Patents by Inventor Lothar Merk

Lothar Merk 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: 8463744
    Abstract: A method and system for synchronizing data records in a client with data records in a server system is disclosed. The method and system of the present invention includes creating setup information in the client and providing the same to the server, wherein the setup information enables the server system to identify the client, to identify where to find information the server system needs for synchronization, and to provide appropriate commands for the client.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 2, 2002
    Date of Patent: June 11, 2013
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Uwe Hansmann, Lothar Merk, Thomas Stober
  • Patent number: 7650647
    Abstract: Method and device for setting basic means of access for operation of electronically operated devices (12), with the aid of a possibly transferable personal authentication system (16), essentially based on three components used in the course of the method in accordance with the invention; namely additional device hardware functions permitting means of access, namely in particular for custom configuration and shutdown of the devices; a hardware-oriented interface to a reader device (18) for the authentication system (16) such as a SmartCard reader permitting access to the functions by a SmartCard (16); and the authentication system (16) itself, capable of directly accessing the configuration and/or shutdown/startup/restart functions of the device hardware by way of the defined interface. Legitimization for configuration/shutdown and startup/restart of the devices is provided by matching of keys stored on the SmartCard (16) and in a ROM (14) in the device (12).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 2000
    Date of Patent: January 19, 2010
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Uve Hansmann, Lothar Merk, Thomas Stober
  • Patent number: 7490062
    Abstract: A method, system and program for payment in a purchasing action performed by means of a cellular standard communication between a customer using said cellular standard communication device and a provider offering goods and/or services, wherein the communication between said customer and said provider is performed via a voice channel of said communication device and transmissions of an electronic bill from said provider to said customer, of a money transfer order from said customer to a payment provider and of a receipt of payment from said payment provider to said customer are performed via a service channel of the cellular standard network.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 2, 2001
    Date of Patent: February 10, 2009
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Uwe Hansmann, Horst Henn, Lothar Merk, Thomas Stober
  • Patent number: 7404011
    Abstract: A system for exchange of data between a plurality of clients and at least one back end data store by using a central synchronization server having a connection to the clients. The clients generate data to be synchronized. The system includes a sync engine connected to the central synchronization server for performing synchronization with the central synchronization server, a single back end neutral interface associated with and connected to the sync engine, and a component assigned to each of the at least one back end data store. Each of the components include a back end dependent part having an interface with the single back end neutral interface and an interface with the assigned back end data store.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 4, 2003
    Date of Patent: July 22, 2008
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Uwe Hansmann, Stefan Hepper, Lothar Merk, Thomas Stober
  • Patent number: 7133843
    Abstract: This invention is a contactless label chipcard including payment and identification information and a check-out system including a contactless reader for reading and updating payment information stored in that label chipcard. The contactless label chipcard is attached to a product, and the system further includes a device for reading and initiating updating of the payment status resident on the chipcard. The device includes the contactless reader for reading information stored in the contactless label chipcard, and a component for generating an invoice based on the information received from the contactless label chipcard. Further, the device includes a component for checking payment of the invoice and a component for initiating update of the payment status. Corresponding methods and computer program products are also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2000
    Date of Patent: November 7, 2006
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Uwe Hansmann, Lothar Merk, Thomas Stober
  • Patent number: 7055041
    Abstract: A method for selectively controlling the operation of a device for authenticating a user. The user may have a multifunction smart card that is capable of downloading and executing programs, based upon personal and authentication account data, which is selectably stored on the smart card.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 2000
    Date of Patent: May 30, 2006
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Uwe Hansmann, Lothar Merk, Thomas Stober
  • Patent number: 7039624
    Abstract: A method whereby packages of data, and particularly Java objects, are represented in serialized form on a storage medium before they are transmitted or stored. The packages of data are examined for non-application-dependent identifications and are altered whereby the non-application-dependent identifications are replaced by substitutes which require little storage space. In a further embodiment, the application-dependent identifications too are represented by special substitutes. The data package is represented so that it can be stored on storage media and can be restored unchanged at any desired time on any desired system. The restoration is performed by applying the algorithm in a similar way but in reverse, once again in a black box.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 14, 2000
