Patents by Inventor Joyce Ng

Joyce Ng 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: 9443210
    Abstract: A product configurator comprises a constraint network having a plurality of nodes. The configurator allows a modeler to designate that one of more nodes of a configuration are input-required nodes. During an interactive session, the configurator may receive a request for an auto-completion of the configuration. The configurator will determine if an input has been received for the input-required nodes, and prohibit the auto-completion if the input has not been received.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 24, 2008
    Date of Patent: September 13, 2016
    Assignee: Oracle International Corporation
    Inventors: Claire M. Bagley, David J. Kulik, Joyce Ng, Martin P. Plotkin, Gao Chen, Michael Colena
  • Patent number: 8751425
    Abstract: A solver solves constraint satisfaction problems. The solver receives a user decision and propagates the user decision over a constraint satisfaction problem network. The solver then determines if there is a conflict on the network based on the propagation. If there is a conflict, the solver allows a user to resolve the conflict interactively by either canceling the user decision or dropping one or more previously made user decisions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 12, 2009
    Date of Patent: June 10, 2014
    Assignee: Oracle International Corporation
    Inventors: Claire M. Bagley, Joyce Ng, Gao Chen
  • Patent number: 8458050
    Abstract: A product configurator includes a constraint based network that includes a plurality of nodes. The configurator receives one or more user selections and generates one or more automatic selections to form a complete configuration. The configurator receives a request to change the configuration after forming the complete configuration, and retracts the automatic selections. For each of the retracted automatic selections, the configurator determines if the retracted automatic selection is a configuration-defining selection and reasserts the configuration-defining selections.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 13, 2008
    Date of Patent: June 4, 2013
    Assignee: Oracle International Corporation
    Inventors: Claire M. Bagley, Martin P. Plotkin, David J. Kulik, Michael Colena, Gao Chen, Joyce Ng
  • Patent number: 8447716
    Abstract: A constraint solver for solving a constraint satisfaction problem network that comprises a plurality of nodes and a plurality of constraints. The solver receives a request to remove an inferred problem association and determines one or more user decisions that triggered the inferred problem association.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 27, 2009
    Date of Patent: May 21, 2013
    Assignee: Oracle International Corporation
    Inventors: Claire M. Bagley, Gao Chen, Joyce Ng
  • Patent number: 8386544
    Abstract: Systems and methods for managing floating point variables are described in the present disclosure. According to one example, an embodiment of a method includes analyzing a constraint on a floating point variable in a system that supports both floating point variables and integer variables. The constraint is designed to have the ability to numerically limit the domain of the floating point variable. The method also includes determining whether or not the floating point variable can be handled as an integer variable and converting the floating point variable to a pseudo integer variable when it is determined that the floating point variable can be handled as an integer variable. This conversion of the floating point variable to a pseudo integer variable allows the domain of the floating point variable to be processed as an integer domain.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 5, 2009
    Date of Patent: February 26, 2013
    Assignee: Oracle International Corporation
    Inventors: Claire M. Bagley, Joyce Ng
  • Patent number: 8229869
    Abstract: Systems and methods for managing floating point variables are described in the present disclosure. According to one example, an embodiment of a method is described. The method comprises providing a floating point variable having a domain that includes a flag representing whether a specific value is included in or excluded from the domain of the floating point variable. The method also includes analyzing a constraint on the floating point variable to determine if the constraint excludes the specific value from the domain of the floating point variable. A value of the flag is manipulated to indicate that the specific value is excluded from the domain of the floating point variable if it is determined that the constraint excludes the specific value. In some cases, the specific value can be the value zero, for example.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 22, 2009
    Date of Patent: July 24, 2012
    Inventors: Claire M. Bagley, Joyce Ng
  • Patent number: 8229870
    Abstract: A solver for a constraint satisfaction problem includes a plurality of variables and a plurality of constraints. A floating point variable has a domain and is assigned a value by first determining if a predetermined value can be assigned to the floating point variable if the predetermined value is in the domain. If not, the solver determines if a bound of the domain can be assigned to the floating point variable. If the predetermined value can not be assigned to the floating point variable and the bound of the domain can not be assigned to the floating point variable, the solver assigns a value to the floating point variable using domain splitting.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 28, 2009
    Date of Patent: July 24, 2012
    Assignee: Oracle International Corporation
    Inventors: Claire M. Bagley, Joyce Ng, Gao Chen, Martin P. Plotkin
  • Patent number: 8209276
    Abstract: A constraint based system solves a network that includes a first variable node having a first integer domain, a second variable node having a second integer domain, and a constraint for the first variable node and the second variable node. The system retrieves a first integer domain representation of the first integer domain and a second integer domain representation of the second integer domain and determines from the first and second integer domain representations if the first integer domain or second integer domain has at least one excluded value. The system then determines a type of constraint consistency checking based on whether the integer domains have at least one excluded value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 27, 2008
    Date of Patent: June 26, 2012
    Assignee: Oracle International Corporation
    Inventors: Michael Colena, Joyce Ng, Claire M. Bagley
  • Patent number: 8170970
    Abstract: A constraint solver solves a constraint satisfaction problem (“CSP”) that includes a network of variables and constraints. The solver receives a sub-expression and determines if the sub-expression is an internal constraint of the CSP. The internal constraint has a supporting operator expression. If the sub-expression is an internal constraint, the solver determines any or all top constraint expressions associated with the supporting operator expression.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 24, 2009
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2012
    Assignee: Oracle International Corporation
    Inventors: Claire M. Bagley, Joyce Ng, Michael Colena, Gao Chen
  • Publication number: 20110022557
