Patents by Inventor Thomas A. Cofino

Thomas A. Cofino 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: 8812507
    Abstract: A self-organizing personal file system is disclosed that evaluates the “importance” of terms and phrases in a document in a personal corpus relative to usage in a reference corpus. A personalized term weighting scheme assigns a weight to terms or phrases based on the frequency of occurrence of the corresponding term or phrase in a reference corpus. Documents are positioned in a visual file space associated with a personal corpus by storing each of the documents with an indication of the term weight for terms appearing in the corresponding document. A singular value decomposition is performed based on the term weights to position a given document in the visual file space based on a relative frequency distribution of terms of the document compared to the occurrence of such terms in a reference corpus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 9, 2013
    Date of Patent: August 19, 2014
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Thomas A. Cofino, Jonathan Lenchner
  • Patent number: 8515959
    Abstract: A self-organizing personal file system is disclosed that evaluates the “importance” of terms and phrases in a document in a personal corpus relative to usage in a reference corpus. A personalized term weighting scheme assigns a weight to terms or phrases based on the frequency of occurrence of the corresponding term or phrase in a reference corpus. The personalized term weighting for a given term or phrase can be used to store and access documents containing the corresponding term or phrase in the spatial file system and provides coordinates in a spatial file system, for one or more documents containing the corresponding term or phrase. The location of a given document in a file space may be specified by the relative frequency distribution of the stems of its significant terms or phrases compared to the occurrence of such terms or phrases in a reference corpus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 25, 2005
    Date of Patent: August 20, 2013
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Thomas A. Cofino, Jonathan Lenchner
  • Patent number: 7616094
    Abstract: A Write Broadcast system and method uses a base station to write sent data to all or some selected number (sub group) of tags in a base station field simultaneously. By unselecting the tags that have been successfully written to, and requesting a response from the remaining tags in the field (or sub group), the system determines, by receiving a response to the request, that there are tags in the field (sub group) that were unsuccessfully written to. Another Write Broadcast signal is sent to these tags. The system is useful for quickly (simultaneously) “stamping” information on the tag memory of a large number of tags in the field of the base station.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 26, 2004
    Date of Patent: November 10, 2009
    Assignee: Intermec IP Corp.
    Inventors: Harley Kent Heinrich, Christian Lenz Cesar, Thomas A. Cofino, Daniel J. Friedman, Kenneth Alan Goldman, Sharon Louise Greene, Kevin P. McAuliffe, Shun Shing Chan
  • Patent number: 7254571
    Abstract: A document search and retrieval system and program product therefor. Search requests are provided to the system through a user interface. A document decomposer decomposes documents into individual document components. Document components and corresponding searchable indices for each are stored in a Component Library. A search unit searches stored document components responsive to search queries. A results validator compares document hitlists with a document type identified in a search query to select valid hitlists entries for a final hitlist. A document view assembly module collects identified document components and assembles them into a document for view at the user interface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 3, 2002
    Date of Patent: August 7, 2007
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Gregory T. Brown, Thomas A. Cofino, Yurdaer Nezihi Doganata, Youssef Drissi, Tong-Haing Fin, Moon Ju Kim, Lev Kozakov, John Williams Miller
  • Patent number: 7158046
    Abstract: A master entity is capable of broadcasting commands to slaves which move to another state when they satisfy a primitive condition specified in the command. By moving slaves among three sets, a desired subset of slaves can be isolated in one of the sets. This desired subset of slaves ten can be moved to one of the states that is unaffected by commands that cause the selection of other desirable subsets of slaves. In the incorporated U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,550,547 and 5,673,037, certain subgroups of radio frequency tags are selected for querying, communicating, and/or identifying by commands from a base station.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 2, 2004
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2007
    Assignee: Intermec IP Corp.
    Inventors: Christian Lenz Cesar, Shun-Shing Chan, Thomas A. Cofino, Kenneth Alan Goldman, Sharon Louise Greene, Harley Kent Heinrich, Kevin P. McAuliffe
  • Patent number: 7092938
    Abstract: A search engine system is provided in which inputted data in various configurations is first passed through transitional translation layers which convert the data in its multiple configurations to a common or kernel computer form and language. The data is operated on and stored in the kernel form and language. The operated on data is then outputted through transitional translation layers and provided in the desired format the same or different from the input form and language.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 28, 2002
    Date of Patent: August 15, 2006
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Gregory T. Brown, Thomas A. Cofino, Yurdaer Nezihi Doganata, Youssef Drissi, Tong-Haing Fin, Moon Ju Kim, Lev Kozakov
  • Patent number: 6919793
    Abstract: A Write Broadcast system and method uses a base station to write sent data to all or some selected number (sub group) of tags in a base station field simultaneously. By unselecting the tags that have been successfully written to, and requesting a response from the remaining tags in the field (or sub group), the system determines, by receiving a response to the request, that there are tags in the field (sub group) that were unsuccessfully written to. Another Write Broadcast signal is sent to these tags. The system is useful for quickly (simultaneously) “stamping” information on the tag memory of a large number of tags in the field of the base station.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 24, 1999
    Date of Patent: July 19, 2005
    Assignee: Intermec IP Corp.
