Patents Examined by Shew-Fen Lin
  • Patent number: 8108349
    Abstract: A system for directory replication and integration is provided. The system comprises a computer system and an application, that when executed on the computer system, analyzes a first structure of a first directory services database and generates a plurality of configuration files based on the analysis of the first structure of the first directory services database. The system also creates a second structure using the configuration files and tests the second structure using load and performance profiles and adjusts the second structure based on the results of the tests. The system also replicates entries in first directory services database to a second directory services database according to the second structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 1, 2009
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2012
    Assignee: Sprint Communications Company L.P.
    Inventors: Vijaykumar Cherukumudi, David K. Fultz, Nadirshah N. Jivani
  • Patent number: 8103662
    Abstract: A computer implemented method of recording user activity in a knowledge archival and recollection system, comprising: initiating a network browser plug-in on detecting that a network browser has been opened; providing at least one file to a user from the network; transmitting and storing at least one file to a file archive using a file transfer protocol; gathering user activity data for each said at least one file accessed; associating user activity data to each related file; transmitting and storing user activity data to a database server using a database connection protocol; and indexing each file.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 29, 2007
    Date of Patent: January 24, 2012
    Inventors: George Eagan, Prabhdeep Singh
  • Patent number: 8086595
    Abstract: A combinatorial search method and system is implemented in a computer control system for utilizing state-space planning of operations for multi-step production processes. The planner considers various possible combinations of actions, searching for one that correctly transforms the initial state of the object (or commodity) into the specified desired final state, where each combination of actions the planner considers is called a search node. Each node contains a plan representing a series of actions of a plurality of machines on a single object and also containing the predicted state of the object with those actions applied either forward or backward. The state of the object consists of the set of attributes of the object.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 3, 2007
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2011
    Assignee: Palo Alto Research Center Incorporated
    Inventor: Wheeler Ruml
  • Patent number: 8086646
    Abstract: In general, the subject matter described in this specification can be embodied in methods, systems, and program products. An identification scheme that is to be used for generating at least one identifier for an object is identified. A scheme entity that represents the identification scheme and includes at least one aspect thereof is created. The created scheme entity is stored in a repository such that the scheme entity can be selected for association with the identifier.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 20, 2007
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2011
    Assignee: SAP AG
    Inventors: Gunther Stuhec, Frank Damaschke
  • Patent number: 8082257
    Abstract: A data processing apparatus includes a management file creating portion for creating a first management file for managing reading of an information data file recorded on a recording medium and a second management file for managing a predetermined function related to data recorded on the recording medium, a designation portion for designating a function associated with the recording medium, and a control portion for performing the function designated by the designation portion based on the first management file and the second management file created by the management file creating portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 3, 2005
    Date of Patent: December 20, 2011
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Kazuhiro Takahashi
  • Patent number: 8082247
    Abstract: Best-bet recommendation may be provided. User behavior associated with a search result may be logged and applied to a relevance classifier. The relevance classifier may determine whether the user behavior indicates that the search result may comprise a best-bet result. A best-bet result may comprise a result associated with a high confidence that the result may be satisfactory to a user. The relevance classifier may be trained according to past searches and user behavior to improve the confidence on best-bet recommendations. Once confidence in a search result is high enough, future searches on the same query may provide the best-bet result to the searching user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 30, 2009
    Date of Patent: December 20, 2011
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Aditee Kumthekar, Mingyang Zhao, Harini Sridharan, Qing Chang
  • Patent number: 8078571
    Abstract: A knowledge archival and recollection system accessible by a user, comprising: a data acquisition module in communication with a database server, a file archive and a database connectivity module; a data presentation module in communication with a report module and a search module; a timing module in communication with the database server; an automatic billing module in communication with a report module and database server; a messenger monitor module in communication with the database server, and the file archive; a database connectivity module in communication with the data acquisition module, the file archive, the database server, the report module, the search module, the automatic billing module, the timing module and the messenger monitor module; the system gathers user activity data and files accessed by user through the data acquisition module and archives the data and files on the database server and file archive for retrieval by each user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 29, 2007
    Date of Patent: December 13, 2011
    Inventors: George Eagan, Prabhdeep Singh
  • Patent number: 8078599
    Abstract: A system for evaluating an environmental impact during a life cycle of an activity includes a controlling unit, which controls the system with a plurality of data storage elements connected to the controlling unit. The plurality of data storage elements includes a first data storage element, a second data storage element, a third data storage element, and a fourth data storage element. The first data storage element stores a first data type for each item to be used for the activity as life cycle inventory data. The second data storage element stores a second data type for each item, which includes grade information and recycle ratio information. The third data storage element stores a third data type for each item as modified life cycle inventory data. The third data type is obtained by modifying the first data type with the second data type. The fourth data storage element stores impact-coefficient data for each item.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 8, 2007
