Patents by Inventor Stephen D. Richardson
Stephen D. Richardson 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).
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Patent number: 11679999Abstract: A method for the decontamination of water containing one or more PFAS, having the steps of generating colloidal gas aphrons (CGAs) by mixing a gas, water, and one or more surfactants together with high shear forces, introducing the CGAs and a PFAS-containing water in an enclosed space where the CGAs move upwards through the water due to their inherent buoyancy, allowing the plurality of CGAs to extract PFAS from the water, and separating the PFAS-containing CGAs from the surface of the water in the enclosed space for further treatment or disposal, leaving the water with lower PFAS concentrations in the vessel. The aphrons may be anionic or cationic and created by mixing speeds or surfactant concentration, and treatment may be with gas bubbles to remove PFAS from water gas bubbles or destruction of PFAS by plasma reactor or deployed in situ through wells into geologic ground formations.Type: GrantFiled: October 11, 2022Date of Patent: June 20, 2023Assignee: GSI Environmental Inc.Inventors: Charles J. Newell, Poonam R. Kulkarni, Hassan Javed, Nicholas W. Johnson, Stephen D. Richardson
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Publication number: 20230110561Abstract: A method for the decontamination of water containing one or more PFAS, having the steps of generating colloidal gas aphrons (CGAs) by mixing a gas, water, and one or more surfactants together with high shear forces, introducing the CGAs and a PFAS-containing water in an enclosed space where the CGAs move upwards through the water due to their inherent buoyancy, allowing the plurality of CGAs to extract PFAS from the water, and separating the PFAS-containing CGAs from the surface of the water in the enclosed space for further treatment or disposal, leaving the water with lower PFAS concentrations in the vessel. The aphrons may be anionic or cationic and created by mixing speeds or surfactant concentration, and treatment may be with gas bubbles to remove PFAS from water gas bubbles or destruction of PFAS by plasma reactor or deployed in situ through wells into geologic ground formations.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 11, 2022Publication date: April 13, 2023Inventors: Charles J. Newell, Poonam R. Kulkarni, Hassan Javed, Nicholas W. Johnson, Stephen D. Richardson
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Publication number: 20230063935Abstract: A method for the decontamination of water containing one or more PFAS, having the steps of generating colloidal gas aphrons (CGAs) by mixing a gas, water, and one or more surfactants together with high shear forces, introducing the CGAs and a PFAS-containing water in an enclosed space where the CGAs move upwards through the water due to their inherent buoyancy, allowing the plurality of CGAs to extract PFAS from the water, and separating the PFAS-containing CGAs from the surface of the water in the enclosed space for further treatment or disposal, leaving the water with lower PFAS concentrations in the vessel. The aphrons may be anionic or cationic and created by mixing speeds or surfactant concentration, and treatment may be with gas bubbles to remove PFAS from water gas bubbles or destruction of PFAS by plasma reactor or deployed in situ through wells into geologic ground formations.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 15, 2022Publication date: March 2, 2023Inventors: Charles J. Newell, Poonam R. Kulkarni, Hassan Javed, Nicholas W. Johnson, Stephen D. Richardson
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Patent number: 8275605Abstract: A computer-implemented machine translation system translates text from a first language to a second language. The system includes a plurality of mappings, each mapping indicative of associating a dependency structure of the first language with a dependency structure of the second language, wherein at least some of the mappings correspond to dependency structures of the first language having varying context with some common elements, and associated dependency structures of the second language to the dependency structures of the first language. A module receives input text in a first language and outputs output text in a second language based on accessing the plurality of mappings.Type: GrantFiled: May 4, 2010Date of Patent: September 25, 2012Assignee: Microsoft CorporationInventors: Arul A. Menezes, Stephen D. Richardson
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Publication number: 20100223049Abstract: A computer-implemented machine translation system translates text from a first language to a second language. The system includes a plurality of mappings, each mapping indicative of associating a dependency structure of the first language with a dependency structure of the second language, wherein at least some of the mappings correspond to dependency structures of the first language having varying context with some common elements, and associated dependency structures of the second language to the dependency structures of the first language. A module receives input text in a first language and outputs output text in a second language based on accessing the plurality of mappings.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 4, 2010Publication date: September 2, 2010Applicant: Microsoft CorporationInventors: Arul A. Menezes, Stephen D. Richardson
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Patent number: 7734459Abstract: A method of aligning nodes of dependency structures obtained from a bilingual corpus includes a two-phase approach wherein a first phase comprises associating nodes of the dependency structures to form tentative correspondences. The nodes of the dependency structures are then aligned as a function of the tentative correspondences and structural considerations. Mappings are obtained from the aligned dependency structures. The mappings can be expanded with varying types and amounts of local context in order that a more fluent translation can be obtained when translation is performed.Type: GrantFiled: July 5, 2001Date of Patent: June 8, 2010Assignee: Microsoft CorporationInventors: Arul A. Menezes, Stephen D. Richardson
