Patents by Inventor Francis X. Reddington
Francis X. Reddington 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).
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Patent number: 8125485Abstract: Animating speech of an avatar representing a participant in a mobile communication including selecting one or more images; selecting a generic animation template; fitting the one or more images with the generic animation template; texture wrapping the one more images over the generic animation template; and displaying the one or more images texture wrapped over the generic animation template. Receiving an audio speech signal; identifying a series of phonemes; and for each phoneme: identifying a new mouth position for the mouth of the generic animation template; altering the mouth position to the new mouth position; texture wrapping a portion of the one or more images corresponding to the altered mouth position; displaying the texture wrapped portion of the one or more images corresponding to the altered mouth position of the mouth of the generic animation template; and playing the portion of the audio speech signal represented by the phoneme.Type: GrantFiled: November 20, 2009Date of Patent: February 28, 2012Assignee: International Business Machines CorporationInventors: William A. Brown, Richard W. Muirhead, Francis X. Reddington, Martin A. Wolfe
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Patent number: 8102334Abstract: Augmenting reality for a user including creating a model of a region of the user's environment in a direction of the user's field of vision; determining, in dependence upon the model of the region of the user's environment, that an object located within the user's environment is invisible to the user; determining, in dependence upon the direction of the user's field of vision, the object's location, and the model of the region of the user's environment, a location to display a representation of the object on a transparent display in front of the user's field of vision; and displaying the representation of the object at the determined location on the transparent display in front of the user's field of vision.Type: GrantFiled: November 15, 2007Date of Patent: January 24, 2012Assignee: International Businesss Machines CorporationInventors: William A. Brown, Richard W. Muirhead, Francis X. Reddington, Martin A. Wolfe
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Publication number: 20120013620Abstract: Animating speech of an avatar representing a participant in a mobile communication including preparing the avatar for display for display including: selecting images to represent the participant, selecting a generic animation template having a mouth, fitting the images with the generic animation template, and texture wrapping the one or more images representing the participant over the generic animation template; selecting background media; displaying images texture wrapped over the generic animation template with the background media; and animating the images including: receiving an audio speech signal, identifying a series of phonemes, and for each phoneme: identifying a next mouth position, altering the mouth position, texture wrapping a portion of the images corresponding to the altered mouth position, displaying the texture wrapped portion and playing, synchronously with the displayed texture wrapped portion, the portion of the audio speech signal represented by the phoneme.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 13, 2010Publication date: January 19, 2012Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATIONInventors: William A. Brown, Richard W. Muirhead, Francis X. Reddington, Martin A. Wolfe
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Patent number: 8063905Abstract: Animating speech of an avatar representing a participant in a mobile communication including selecting one or more images; selecting a generic animation template; fitting the one or more images with the generic animation template; texture wrapping the one more images over the generic animation template; and displaying the one or more images texture wrapped over the generic animation template. Receiving an audio speech signal; identifying a series of phonemes; and for each phoneme: identifying a new mouth position for the mouth of the generic animation template; altering the mouth position to the new mouth position; texture wrapping a portion of the one or more images corresponding to the altered mouth position; displaying the texture wrapped portion of the one or more images corresponding to the altered mouth position of the mouth of the generic animation template; and playing the portion of the audio speech signal represented by the phoneme.Type: GrantFiled: October 11, 2007Date of Patent: November 22, 2011Assignee: International Business Machines CorporationInventors: William A. Brown, Richard W. Muirhead, Francis X. Reddington, Martin A. Wolfe
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Patent number: 8010700Abstract: Methods, systems, and computer program products are provided for workflow decision management. Embodiments include maintaining a device state history; identifying a device usage pattern in dependence upon the device state history; identifying a workflow scenario in dependence upon the device usage pattern; identifying a workflow in dependence upon the workflow scenario; executing the workflow; identifying a user reaction to the execution of the workflow; identifying an unsuccessful device-controlling action in dependence upon the user reaction; and modifying the workflow in dependence upon the identified unsuccessful device-controlling action. Typical embodiment also include recording, as a representation of a negative user reaction, a determined change between the device attribute value set by executing the workflow and the current value of the device attribute in a user reaction log.Type: GrantFiled: November 1, 2005Date of Patent: August 30, 2011Assignee: International Business Machines CorporationInventors: William A. Brown, Richard W. Muirhead, Francis X. Reddington