    Date of Patent: December 13, 2011
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventor: Yuichi Kimura
  • Patent number: 8055624
    Abstract: An agent installed on a server reclaims one or more reclaimable off-site copy storage volumes and one or more reclaimable on-site copy storage volumes. To this end, the agent identifies each reclaimable off-site copy storage volume, runs a plurality of threads to collectively copy each data object of the identified reclaimable off-site copy storage volume(s) that is stored within one or more primary storage volumes to one or more one on-site target copy storage volumes, identifies each reclaimable on-site copy storage volume, and runs the plurality of threads to collectively transfer each data object of the identified reclaimable on-site copy storage volume(s) to the on-site copy target copy storage volume(s).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 9, 2004
    Date of Patent: November 8, 2011
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: David M. Cannon, Yu-Mei U. Hsiao, Howard N. Martin
  • Patent number: 8041732
    Abstract: A computer-based method for downloading text content and images in web pages is provided. The method includes downloading a web page as a temporary extensible markup language (XML) file in an application server, and searching the temporary XML file for predetermined information in the temporary XML file. The method further includes searching the temporary XML file for text content in the temporary XML file. Furthermore, the method includes converting a relative path of the image uniform resource locator (URL) to an absolute path by joining the URL of the web page to the front of the relative path of the image URL, and generating a local path for each image in the temporary XML file and storing each image into an application server according to the local path.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 9, 2008
    Date of Patent: October 18, 2011
    Assignees: Hong Fu Jin Precision Industry (ShenZhen) Co., Ltd., Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Chung-I Lee, Chien-Fa Yeh, Da-Peng Li, Zhi-Hong Li
  • Patent number: 8041737
    Abstract: A method and apparatus are provided for presenting leasing arrangements for a plurality of rental spaces. The method includes the steps of providing a graphical user interface that depicts the plurality of rental spaces within a two-dimensional layout on a display of the graphical user interface where a relative size and relative location of each rental space on the display is proportional to a relative physical size and relative location of the actual rental spaces and associating a menu with at least some of the rental spaces on the display where the menu provides additional information regarding the rental space, building, rental space user prospects and associated documents. The method and apparatus also allow user IDs to simultaneously have access to information in multiple database partitions within a management system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 2007
    Date of Patent: October 18, 2011
    Assignee: Leo Software, Inc.
    Inventors: Michael J. Silverman, Paul J. Muessig, James J. Weber
  • Patent number: 8027981
    Abstract: A method, system and program product for classifying data elements into different levels of a business hierarchy. The method includes identifying data elements to be classified into one or more levels of a business hierarchy, selecting a first logic decision tree for evaluating the data elements identified for classification into the hierarchy and executing the first tree for recursively evaluating each data element identified until the first tree has been traversed. Further, the method includes dynamically creating configurable anchor point classifications for the data elements evaluated through the first tree and assigning a respective anchor point classification to each data element evaluated, such that, a respective anchor point classification assigned to a data element evaluated links the data element to a lowest level of the hierarchy, and where the anchor point classification conveys classification information as to each higher level of the hierarchy that the data element belongs to.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 10, 2008
    Date of Patent: September 27, 2011
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: James D. Episale, Mark A. Musa, David G. Ruest
  • Patent number: 8019786
    Abstract: A computer implemented method of storing, manipulating, assessing, and displaying data and its relationships, and a computer system (with memory) programmed to implement such method. The data is stored into nodes, and visualized as a sea of linked nodes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 26, 2004
    Date of Patent: September 13, 2011
    Inventor: Rocky Harry W. Nevin, III
  • Patent number: 8010553
    Abstract: A method of extracting knowledge from a knowledge archival and recollection system, comprising the steps of: recognizing a user actuation; initiating a search application; displaying a user search interface; receiving input parameters via the search interface; identifying a query type based on the received input parameters; formulating a database query based on the received input parameters; transmitting the database query to a database; obtaining database query results from the database; providing the database query results to a result analyzer module; and displaying search result analyzer module results to a user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 29, 2007
    Date of Patent: August 30, 2011
    Inventors: George Eagan, Prabhdeep Singh
  • Patent number: 8001142
    Abstract: A system may include a client and a distributed data manager coupled to the client. The distributed data manager may include a data store storing a data object that includes several sub-elements. The client is configured to update a portion of the data object by sending a message to the distributed data manager. The message specifies one of the sub-elements of the data object to be updated and includes a new value of that sub-element but does not include a new value of the entire data object. The distributed data manager is configured to perform updates to the data object in the data store dependent on which of the sub-elements of the data object are specified by the client.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 2, 2003
    Date of Patent: August 16, 2011
    Assignee: Oracle America, Inc.
