Patents by Inventor Rhonda L. Childress

Rhonda L. Childress 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: 20180210729
    Abstract: A method, computer program product, and system includes a processor(s) intercepting an instruction, upon receipt on the instruction, by the one or more processors in the computing device on a communications network, prior to execution of the instruction by the processor(s) in the computing device. The processor(s) determines a state of the computing device and based on the state of the computing device and a portion of the instruction, the processor(s) determines that the instruction is precluded from executing on the computing device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 20, 2017
    Publication date: July 26, 2018
    Inventors: Michael BENDER, Rhonda L. CHILDRESS, Rahul GUPTA
  • Publication number: 20180212964
    Abstract: In the sharing of data between connected devices over a network, a network device broadcasts an availability of a set of data collected by a data producing device coupled to the network. The network device receives a request to access the set of data from a data consuming device coupled to the network, and a cognitive computing module of the network device determines a set of terms between the data producing and the data consuming devices for access to the set of data. In response, the network device obtains the set of data and a first key from the data producing device. Upon receiving a second key from the data consuming device, the network device determines that the second key is associated with the first key. In response, the network device provides access to the set of data to the data consuming device according to the set of terms.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 20, 2017
    Publication date: July 26, 2018
    Inventors: Michael BENDER, Rhonda L. CHILDRESS, Rahul GUPTA, Timothy J. HAHN, David B. KUMHYR, Joanna W. NG
  • Publication number: 20180204163
    Abstract: A method and system for managing resources in a retail environment, including: (i) providing a retail environment system comprising a processor and a plurality of sensors, and further comprising at least one human resource and/or at least one automated resource, wherein the retail environment is associated with at least one retail objective; (ii) receiving sensor data representing information about at least one consumer in the retail environment; (iii) identifying, using the received sensor data, a resource event comprising an event for which the at least one human resource or the at least one automated resource may be utilized; (iv) assigning, by the processor, a priority to the identified resource event based at least in part on the at least one retail objective; and (v) managing at least one of the at least one human resources or the at least one automated resources based on the assigned priority.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 18, 2017
    Publication date: July 19, 2018
    Inventors: Michael Bender, Rhonda L. Childress, Donald L. Muchmore
  • Publication number: 20180197257
    Abstract: A method, computer program product, and system includes a processor(s) determining, based on obtaining data from the one or more sensors over the wireless communications connection, that individuals are within a given vicinity. The processor(s) queries personal computing devices associated with the individuals to determine an identity of each individual in the given vicinity. The processor(s) assigns a service provider(s) to a portion of the identified individuals. The processor(s) obtains preference information related to the portion and determines environmental information related to an environment experienced by the portion by locating at least one sensor within a predetermined distance of the portion, and communicating, over the wireless communications connection, with the at least one sensor. The processor(s) generate simulations for providing services to the portion that include temporal parameters and selects an optimal simulation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 9, 2017
    Publication date: July 12, 2018
    Inventors: Michael BENDER, Rhonda L. CHILDRESS, Michael P. SHUTE
  • Publication number: 20180197150
    Abstract: A method, computer program product, and system includes a processor(s) configuring a sensor(s) (first sensor(s)), to capture data related to an emotional state of an individual and a sensor(s) (second sensor(s)), to capture data related to an environment of the individual. The processor(s) obtains, over a pre-defined period of time, data from the sensors and utilizes data from the second sensor(s) to identify activities in which the individual participated. The processor(s) obtains, from a scheduling resource, a schedule of activities scheduled for the individual. The processor(s) generates a record for each activity. The processor(s) determines, based on data from the first sensor(s) and the record for each activity, emotional states of the individual throughout each activity of the identified activities. The processor(s) generates a rule representing relationships between events during each activity and emotional state of the participant and recommends a schedule of future activities.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 9, 2017
    Publication date: July 12, 2018
    Inventors: Michael BENDER, Edward T. CHILDRESS, Rhonda L. CHILDRESS, Donald L. MUCHMORE
  • Publication number: 20180189333
    Abstract: A blockchain may include various transactions which are identified and which require processing. The order of processing such transactions may be optimized by examining content of the transactions. One example operation may include one or more of identifying blockchain transactions, designating each of the blockchain transactions as an independent transaction type or a dependent transaction type, and determining an order to process the blockchain transactions based on the independent transaction type or the dependent transaction type.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 3, 2017
    Publication date: July 5, 2018
    Inventors: Rhonda L. Childress, Rahul Gupta, David B. Kumhyr, Maharaj Mukherjee
  • Publication number: 20180186364