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Patent number: 7496496Abstract: A machine translation system is trained to generate confidence scores indicative of a quality of a translation result. A source string is translated with a machine translator to generate a target string. Features indicative of translation operations performed are extracted from the machine translator. A trusted entity-assigned translation score is obtained and is indicative of a trusted entity-assigned translation quality of the translated string. A relationship between a subset of the extracted features and the trusted entity-assigned translation score is identified.Type: GrantFiled: March 19, 2007Date of Patent: February 24, 2009Assignee: Microsoft CorporationInventors: Christopher B. Quirk, Arul A. Menezes, Stephen D. Richardson, Robert C. Moore
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Patent number: 7383169Abstract: A lexical knowledge base is compiled automatically from a machine-readable source (such as an on-line dictionary or unstructured text). The preferred embodiment of the invention makes use of “backward linking,” by which inverse semantic relations are discerned from the text and used to augment the knowledge base. By this arrangement, on-line dictionaries and other texts can provide formidable sources of “common sense” knowledge about the world.Type: GrantFiled: April 13, 1994Date of Patent: June 3, 2008Assignee: Microsoft CorporationInventors: Lucretia H. Vanderwende, Stephen D. Richardson, Karen Jensen, George E. Heidorn, William B. Dolan
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Patent number: 7295963Abstract: A computer-implemented method for providing information to an automatic machine translation system to improve translation accuracy is disclosed. The method includes receiving a collection of source text. An attempted translation that corresponds to the collection of source text is received from the automatic machine translation system. A correction input, which is configured to effectuate a correction of at least one error in the attempted translation, is also received. Finally, information is provided to the automatic machine translation system to reduce the likelihood that the error will be repeated in subsequent translations generated by the automatic machine translation system.Type: GrantFiled: July 25, 2003Date of Patent: November 13, 2007Assignee: Microsoft CorporationInventors: Stephen D. Richardson, Richard F. Rashid
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Patent number: 7206735Abstract: A method translates a textual input in a first language to a textual output in a second language. An input logical form is generated based on the textual input. When a plurality of transfer mappings in a transfer mapping database match the input logical form (or at least a portion thereof) one or more of those plurality of matching transfer mappings is selected based on a predetermined metric. Textual output is generated based on the selected transfer logical form.Type: GrantFiled: December 1, 2005Date of Patent: April 17, 2007Assignee: Microsoft CorporationInventors: Aurl A. Menezes, Stephen D. Richardson, Jessie E. Pinkman, William B. Dolan
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Patent number: 7050964Abstract: A computer implemented method translates a textual input in a first language to a textual output in a second language. An input logical form is generated based on the textual input. When a plurality of transfer mappings in a transfer mapping database match the input logical form (or at least a portion thereof) one or more of those plurality of matching transfer mappings is selected based on a predetermined metric. Textual output is generated based on the selected transfer logical form.Type: GrantFiled: July 5, 2001Date of Patent: May 23, 2006Assignee: Microsoft CorporationInventors: Arul A. Menzes, Stephen D. Richardson, Jessie E. Pinkham, William B. Dolan
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Patent number: 7013264Abstract: The present invention can be used in a natural language processing system to determine a relationship (such as similarity in meaning) between two textual segments. The relationship can be identified or determined based on logical graphs generated from the textual segments. A relationship between first and second logical graphs is determined. This is accomplished regardless of whether there is an exact match between the first and second logical graphs. In one embodiment, the first graph represents an input textual discourse unit. The second graph, in one embodiment, represents information in a lexical knowledge base (LKB). The input graph can be matched against the second graph, if they have similar meaning, even if the two differ lexically or structurally.Type: GrantFiled: October 29, 2004Date of Patent: March 14, 2006Assignee: Microsoft CorporationInventors: William B. Dolan, Michael Barnett, Stephen D. Richardson, Arul A. Menezes, Lucretia H. Vanderwende
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Patent number: 6871174Abstract: The present invention can be used in a natural language processing system to determine a relationship (such as similarity in meaning) between two textual segments. The relationship can be identified or determined based on logical graphs generated from the textual segments. A relationship between first and second logical graphs is determined. This is accomplished regardless of whether there is an exact match between the first and second logical graphs. In one embodiment, the first graph represents an input textual discourse unit. The second graph, in one embodiment, represents information in a lexical knowledge base (LKB). The input graph can be matched against the second graph, if they have similar meaning, even if the two differ lexically or structurally.Type: GrantFiled: May 17, 2000Date of Patent: March 22, 2005Assignee: Microsoft CorporationInventors: William B. Dolan, Michael Barnett, Stephen D. Richardson, Arul A. Menezes, Lucretia H. Vanderwende
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Publication number: 20040260532Abstract: An adaptive machine translation service for improving the performance of a user's automatic machine translation system is disclosed. A user submits a source document to an automatic translation system. The source document and at least a portion of an automatically generated translation are then transmitted to a reliable modification source (i.e., a human translator) for review and correction. Training material is generated automatically based on modifications made by the reliable source. The training material is sent back to the user together with the corrected translation. The user's automatic translation system is adapted based on the training material, thereby enabling the translation system to become customized through the normal workflow of acquiring corrected translations from a reliable source.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 20, 2003Publication date: December 23, 2004Applicant: Microsoft CorporationInventors: Stephen D. Richardson, Richard F. Rashid
