Patents by Inventor John M. Boyer

John M. Boyer 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).

  • Publication number: 20180137891
    Abstract: In an approach, a processor obtains at least one media file. A processor receives a request to create a segment sequence using the at least one media file, wherein the segment sequence comprises a plurality of segments of the at least one media file. A processor creates the segment sequence from the at least one media file. A processor shares the segment sequence to a social computing platform. A processor receives a request for a social computing operation to be performed on the segment sequence. A processor performs the social computing operation on the segment sequence.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 3, 2017
    Publication date: May 17, 2018
    Inventors: Muhtar B. Akbulut, John M. Boyer, Steven D. Wood
  • Patent number: 9965545
    Abstract: An illustrative embodiment includes processing parse tree data. A parse tree data structure that is representative of a document object model (DOM) tree data structure is received. Concomitant to receiving the parse tree data structure, an assignment of index values for the DOM nodes consisting of distinct index values for each existing DOM node is received by the processor. Requests to manipulate the parse tree data structure that include node inserts and document order comparisons are also performed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 6, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 8, 2018
    Assignee: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventor: John M. Boyer
  • Patent number: 9959338
    Abstract: An illustrative embodiment includes processing parse tree data. A parse tree data structure that is representative of a document object model (DOM) tree data structure is received. Concomitant to receiving the parse tree data structure, an assignment of index values for the DOM nodes consisting of distinct index values for each existing DOM node is received by the processor. Requests to manipulate the parse tree data structure that include node inserts and document order comparisons are also performed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 6, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2018
    Assignee: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventor: John M. Boyer
  • Patent number: 9940323
    Abstract: A mechanism is provided in a data processing system for text classification. A domain terms selector component, executing on a processor of the data processing system, receives an input text. A domain terms selector component executing on a processor of the data processing system identifies at least one domain term in the input text. A domain terms replacer component executing on a processor of the data processing system replaces the at least one identified domain term in the input text with a corresponding replacement term to form a revised input text. A text classifier component configured with a trained text classifier machine learning model classifies the revised input text to form a class determination.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 12, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 10, 2018
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: John M. Boyer, Kshitij P. Fadnis, Dinesh Raghu
  • Publication number: 20180061017
    Abstract: Embodiments can provide a computer implemented method in a data processing system comprising a processor and a memory, the memory comprising instructions that are executed by the processor to cause the processor to implement a system for providing profile photo enhancement, the method comprising receiving, from a specification source, one or more specifications for image acceptance criteria; receiving, from an uploading user, an image; examining, through an image processing toolbox, the image to determine if all of the image acceptance criteria are met; if all image acceptance criteria are met, accepting the image; and if one or more image acceptance criteria are not met, processing the image.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 23, 2016
    Publication date: March 1, 2018
    Inventors: Paul R. Bastide, John M. Boyer
  • Publication number: 20180061033
    Abstract: Embodiments can provide a computer implemented method in a data processing system comprising a processor and a memory, the memory comprising instructions that are executed by the processor to cause the processor to implement a system for providing profile photo enhancement, the method comprising receiving, from an online platform, one or more specifications for image acceptance criteria; receiving, through an uploading user, a plurality of images; receiving, through a requesting user, a request to view an image; selecting a particular specification for image acceptance criteria; for each image in the plurality of images: examining, through an image processing toolbox, the image to determine if the image acceptance criteria are met; if all acceptance criteria are met, providing the image to the requesting user; if one or more acceptance criteria are not met, taking one or more actions to process the image, reexamining, through the image processing toolbox, the processed image to determine if the image acceptan
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 23, 2016
    Publication date: March 1, 2018
    Inventors: Paul R. Bastide, John M. Boyer
  • Publication number: 20180018320
    Abstract: A mechanism is provided in a data processing system for text classification. A domain terms selector component, executing on a processor of the data processing system, receives an input text. A domain terms selector component executing on a processor of the data processing system identifies at least one domain term in the input text. A domain terms replacer component executing on a processor of the data processing system replaces the at least one identified domain term in the input text with a corresponding replacement term to form a revised input text. A text classifier component configured with a trained text classifier machine learning model classifies the revised input text to form a class determination.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 12, 2016
    Publication date: January 18, 2018
    Inventors: John M. Boyer, Kshitij P. Fadnis, Dinesh Raghu
  • Publication number: 20180018576
