Patents by Inventor Timothy M. Francis

Timothy M. Francis 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: 11004127
    Abstract: The present disclosure provides a system and method for analyzing customer communications to provide better customer service including generating customer related data from communications of a customer by at least one sensing device located in a venue, transmitting the generated customer related data to an analysis engine, determining based on an analysis of the customer related data a customer experience, identifying at least one suggestion to provide better customer service including the identification of a representative of the venue that the analysis engine has determined can assist the customer, and receiving the at least one suggestion including an indication that the representative should assist the customer from the analysis engine by a computing device associated with the representative of the venue.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 11, 2021
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Marco A. Deluca, Timothy M. Francis, Leho Nigul, Brian W. Thomson
  • Patent number: 10776576
    Abstract: A method and system for improving an automated mobile device detection system is provided. The method includes automatically detecting Web pages being accessed by a user via a mobile hardware device. Movement based attributes, biological parameters, and a geographical location of the user are detected via hardware sensors of the mobile device. The Webpages are modified such that a modified plurality of Webpages is generated based on the analysis. The modified plurality of Webpages is presented to the user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 16, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 15, 2020
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Timothy M. Francis, Marco A. Deluca, Brian W. Thomson, Leho Nigul
  • Patent number: 10489436
    Abstract: In a method for utilizing multiple social computing services of a user. A processor receives a request for an action to be executed, wherein the action includes a required relationship between a user and one or more contacts of a set of contacts and a required interest. A processor determines the one or more contacts that have the required relationship with the user and the required interest. A processor causes the action to be executed based on the determined one or more contacts. The set of contacts includes a first set of contacts from a first networking service and a second set of contacts from a second networking service. The action is external from the first networking service and the second networking service.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 30, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 26, 2019
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Joanna W. Ng, Diana Lau, Arthur G. Ryman, Timothy M. Francis
  • Publication number: 20190147023
    Abstract: A method and system for improving an automated mobile device detection system is provided. The method includes automatically detecting Web pages being accessed by a user via a mobile hardware device. Movement based attributes, biological parameters, and a geographical location of the user are detected via hardware sensors of the mobile device. The Webpages are modified such that a modified plurality of Webpages is generated based on the analysis. The modified plurality of Webpages is presented to the user.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 16, 2017
    Publication date: May 16, 2019
    Inventors: Timothy M. Francis, Marco A. Deluca, Brian W. Thomson, Leho Nigul
  • Publication number: 20180285893
    Abstract: An approach using one or more computers to determine music to influence customer behavior, the approach includes retrieving customer behavior in a retail location and data associated with music played in the retail location where the retail location is one of a plurality of retail locations. The approach includes correlating, by time, customer behavior in the retail location with the data associated with music played in the retail location for each retail location. The approach includes receiving a request for one or more desired customer behaviors in at least one of the plurality of retail locations and determining music that provides the desired customer behaviors. The approach includes providing a recommendation of the music that provides the desired customer behaviors to the retail locations associated with the request for the desired customer behaviors.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 31, 2017
    Publication date: October 4, 2018
    Inventors: Marco A. Deluca, Timothy M. Francis, Leho Nigul
  • Publication number: 20180285896
    Abstract: An approach using one or more computers to determine music to influence customer behavior, the approach includes retrieving customer behavior in a retail location and data associated with music played in the retail location where the retail location is one of a plurality of retail locations. The approach includes correlating, by time, customer behavior in the retail location with the data associated with music played in the retail location for each retail location. The approach includes receiving a request for one or more desired customer behaviors in at least one of the plurality of retail locations and determining music that provides the desired customer behaviors. The approach includes providing a recommendation of the music that provides the desired customer behaviors to the retail locations associated with the request for the desired customer behaviors.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 30, 2017
    Publication date: October 4, 2018
    Inventors: Marco A. Deluca, Timothy M. Francis, Leho Nigul
  • Publication number: 20180108060
    Abstract: The present disclosure provides a system and method for analyzing customer communications to provide better customer service including generating customer related data from communications of a customer by at least one sensing device located in a venue, transmitting the generated customer related data to an analysis engine, determining based on an analysis of the customer related data a customer experience, identifying at least one suggestion to provide better customer service including the identification of a representative of the venue that the analysis engine has determined can assist the customer, and receiving the at least one suggestion including an indication that the representative should assist the customer from the analysis engine by a computing device associated with the representative of the venue.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 18, 2017
    Publication date: April 19, 2018
    Inventors: Marco A. Deluca, Timothy M. Francis, Leho Nigul, Brian W. Thomson
  • Patent number: 9852459
    Abstract: The present disclosure provides a system and method for analyzing customer communications to provide better customer service including generating customer related data from communications of a customer by at least one sensing device located in a venue, transmitting the generated customer related data to an analysis engine, determining based on an analysis of the customer related data a customer experience, identifying at least one suggestion to provide better customer service including the identification of a representative of the venue that the analysis engine has determined can assist the customer, and receiving the at least one suggestion including an indication that the representative should assist the customer from the analysis engine by a computing device associated with the representative of the venue.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2017
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Marco A. Deluca, Timothy M. Francis, Leho Nigul, Brian W. Thomson
  • Publication number: 20170262534
