Patents by Inventor Michael S. Thomason

Michael S. Thomason 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: 20150012992
    Abstract: An approach is provided to use social media content to verify the identity of a user using aliases established by the user in a social media environment. In the approach, a user authentication request pertaining to a user is received. Aliases corresponding to the user's social media contacts are retrieved from a social media data store. User questions and expected answers are prepared based on the user's social media contacts and the corresponding aliases. The user is prompted to provide one or more user answers responsive to the user questions. In response to receiving answers that match the expected answers, the user authentication request is confirmed. Conversely, in response to receiving user answers that fail to match the expected answers, the user authentication request is invalidated.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 17, 2014
    Publication date: January 8, 2015
    Inventors: Joshua D. Markwordt, Michael M. Skeen, Michael S. Thomason
  • Publication number: 20150006399
    Abstract: An approach is provided to use social media content to verify the identity of a user. In the approach, a user authentication request pertaining to a user is received. In response, user questions and expected answers are retrieved from social media content that is accessible by the user. The user is prompted to provide user answers responsive to the user questions. The user authentication request is confirmed in response to receiving user answers that match the expected answers. Conversely, user authentication request is invalidated in response to receiving user answers that fail to match the expected answers.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 16, 2014
    Publication date: January 1, 2015
    Inventors: Joshua D. Markwordt, Michael M. Skeen, Michael S. Thomason
  • Publication number: 20140365602
    Abstract: A method for displaying an application for use on a mobile computing device. The method includes determining one or more environmental factors for a current environment of a mobile computing device. The method includes determining, based, at least in part, on the one or more environmental factors and past usage information of the mobile computing device, an application for use with the mobile computing device and displaying the application on the mobile computing device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 10, 2013
    Publication date: December 11, 2014
    Inventors: Matthew C. Hillary, Joshua D. Markwordt, Michael M. Skeen, Michael S. Thomason
  • Publication number: 20140282930
    Abstract: An approach is provided to use social media content to verify the identity of a user. In the approach, a user authentication request pertaining to a user is received. In response, user questions and expected answers are retrieved from social media content that is accessible by the user. The user is prompted to provide user answers responsive to the user questions. The user authentication request is confirmed in response to receiving user answers that match the expected answers. Conversely, user authentication request is invalidated in response to receiving user answers that fail to match the expected answers.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 15, 2013
    Publication date: September 18, 2014
    Applicant: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Joshua D. Markwordt, Michael M. Skeen, Michael S. Thomason
  • Publication number: 20140237042
    Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention disclose a method, computer program product, and system for providing a severity of a notification for a communication. A computing device determines a topic and associated information of a current activity, operating on the computing device. The computing device receives a communication and determines the topic and associated information of the communication. The computing device determines a level of relevance between the topic and associated information of the received communication and the topic and associated information of the current activity. The computing device determines whether the level of relevance exceeds a predefined threshold, and in response to determining that the level of relevance exceeds the predefined threshold, the computing device provides a notification, wherein the severity of the notification for the communication is proportional to the level of relevance.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 21, 2013
    Publication date: August 21, 2014
    Applicant: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Maryam Ahmed, Al Chakra, Michael S. Thomason, Tong Yu
  • Publication number: 20140222990
    Abstract: Analyzing communication network data set access of a data set group constituted by multiple data sets. The method includes the following steps: (i) determining, for a first interval, a first low access count value corresponding to an amount of data sets in the data set group that have been accessed, in the first interval, an amount of times that is no greater than a low access threshold value; (ii) determining, for a second interval, a second low access count value corresponding to an amount of data sets in the data set group that have been accessed, in the second interval, an amount of times that is no greater than the low access threshold value; and (iii) determining a delta value based, at least in part, on a difference between the first low access count value and the second low access count value.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 4, 2013
    Publication date: August 7, 2014
    Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Trudy L. Hewitt, Matthew C. Hillary, Lee A. Jacobson, Michael S. Thomason
  • Publication number: 20140207817
    Abstract: According to one embodiment of the present invention, a system identifies content for publication by determining a projected usage of unpublished content. The system applies one or more predefined criteria for publication to the projected usage. The content is published in response to the projected usage satisfying the criteria for publication. Embodiments of the present invention further include a method and computer program product for identifying content for publication in substantially the same manners described above.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 24, 2014
    Publication date: July 24, 2014
    Applicant: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Kelley L. Anders, Trudy Hewitt, Michael S. Thomason
  • Publication number: 20140195618
    Abstract: An approach for unfiltering a filtered electronic communication is provided. In one aspect, a computer system receives filtered electronic communication, wherein the filtered electronic communication is a status message. Moreover, the computer system determines a requestor of the filtered electronic communication. The computer system also detects an attempt made to communicate with the requestor. Furthermore, the computer system unfilters, in response to the attempt, the filtered electronic communication.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 4, 2013
    Publication date: July 10, 2014
    Applicant: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Al Chakra, Michael S. Thomason, Tong Yu
  • Publication number: 20140059029
    Abstract: A method, a system and a computer program product for influencing ranking of URLs in a search engine. In an example embodiment, a computer determines that a posting of a URL has occurred in a social networking environment, the computer tracks accesses of the URL subsequent to the posting of the URL. The computer further determines whether a number of accesses of the URL has increased subsequent to the posting of the URL and, responsive to determining that the number of accesses of the URL has increased subsequent to the posting of the URL, the computer determines whether the number of accesses of the URL has increased by at least a predefined threshold. Further, responsive to determining that the number of accesses of the URL has increased by at least the predefined threshold, the computer increases the ranking of the URL in a search engine.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 22, 2012
    Publication date: February 27, 2014
    Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kevin N. Magill, Michael S. O'Leary, Mary K. Rees, Michael S. Thomason
  • Publication number: 20140052791
    Abstract: Mechanisms are provided for dynamically generating a task-based filter rule for filtering electronic communications. Characteristic data for at least one of electronic communications exchanged by, or user interactions performed via, a data processing system are collected. The characteristic data is automatically analyzed to determine if a task-based filter rule is to be generated. The task-based filter rule is automatically generated in response to determining that the characteristic data satisfies the dynamic task-based filter rule creation condition. Future electronic communications are automatically filtered by applying the task-based filter rule to the future electronic communications such that electronic communications satisfying a condition of the task-based filter rule are not filtered out.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 14, 2012
    Publication date: February 20, 2014
    Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Al Chakra, Mary K. Rees, Michael S. Thomason
  • Publication number: 20130346841
    Abstract: Mechanisms are provided for tracking link sharing in a messaging environment of a data processing system. Message information is received that identifies a plurality of links to content included in one or more messages exchanged via the data processing system. A relationship measure is determined based on the message information. The relationship measure measures a likelihood that a first link is related to a second link in the plurality of links and points to a same source of content. An association data structure associating the first link with the second link is generated based on the relationship measure. User interactions with the first link and the second link are tracked based on the generated association data structure.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 25, 2012
    Publication date: December 26, 2013
    Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Maryam Ahmed, Al Chakra, Matthew C. Hillary, Michael S. Thomason