    Abstract: A mechanism is provided in a data processing system for text classifier training. The data processing system receives a training set of text and class specification pairs to be used as a ground truth for training a text classifier machine learning model for a text classifier. Each text and class specification pair comprises a text and a corresponding class specification. A domain terms selector component executing on a processor of the data processing system identifies at least one domain term in the texts of the training set. A domain terms replacer component executing on a processor of the data processing system replaces the at least one identified domain term in the texts of the training set with a corresponding replacement term to form a revised set of text and class specification pairs. A text classifier trainer component executing on a processor of the data processing system trains the text classifier machine learning model using the revised set to form a trained text classifier machine learning model.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 12, 2016
    Publication date: January 18, 2018
    Inventors: John M. Boyer, Kshitij P. Fadnis, Dinesh Raghu
  • Publication number: 20170364806
    Abstract: An answer to a question may selected from answers from a set of answering pipelines. Question answer data can be generated for a question, using a first answering pipeline. Another set of question answer data can be generated for the second question, using the second answering pipeline. The question answer data can include answers and confidence values for each answer. Using a weighting formula and a blending profile for the first answering pipeline, a vote weight can be determined for an answer with the highest confidence value. The same weighting formula and a second blending profile may be used to determine a vote weight for another answer with the highest confidence value. An answer to the question may be selected from the answers, based on the overall highest vote weight.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 21, 2016
    Publication date: December 21, 2017
    Inventor: John M. Boyer
  • Publication number: 20170364805
    Abstract: A first and second blending profile may be created for a set of question answering pipelines. A set of test answer data may be generated for a first answering pipeline. The test answer data may be generated based on a set of test question and using an answer key associated with the test questions. Based on the test answer data, a first blending profile can be created for the first answering pipeline. Using the set of test questions and a second answer key, another set of test answer data may be generated. This set may be generated for the second answering pipeline. Using this second answering pipeline test answer data, a second blending profile can be generated for the second answering pipeline. Each blending profile may have metadata about a confidence of each pipeline.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 21, 2016
    Publication date: December 21, 2017
    Inventor: John M. Boyer
  • Patent number: 9792335
    Abstract: In analyzing learning content, a social learning system receives from at least one client system in the social learning system a creation of at least one informal course by a learning content creator. Each informal course comprises learning content and metadata describing the learning content and the learning content creator. The social learning system further receives social data from a plurality of client systems in the social learning system for the at least one informal course. When the social learning system receives a query from a learning content administrator system in the social learning system including query parameters, the social learning system searches at least one of the metadata and the social data for one or more informal courses matching the query parameters and returns a list of one or more informal courses matching the query parameters as a query result.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 17, 2017
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: John M. Boyer, Adam L. Cutler, Jodi M. Cutler, Keith MacKenzie
  • Patent number: 9773046
    Abstract: In analyzing learning content, a social learning system receives from at least one client system in the social learning system a creation of at least one informal course by a learning content creator. Each informal course comprises learning content and metadata describing the learning content and the learning content creator. The social learning system further receives social data from a plurality of client systems in the social learning system for the at least one informal course. When the social learning system receives a query from a learning content administrator system in the social learning system including query parameters, the social learning system searches at least one of the metadata and the social data for one or more informal courses matching the query parameters and returns a list of one or more informal courses matching the query parameters as a query result.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 11, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 26, 2017
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: John M. Boyer, Adam L. Cutler, Jodi M. Cutler, Keith MacKenzie
  • Publication number: 20170235714
    Abstract: A system for presenting and executing a multiplicity of interactive forms as a single document includes a server having one or more copies of a multi-form package and configured to deliver a copy of the package to a requesting device upon request. The system also includes a client computing device configured to request and receive the multi-form package, the first computing device including an application program and a multi-form document engine configured to receive commands from the application program and, in response, cause forms from the multi-form package to be presented and executed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 2, 2017
    Publication date: August 17, 2017
    Inventors: John M. Boyer, David F. Manning, Michael C. Mansell
  • Publication number: 20170169355