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Patent number: 6640006Abstract: The present invention provides a facility for selecting from a sequence of natural language characters combinations of characters that may be words. The facility uses indications, for each of a plurality of characters, of (a) the characters that occur in the second position of words that begin with the character and (b) the positions in which the character occurs in words. For each of a plurality of contiguous combinations of characters occurring in the sequence, the facility determines whether the character occurring in the second position of the combination is indicated to occur in words that begin with the character occurring in the first position of the combination. If so, the facility determines whether every character of the combination is indicated to occur in words in a position in which it occurs in the combination. If so, the facility determines that the combination of characters may be a word.Type: GrantFiled: May 29, 1998Date of Patent: October 28, 2003Assignee: Microsoft CorporationInventors: Andi Wu, Stephen D. Richardson, Zixin Jiang
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Publication number: 20030061023Abstract: A method of aligning nodes of dependency structures obtained from a bilingual corpus includes a two-phase approach wherein a first phase comprises associating nodes of the dependency structures to form tentative correspondences. The nodes of the dependency structures are then aligned as a function of the tentative correspondences and structural considerations. Mappings are obtained from the aligned dependency structures.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 5, 2001Publication date: March 27, 2003Inventors: Arul A. Menezes, Stephen D. Richardson
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Publication number: 20030023422Abstract: A computer implemented method translates a textual input in a first language to a textual output in a second language. An input logical form is generated based on the textual input. When a plurality of transfer mappings in a transfer mapping database match the input logical form (or at least a portion thereof) one or more of those plurality of matching transfer mappings is selected based on a predetermined metric. Textual output is generated based on the selected transfer logical form.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 5, 2001Publication date: January 30, 2003Inventors: Arul A. Menezes, Stephen D. Richardson, Jessie E. Pinkham, William B. Dolan
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Publication number: 20020102025Abstract: The present invention provides a facility for selecting from a sequence of natural language characters combinations of characters that may be words. The facility uses indications, for each of a plurality of characters, of (a) the characters that occur in the second position of words that begin with the character and (b) the positions in which the character occurs in words. For each of a plurality of contiguous combinations of characters occurring in the sequence, the facility determines whether the character occurring in the second position of the combination is indicated to occur in words that begin with the character occurring in the first position of the combination. If so, the facility determines whether every character of the combination is indicated to occur in words in a position in which it occurs in the combination. If so, the facility determines that the combination of characters may be a word.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 29, 1998Publication date: August 1, 2002Inventors: ANDI WU, STEPHEN D. RICHARDSON, ZIXIN JIANG
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Patent number: 6246977Abstract: The present invention is directed to performing information retrieval utilizing semantic representation of text. In a preferred embodiment, a tokenizer generates from an input string information retrieval tokens that characterize the semantic relationship expressed in the input string. The tokenizer first creates from the input string a primary logical form characterizing a semantic relationship between selected words in the input string. The tokenizer then identifies hypemyms that each have an “is a” relationship with one of the selected words in the input string. The tokenizer then constructs from the primary logical form one or more alternative logical forms. The tokenizer constructs each alternative logical form by, for each of one or more of the selected words in the input string, replacing the selected word in the primary logical form with an identified hypernym of the selected word.Type: GrantFiled: August 3, 1999Date of Patent: June 12, 2001Assignee: Microsoft CorporationInventors: John J. Messerly, George E. Heidorn, Stephen D. Richardson, William B. Dolan, Karen Jensen
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Patent number: 6161084Abstract: The present invention is directed to performing information retrieval utilizing semantic representation of text. In a preferred embodiment, a tokenizer generates from an input string information retrieval tokens that characterize the semantic relationship expressed in the input string. The tokenizer first creates from the input string a primary logical form characterizing a semantic relationship between selected words in the input string. The tokenizer then identifies hypernyms that each have an "is a" relationship with one of the selected words in the input string. The tokenizer then constructs from the primary logical form one or more alternative logical forms. The tokenizer constructs each alternative logical form by, for each of one or more of the selected words in the input string, replacing the selected word in the primary logical form with an identified hypernym of the selected word. Finally, the tokenizer generates tokens representing both the primary logical form and the alternative logical forms.Type: GrantFiled: August 3, 1999Date of Patent: December 12, 2000Assignee: Microsoft CorporationInventors: John J. Messerly, George E. Heidorn, Stephen D. Richardson, William B. Dolan, Karen Jensen