    Abstract: A constraint solver for solving a constraint satisfaction problem network that comprises a plurality of nodes and a plurality of constraints. The solver receives a request to remove an inferred problem association and determines one or more user decisions that triggered the inferred problem association.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 27, 2009
    Publication date: January 27, 2011
    Applicant: ORACLE INTERNATIONAL CORPORATION
    Inventors: Claire M. BAGLEY, Gao CHEN, Joyce NG
  • Publication number: 20100332435
    Abstract: A constraint solver solves a constraint satisfaction problem (“CSP”) that includes a network of variables and constraints. The solver receives a sub-expression and determines if the sub-expression is an internal constraint of the CSP. The internal constraint has a supporting operator expression. If the sub-expression is an internal constraint, the solver determines any or all top constraint expressions associated with the supporting operator expression.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 24, 2009
    Publication date: December 30, 2010
    Applicant: Oracle International Corporation
    Inventors: Claire M. BAGLEY, Joyce NG, Michael COLENA, Gao CHEN
  • Publication number: 20100318483
    Abstract: A solver solves constraint satisfaction problems. The solver receives a user decision and propagates the user decision over a constraint satisfaction problem network. The solver then determines if there is a conflict on the network based on the propagation. If there is a conflict, the solver allows a user to resolve the conflict interactively by either canceling the user decision or dropping one or more previously made user decisions.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 12, 2009
    Publication date: December 16, 2010
    Applicant: ORACLE INTERNATIONAL CORPORATION
    Inventors: Claire M. Bagley, Joyce Ng, Gao Chen
  • Publication number: 20100274749
    Abstract: A solver for a constraint satisfaction problem includes a plurality of variables and a plurality of constraints. A floating point variable has a domain and is assigned a value by first determining if a predetermined value can be assigned to the floating point variable if the predetermined value is in the domain. If not, the solver determines if a bound of the domain can be assigned to the floating point variable. If the predetermined value can not be assigned to the floating point variable and the bound of the domain can not be assigned to the floating point variable, the solver assigns a value to the floating point variable using domain splitting.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 28, 2009
    Publication date: October 28, 2010
    Applicant: Oracle International Corporation
    Inventors: Claire M. Bagley, Joyce Ng, Gao Chen, Martin P. Plotkin
  • Publication number: 20100274747
    Abstract: Systems and methods for managing floating point variables are described in the present disclosure. According to one example, an embodiment of a method is described. The method comprises providing a floating point variable having a domain that includes a flag representing whether a specific value is included in or excluded from the domain of the floating point variable. The method also includes analyzing a constraint on the floating point variable to determine if the constraint excludes the specific value from the domain of the floating point variable. A value of the flag is manipulated to indicate that the specific value is excluded from the domain of the floating point variable if it is determined that the constraint excludes the specific value. In some cases, the specific value can be the value zero, for example.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 22, 2009
    Publication date: October 28, 2010
    Applicant: Oracle International Corporation
    Inventors: Claire M. Bagley, Joyce Ng
  • Publication number: 20100198901
    Abstract: Systems and methods for managing floating point variables are described in the present disclosure. According to one example, an embodiment of a method includes analyzing a constraint on a floating point variable in a system that supports both floating point variables and integer variables. The constraint is designed to have the ability to numerically limit the domain of the floating point variable. The method also includes determining whether or not the floating point variable can be handled as an integer variable and converting the floating point variable to a pseudo integer variable when it is determined that the floating point variable can be handled as an integer variable. This conversion of the floating point variable to a pseudo integer variable allows the domain of the floating point variable to be processed as an integer domain.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 5, 2009
    Publication date: August 5, 2010
    Applicant: Oracle International Corporation
    Inventors: Claire M. Bagley, Joyce Ng
  • Publication number: 20100131872
    Abstract: A product configurator comprises a constraint network having a plurality of nodes. The configurator allows a modeler to designate that one of more nodes of a configuration are input-required nodes. During an interactive session, the configurator may receive a request for an auto-completion of the configuration. The configurator will determine if an input has been received for the input-required nodes, and prohibit the auto-completion if the input has not been received.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 24, 2008
    Publication date: May 27, 2010
    Applicant: Oracle International Corporation
    Inventors: Claire M. Bagley, David J. Kulik, Joyce Ng, Martin P. Plotkin, Gao Chen, Michael Colena
  • Publication number: 20100106670
    Abstract: A constraint based system solves a network that includes a first variable node having a first integer domain, a second variable node having a second integer domain, and a constraint for the first variable node and the second variable node. The system retrieves a first integer domain representation of the first integer domain and a second integer domain representation of the second integer domain and determines from the first and second integer domain representations if the first integer domain or second integer domain has at least one excluded value. The system then determines a type of constraint consistency checking based on whether the integer domains have at least one excluded value.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 27, 2008
    Publication date: April 29, 2010
    Applicant: Oracle International Corporation
    Inventors: Michael Colena, Joyce Ng, Claire M. Bagley
  • Publication number: 20100036747
    Abstract: A product configurator includes a constraint based network that includes a plurality of nodes. The configurator receives one or more user selections and generates one or more automatic selections to form a complete configuration. The configurator receives a request to change the configuration after forming the complete configuration, and retracts the automatic selections. For each of the retracted automatic selections, the configurator determines if the retracted automatic selection is a configuration-defining selection and reasserts the configuration-defining selections.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 13, 2008
    Publication date: February 11, 2010
    Applicant: Oracle International Corporation
    Inventors: Claire M. Bagley, Martin P. Plotkin, David J. Kulik, Michael Colena, Gao Chen, Joyce Ng