    Abstract: A method, system, and/or computer program product controls positioning of cargo being loaded onto a cargo vehicle based on sensor readings from another cargo vehicle. One or more processors receive output from a cargo sensor that describes shifting experienced by a first cargo while being transported by a first cargo vehicle and based on the output, determine that the first cargo has shifted beyond a predetermined amount. The processor(s) receive output from vehicle sensors that describe movement of the first cargo vehicle and then determine that the movement has caused the first cargo to shift beyond the predetermined amount. The processor(s) transmit instructions to a robotic cargo loader of second cargo being loaded onto a second cargo vehicle to adjust positioning of the second cargo, where the positioning of the second cargo in the second cargo vehicle is different from positioning of the first cargo on the first cargo vehicle.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 28, 2018
    Publication date: July 5, 2018
    Inventors: EVELYN R. ANDERSON, MICHAEL BENDER, MICHAEL BOONE, RHONDA L. CHILDRESS
  • Patent number: 10005456
    Abstract: A method, system, and/or computer program product controls positioning of cargo being loaded onto a cargo vehicle based on sensor readings from another cargo vehicle. One or more processors receive output from a cargo sensor and a camera, on a first cargo vehicle, that describe an amount of movement of first cargo being transported by the first cargo vehicle. The processor(s) then transmit instructions to a loader of second cargo being loaded onto a second cargo vehicle to adjust a positioning of the second cargo while being loaded onto the second cargo vehicle, where the positioning of the second cargo in the second cargo vehicle is different from a positioning of the first cargo on the first cargo vehicle, in order to minimize damage exposure to the second cargo.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 6, 2016
    Date of Patent: June 26, 2018
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Evelyn R. Anderson, Michael Bender, Michael Boone, Rhonda L. Childress
  • Publication number: 20180174069
    Abstract: A computer-implemented method of increasing reliability of an information technology environment comprising a plurality of hardware devices. Training data is received and a random forest is built from the training data using machine learning. A particular hardware device in the plurality of hardware devices is determined to be strange. Strange is defined as the particular hardware device having a proximity value lower than a predetermined threshold value for the random forest. A preventative action is determined to lower a risk of failure of the particular hardware device. The preventative action is reported. Reporting includes at least one of displaying a report on a display device, printing the report onto paper, and storing the report in a non-transitory computer recordable storage medium.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 15, 2016
    Publication date: June 21, 2018
    Inventors: Rhonda L. Childress, Michael E. Nidd, Michelle Rivers, George E. Stark, Srinivas B. Tummalapenta, Dorothea Wiesmann
  • Publication number: 20180176322
    Abstract: At an application executing in a system, a usage pattern of the system and an entry in a data use history of the system are analyzed. Responsive to the analyzing, a data item is identified for caching at the system, wherein the data item is accessible to the system from at a remote data processing system over a data network at a present time, and the data item will be requested from the system at a future time when no network connectivity will be available to the system. A determination is made whether a caching control prevents the caching of the data item at the system. Responsive to the caching control not preventing the caching of the data item, the data item is cached on the system.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 13, 2018
    Publication date: June 21, 2018
    Applicant: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Rhonda L. Childress, Kim A. Eckert, Ryan D. McNair
  • Patent number: 9991727
    Abstract: A method for managing a rechargeable battery. The method includes a computer processor identifying a rechargeable battery within a first device. The method further includes a computer processor identifying a battery maintenance policy associated with the rechargeable battery. The method further includes a computer processor determining a first set of models for implementing the identified battery maintenance policy on the identified rechargeable battery based on the identified battery maintenance policy and one or more environmental factors corresponding to the first device. The method further includes a computer processor installing the first set of models in the first device. The method further includes a computer processor performing an intervention action based, at least in part, on a current state of the first set of models and one or more current environmental factors corresponding to the first device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 6, 2015
    Date of Patent: June 5, 2018
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Rhonda L. Childress, Kim A. Eckert, Jente B. Kuang, Ryan D. McNair
  • Patent number: 9981733
    Abstract: Systems and methods for securing an emergency exit door on an armrest of a seat are provided. A system includes a latch connected to an armrest of a seat of a vehicle. The latch is moveable relative to the armrest between a stowed position and a deployed position. The latch is structured and arranged to engage an edge of a door that is associated with an exit of the vehicle to hold the door on the armrest.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 19, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 29, 2018
    Assignee: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Rhonda L. Childress, Kim A. Eckert, Jente B. Kuang, David B. Kumhyr, Ryan D. McNair
  • Patent number: 9985941
    Abstract: An embodiment of the invention may include a method, computer program product and computer system for password management. The embodiment may include a computing device that creates a password inventory. The password inventory may be a list of one or more passwords, where each of the one or more passwords corresponds to a password key. The embodiment may update the password inventory without input from a user. The embodiment may receive a first login request from a first device. The embodiment may transmit information detailing a first password key to the first device, where the first password key corresponds to a first password from the list of one or more passwords. The embodiment may receive information detailing a first entered password from the first device. The embodiment may determine whether the first entered password is identical to the first password from the list of one or more passwords.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 8, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 29, 2018
