Patents by Inventor Daniel A. Oblinger

Daniel A. Oblinger 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: 9165280
    Abstract: Dynamic modification of user interfaces is disclosed, based upon identification of the current state of the user and the sensing of a particular situation in which the user is involved and/or environment in which the user is situated. In particular, emotional and mental states of a user are identified and these states are taken into consideration when creating and/or adapting an interface to be used by the user. The interface is modified/created automatically based on identified user biometrics, that is, measured physical properties of the user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 22, 2005
    Date of Patent: October 20, 2015
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Sara H. Basson, Dimitri Kanevsky, Daniel A. Oblinger
  • Patent number: 8640034
    Abstract: Under the present invention, an illustrative feature is to provide a method and system/structure for remotely controlling multiple computer systems by interacting with GUIs. Specifically, the present invention allows a controlled computer/system to be remotely controlled via a controlling computer/system. To this extent, data/action capture instrumentation is provided on the controlling system for automatically creating a representation of content of the GUI of the controlling system, for automatically observing a set of actions performed by a user on the GUI of the controlling system, for automatically creating a representation of the observed actions, and for sending to the controlled system the representation of the observed actions. In addition, execution instrumentation is provided on the controlled system for receiving the representation and replicating the actions on the controlled system by interacting with a GUI of the controlled system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 16, 2006
    Date of Patent: January 28, 2014
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Lawrence D. Bergman, Vittorio Castelli, Tessa A. Lau, Daniel A. Oblinger
  • Patent number: 8607142
    Abstract: There is provided an apparatus for aligning document actions specified in a documented procedure with demonstrated user actions. The apparatus includes an alignment device for computing an alignment between the document actions and the demonstrated user actions based on at least one similarity metric.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 3, 2008
    Date of Patent: December 10, 2013
    Assignee: Activision Publishing, Inc.
    Inventors: Lawrence D. Bergman, Vittorio Castelli, Eugene Rogan Creswick, Tessa A. Lau, Daniel A. Oblinger
  • Patent number: 8595636
    Abstract: As indicated above, an exemplary feature of the present invention is to automatically identify corresponding GUI elements on different computer systems, or the same computer system at different points in time. Specifically, under the present invention, a user action on a widget of a GUI provided by an application loaded a first computer system is observed, and information about the widget(s) involved in the user action as well as on all other widget(s) in the GUI is collected and associated with the user action. Thereafter a widget(s) (on which the user action is to be performed) of a GUI provided by the application as loaded on a second computer system is robustly identified using the collection information. Then, the action is performed on the identified widget(s). In identifying the widget(s), the present invention utilizes a set of hard and soft constraints to identify a matching widget(s).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 16, 2006
    Date of Patent: November 26, 2013
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Lawrence D. Bergman, Vittorio Castelli, Daniel A. Oblinger
  • Patent number: 8307357
    Abstract: Techniques for altering application user-interface controls are provided. More particularly the customization of a new or existing user-interface control in an application user-interface is provided. In one aspect of the invention, a method for customizing user-interface controls of an existing application comprises the recording of a procedure description performed by a user in the application user-interface. A new or modified application user-interface control relating to the procedure description is then installed in the existing application.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 2008
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2012
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Lawrence D. Bergman, Vittorio Castelli, Tessa A. Lau, Daniel A. Oblinger
  • Patent number: 8176422
    Abstract: There is provided an apparatus for aligning document actions specified in a documented procedure with demonstrated user actions. The apparatus includes an alignment device for computing an alignment between the document actions and the demonstrated user actions based on at least one similarity metric.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 19, 2004
    Date of Patent: May 8, 2012
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Lawrence D. Bergman, Vittorio Castelli, Eugene Rogan Creswick, Tessa A. Lau, Daniel A. Oblinger
  • Patent number: 8046754
    Abstract: Techniques for altering application user-interface controls are provided. More particularly the customization of a new or existing user-interface control in an application user-interface is provided. In one aspect of the invention, a method for customizing user-interface controls of an existing application comprises the recording of a procedure description performed by a user in the application user-interface. A new or modified application user-interface control relating to the procedure description is then installed in the existing application.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 2007