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Patent number: 7991639Abstract: The present invention provides a solution that determines the readiness of a target organization to utilize an IT asset. Specifically, under the present invention, baseline criteria for determining the readiness of the target organization to utilize the IT asset are first identified. The baseline criteria are then refined (e.g., via personnel interviews, market research, etc.) to yield readiness criteria. A score is assigned to each of the readiness criteria for the target organization, and then optionally weighted. Using the scores (weighted or un-weighted), a readiness value for the target organization is computed and compared to a threshold value to determine the readiness of the target organization. Based on the results, at least one graphical depiction showing the readiness of the target organization can be generated.Type: GrantFiled: December 22, 2006Date of Patent: August 2, 2011Assignee: International Business Machines CorporationInventors: Martin A. Wolfe, Francis X. Reddington
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Patent number: 7958494Abstract: A method, system, and computer-readable medium for rapid on-boarding of a software factory are presented. In a preferred embodiment, the computer-implemented method comprises the steps of: identifying choke-points in a first software project; creating a checklist of identifying factors that caused the choke-points that were identified in the first software project; receiving a new software project at a software factory, wherein the new software project is in a same software category as the first software project; presenting the checklist for the first software project; receiving new answers to the checklist; determining if the software factory is ready to handle the new software project based on the new answers to the checklist; and in response to determining that the software factory is ready to handle the new software project, configuring the software factory in a same configuration as that previously used by the first software project.Type: GrantFiled: April 13, 2007Date of Patent: June 7, 2011Assignee: International Business Machines CorporationInventors: Jarir K. Chaar, Ronald D. Finlayson, Thomas A. Jobson, Jr., Naomi M. Mitsumori, Francis X. Reddington
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Publication number: 20110131247Abstract: Semantic management of enterprise resources including identifying a plurality of disparate enterprise resources including physical resources of the enterprise and data resources of the enterprise, wherein the disparate enterprise resources are under the direction of a plurality of different management entities of the enterprise; creating for each enterprise resource a master metadata object representing the enterprise resource; wherein the structure of the each master metadata object is consistent for all the disparate enterprise resources and all management entities; wherein the master metadata object includes a plurality of predefined perspective fields, each perspective field containing a different predetermined aspects of the resources of the enterprise; assigning each master metadata object to one or more flexible reference structures; relating a plurality of master metadata objects with one or more other master metadata objects in dependence upon assigned flexible reference structures through predefinedType: ApplicationFiled: November 30, 2009Publication date: June 2, 2011Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATIONInventors: William A. Brown, Richard W. Muirhead, Francis X. Reddington, Martin A. Wolfe
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Publication number: 20100060647Abstract: Animating speech of an avatar representing a participant in a mobile communication including selecting one or more images; selecting a generic animation template; fitting the one or more images with the generic animation template; texture wrapping the one more images over the generic animation template; and displaying the one or more images texture wrapped over the generic animation template. Receiving an audio speech signal; identifying a series of phonemes; and for each phoneme: identifying a new mouth position for the mouth of the generic animation template; altering the mouth position to the new mouth position; texture wrapping a portion of the one or more images corresponding to the altered mouth position; displaying the texture wrapped portion of the one or more images corresponding to the altered mouth position of the mouth of the generic animation template; and playing the portion of the audio speech signal represented by the phoneme.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 20, 2009Publication date: March 11, 2010Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATIONInventors: William A. Brown, Richard W. Muirhead, Francis X. Reddington, Martin A. Wolfe
