Patents by Inventor Thomas Jay Ashford

Thomas Jay Ashford 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).

  • Method, system and computer program product for implementing acronym assistance
    Patent number: 6966030
    Abstract: A method, system and computer program product are provided for implementing acronym assistance for a user of a text editor or browser program. An acronym in a text document is identified. Then the text document is scanned to identify a definition of the acronym. Responsive to identifying the definition of the acronym, the definition of the acronym is displayed to the user. Acronym assistance is provided for a reader and a writer using the text program. Both an acronym dictionary and an acronym collection file can be used to identify the definition of the acronym. User selected options are provided for displaying the definition of the acronym to the user. For a writer using the text program, the definition of the acronym can be provided in-line in the document text. A footnote definition of the acronym can be provided with a reference to an original acronym definition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 18, 2001
    Date of Patent: November 15, 2005
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Thomas Jay Ashford, Cary Lee Bates, Brian John Cragun, Paul Reuben Day
  • Method, system and computer program product for implementing acronym assistance
    Publication number: 20030018670
    Abstract: A method, system and computer program product are provided for implementing acronym assistance for a user of a text editor or browser program. An acronym in a text document is identified. Then the text document is scanned to identify a definition of the acronym. Responsive to identifying the definition of the acronym, the definition of the acronym is displayed to the user. Acronym assistance is provided for a reader and a writer using the text program. Both an acronym dictionary and an acronym collection file can be used to identify the definition of the acronym. User selected options are provided for displaying the definition of the acronym to the user. For a writer using the text program, the definition of the acronym can be provided in-line in the document text. A footnote definition of the acronym can be provided with a reference to an original acronym definition.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 18, 2001
    Publication date: January 23, 2003
    Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Thomas Jay Ashford, Cary Lee Bates, Brian John Cragun, Paul Reuben Day