    Abstract: A mechanism is provided in a data processing system to improve ground truth in a question answering cognitive system. The mechanism trains a similar passage machine learning model for a similar passage cognitive system using a question and answer key to form a trained similar passage machine learning model. The question and answer key comprises a list of question and answer specification pairs forming a ground truth for the question answering cognitive system. Each question is a text string and each answer specification references one or more text passages from a corpus of information.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 11, 2015
    Publication date: June 15, 2017
    Inventors: John M. Boyer, Kshitij P. Fadnis, Collin J. Murray, Justin A. Ziniel
  • Patent number: 9639513
    Abstract: A system for presenting and executing a multiplicity of interactive forms as a single document includes a server having one or more copies of a multi-form package and configured to deliver a copy of the package to a requesting device upon request. The system also includes a client computing device configured to request and receive the multi-form package, the first computing device including an application program and a multi-form document engine configured to receive commands from the application program and, in response, cause forms from the multi-form package to be presented and executed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 19, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 2, 2017
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: John M. Boyer, David F. Manning, Michael C. Mansell
  • Publication number: 20170060871
    Abstract: A method for providing group-based attention management of electronic messages may include receiving an electronic message, the electronic message defining a plurality of recipients. One or more candidate tuples are then identified from the plurality of recipients. The one or more candidate tuples are compared with one or more stored tuples to identify one or more relevant tuples from the candidate tuples. Based on the one or more relevant tuples, an attention score for one or more of the plurality of recipients is determined. Based on the attention score for one or more of the plurality of recipients, the presentation of the electronic message to one or more of the plurality of recipients is modified.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 25, 2015
    Publication date: March 2, 2017
    Inventors: Paul R. Bastide, John M. Boyer, Matthew E. Broomhall, Robert E. Loredo
  • Publication number: 20170052971
    Abstract: A mechanism is provided in a data processing system for aggregating sentiment about an entity from a corpus of documents. The mechanism identifies a plurality of sentiment passages in the corpus of documents. Each of the plurality of sentiment passages includes a statement of sentiment about the entity. The mechanism determines a plurality of passage sentiment scores for the plurality of sentiment passages and an actual aggregate sentiment score from the plurality of passage sentiment scores based on a k-valued model. The mechanism determines a sentiment confidence score for the actual aggregate sentiment score based on the raw aggregate sentiment score and the actual aggregate sentiment score and presents the actual aggregate sentiment score and the sentiment confidence score.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 17, 2015
    Publication date: February 23, 2017
    Inventors: John M. Boyer, Scott N. Gerard, Srikanth G. Tamilselvam
  • Patent number: 9569488
    Abstract: A method, system and computer program product for determining whether the social learning playlist is effective in educating participants. The text of the collection of online materials of a social learning playlist is scanned to identify key concepts (i.e., the most important points) using natural language processing. The user selects a concept from a list of key concepts, which includes these identified key concepts, and a type of question (e.g., true/false) to be used in assessing the understanding of the selected key concept. The selected type of question and answer to the question are generated using analytic analysis and artificial intelligence on the online materials of the playlist. In this manner, by generating appropriate question and answer pairs, where the questions are inserted at selected locations within the playlist, the creator of the playlist is able to assess whether the participants are understanding the key concepts in the playlist.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 12, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2017
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: John M. Boyer, Ethan L. Perry, Marion R. Summerville
  • Patent number: 9563659
    Abstract: A method, system and computer program product for determining whether the social learning playlist is effective in educating participants. The text of the collection of online materials of a social learning playlist is scanned to identify key concepts (i.e., the most important points) using natural language processing. The user selects a concept from a list of key concepts, which includes these identified key concepts, and a type of question (e.g., true/false) to be used in assessing the understanding of the selected key concept. The selected type of question and answer to the question are generated using analytic analysis and artificial intelligence on the online materials of the playlist. In this manner, by generating appropriate question and answer pairs, where the questions are inserted at selected locations within the playlist, the creator of the playlist is able to assess whether the participants are understanding the key concepts in the playlist.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 6, 2014
    Date of Patent: February 7, 2017
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: John M. Boyer, Ethan L. Perry, Marion R. Summerville
  • Patent number: 9552410
    Abstract: An illustrative embodiment includes processing parse tree data. A parse tree data structure that is representative of a document object model (DOM) tree data structure is received. Concomitant to receiving the parse tree data structure, an assignment of index values for the DOM nodes consisting of distinct index values for each existing DOM node is received by the processor. Requests to manipulate the parse tree data structure that include node inserts and document order comparisons are also performed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 24, 2017
    Assignee: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventor: John M. Boyer