    Inventors: Pramod Gopinath, Darpan Dinker, Mahesh Kannan, Suveen R. Nadipalli
  • Patent number: 7945590
    Abstract: An object model allows code to be developed using a programming environment to access the functionality of an application, in a word processing application, for example. The object model may be used to manipulate one or more data bindings in an application. Code may also be developed using a programming environment for reacting to changes, in either direction, of a content region or a node in XML data associated with one or more data bindings. Code may be developed to define data bindings between file content and content within data in a data store. Additionally, code may be developed that reacts to changes within a bound region of a file or within a data store, trapping or intercepting events, such as edits, additions, deletions, etc.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 2005
    Date of Patent: May 17, 2011
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Tristan A. Davis, Brian M. Jones, Ali Taleghani, Robert A. Little, Marcin Sawicki, Mark Sunderland
  • Patent number: 7941444
    Abstract: Systems and articles of manufacture for managing annotations made for a variety of different type data objects manipulated (e.g., created, edited, and viewed) by a variety of different type applications are provided. Some embodiments allow users collaborating on a project to create, view, and edit annotations from within the applications used to manipulate the annotated data objects, which may facilitate and encourage the capturing and sharing of tacit knowledge through annotations. Further, annotations may be stored separate from the application data they describe, decoupling the tacit knowledge captured in the annotations from the applications used to manipulate the annotated data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 16, 2009
    Date of Patent: May 10, 2011
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Brian J. Cragun, David L. Darrington, Lonnie A. McCullough
  • Patent number: 7933920
    Abstract: Metadata pertaining to real data stored in at least one database (DB) are collected and managed at a single meta DB server, and metadata that match a retrieval request are extracted by search of the meta DB server. Even when a plurality of DBs and DB servers for managing DBs are present on a network, all metadata that match the retrieval request can be extracted independently of the DBs that the metadata pertain to. Hence, all data that match a retrieval request can be obtained from a single server, independently of the actual locations of the distributed DBs and DB servers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 26, 2003
    Date of Patent: April 26, 2011
    Assignee: NS Solutions Corporation
    Inventors: Kazuhito Kojima, Mitsuru Yoshikura, Hiromoto Uesugi
  • Patent number: 7930296
    Abstract: An apparatus and program product that build column statistics utilizing at least one skew value. The column statistics built using skew values, instead of column statistics built only through random sampling, may be used to more accurately reflect skew values across join networks, and thus enable a query optimizer to better select an access plan that is optimal under current runtime conditions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 18, 2008
    Date of Patent: April 19, 2011
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventor: Brian Robert Muras
  • Patent number: 7895249
    Abstract: A method of purging cached open files from a client-side delayed close list on a remote file system. The remote file system stores a unique file identifier for each cached open file which is independent of the cached file's namespace. In response to a delete or rename command of a remote target file, the remote file system obtains a target file identifier from the target file's server. The remote file system then compares the target file identifier with each of the cached file's unique file identifier. If a cached file's unique file identifier matches the target file identifier, the cached file is purged from the delayed close list.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2004
    Date of Patent: February 22, 2011
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Yun Lin, Shishir Pardikar, Venkataraman Ramanathan