    Date of Patent: October 25, 2011
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Lawrence D. Bergman, Vittorio Castelli, Tessa A. Lau, Daniel A. Oblinger
  • Patent number: 7962847
    Abstract: A system and method for obtaining a process definition; determining the current process; determining the current process step; determining whether a whether a user has requested creation or modification of an annotation of the current process or step; receiving information from the user for creating the annotation when a user has requested creation of an annotation; and displaying the annotation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 20, 2005
    Date of Patent: June 14, 2011
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Peter K. Malkin, Thomas D. Erickson, Wendy A. Kellogg, Brent Tzion Hailpern, Lawrence D. Bergman, Vittorio Castelli, Daniel A. Oblinger
  • Patent number: 7890948
    Abstract: Techniques for altering application user-interface controls are provided. More particularly the customization of a new or existing user-interface control in an application user-interface is provided. In one aspect of the invention, a method for customizing user-interface controls of an existing application comprises the recording of a procedure description performed by a user in the application user-interface. A new or modified application user-interface control relating to the procedure description is then installed in the existing application.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 30, 2003
    Date of Patent: February 15, 2011
    Assignee: Inernational Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Lawrence D. Bergman, Vittorio Castelli, Tessa A. Lau, Daniel A. Oblinger
  • Patent number: 7801835
    Abstract: A system for and method of constructing an executable reusable procedure which includes determining an executable procedure from at least one scored trace of a procedure execution.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 15, 2005
    Date of Patent: September 21, 2010
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Lawrence Bergman, Vittorio Castelli, Prabhakar N. Kudva, Tessa A. Lau, Daniel A. Oblinger
  • Patent number: 7559057
    Abstract: A method and system for generating one or more Computer-executable procedures simultaneously learns from a collection of procedure instances recorded by different users on a variety of computers aligning multiple traces and using the aligned traces to generalize.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 5, 2003
    Date of Patent: July 7, 2009
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Vittorio Castelli, Lawrence D. Bergman, Tessa A. Lau, Daniel A. Oblinger
  • Publication number: 20080178083
    Abstract: Techniques for altering application user-interface controls are provided. More particularly the customization of a new or existing user-interface control in an application user-interface is provided. In one aspect of the invention, a method for customizing user-interface controls of an existing application comprises the recording of a procedure description performed by a user in the application user-interface. A new or modified application user-interface control relating to the procedure description is then installed in the existing application.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 28, 2008
    Publication date: July 24, 2008
    Applicant: International Business Corporation
    Inventors: Lawrence D. Bergman, Vittorio Castelli, Tessa A. Lau, Daniel A. Oblinger
  • Publication number: 20080155410
    Abstract: There is provided an apparatus for aligning document actions specified in a documented procedure with demonstrated user actions. The apparatus includes an alignment device for computing an alignment between the document actions and the demonstrated user actions based on at least one similarity metric.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 3, 2008
    Publication date: June 26, 2008
    Inventors: Lawrence D. Bergman, Vittorio Castelli, Eugene Rogan Creswick, Tessa A. Lau, Daniel A. Oblinger
  • Publication number: 20080155395
    Abstract: There is provided an apparatus for aligning document actions specified in a documented procedure with demonstrated user actions. The apparatus includes an alignment device for computing an alignment between the document actions and the demonstrated user actions based on at least one similarity metric.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 3, 2008
    Publication date: June 26, 2008
    Inventors: Lawrence D. Bergman, Vittorio Castelli, Eugene Rogan Creswick, Tessa A. Lau, Daniel A. Oblinger
  • Publication number: 20080155393
    Abstract: There is provided an apparatus for aligning document actions specified in a documented procedure with demonstrated user actions. The apparatus includes an alignment device for computing an alignment between the document actions and the demonstrated user actions based on at least one similarity metric.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 3, 2008
    Publication date: June 26, 2008
    Inventors: Lawrence D. Bergman, Vittorio Castelli, Eugene Rogan Creswick, Tessa A. Lau, Daniel A. Oblinger
  • Publication number: 20080120553
