information content of the input data and appending a compression flag to the compressed input data indicative of the compression method enabling a receiver to decompress the compressed input data. The compression step further comprises utilizing a compression dictionary adapted to map the elements and strings of the input data to minimized representations having redundancies deleted. The compression dictionary may be appended to the compressed input data (as cleartext or cyphertext) under circumstances where a bandwidth occupied by the appended compression dictionary is less than the bandwidth saved by the step of compressing the input data.Type: GrantFiled: May 9, 1998Date of Patent: August 13, 2002Assignee: Neomedia Technologies, Inc.Inventors: Robert T. Durst, Jr., Kevin D. Hunter
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Patent number: 6418428Abstract: A system for accessing and analyzing data through a central processing unit. The system includes a non-modal user interface to provide a user access to the system. A number of application graphics objects allow the user to visually interact with a plurality of analysis objects through the non-modal user interface. The plurality of application analysis objects allow a user to interactively create an analysis network for analyzing one or more databases. A plurality of application data access objects automatically interprets the analysis network and allows the system to access required databases and to generate structure query language required to access and analyze the databases as defined within the analysis network.Type: GrantFiled: July 27, 1998Date of Patent: July 9, 2002Assignee: The Sabre Group, Inc.Inventors: Robert M. Bosch, Marshal P. Reeder
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Patent number: 6411966Abstract: The invention reduces network traffic between client computers and DNS server computers by allowing client computers to send information to DNS server computers that have implemented protocols RFC 2136 and RFC 1995. Network traffic is-minimized in DNS database updates between client computers and server computers by sending a small amount of data. The invention also minimizes the replication of DNS updates between DNS server computers in the face of protocol RFC1995 and defeats Windows Internet Naming System (WINS) referral by its ability to update DNS server computers that emulate WINS server computers and have WINS referral capabilities. Thus, when a client computer's data changes, updates to the DNS database are performed with the minimum number of activities so that the database reaches a desired state, where the minimum amount of data will replicate by sending the minimum content of data replication from one DNS server computer to another.Type: GrantFiled: September 21, 1998Date of Patent: June 25, 2002Assignee: Microsoft CorporationInventors: Stuart Lup-Sing Kwan, Glenn Alexander Curtis
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Patent number: 6397216Abstract: The present invention is a mask ordering method and apparatus which controls the way keys are compared. In its general form, the mask ordering method operates to order (with a less than, greater than or equal to comparison) two N-byte (for example, N=16) keys (Key—1 and Key—2) using an N-bit ordering mask where the N bits in the ordering mask correspond one for one with the N bytes in the keys in the same compare direction (either left-to-right or right-to-left).Type: GrantFiled: December 9, 1999Date of Patent: May 28, 2002Assignee: Amdahl CorporationInventors: John Turnbull Cattanach, Kai Chiu Wong
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Patent number: 6397226Abstract: A method, computer program and system, for performing computer-based on-line commerce for goods having an excess inventory age is provided. The method, program and system include receiving information about a plurality goods from at least one vendor, wherein the information includes inventory age; compiling the information from the vendor to form a database; processing a request from a consumer regarding goods by comparing the request to the database; identifying goods fitting the request having an excess inventory age that exceeds an age of best profit; and using the information associated with the goods that best fit the request.Type: GrantFiled: June 7, 2000Date of Patent: May 28, 2002Inventor: Mike Sage
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Patent number: 6393437Abstract: A method and apparatus for allowing multiple developers of software applications working in client/server computing network to remotely save, test and debug project files such as web pages. The client computer is capable of emulating server side operations to allow the developer to locally test changes to project files before they are saved on the server. The client computer maintains an accurate view of the overall project, but without having to locally copy the entire software project, by storing file information relating to the software project including, for example, metadata, link information, and BOT replacements, and/or a directory structure of the files and folders in the software project that mirrors the directory structure of the software project on the server. Various features include providing developers with the ability to check out, modify and debug files concurrently with other developers, and merging changes made by different developers to the same file.Type: GrantFiled: January 27, 1998Date of Patent: May 21, 2002Assignee: Microsoft CorporationInventors: Eric K. Zinda, Zhenglei Pan, David C. Johnson, William E. Hiebert, Brian R. Marshall, C. Douglas Hodges
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Patent number: 6385621Abstract: The invention is an integration software program that enables a user to use the logic and data accessible in a job standards development program to develop a job plan which is then transferred to a job planning software program where it is finalized and used to produce work orders. Integrating these two programs results in producing job plans rapidly and assures optimum utilization of labor, materials and tools.Type: GrantFiled: November 19, 1999Date of Patent: May 7, 2002Inventor: Franklin Peter Frisina
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Patent number: 6385606Abstract: In order to perform format conversion between the formats of a plurality of files without any work by a user, a file system stores a relation between a conversion originating file and a conversion destination file, and synchronously with an issue of a file operation API, the format conversion processes are executed. A user performs only the tasks essential for an application, without taking into consideration various necessary format conversions (either one-step or multi-step). During the user task, it is not necessary to designate a conversion originating file and a timing of format conversion. A user can use always a latest conversion destination file.Type: GrantFiled: January 9, 2001Date of Patent: May 7, 2002Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.Inventors: Shigekazu Inohara, Toyohiko Kagimasa, Fumio Noda, Yoshimasa Masuoka, Jinghua Min
