Patents by Inventor Alan George Cole
Alan George Cole has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).
-
Patent number: 9092887Abstract: Techniques for generating a composite spatial representation are presented. For example, a method includes obtaining a plurality of source spatial representations from a plurality of source applications, and forming the composite spatial representation by combining the plurality of source spatial representations. The composite spatial representation is operative to interact with at least one behavioral element that is separate from the composite spatial representation. The obtaining of the plurality of source spatial representations and the forming of the composite spatial representation are executed on a computing system comprising a processor and a memory. One or more computer program instructions for implementing the obtaining of the plurality of source spatial representations and the forming of the composite spatial representation are obtained from the memory and executed by the processor device.Type: GrantFiled: September 30, 2009Date of Patent: July 28, 2015Assignee: International Business Machines CorporationInventors: Michel Bézy, Alan George Cole, Jonathan Paul Munson, Stella J. Mitchell, David Alvra Wood
-
Patent number: 9014722Abstract: It is determined whether a location of a mobile device is within a coverage region of a first information service. Communications for the first information service are redirected to a second information service when the location of the mobile device is not within a coverage region of the first information service. The second information service generally has a coverage region encompassing the location of the mobile device. Communications between the mobile device and the first information service are redirected to a new information service when properties of the new information service are determined to meet predetermined criteria set by a user of the mobile device, by an application, or both. In yet another aspect of the invention, replacement of information services can be “aggressive” or “non-aggressive.” Communications between the mobile device and an original information service are redirected to another information service when the original information service fails.Type: GrantFiled: May 29, 2008Date of Patent: April 21, 2015Assignee: International Business Machines CorporationInventors: Alan George Cole, Sastry S. Duri, Jonathan Paul Munson, John S. Murdock, Jr.
-
Publication number: 20110074767Abstract: Techniques for generating a composite spatial representation are presented. For example, a method includes obtaining a plurality of source spatial representations from a plurality of source applications, and forming the composite spatial representation by combining the plurality of source spatial representations. The composite spatial representation is operative to interact with at least one behavioral element that is separate from the composite spatial representation. The obtaining of the plurality of source spatial representations and the forming of the composite spatial representation are executed on a computing system comprising a processor and a memory. One or more computer program instructions for implementing the obtaining of the plurality of source spatial representations and the forming of the composite spatial representation are obtained from the memory and executed by the processor device.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 30, 2009Publication date: March 31, 2011Applicant: International Business Machines CorporationInventors: Michel Bézy, Alan George Cole, Jonathan Paul Munson, Stella J. Mitchell, David Alvra Wood
-
Patent number: 7788281Abstract: Spatial rules involve locations of entities, such as wireless devices, from a mobile population. When evaluating rules in a communication network, attributes of an entity are determined, where one of the attributes comprises location of the entity. Rules are evaluated to produce one or more results, each of the rules operating on the attributes of the entity. Specified actions for the rules are performed, based on the evaluation of the rules. At least one of the specified actions comprises communicating a result to an application. The communication network may have a portion that is wireless. An attribute of the entity can include subscriber information and an entity generally corresponds to a particular subscriber in the communication network, but the entity may also correspond to multiple subscribers. An entity may be a wireless device, which can subscribe to a network. Rules can apply to particular geographical regions, to particular subscribers, to both, or to additional criteria.Type: GrantFiled: March 12, 2004Date of Patent: August 31, 2010Assignee: International Business Machines CorporationInventors: Alan George Cole, Sastry S. Duri, Jonathan Paul Munson, David Alvra Wood, III
-