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Patent number: 7657636Abstract: Methods, systems, and computer program products are provided for workflow decision management. Embodiments include maintaining a device state history; identifying a device usage pattern in dependence upon the device state history; identifying a workflow scenario in dependence upon the device usage pattern; identifying a workflow in dependence upon the workflow scenario; executing the workflow including: sending, to an intermediate message validation service, a message to be forwarded to a device to administer at least one value of an attribute of the device; determining, by the intermediate message validation service, that the message is valid; and forwarding, by the intermediate message validation service, the valid message to the device.Type: GrantFiled: November 1, 2005Date of Patent: February 2, 2010Assignee: International Business Machines CorporationInventors: William A. Brown, Richard W. Muirhead, Francis X. Reddington
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Publication number: 20090128449Abstract: Augmenting reality for a user including creating a model of a region of the user's environment in a direction of the user's field of vision; determining, in dependence upon the model of the region of the user's environment, that an object located within the user's environment is invisible to the user; determining, in dependence upon the direction of the user's field of vision, the object's location, and the model of the region of the user's environment, a location to display a representation of the object on a transparent display in front of the user's field of vision; and displaying the representation of the object at the determined location on the transparent display in front of the user's field of vision.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 15, 2007Publication date: May 21, 2009Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATIONInventors: William A. Brown, Richard W. Muirhead, Francis X. Reddington, Martin A. Wolfe
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Publication number: 20090096796Abstract: Animating speech of an avatar representing a participant in a mobile communication including selecting one or more images; selecting a generic animation template; fitting the one or more images with the generic animation template; texture wrapping the one more images over the generic animation template; and displaying the one or more images texture wrapped over the generic animation template. Receiving an audio speech signal; identifying a series of phonemes; and for each phoneme: identifying a new mouth position for the mouth of the generic animation template; altering the mouth position to the new mouth position; texture wrapping a portion of the one or more images corresponding to the altered mouth position; displaying the texture wrapped portion of the one or more images corresponding to the altered mouth position of the mouth of the generic animation template; and playing the portion of the audio speech signal represented by the phoneme.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 11, 2007Publication date: April 16, 2009Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATIONInventors: William A. Brown, Richard W. Muirhead, Francis X. Reddington, Martin A. Wolfe
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Publication number: 20090064322Abstract: Security for a software factory is provided by detecting a request by a user to utilize the software factory. Upon being authenticated, the user is granted permission to access specific areas of the software factory. A log is created of locations in software factory that have been accessed by the user. This log is then utilized in an audit that describes how effective the software factory is in creating deliverable software.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 30, 2007Publication date: March 5, 2009Inventors: Ronald D. Finlayson, Naomi M. Mitsumori, Francis X. Reddington
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Publication number: 20090055795Abstract: A System to Maintain Balance of Factory Quality Attributes with Software Factory Operating Environment provides the means to determine if a deliverable will meet the needs of a client's project. The process includes the identification and measurement of different parameters of a software factory, including specified architectural features, and compares these parameters with the factory's strategic artifacts and client's critical project needs to qualify attributes within the software factory environment. This process provides a means to monitor and maintain an optimal balance of desirable quality attributes. Thus, quality attributes are analyzed before design time and before delivery of a software product, such that an analysis can be performed before any considerable amount of time and efforts have been spent on a project.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 23, 2007Publication date: February 26, 2009Inventors: Ronald D. Finlayson, Naomi M. Mitsumori, Francis X. Reddington
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Publication number: 20090043622Abstract: Within the context of a software factory, process sensors detect time consuming activities that extend beyond an estimated predetermined completion timeline for a project. These process sensors also detect wait states that are caused by processes and activities of tasks that are not critical to completing the project. A process analysis is used to determine if defined added value processes and activities identified in a value stream analysis are interdependent to a critical path for executing the project. If the defined added value processes and activities identified in the value stream analysis are determined to not be interdependent to the critical path for executing the project, then a determination is made that performance of the defined added value processes and activities identified in the value stream analysis is wasteful and such processes and activities are eliminated from the process.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 10, 2007Publication date: February 12, 2009Inventors: Ronald D. Finlayson, Naomi M. Mitsumori, Francis X. Reddington