    Date of Patent: May 2, 2006
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Lothar Merk, Thomas Schaeck, Thomas Stober
  • Patent number: 7030517
    Abstract: A mobile device (power supplying device) includes a mobile device power server (MD PS) for providing power to another mobile device (power receiving device) having no external power supply connection. The (MD PS) may be integrated into the power supplying mobile device or may be provided as a separate portable connector usable as a connection between the power supplying mobile device and an external power supply adapter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 2002
    Date of Patent: April 18, 2006
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Uwe Hansmann, Lothar Merk, Dieter E. Staiger, Thomas Stober
  • Patent number: 6965988
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for the user-defining, configuring and starting of an application or software components to form an application by means of a token and in particular a chip card. Via the service identifiers stored in the chip card which represent applications or software components to form applications, the chip card user can install the desired application. The card agent accepts the request for an application, checks the register to see if the application is present and if it is not, makes a connection to communicate with the server in order to download the application to the user system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 23, 2000
    Date of Patent: November 15, 2005
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Uwe Hansmann, Horst Henn, Lothar Merk, Thomas Stober
  • Publication number: 20050228812
    Abstract: The present discloses a framework that allows a synchronization engine to synchronize data between a mobile device and Back End data stores independently from the architecture and data formats of that Back End data store. The framework introduces content adapters, which access synchronization data from backend data systems. These adapters convert the data into a Back End data store independent representation, which can be used by all applications or modules which need to access different back-ends in a generic manner. A generic synchronization engine for the purpose of conflict detection and resolution is one example for a module of this kind. Other applications that could use the content adapter are Notification Frameworks or Portals and all other applications aggregating data.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 4, 2003
    Publication date: October 13, 2005
    Inventors: Uwe Hansmann, Stefan Hepper, Lothar Merk, Thomas Stober
  • Patent number: 6941148
    Abstract: The present invention relates to communication improvements between a mobile device (12) and backend system (20) applications. A special purpose server computer—a Device Registry Server (18)—is switched between a large variety of different mobile device types (12) and a plurality of backend systems (20) for improving the communication between a mobile device and a backend system. The server (18) stores information usable for facilitating communication setup, operation and maintenance of device applications. Preferably, a ready-to-use, already customized device-type specific application can be downloaded from said server (18) to a variety of different mobile devices which is then used for easily communicate with any desired backend system (20).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 2, 2001
    Date of Patent: September 6, 2005
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Uwe Hansmann, Lothar Merk, Thomas Stober
  • Patent number: 6754886
    Abstract: The objects to be stored on a SmartCard or on a similar device are output from the host application computer in a form adapted to the device, particularly in form of a byte array which can easily be stored on such a SmartCard. That serialization comprises to convert any particular object into a sequence of bytes representing the object and its current status by storing all attributes, the name of them and all further objects which are referenced by the object which is subject to that serialization step. With the total of that information that object can be recovered in an unchanged form after any reset or interruptions which can possibly take place during usage of the SmartCard in a respective SmartCard terminal. The recover procedure is performed in analogous form: the object as well as all further objects being referenced by that object is instantiated and is initialized with the data read out from the SmartCard.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 21, 1999
    Date of Patent: June 22, 2004
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Lothar Merk, Thomas Stober
  • Publication number: 20030220966
    Abstract: System and method for dynamic content dependent conflict resolution The present invention discloses a synchronization frame work which is functionally separated from the synchronization engine (sync engine) and which provides a common interface to an extendible set of synchronization modules (sync modules) providing different conflict detection and resolution strategies as well as different content adaptations. The dynamic selection engine being part of the synchronization framework is automatically selecting the appropriate strategies based on information from the different data stores which may be accessed locally or remotely. The selection of the sync module is based on the content (semantic) of the data being synchronized, as well as on the preferences of the user, global system settings, the capabilities of the utilized device, and the constrains of the used communication (configuration and run time data).