Publication number: 20090017811Abstract: Spatial rules involve locations of entities, such as wireless devices, from a mobile population. When evaluating rules in a communication network, attributes of an entity are determined, where one of the attributes comprises location of the entity. Rules are evaluated to produce one or more results, each of the rules operating on the attributes of the entity. Specified actions for the rules are performed, based on the evaluation of the rules. At least one of the specified actions comprises communicating a result to an application. The communication network may have a portion that is wireless. An attribute of the entity can include subscriber information and an entity generally corresponds to a particular subscriber in the communication network, but the entity may also correspond to multiple subscribers. An entity may be a wireless device, which can subscribe to a network. Rules can apply to particular geographical regions, to particular subscribers, to both, or to additional criteria.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 26, 2008Publication date: January 15, 2009Applicant: International Business Machines CorporationInventors: Alan George Cole, Sastry S. Duri, Jonathan Paul Munson, David Alvra Wood, III
-
Publication number: 20080261621Abstract: It is determined whether a location of a mobile device is within a coverage region of a first information service. Communications for the first information service are redirected to a second information service when the location of the mobile device is not within a coverage region of the first information service. The second information service generally has a coverage region encompassing the location of the mobile device. Communications between a mobile device and a first information service are redirected to another information service when properties of the new information service are determined to meet predetermined criteria set by a user of the mobile device, by an application, or both. In yet another aspect of the invention, Replacement of information services can be “aggressive” or “non-aggressive.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 29, 2008Publication date: October 23, 2008Applicant: International Business Machines CorporationInventors: Alan George Cole, Sastry S. Duri, Jonathan Paul Munson, John S. Murdock
-
Patent number: 7428418Abstract: It is determined whether a location of a mobile device is within a coverage region of a first information service. Communications for the first information service are redirected to a second information service when the location of the mobile device is not within a coverage region of the first information service. The second information service generally has a coverage region encompassing the location of the mobile device. Communications between a mobile device and a first information service are redirected to another information service when properties of the new information service are determined to meet predetermined criteria set by a user of the mobile device, by an application, or both. In yet another aspect of the invention, Replacement of information services can be “aggressive” or “non-aggressive.” Communications between a mobile device and an original information service are redirected to another information service when the original information service fails.Type: GrantFiled: August 15, 2007Date of Patent: September 23, 2008Assignee: International Business Machines CorporationInventors: Alan George Cole, Sastry S. Duri, Jonathan Paul Munson, John S. Murdock, Jr.
-
Patent number: 7308275Abstract: Techniques are presented for identifying mobile devices within a coverage region of a wireless station. Positions for mobile devices, if any, within the coverage region are determined. It is then determined whether the positions are within one or more defined areas, called “notification areas” herein. Additionally, selected mobile devices within notification areas are sent messages. The selected mobile devices are selected via certain criteria, including, for instance, campaign specifications and subscriber information. A message can be sent to a mobile device if the subscriber corresponding to the mobile device has indicated an acceptance of a category of notifications for the message and for the publisher who is publishing the notifications. The category could be traffic conditions and the publisher could be a Department of Transportation having responsibility for a particular freeway. These are two examples of multiple criteria for selecting mobile devices to which messages could be sent.Type: GrantFiled: September 25, 2006Date of Patent: December 11, 2007Assignee: International Business Machines CorporationInventors: Alan George Cole, Sastry S. Duri, Vineet Kumar Gupta, Jonathan Paul Munson, David Alvra Wood, III
-
Patent number: 7274941Abstract: It is determined whether a location of a mobile device is within a coverage region of a first information service. Communications for the first information service are redirected to a second information service when the location of the mobile device is not within a coverage region of the first information service. The second information service generally has a coverage region encompassing the location of the mobile device. Communications between a mobile device and a first information service are redirected to another information service when properties of the new information service are determined to meet predetermined criteria set by a user of the mobile device, by an application, or both. In yet another aspect of the invention, Replacement of information services can be “aggressive” or “non-aggressive.” Communications between a mobile device and an original information service are redirected to another information service when the original information service fails.Type: GrantFiled: January 27, 2006Date of Patent: September 25, 2007Assignee: International Business Machines CorporationInventors: Alan George Cole, Sastry S. Duri, Jonathan Paul Munson, John S. Murdock, Jr.
