Patents by Inventor Christopher James Dawson

Christopher James Dawson 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: 10252160
    Abstract: Customized wait state experiences for an avatar in a virtual universe are provided by determining user alternative wait context preferences, selecting alternative wait state content objects accordingly, creating a wait state context in the virtual universe system using the alternative wait state content objects, and transporting the waiting avatar to the newly created wait state context for the duration of the wait. The custom context can include scenery, sounds, and even information streams and feeds. The avatar is optionally returned to the original context upon an event, such as a customer service representative, being available and ready to interact with the user. Artificial intelligence processes are optionally used to determine probable wait state context preferences for the user. Rewards may be given to the user for waiting, and for completing games or challenges.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2019
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Christopher James Dawson, Rick Allen Hamilton, II, Clifford Alan Pickover, Anne R. Sand
  • Patent number: 9908046
    Abstract: Customized wait state experiences for an avatar in a virtual universe are provided by determining user alternative wait context preferences, selecting alternative wait state content objects accordingly, creating a wait state context in the virtual universe system using the alternative wait state content objects, and transporting the waiting avatar to the newly created wait state context for the duration of the wait. The custom context can include scenery, sounds, and even information streams and feeds. The avatar is optionally returned to the original context upon an event, such as a customer service representative, being available and ready to interact with the user. Artificial intelligence processes are optionally used to determine probable wait state context preferences for the user. Rewards may be given to the user for waiting, and for completing games or challenges.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 26, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2018
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Christopher James Dawson, Rick Allen Hamilton, II, Clifford Alan Pickover, Anne R. Sand
  • Patent number: 9147192
    Abstract: In accordance with an aspect of the present invention, a system may be used with a first database, a second database and a global positioning system, wherein the first database has advertising content data and advertising correlation data stored therein, wherein the second database has identifying data and correlation data stored therein and wherein the global positioning system is operable to provide a position signal corresponding to a position of the system and the velocity of the system. The system includes a sensor portion, a processor portion and a display portion. The sensor portion is operable to detect a parameter and to generate a detected signal based on the detected parameter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 14, 2009
    Date of Patent: September 29, 2015
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Christopher James Dawson, Peter George Finn, Stephen James Houlihan, James Wesley Seaman
  • Patent number: 8745233
    Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention provide an approach for managing distributed application relationships and dependencies, and migration of applications and components within the same or a disparate networked (e.g. cloud) service provider. An application dependency management program module (“ADM”), and cloud service migration management program module (“CSMM”) are provided. The ADM, manually or by deductive logic, discovers and manages relationships and dependencies of computer software applications underlying cloud services, state information of the respective computer software applications, as well as upstream and downstream network data connections. The CSMM comprises ensuring that applications are not migrated or modified in a manner that could affect overall service, ensuring that a migration is performed correctly, maintaining a list of service level requirements for monitoring whether those requirements are being met, and performing application migration.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 14, 2010
    Date of Patent: June 3, 2014
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Katalin Klara Bartfai-Walcott, Gregory Jensen Boss, Christopher James Dawson, Rick Allen Hamilton, II
  • Publication number: 20140149405
    Abstract: A method includes providing data from at least one data source to an analytics engine; outputting data from an identity management system to the analytics engine; outputting data from an enterprise communities database to the analytics engine; causing the analytics engine to issue at least one recommendation based on the data from the at least one data source, the identity management system data and the enterprise communities database data, wherein the determining is executed by at least one processor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 26, 2012
    Publication date: May 29, 2014
    Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Christopher James Dawson, Ido Guy, Rajesh Radhakrishnan
  • Patent number: 8276146
    Abstract: The present invention is method for scheduling jobs in a grid computing environment without having to monitor the state of the resource on the gird comprising a Global Scheduling Program (GSP) and a Local Scheduling Program (LSP). The GSP receives jobs submitted to the grid and distributes the job to the closest resource. The resource then runs the LSP to determine if the resource can execute the job under the conditions specified in the job. The LSP either rejects or accepts the job based on the current state of the resource properties and informs the GSP of the acceptance or rejection. If the job is rejected, the GSP randomly selects another resource to send the job to using a resource table. The resource table contains the state-independent properties of every resource on the grid.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 14, 2008
    Date of Patent: September 25, 2012
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Christopher James Dawson, Craig William Fellenstein, Rick Allen Hamilton, II, Joshy Joseph
  • Publication number: 20120151061
    Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention provide an approach for managing distributed application relationships and dependencies, and migration of applications and/or of components within the same or a disparate networked (e.g. cloud) service provider which comprise applications, upstream and downstream data, and upstream and downstream network data connections of networked services. An application dependency management program module (“ADM”), and cloud service migration management program module (“CSMM”) are provided. The ADM, manually or by deductive logic, discovers and manages relationships and dependencies of computer software applications underlying cloud services, state information of the respective computer software applications, as well as upstream and downstream network data connections.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 14, 2010
    Publication date: June 14, 2012
    Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Katalin Klara Bartfai-Walcott, Gregory Jensen Boss, Christopher James Dawson, Rick Allen Hamilton, II
  • Patent number: 8120790
    Abstract: A print compression method and system reduces the amount of space required to print a document such that less paper is used during the printing of a document. A user defines criteria, which is used to perform document compression. However, the document compression only applies to the form of document being printed. This compression does not affect the document being edited.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 28, 2008
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2012
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Christopher James Dawson, Gregory Jensen Boss, Rick Allen Hamilton, II, Timothy Moffett Waters
  • Patent number: 8027661
    Abstract: Changes in wireless service user behavior are encouraged and produced to shape utilization patterns among cells within a rate plan region by using shaping rules which define potential discounts from a standard charge rate under certain cell-specific utilization conditions, analyzing the shaping rules and utilization statistics of a cell upon service initiation, generating a discount from the standard rate for underutilized cells. The user is notified of these discount opportunities using text messages, icons, or other means. Over time, the users learn that at certain places and times, significant discounts are offered, and thus changes their behavior to take advantage of those discounts, thereby shaping traffic in a manner desired by the service provider.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 9, 2008
    Date of Patent: September 27, 2011
    Assignee: D-Link Corporation
    Inventors: Christopher James Dawson, Rick Allen Hamilton, II, James Wesley Seaman, Timothy Moffett Waters
  • Patent number: 7823700
    Abstract: An elevator control method and system. The system comprises a control unit and a memory unit. The memory unit comprises user data segments associated with users for elevators within the system and transponder identification data segments associated with transponders. The method comprises receiving by the control unit, ID signals from the transponders. The control unit associates the user data segments with the ID signals and determines priority levels for the users.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 20, 2007
    Date of Patent: November 2, 2010
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Gregory Jensen Boss, Christopher James Dawson, Rick Allen Hamilton, II, Timothy Moffett Waters
  • Patent number: 7796039
    Abstract: Component failures are reported using a radio-frequency identification tag associated with an electronic component of a computer system installed on a common communications bus and power bus among at least one other electronic component wherein failure of a component may cause disruption of the power bus, the communications bus, or both busses; a system-level diagnostic function within the computer system but external to the first electronic component receiving a diagnostic failure indication from the first electronic component, and responsive to receipt of the diagnostic failure indication, sending a latching signal to the first electronic component; and a latch controllable by the latching signal, the latch having at least two stable modes including an unlatched mode which prevents the tag from transmitting signals upon query by a radio-frequency identification reader, and a latched mode which enables the tag to transmit signals upon query by a radio-frequency identification reader.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 2007
    Date of Patent: September 14, 2010
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: David Clark Brillhart, Christopher James Dawson, Michael David Kendzierski, James Wesley Seaman
  • Patent number: 7793058
    Abstract: An application's storage availability is adjusted by noting a storage event occurrence. An occurrence that necessitates a requirements change triggers negotiation, wherein a series of negotiation stages are presented to a storage provider server. For each storage provider response to a transmitted negotiation stage, a determination is made to see if the response is better than the proposal described in the negotiation stage. If so, the application commits the storage changes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 19, 2005
    Date of Patent: September 7, 2010
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Gregory Jensen Boss, Christopher James Dawson, Rick Allen Hamilton, II, Timothy Moffett Waters
  • Patent number: 7782227
    Abstract: A dynamic ‘vehicle grid’ system provides the ability for drivers to be automatically warned to the conditions of other vehicles in the vicinity. In this grid system, a motor vehicle would be equipped with a transmitter, receiver, computer and a selection of sensors. Other adjacent vehicles are also contain the same of equipment for transmitting and receiving signals. When the sensors in a vehicle detect a change such as hard braking (rapid deceleration) or very slow speed (blockages), it automatically sends this information via the transmitter over a wireless communication channel to any other receivers in the vicinity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 24, 2008
    Date of Patent: August 24, 2010
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Gregory Jensen Boss, Christopher James Dawson, Barry Michael Graham, Rick Allen Hamilton, II, Timothy Moffett Waters
  • Publication number: 20100179878
    Abstract: In accordance with an aspect of the present invention, a system may be used with a first database, a second database and a global positioning system, wherein the first database has advertising content data and advertising correlation data stored therein, wherein the second database has identifying data and correlation data stored therein and wherein the global positioning system is operable to provide a position signal corresponding to a position of the system and the velocity of the system. The system includes a sensor portion, a processor portion and a display portion. The sensor portion is operable to detect a parameter and to generate a detected signal based on the detected parameter.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 14, 2009