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 29, 2002
    Publication date: November 27, 2003
    Applicant: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Stefan Alfons Hepper, Lothar Merk, Thomas Klein, Holger Waterstrat
  • Publication number: 20020143896
    Abstract: The time during which a data link is not being used, it is used to download those pages to which references are made by links. If one of the pages downloaded in anticipation is needed later on (namely when the user does in fact select the link concerned), the page is already in the cache of the local computer and can be displayed at once. The automatic downloading in anticipation can be initiated both by the client and by the server. The automatic downloading takes place during the time when an already established connection exists. In this way any unused capacity the connection has is exploited to the full. This improves the economics or in other words allows fuller use to be made of the chargeable (telephone) connection which has been made to the network service provider.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 11, 2000
    Publication date: October 3, 2002
    Inventors: Uwe Hansmann, Lothar Merk, Thomas Stober
  • Publication number: 20020113578
    Abstract: A mobile device (power supplying device) includes a mobile device power server (MD PS) for providing power to another mobile device (power receiving device) having no external power supply connection. The (MD PS) may be integrated into the power supplying mobile device or may be provided as a separate portable connector usable as a connection between the power supplying mobile device and an external power supply adapter.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 31, 2002
    Publication date: August 22, 2002
    Applicant: IBM
    Inventors: Uwe Hansmann, Lothar Merk, Dieter E. Staiger, Thomas Stober
  • Publication number: 20020087556
    Abstract: A method and system for minimizing code needed in a client to synchronize data records in the client with data records in a server system is disclosed. The method and system of the present invention includes creating setup information in the client and providing the same to the server, wherein the setup information enables the server system to identify the client and to provide appropriate commands for the client.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 2, 2002
    Publication date: July 4, 2002
    Inventors: Uwe Hansmann, Lothar Merk, Thomas Stober
  • Publication number: 20020018570
    Abstract: A simplified authentication system for communicating devices having fewer security requirements than conventional cryptographic systems. The device to be authenticated includes a secret, a function component for generating a random number, a function component for exchanging messages with other devices and finally an algorithm for calculating a hash using random number and secret. The device requesting authentication includes a secret and an algorithm for calculating a hash using a random number received from the device to be authenticated. A function component for comparing both hashes may be implemented in both devices. If the hashes calculated by both devices match it can be assumed that the authentication was successful. Preferably, this system and method may be used within a communication structure using portable communication devices like smartcards, personal digital assistants or mobile phones. Neither an exchange of the plain secret itself nor the storage of digital keys is required.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 6, 2001
    Publication date: February 14, 2002
    Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Uwe Hansmann, Lothar Merk, Martin Scott Nicklous, Thomas Stober
  • Publication number: 20010051903
    Abstract: The present invention relates to computer-aided shopping systems. With the help of a customer-associated mobile computing device having an adequate interface to a product data source the customer is enabled to easily gather any relevant product information including technical information about the product or variations of it, he can store the information without any purchase decision necessary to be taken in the shop and he is enabled to retrieve the information including technical information for example at home by exporting the product information via a standard interface onto his personal desktop PC for further analysis or revision. Thus, the advantages of real shopping are combined with the advantages of any kind of virtual shopping.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 2, 2001
    Publication date: December 13, 2001
    Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Uwe Hansmann, Lothar Merk, Thomas Stober
  • Publication number: 20010049286
    Abstract: The present invention relates to communication improvements between a mobile device (12) and backend system (20) applications. A special purpose server computer—a Device Registry Server (18)—is switched between a large variety of different mobile device types (12) and a plurality of backend systems (20) for improving the communication between a mobile device and a backend system. The server (18) stores information usable for facilitating communication setup, operation and maintenance of device applications. Preferably, a ready-to-use, already customized device-type specific application can be downloaded from said server (18) to a variety of different mobile devices which is then used for easily communicate with any desired backend system (20).
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 2, 2001
    Publication date: December 6, 2001
    Applicant: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Uwe Hansmann, Lothar Merk, Thomas Stober
  • Publication number: 20010024157
    Abstract: This invention is a contactless label chipcard including payment and identification information and a check-out system including a contactless reader for reading and updating payment information stored in that label chipcard. The contactless label chipcard is attached to a product, and the system further includes a device for reading and initiating updating of the payment status resident on the chipcard. The device includes the contactless reader for reading information stored in the contactless label chipcard, and a component for generating an invoice based on the information received from the contactless label chipcard. Further, the device includes a component for checking payment of the invoice and a component for initiating update of the payment status. Corresponding methods and computer program products are also provided.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 21, 2000
    Publication date: September 27, 2001
    Applicant: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Uwe Hansmann, Lothar Merk, Thomas Stober