Patents Examined by Steven Sax
  • Patent number: 8935626
    Abstract: A handheld electronic device and a method for switching a user interface thereof are provided. The present method is suitable for a handheld electronic device having a first part and a second part. The first part comprises a screen, and the second part is slidingly disposed below the first part along a specific path. A part type of the second part is detected when the second part is slid out along the specific path relative to the first part. Then, the user interface is switched and displayed on the screen according to the part type, wherein the displayed user interface is corresponding to application programs relative to the part type. As a result, convenience of executing application programs on the handheld electronic device can be improved.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 4, 2008
    Date of Patent: January 13, 2015
    Assignee: HTC Corporation
    Inventor: Yu-Hsien Chang
  • Patent number: 8924860
    Abstract: A method and apparatus is provided that allows a user to automatically add content, such as an event, to a container, such as, a calendar without directly accessing the container. Second and third preferred embodiments are also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 14, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 30, 2014
    Assignee: Facebook, Inc.
    Inventors: Tony Espinoza, Debra Lavoy, Ben Quigley, Dave Sobotka, Mike Sugarbaker, Mary Wolf
  • Patent number: 8918736
    Abstract: A method includes receiving a current set of characters in response to a sequence of user commands. The current set of characters includes a current sequence of words. A respective word in the current sequence of words includes one or more characters in the current set of characters. The user commands include character entry commands. Additional user commands that specify characters to delete from the current set of characters and characters to add to the current set of characters are received. Replay recommendations for additional words to be added to the current set of characters in accordance with one or more deleted words that correspond to the deleted characters are provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 24, 2006
    Date of Patent: December 23, 2014
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Steven P. Jobs, Scott Forstall, Greg Christie, Bas Ording, Imran Chaudhri, Stephen O. Lemay, Marcel Van Os, Freddy Allen Anzures, Mike Matas
  • Patent number: 8918729
    Abstract: A system and method enabling a designer to build electronic forms from hierarchical data is described. Displays of hierarchical data, facilitation of selection of a portion of the hierarchical data, and displays of one or more transformation-language components associated with a selected portion of hierarchical data are described. From the transformation-language components selected by a designer, generation of an electronic form is also described.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 2, 2008
    Date of Patent: December 23, 2014
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Christian Fortini, Jean D. Paoli, Laurent Mollicone, Bulusu Krishna Mohan, Alessandro Catorcini
  • Patent number: 8910084
    Abstract: Systems and methods in accordance with various embodiments of the present invention provide for representing a hierarchical dataset as graphical elements in a configurable data visualization having at least one graphical attribute. At least one aggregate function of a plurality of aggregate functions are determined. Aggregate values of the hierarchical dataset for each hierarchical depth level is determined. The aggregate function is used to determine the aggregate values. The data visualization based on the aggregate values is rendered.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 5, 2007
    Date of Patent: December 9, 2014
    Assignee: Oracle International Corporation
    Inventors: Jonathan Helfman, Joseph Goldberg
  • Patent number: 8904297
    Abstract: In an information providing system, a virtual three-dimensional space is established by an information management server. A user of a mobile communication terminal moves in the virtual space, and browses, posts, and searches message information items by manipulating an avatar. The information management server manages the message information items and responds to searches requested from mobile communication terminals. The information management server specifies an area where the number of message information items relevant to a search word specified by a user of a mobile communication terminal is equal to or greater than a predetermined number. The information management server outputs a guide information item for indicating a direction or route toward the specified area from the position of an avatar. Based on the guide information item, the mobile communication terminal displays an image of an arrow pointing a direction or route toward the specified area as a target area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 2, 2008
    Date of Patent: December 2, 2014
    Assignee: NTT DoCoMo, Inc.