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Publication number: 20090043631Abstract: A system decision engine enables a software factory to effectively handle intelligent load balancing and distribution to workers on a software assembly line through the use of pre-configured rules. The pre-configured rules are based on a projected availability of workers based on past traffic analysis of work packets being sent to particular workers on the software assembly line.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 7, 2007Publication date: February 12, 2009Inventors: Ronald D. Finlayson, Naomi M. Mitsumori, Francis X. Reddington
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Publication number: 20080256516Abstract: A method, system and computer-readable medium for creating software in a standardized manner are presented. The method includes the steps of: receiving, at a software factory, a description of software needs from a customer; creating, in the software factory, a project proposal that meets performance criteria found in the description of software needs; inducting the project proposal into the software factory, wherein inducting the project proposal initially evaluates the project proposal's compatibility with a capacity of the software factory; parsing the project proposal into major functional areas; retrieving work packets that are appropriate for the project proposal, wherein the work packets are pre-stored, reusable, self-contained, discrete units of software code; assembling the work packets into a deliverable software; testing the deliverable software; and delivering the deliverable software to the customer.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 13, 2007Publication date: October 16, 2008Inventors: Jarir K. Chaar, Ronald D. Finlayson, Juan P. Giraldo, Steven R. Lang, Naomi M. Mitsumori, Hari Rajagopal, Francis X. Reddington, Terri A. Vines
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Publication number: 20080255693Abstract: A computer-implemented method, system, and computer-readable medium for determining if a software factory is ready to take on a software project is presented. In a preferred embodiment, the computer-implemented method includes the steps of: determining if an infrastructure for a software factory has been procured; determining if operational software needed to assemble work packets in an assembly line in the software factory has been installed; determining if a workflow event model for an assembly line in the software factory has been configured; determining if workload in the assembly line has been balanced; determining if communication channels between the software factory and a customer's computer system have been defined and cleared for data transmission; and in response to determining that any element described above has been determined not to have occurred, prohibiting an induction of a software project into the software factory.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 13, 2007Publication date: October 16, 2008Inventors: Jarir K. Chaar, Ronald D. Finlayson, Thomas A. Jobson, Naomi M. Mitsumori, Francis X. Reddington
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Publication number: 20080256505Abstract: A method, system, and computer-readable medium for rapid on-boarding of a software factory are presented. In a preferred embodiment, the computer-implemented method comprises the steps of: identifying choke-points in a first software project; creating a checklist of identifying factors that caused the choke-points that were identified in the first software project; receiving a new software project at a software factory, wherein the new software project is in a same software category as the first software project; presenting the checklist for the first software project; receiving new answers to the checklist; determining if the software factory is ready to handle the new software project based on the new answers to the checklist; and in response to determining that the software factory is ready to handle the new software project, configuring the software factory in a same configuration as that previously used by the first software project.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 13, 2007Publication date: October 16, 2008Inventors: Jarir K. Chaar, Ronald D. Finlayson, Thomas A. Jobson, Naomi M. Mitsumori, Francis X. Reddington
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Publication number: 20080255696Abstract: A method, system, and computer-readable medium for maintaining a health of a software factory that creates custom software in a standardized manner is presented. In a preferred embodiment, the method includes the steps of: defining work packets to perform sub-functions of a custom software; tracking a transmission of the work packets to an assembly line in a software factory; monitoring any retrieval of software artifacts that are used to create the work packets; monitoring any on-going changes of work activities that are contained in the work packets; determining if execution of the work packets conforms to governance guidelines for the software factory; monitoring the software factory to ensure that the work packets comply with an architecture of the software factory; tracking quality metrics for an execution of the work packets in an assembly line in the software factory; and transmitting all tracked and monitored information described above to a dashboard.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 13, 2007Publication date: October 16, 2008Inventors: Jarir K. Chaar, Ronald D. Finlayson, Thomas A. Jobson, Naomi M. Mitsumori, Francis X. Reddington