-
Patent number: 7271702Abstract: A method for determining attributes of entities within a physical space. More specifically, the location of the entities in the physical space are determined using this invention. A reader automatically moves throughout the space and takes measurements of the attributes of corresponding entities when it detects the presence of these entities in the physical space. The attributes of the entities could be the location, temperature and so forth. The reader could be an RF detection device for reading signals from the tags attached to the entities.Type: GrantFiled: September 23, 2004Date of Patent: September 18, 2007Assignee: International Business Machines CorporationInventors: Abhishek Patil, Alan George Cole, Paul Andrew Moskowitz, Jonathan Paul Munson, David Wood, Han Chen
-
Patent number: 7136658Abstract: Techniques are presented for identifying mobile devices within a coverage region of a wireless station. Positions for mobile devices, if any, within the coverage region are determined. It is then determined whether the positions are within one or more defined areas, called “notification areas” herein. Additionally, selected mobile devices within notification areas are sent messages. The selected mobile devices are selected via certain criteria, including, for instance, campaign specifications and subscriber information. A message can be sent to a mobile device if the subscriber corresponding to the mobile device has indicated an acceptance of a category of notifications for the message and for the publisher who is publishing the notifications. The category could be traffic conditions and the publisher could be a Department of Transportation having responsibility for a particular freeway. These are two examples of multiple criteria for selecting mobile devices to which messages could be sent.Type: GrantFiled: December 10, 2002Date of Patent: November 14, 2006Assignee: International Business Machines CorporationInventors: Alan George Cole, Sastry S. Duri, Vineet Kumar Gupta, Jonathan Paul Munson, David Alvra Wood, III
-
Publication number: 20040203891Abstract: It is determined whether a location of a mobile device is within a coverage region of a first information service. Communications for the first information service are redirected to a second information service when the location of the mobile device is not within a coverage region of the first information service. The second information service generally has a coverage region encompassing the location of the mobile device. Communications between a mobile device and a first information service are redirected to another information service when properties of the new information service are determined to meet predetermined criteria set by a user of the mobile device, by an application, or both. In yet another aspect of the invention, Replacement of information services can be “aggressive” or “non-aggressive.” Communications between a mobile device and an original information service are redirected to another information service when the original information service fails.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 10, 2002Publication date: October 14, 2004Applicant: International Business Machines CorporationInventors: Alan George Cole, Sastry S. Duri, Jonathan Paul Munson, John S. Murdock
-
Publication number: 20040203892Abstract: Techniques are presented for identifying mobile devices within a coverage region of a wireless station. Positions for mobile devices, if any, within the coverage region are determined. It is then determined whether the positions are within one or more defined areas, called “notification areas” herein. Additionally, selected mobile devices within notification areas are sent messages. The selected mobile devices are selected via certain criteria, including, for instance, campaign specifications and subscriber information. A message can be sent to a mobile device if the subscriber corresponding to the mobile device has indicated an acceptance of a category of notifications for the message and for the publisher who is publishing the notifications. The category could be traffic conditions and the publisher could be a Department of Transportation having responsibility for a particular freeway. These are two examples of multiple criteria for selecting mobile devices to which messages could be sent.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 10, 2002Publication date: October 14, 2004Applicant: International Business Machines CorporationInventors: Alan George Cole, Sastry S. Duri, Vineet Kumar Gupta, Jonathan Paul Munson, David Alvra Wood
-
Patent number: 6766054Abstract: The present invention provides methods and apparatus to distinguish and/or separate an object from a background. The methods use backgrounds of known and/or advantageous texture. In an embodiment, a measure of image texture, namely the spatial frequency is used to distinguish and/or separate an object from its background. The use of image texture overcomes limitations of chroma keying used as a processing technique in photography for object-background separation. This is useful in the separation of image pixels belonging to the object of interest from image pixels belonging to the background.Type: GrantFiled: August 14, 2000Date of Patent: July 20, 2004Assignee: International Business Machines CorporationInventors: James Edward Christensen, Alan George Cole, Ravishankar Rao
-
Patent number: 6571239Abstract: This invention provides methods, apparatus, system, and article of manufacture which solve the problem of mismatch between the keywords employed by a user in making a query and those assigned by the manual or automatic classification system stored in the system's keyword index. The system records the initial keyword(s) input by the user and holds them until the user is either satisfied or gives up. If in a query session the user is satisfied with the object(s) retrieved from the repository, the system associates the initial keywords(s) with the retrieved object(s). This facilitates the object's retrieval by the same user or subsequent users who input the same keywords. The keyword index is modified directly when, for example, a single service or application controls the interaction between user and repository, end to end.Type: GrantFiled: January 31, 2000Date of Patent: May 27, 2003Assignee: International Business Machines CorporationInventors: Alan George Cole, Yael Ravin, Howard Edward Sachar
-
Publication number: 20020156832Abstract: A method, apparatus, and computer implemented instructions for managing bookmarks. In response to detecting a service domain with a dynamic bookmark service, a client device sends a request containing criteria identifying a dynamic bookmark to the service domain. In these examples, the dynamic bookmark contains attributes or criteria that may be used to bind or locate regular bookmarks having similar attributes or criteria. The request is received by a server, which queries a data structure using the criteria for a bookmark, corresponding to or matching the criteria, to generate a result. This result is returned in a response to the client. The client processes any bookmarks received in the response, wherein any bookmarks returned in the request are bookmarks matching the dynamic bookmark.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 18, 2001Publication date: October 24, 2002Applicant: International Business Machines CorporationInventors: Sastry S. Duri, James Edward Christensen, Alan George Cole, Paul Andrew Moskowitz