    Publication date: July 15, 2010
    Inventors: CHRISTOPHER James DAWSON, Peter George Finn, Stephen James Houlihan, James Wesley Seaman
  • Patent number: 7725325
    Abstract: A system, computer program product and method of correlating safety solutions implemented in a facility with the facility's business climate are provided. The system, computer program product and method are used for designing safety solutions for a facility. While doing so, a user such as a security consultant, may derive a plurality of variables from the safety solutions. The variables are used to calculate a business climate index and a safety level from which a value for a safety/climate coefficient may be calculated. The value of the coefficient indicates whether the threat level is greater than the security level, or whether the security solutions are adequate or too intrusive.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 18, 2006
    Date of Patent: May 25, 2010
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Christopher James Dawson, Simon Oliver Schneider
  • Patent number: 7707288
    Abstract: A method, system, and program for automatically building a locally managed virtual node grouping to handle a grid job requiring a degree of resource parallelism for execution within a grid environment are provided. The grid environment includes multiple resource nodes which are identified by physical location as physically disparate groups each managed by a grid manager. The grid managers include a grid virtual node grouping subsystem that enables a particular grid manager receiving a grid job that requires a particular degree of resource parallelism for execution to build a virtual node grouping of resources from across the grid environment and locally manage the resources included in the virtual node grouping. In particular, the particular grid manager accesses, from the other grid managers, a current availability and workload of each of the physically disparate resource nodes. The particular grid manager selects a selection of resource nodes to build into a virtual node grouping for executing the grid job.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 6, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 27, 2010
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Christopher James Dawson, Rick Allen Hamilton, II, Steven Jay Lipton, James W. Seaman
  • Patent number: 7669026
    Abstract: Systems, methods and media for performing auto-migration of data among a plurality of memory devices are disclosed. In one embodiment, memory access of application program data is monitored for each of one or more application programs. The data may be stored in one or more of a plurality of memory storage devices, each with its own performance characteristics. Monitored access is evaluated to determine an optimal distribution of the application programs data, typically stored in files, among the plurality of memory storage devices. The evaluation takes into account service level requirements of each application program. Periodically, data may be automatically transferred from one memory storage device to another to achieve the determined optimal allocation among the available memory storage devices consistent with service level requirements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 24, 2008
    Date of Patent: February 23, 2010
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Gregory Jensen Boss, Christopher James Dawson, Rick Allen Hamilton, II, Timothy Moffett Waters
  • Patent number: 7660893
    Abstract: A method and an associated system for monitoring and instantly identifying faults in a data communication cable are disclosed. A fault monitoring program learns a reference data traffic pattern communicated through the data communication cable by reading inputs from a sensor. The reference data traffic pattern is stored and is used for determining normalcy of data traffic through the data communication cable. The fault monitoring program monitors for a fault in a data traffic, and, if a fault is detected, activates a fault indicator sending out fault signals to notify users of the fault. If the fault is not recovered within a predefined recovery period, the fault monitoring program deactivates the fault indicator and shuts down a power source for later use of the data communication cable.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 4, 2007
    Date of Patent: February 9, 2010
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: David Clark Brillhart, Christopher James Dawson, Michael David Kendzierski
  • Publication number: 20090289787
    Abstract: The illustrative embodiments provide a computer implemented method, apparatus, and computer program product for security cluster monitoring and notification. A security cluster comprised of a plurality of structures is monitored for a plurality of events. When an occurrence of an event as defined by a set of parameters associated with a structure in the plurality of structures is identified, information about the event is generated. The information about the event is displayed through a user interface and transmitted to a set of computing devices associated with a set of structures in the plurality of structures.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 21, 2008
    Publication date: November 26, 2009
    Applicant: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Christopher James Dawson, Rick Allen Hamilton, II, Michael David Kendzierski, James Wesley Seaman
  • Publication number: 20090210500
    Abstract: Presently, when an e-mail message is identified as SPAM, it is deleted and the process ends. According to the system, computer program product and method provided herein, upon identifying an e-mail message as SPAM, source information, identity and data stream of the e-mail message are transferred to a database accessible by trusted ISPs. The trusted ISPs may compare the transferred data stream to data stream of incoming and outgoing e-mail messages to determine whether they are also SPAM and the transferred source information and identity may be used to determine an original sender (i.e., a spammer) of the message.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 20, 2008
    Publication date: August 20, 2009
    Inventors: David Clark Brillhart, Christopher James Dawson, Rick Allen Hamilton, II, Michael David Kendzierski, James Wesley Seaman