    Inventors: Yasushi Onda, Izua Kano, Dai Kamiya, Keiichi Murakami, Eiju Yamada, Kazuhiro Yamada
  • Patent number: 8904304
    Abstract: Disclosed are several methods, apparatus, and a system to create, expose, and hide embedded secondary content data relevant to a primary content page of an electronic book generated by a content generating device. The method, system, and apparatus is enabled through a Y-axis slide apart gesture that is applied to a notification region of the primary content page such that the secondary content data is made visible when the Y-axis slide apart gesture is applied to the notification region. The method, system, and apparatus is also enabled through a Y-axis pinch close gesture that is applied to a boundary of an exposed pane that is appearing in the primary content page such that the Y-axis pinch close gesture collapses the exposed pane in which the secondary content data is made visible. In one embodiment, the system comprises an association server, an electronic book distribution server, and a content rendering device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 14, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 2, 2014
    Assignee: barnesandnoble.com llc
    Inventor: Peter Farago
  • Patent number: 8904291
    Abstract: A mobile terminal and a control method thereof are provided. The mobile terminal comprises a wireless communication unit, a display (151) configured to display an image, and a controller configured to display a first input area overlapping with at least part of the image in response to a first touch applied to the display (151) and to transmit data based on a touch trace corresponding to a second touch of a user, which is acquired through the displayed first input area, to a client terminal (200, 300) including one or more other terminals through the wireless communication unit in real time, the first input area having translucent property to allow the overlap image to be recognized. According to the present invention, data corresponding to a touch applied to an input area can be transmitted to a client terminal to achieve each data exchange.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 11, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 2, 2014
    Assignee: LG Electronics Inc.
    Inventor: Moonjung Kim
  • Patent number: 8904313
    Abstract: A method for value specification in a responsive interface control, the method including: displaying an interface control in a user interface on a touch display device, wherein the interface control is an interactive interface element configured to set an interface value selected from an ordered continuum of values; detecting a shape of a touch gesture input on the interface control on the touch display device; and changing the interface value in response to detecting a change in the shape of the gesture input.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 24, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 2, 2014
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Scott H Isensee, James L Lentz, Andree Proulx
  • Patent number: 8893055
    Abstract: Provided is a mobile terminal including a plurality of user identification modules and an operating method thereof. The mobile terminal includes a touch screen, and a controller configured to simultaneously unlock the mobile terminal and at least one of the plurality of user identification modules in response to a touch made on the touch screen.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 27, 2011
    Date of Patent: November 18, 2014
    Assignee: LG Electronics Inc.
    Inventors: Byungkee Chae, Eunjin Kim, Junhee Kim, Kyungjin Moon
  • Patent number: 8893046
    Abstract: A method of visualizing and manipulating data on a display of a computer is provided, the method comprising retrieving a plurality of documents from a file system operably connected to the computer, each said document having at least one attribute associated therewith; graphically organizing the plurality of documents retrieved from the file system along a first substantially linear axis on the display; selecting a selected attribute associated with a selected document, the selected document being selected from among the plurality of documents organized along the first substantially linear axis; and graphically organizing a subset of the plurality of documents retrieved from the file system along a second substantially linear axis on the display, the first and second axes being organized such that the first and second substantially linear axes are non-parallel to one another, wherein the subset of the plurality of documents only includes documents having attributes associated therewith that match the selected
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 27, 2009
    Date of Patent: November 18, 2014
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Mathieu Audet, Yves Berthiaume
  • Patent number: 8881009
    Abstract: A method and system for description of synthetic audiovisual content makes it easier for humans, software components or devices to identify, manage, categorize, search, browse and retrieve such content. For instance, a user may wish to search for specific synthetic audiovisual objects in digital libraries, Internet web sites or broadcast media; such a search is enabled by the invention. Key characteristics of synthetic audiovisual content itself such as the underlying 2d or 3d models and parameters for animation of these models are used to describe it. More precisely, to represent features of synthetic audiovisual content, depending on the description scheme to be used, a number of descriptors are selected and assigned values. The description scheme instantiated with descriptor values is used to generate the description, which is then stored for actual use during query/search.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 29, 2009
    Date of Patent: November 4, 2014
    Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property II, L.P.