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Rhonda L. Childress, Itzhack Goldberg, Clifford A. Pickover, Neil Sondhi
  • Patent number: 9984228
    Abstract: An approach is provided for password re-usage identification based on an Input Method Editor (IME) analysis. The approach analyzes a number of keystrokes received from a user at the IME that is running on the information handling system. A set of keystrokes received at the IME are identified as a possible new password that is being established by the user. A set of existing password data is searched with the search being based on the possible new password. The set of existing passwords are stored in a data store accessible from at least one of the processors of the information handling system. In response to the searching identifying that one of the existing passwords matches the possible new password, a notification, or warning, is displayed to the user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 29, 2018
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Rhonda L. Childress, Itzhack Goldberg, David B. Kumhyr, Su Liu, Neil Sondhi
  • Publication number: 20180144280
    Abstract: A method and system analyzes the focus of a person engaged in a task. A computing device receives configuration data from sensors including focus parameters and environmental parameters related to a corresponding attention score of the person engaged in the task. The focus and environmental parameter data is analyzed to determine any impact on the person's focus during the task. Changes in the focus parameters, the environmental parameters and the attention score are stored in the computing device, and optimum values are determined.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 22, 2016
    Publication date: May 24, 2018
    Inventors: Michael Bender, Gregory J. Boss, Edward T. Childress, Rhonda L. Childress
  • Publication number: 20180144281
    Abstract: A method and system analyzes the productivity of a person engaged in a task. A computing device receives configuration data from sensors including environmental parameters related to a corresponding productivity score of the person engaged in the task. The environmental parameter data is analyzed to determine any impact on the person's productivity during the task. Changes in the productivity score and corresponding environmental parameters are stored in the computing device, and optimum values are determined.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 22, 2016
    Publication date: May 24, 2018
    Inventors: Michael Bender, Gregory J. Boss, Edward T. Childress, Rhonda L. Childress
  • Publication number: 20180145939
    Abstract: A method and system for correlating events with social media is provided. The method includes retrieving from a social network, social network data associated with users of the social network. The social network data is associated with event data associated with a user of the users. Temporary actions associated with a social network account of the user are enabled and a notification is transmitted to a group of users. In response, confirmation data associated with enabling the temporary actions is received from the group of users and permanent actions associated with the temporary actions are enabled.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 8, 2018
    Publication date: May 24, 2018
    Inventors: Rhonda L. Childress, Manvendra Gupta, Stewart Hyman
  • Publication number: 20180139573
    Abstract: The disclosure is directed to methods and systems for activating a geofence. These methods and systems include storing a plurality of pre-defined geofences in a database, storing a plurality of geofence activation rules in a database, each activation rule being based on data obtained from at least one member selected from the group consisting of analytics data, calendaring data and on-demand data, enable a geofence activation rule, selecting at least one pre-defined geofence based on the enabled geofence activation rule and activating and deactivating the at least one selected pre-defined geofence based on the enabled a geofence activation rule.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 11, 2016
    Publication date: May 17, 2018
    Inventors: Evelyn R. Anderson, Michael Bender, Rhonda L. Childress
  • Publication number: 20180130354
    Abstract: A driver action system for monitoring traffic and capturing specific information about the car and the driver from a GPS device and other IoT sensors. Driver history and tendencies can provide insight into a driver's intention while on the road. The system will analyze the collected information and broadcast an alert to other drivers in the same area. A broadcast to the other devices or users in the area would include the probability or percentage of the driver taking a particular action or a lack of familiarity with the area.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 8, 2016
    Publication date: May 10, 2018
    Inventors: Michael Bender, Edward T. Childress, Rhonda L. Childress, Donald L. Muchmore
  • Publication number: 20180129806
    Abstract: According to one embodiment of the present invention, a system provides security for a device and includes at least one processor. The system monitors a plurality of networked devices for a security risk. Each networked device is associated with a corresponding security risk tolerance. In response to a monitored security risk for one or more of the plurality of networked devices exceeding the corresponding risk tolerance, a network service is initiated to perform one or more actions on each of the one or more networked devices to alleviate the associated security risk. Embodiments of the present invention further include a method and computer program product for providing security to a device in substantially the same manner described above.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 3, 2018
    Publication date: May 10, 2018
    Inventors: Michael Bender, Rhonda L. Childress, Marc A. Dickenson, Thomas J. Fleischman, Timothy J. Hahn