    Inventors: Harley Kent Heinrich, Christian Lenz Cesar, Thomas A. Cofino, Daniel J. Friedman, Kenneth Alan Goldman, Sharon Louise Greene, Kevin P. McAuliffe
  • Patent number: 6768414
    Abstract: A Write Broadcast system and method uses a base station to write sent data to all or some selected number (sub group) of tags in a base station field simultaneously. By unselecting the tags that have been successfully written to, and requesting a response from the remaining tags in the field (or sub group), the system determines, by receiving a response to the request, that there are tags in the field (sub group) that were unsuccessfully written to. Another Write Broadcast signal is sent to these tags. The system is useful for quickly (simultaneously) “stamping” information on the tag memory of a large number of tags in the field of the base station.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 24, 1999
    Date of Patent: July 27, 2004
    Assignee: Intermec IP Corp.
    Inventors: Harley Kent Heinrich, Christian Lenz Cesar, Thomas A. Cofino, Daniel J. Friedman, Kenneth Alan Goldman, Sharon Louise Greene, Kevin P. McAuliffe
  • Publication number: 20040044669
    Abstract: A search engine system is provided in which inputted data in various configurations is first passed through transitional translation layers which convert the data in its multiple configurations to a common or kernel computer form and language. The data is operated on and stored in the kernel form and language. The operated on data is then outputted through transitional translation layers and provided in the desired format the same or different from the input form and language.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 28, 2002
    Publication date: March 4, 2004
    Applicant: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Gregory T. Brown, Thomas A. Cofino, Yurdaer Nezihi Doganata, Youssef Drissi, Tong-Haing Fin, Moon Ju Kim, Lev Kozakov
  • Publication number: 20030225747
    Abstract: A document search and retrieval system and program product therefor. Search requests are provided to the system through a user interface. A document decomposer decomposes documents into individual document components. Document components and corresponding searchable indices for each are stored in a Component Library. A search unit searches stored document components responsive to search queries. A results validator compares document hitlists with a document type identified in a search query to select valid hitlists entries for a final hitlist. A document view assembly module collects identified document components and assembles them into a document for view at the user interface.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 3, 2002
    Publication date: December 4, 2003
    Applicant: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Gregory T. Brown, Thomas A. Cofino, Yurdaer Nezihi Doganata, Youssef Drissi, Tong-Haing Fin, Moon Ju Kim, Lev Kozakov, John Williams Miller
  • Patent number: 5942987
    Abstract: A Write Broadcast system and method uses a base station to write sent data associated with no particular destination tag or tags, by radio frequency signal, to all or some selected number (sub group) of tags in a base station field simultaneously. By unselecting the tags that have been successfully written to, and requesting a response from the remaining tags in the field (or sub group), the system determines, by receiving a response to the request, that there are tags in the field (sub group) that were unsuccessfully written to. Another Write Broadcast signal is sent to these tags. The system is useful for quickly (simultaneously) "stamping" information on the tag memory of a large number of tags in the field of the base station.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 9, 1996
    Date of Patent: August 24, 1999
    Assignee: Intermec IP Corp.
    Inventors: Harley Kent Heinrich, Christian Lenz Cesar, Thomas A. Cofino, Daniel J. Friedman, Kenneth Alan Goldman, Sharon Louise Greene, Kevin G McAuliffe
  • Patent number: 5939984
    Abstract: A combination of a radio frequency identification transponder (RFID Tag) and to a magnetic electronic article surveillance (EAS) device is disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 1, 1998
    Date of Patent: August 17, 1999
    Assignee: Intermec IP Corp.
    Inventors: Michael J. Brady, Thomas A. Cofino, Richard J. Gambino, Paul A. Moskowitz, Alejandro G. Schrott, Robert J. von Gutfeld
  • Patent number: 5739754
    Abstract: The present invention is a magnetic sensor used with one or more frequency band pass filters and a logic circuit that produces a ("critical") signal that is used for enabling and disabling an external electronic circuit, e.g. a computer circuit. The magnetic sensor produces a signal when excited by an externally applied alternating current (ac) magnetic field. The external ac magnetic field can comprise one or more frequencies, each of which induces an electrical signal at the respective frequency in the sensor. Depending on the linearity of the sensor, one or more harmonic frequencies of the signal frequencies can also be induced in the sensor. One or more bandpass filters is connected to the magnetic sensor and each of the bandpass filters is tuned to filter the signal to select filtered signals, from the output of the sensor. A logic circuit is activated by one or more of the filtered signals or a combination of one or more of the signal frequencies.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 29, 1996
    Date of Patent: April 14, 1998
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Alejandro Gabriel Schrott, Michael John Brady, Thomas A. Cofino, Richard Joseph Gambino, Robert Jacob Von Gutfeld, Harley Kent Heinrich, Paul Andrew Moskowitz
  • Patent number: 5635693
    Abstract: A radio frequency (RF) tagging system is used to monitor vehicles passing through an area access to one or more vehicle storage area(s). One or more of the vehicles stored in the storage area is equipped with a RF tag which has vehicle ID information about the vehicle stored in a tag memory contained on the tag. The tag communicates with a base station when passing through the area accesses, (entering or leaving). A central and preferably one or more remote computers accesses status information that might include vehicle identification, customer, lot identification, time of day, and vehicle and lot status. The information is used in security or marketing functions. The security function can include a paging system for sending alarms and/or messages to a manager or security personnel. The marketing function can include determining how long or how many times different makes an model of vehicle are chosen by customers for test drives.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 2, 1995
    Date of Patent: June 3, 1997
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Steven J. Benson, Thomas A. Cofino, Robert J. von Gutfeld