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Patent number: 6381602Abstract: Systems and methods for enforcing access control on secured documents that are stored outside of the direct control of the original application that would normally store and govern access to the documents. Access security can be enforced at a search engine associated with an indexing system that compiles references to documents at any number of network locations. The search engine discloses to the requesting user only those documents that the user is authorized to read. If a document is identified for potential disclosure to a user, and the document's source location has an access control system that is not directly interoperable with a native access control system of the search engine, a security provider at the search engine enforces access control. The security provider, in cooperation with the source location of the document, converts the user context that identifies the requesting user to a format that can be used by the security provider.Type: GrantFiled: January 26, 1999Date of Patent: April 30, 2002Assignee: Microsoft CorporationInventors: Srikanth Shoroff, F. Soner Terek, Sankrant Sanu, Andrew Wallace
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Patent number: 6381596Abstract: The invention relates to a database system comprising a computing unit, a main memory and a, in particular a peripheral memory storing at least one multi-dimensional stock of data in the form of a UB tree, further the invention relates to methods to run a database of this kind to read data and to implement join operations and further relational algebra operations, and sub-dividing the UB tree into a predetermined number of sub-spaces and consecutively processing the sub-spaces to read and ready the stock of data. Advantageously a cache storage buffers the regions (jump regions) of the UB tree cutting the sub-space being processed until the jump region(s) has (have) been completely processed in the subsequent sub-spaces.Type: GrantFiled: August 20, 1999Date of Patent: April 30, 2002Inventor: Rudolf Bayer
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Patent number: 6377944Abstract: A network-based customer interface allows a customer to receive automated information from a variety of data sources, or databases, including a knowledge base and frequently asked question database. The data sources are updated based on recording ongoing customer queries and transactions with the database. The updates can be reviewed before they are used to update the data sources. Customer authentication is performed so that the customer can be given an elevated level of service and so that any prior customer sessions can be used to help human agents know about the customer's situation.Type: GrantFiled: December 11, 1998Date of Patent: April 23, 2002Assignee: Avaya Technology Corp.Inventors: Andrew T. Busey, Peter Novosel, Govind Balakrishnan, Peter Bunyan, Brett Morrison, Dwight M Moore, Kirschen Alcyone Seah, Rickey E. Chevrie, George Currie, Yuan Sylvia Tien
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Patent number: 6377952Abstract: In order to perform format conversion between the formats of a plurality of files without any work by a user, a file system stores a relation between a conversion originating file and a conversion destination file, and synchronously with an issue of a file operation API, the format conversion processes are executed. A user performs only the tasks essential for an application, without taking into consideration various necessary format conversions (either one-step or multi-step). During the user task, it is not necessary to designate a conversion originating file and a timing of format conversion. A user can use always a latest conversion destination file.Type: GrantFiled: October 27, 1998Date of Patent: April 23, 2002Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.Inventors: Shigekazu Inohara, Toyohiko Kagimasa, Fumio Noda, Yoshimasa Masuoka, Jinghua Min
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Patent number: 6374260Abstract: A method and apparatus for uploading, analyzing, searching and displaying multimedia files based on the context and content of the multimedia files.Type: GrantFiled: February 28, 2000Date of Patent: April 16, 2002Assignee: Magnifi, Inc.Inventors: Eric M. Hoffert, Karl Cremin, Adnan Ali, Stephen R. Smoot, Brian Strull
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Patent number: 6366909Abstract: An information presentation apparatus includes an information organization structure editing unit, a search condition creating unit, an information collection unit, and a collection result joining unit. The editing unit prompts a user to enter plural terms and one or more relations among said terms and store them as an information organization structure. The search condition creating unit creates a search condition of information from the terms and the relations among the terms stored in the information organization structure. The information collection unit searches information storage by using the created search condition and collect location information of the data meeting the search condition. The collection result joining unit visually joins the terms and the relations among the terms stored in the information organization structure with the location information of the searched data and displays the joined result.Type: GrantFiled: October 26, 1998Date of Patent: April 2, 2002Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.Inventors: Toshiyuki Yuasa, Takaaki Yamada, Hiroyuki Kojima, Masato Tsuchibora
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Patent number: 6366916Abstract: A flexibly adaptable, i e., configurable and/or extensible, asset management system is disclosed for processing and querying assets, representing data. The system comprises three layers: a Client Application layer, for manipulating and browsing assets, an Asset Manager Server layer, for providing programming interface services specific for assets types, such as storing, querying, and retrieving assets representing data to and from a Data Store, representing the third layer. The Asset Manager Server layer further provides communication services to support the Client Application layer and file transfer between the Client Application layer and the Asset Manager Server layer. The Asset Manager Server includes several configurable and/or extensible modules, including a Client Adapter module, a Schema Adapter module and a Resources module.Type: GrantFiled: December 23, 1998Date of Patent: April 2, 2002Assignee: International Business Machines CorporationInventors: William J. Baer, I-Ming Kao, Pedro Jacob, Jr., Janet L. Murray, Deidra S. Picciano, Jerry D. Robertson, James A. Willey