    Inventors: Qian Huang, Joern Ostermann, Atul Puri, Raj Kumar Rajendran
  • Patent number: 8881050
    Abstract: A scrolling method and apparatus devices having display screens such as a mobile terminal. When a first image on a screen cannot be moved in a direction by a touch input, a region of the first image is modified in response to the touch input and the modified image is subsequently restored to the first image after the touch is released or a preset amount of time passes. The modification of the region of the image provides an indication that is fed back to the user so that the end or last part of the image is displayed and cannot be moved further, so that undesired repetitive touch input can be prevented.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 13, 2010
    Date of Patent: November 4, 2014
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Mee Young Kim, Sung Sik Lee, Kyoung Sik Yoon, Byoungju Kim
  • Patent number: 8881025
    Abstract: Apparatus, methods and computer-readable storage media for threading calls and messages are provided. A method can include: receiving messaging content; and displaying the messaging content in a single thread, wherein the messaging content is threaded and a thread of the messaging content comprises at least one text message and at least one call. The method can further include threading the messaging content, wherein the threading comprises ordering the messaging content based, at least, on a time at which received ones of the messaging content are received at a communication device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 13, 2010
    Date of Patent: November 4, 2014
    Assignee: AT&T Mobility II, LLC
    Inventors: Cristy Swink, Jason Sikes, David Merkoski, Benjamin Fineman, Jonathan Solis Snydal, Megan Elisabeth Shia
  • Patent number: 8881020
    Abstract: Technologies are described herein for providing multi-modal communication through modal-specific interfaces. In one method, a communication in a first modality is received from a first interface across a computer network. The communication is converted into a second modality. Upon converting the communication into the second modality, the communication is provided to a second interface across the computer network.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 24, 2008
    Date of Patent: November 4, 2014
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Michael Anthony Affronti, Nathaniel Eric Breskin-Auer, Robert Emmett McCann
  • Patent number: 8875021
    Abstract: A device may receive information that identifies a first attribute and a second attribute associated with media files, and the first and second attributes may specify a manner in which the media files are to be represented on a user interface. The device may present, on the user interface and based on the first attribute and the second attribute, a representation of the media files on a grid. A first dimension of the grid may be associated with the first attribute, and a second dimension on the grid may be associated with the second attribute. The device may receive a selection of a portion of the grid corresponding to a set of media files, and may create a playlist, based on receiving the selection, that includes the set of media files.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 23, 2012
    Date of Patent: October 28, 2014
    Assignees: Verizon Patent and Licensing Inc., Verizon New Jersey Inc.
    Inventors: Woo Beum Lee, Michelle Felt
  • Patent number: 8869058
    Abstract: One or more interactive controls are displayed on an online map that allow a user to provide attributes about a photograph including the location from which the photograph was taken and the location of the subject in the photograph. The system receives the input and stores the information as associated with the photograph.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 25, 2012
    Date of Patent: October 21, 2014
    Assignee: Google Inc.
    Inventors: Arijit De, Lalitesh Katragadda, Sreejit Unnikrishnan, Sundeep Sancheti
  • Patent number: 8863005
    Abstract: A system and method for creating extension fields for business objects are described. In various embodiments, a system includes modules to display business processes and business objects thereof in graphical user interface screens. In various embodiments, the system propagates created extension fields to other business objects via metadata derived from selections in the graphical user interface. In various embodiments, a method for propagating extension fields from one business object to another business object via a data flow between the two business objects is presented. In various embodiments, the method receives instructions from a graphical user interface for the propagation of an extension field and sends instructions to a backend module to propagate the extension field from the source business object to the other business object.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2009
    Date of Patent: October 14, 2014
    Assignee: SAP SE
    Inventors: Matthias Lehr, Stefan Baeuerle, Karsten Fanghaenel, Daniel Figus, Uwe Schlarb, Bernhard Thimmel, Daniel Wachs, Steffen Witt
  • Patent number: 8850363
    Abstract: Techniques are provided for choosing a position on a display having a cursor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 18, 2008
    Date of Patent: September 30, 2014
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventor: Sharon M. Trewin
  • Patent number: 8850346
    Abstract: An integration tool is presented for integrating and/or commissioning a new device or system into a building control system. The integration tool is incorporated into the building control system and is operative to create one or more databases and/or applications for the new device that is then flashed to an appropriate building system controller. In one form, the present invention is a software tool for integrating a building control device into the building control system. In another form, the present invention is an integration tool for defining applications for new devices. In yet another form, the present invention is a seamless software tool that allows field personnel to create databases and define applications by simply following the defined point structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 9, 2008
    Date of Patent: September 30, 2014
    Assignee: Siemens Industry, Inc.
    Inventors: Duane Keenan, Jr., Steven L. Wesnoga