    Abstract: Under the present invention, an illustrative feature is to provide a method and system/structure for remotely controlling multiple computer systems by interacting with GUIs. Specifically, the present invention allows a controlled computer/system to be remotely controlled via a controlling computer/system. To this extent, data/action capture instrumentation is provided on the controlling system for automatically creating a representation of content of the GUI of the controlling system, for automatically observing a set of actions performed by a user on the GUI of the controlling system, for automatically creating a representation of the observed actions, and for sending to the controlled system the representation of the observed actions. In addition, execution instrumentation is provided on the controlled system for receiving the representation and replicating the actions on the controlled system by interacting with a GUI of the controlled system.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 16, 2006
    Publication date: May 22, 2008
    Inventors: Lawrence D. Bergman, Vittorio Castelli, Tessa A. Lau, Daniel A. Oblinger
  • Publication number: 20080120336
    Abstract: As indicated above, an exemplary feature of the present invention is to automatically identify corresponding GUI elements on different computer systems, or the same computer system at different points in time. Specifically, under the present invention, a user action on a widget of a GUI provided by an application loaded a first computer system is observed, and information about the widget(s) involved in the user action as well as on all other widget(s) in the GUI is collected and associated with the user action. Thereafter a widget(s) (on which the user action is to be performed) of a GUI provided by the application as loaded on a second computer system is robustly identified using the collection information. Then, the action is performed on the identified widget(s). In identifying the widget(s), the present invention utilizes a set of hard and soft constraints to identify a matching widget(s).
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 16, 2006
    Publication date: May 22, 2008
    Inventors: Lawrence D. Bergman, Vittorio Castelli, Daniel A. Oblinger
  • Patent number: 7200635
    Abstract: A method and apparatus improve the synchronization and presentation of an exchange of messages between two or more users during an on-line Internet messaging session. This method and apparatus discriminate which messages from a sender correspond to replies from a recipient and presents these messages in an orderly, time-sequenced fashion using color schemes or separate presentation windows which improves the overall readability and efficiency of the communication. Additionally, the method and apparatus provide a level of identity security. As a user enters messages, the typing style, speech patterns, or biometrics of all the users are monitored and will issue warnings whenever a change is detected, possibly indicating someone other then the original user is now sending messages. Alternatively, or in addition, a user may be asked a series of random questions and another user will evaluate answers provided to those questions to determine whether a user's identity is false.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 9, 2002
    Date of Patent: April 3, 2007
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Emmanuel Yashchin, Sara H. Basson, Dimitri Kanevsky, Daniel A. Oblinger
  • Patent number: 6873990
    Abstract: A system and method for clustering user contexts in a customer self service system that performs resource search and selection. The customer self service system includes a context attribute database comprising types of user contexts and one or more context attributes associated with each user context for processing by the system, and context attribute function database comprising functions for computing values for each context attribute. The context clustering system receives user interaction data from among a database of user interaction records and a distance metric for associating closeness of the user interaction data and clusters the user interaction data according to the distance metric to determine new user contexts and associated attributes for use in subsequent resource searches initiated by users in the system. Improved user query definition and resource lookup results from the new determined user context attributes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 7, 2001
    Date of Patent: March 29, 2005
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventor: Daniel A. Oblinger
  • Patent number: 6853998
    Abstract: A system and method for classifying user context in a customer self service system that performs resource search and selection and includes a context attribute database comprising types of user contexts and one or more context attributes associated with each user context for processing by the system, and context attribute function database comprising functions for computing values for each context attribute. The classifying system comprises a computing device for receiving a user query and a context vector comprising data associating an interaction state with the user and, processing the query and context vector against data included in the context attribute database and context attribute function database for predicting a particular user context. The classifier populates the user context vector with context parameters specifying a user interaction state for use in a subsequent resource search.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 7, 2001
    Date of Patent: February 8, 2005
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Debra L. Biebesheimer, Neal M. Keller, Daniel A. Oblinger, Mark E. Podlaseck, Stephen J. Rolando