    Abstract: In a method for utilizing multiple social computing services of a user. A processor receives a request for an action to be executed, wherein the action includes a required relationship between a user and one or more contacts of a set of contacts and a required interest. A processor determines the one or more contacts that have the required relationship with the user and the required interest. A processor causes the action to be executed based on the determined one or more contacts. The set of contacts includes a first set of contacts from a first networking service and a second set of contacts from a second networking service. The action is external from the first networking service and the second networking service.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 30, 2017
    Publication date: September 14, 2017
    Inventors: Joanna W. Ng, Diana Lau, Arthur G. Ryman, Timothy M. Francis
  • Patent number: 9710565
    Abstract: In a method for utilizing multiple social computing services of a user, a processor accesses a first networking service of a user and a second networking service of the user, wherein the first networking service includes a first group of contacts connected with the user and the second networking service includes a second group of contacts connected with the user. A processor retrieves the first group from the first networking service and the second group from the second networking service. A processor creates a set of contacts, wherein the set of contacts includes each contact of the first group of contacts with a corresponding link to information about that contact, and each contact of the second group of contacts with a corresponding link to information about that contact, and wherein a contact of the set of contacts has an associated relationship, established externally from either networking service, with the user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 26, 2014
    Date of Patent: July 18, 2017
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Joanna W. Ng, Diana Lau, Arthur G. Ryman, Timothy M. Francis
  • Patent number: 9600590
    Abstract: In a method for utilizing multiple social computing services of a user, a processor accesses a first networking service of a user and a second networking service of the user, wherein the first networking service includes a first group of contacts connected with the user and the second networking service includes a second group of contacts connected with the user. A processor retrieves the first group from the first networking service and the second group from the second networking service. A processor creates a set of contacts, wherein the set of contacts includes each contact of the first group of contacts with a corresponding link to information about that contact, and each contact of the second group of contacts with a corresponding link to information about that contact, and wherein a contact of the set of contacts has an associated relationship, established externally from either networking service, with the user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 13, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 21, 2017
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Joanna W. Ng, Diana Lau, Arthur G. Ryman, Timothy M. Francis
  • Publication number: 20150081697
    Abstract: In a method for utilizing multiple social computing services of a user, a processor accesses a first networking service of a user and a second networking service of the user, wherein the first networking service includes a first group of contacts connected with the user and the second networking service includes a second group of contacts connected with the user. A processor retrieves the first group from the first networking service and the second group from the second networking service. A processor creates a set of contacts, wherein the set of contacts includes each contact of the first group of contacts with a corresponding link to information about that contact, and each contact of the second group of contacts with a corresponding link to information about that contact, and wherein a contact of the set of contacts has an associated relationship, established externally from either networking service, with the user.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 26, 2014
    Publication date: March 19, 2015
    Inventors: Joanna W. Ng, Diana Lau, Arthur G. Ryman, Timothy M. Francis
  • Publication number: 20150081784
    Abstract: In a method for utilizing multiple social computing services of a user, a processor accesses a first networking service of a user and a second networking service of the user, wherein the first networking service includes a first group of contacts connected with the user and the second networking service includes a second group of contacts connected with the user. A processor retrieves the first group from the first networking service and the second group from the second networking service. A processor creates a set of contacts, wherein the set of contacts includes each contact of the first group of contacts with a corresponding link to information about that contact, and each contact of the second group of contacts with a corresponding link to information about that contact, and wherein a contact of the set of contacts has an associated relationship, established externally from either networking service, with the user.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 13, 2013
    Publication date: March 19, 2015
    Applicant: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Joanna W. Ng, Diana Lau, Arthur G. Ryman, Timothy M. Francis
  • Patent number: 8819196
    Abstract: The invention provides a mechanism for convenient management for configuring and selecting servers for running modules. The invention provides a method for managing a plurality of servers including receiving a request to configure a suitable server being suitable for running a module, locating an identifier of the suitable server from a table comprising identifiers of suitable servers, configuring the suitable server to run the module.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 3, 2002
    Date of Patent: August 26, 2014
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Timothy G. Deboer, Timothy M. Francis, Sheldon B. Wosnick, Siu Chung Yuen
  • Patent number: 8453109
    Abstract: Embodiments of the invention provide a dictionary, which may be modified by a developer, that provides a mapping of the generation routine to be performed and a pointer or identifier of the generator employed for the specified generation routine. As will be appreciated, embodiments of the invention may employ a dictionary which comprises a plurality of generation routine-code generator identity data pairs. A generator routine may be, for example, associated with the generation of source code associated with a particular object class, fields, methods, method bodies, procedures, comments, subroutines and the like. By modifying a generation routine-code generator identity data pair in a generator dictionary, a developer or user is able to modify the source code (e.g., the structure and/or content of the source) which is ultimately generated by the generator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 5, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 28, 2013
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Kenneth A. Chupa, Timothy M. Francis, Steven F. Wasleski, L. Scott Rich
  • Publication number: 20080155497
    Abstract: Embodiments of the invention provide a dictionary, which may be modified by a developer, that provides a mapping of the generation routine to be performed and a pointer or identifier of the generator employed for the specified generation routine. As will be appreciated, embodiments of the invention may employ a dictionary which comprises a plurality of generation routine-code generator identity data pairs. A generator routine may be, for example, associated with the generation of source code associated with a particular object class, fields, methods, method bodies, procedures, comments, subroutines and the like. By modifying a generation routine-code generator identity data pair in a generator dictionary, a developer or user is able to modify the source code (e.g., the structure and/or content of the source) which is ultimately generated by the generator.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 5, 2008
    Publication date: June 26, 2008
    Inventors: Kenneth A. Chupa, Timothy M. Francis, Steven F. Wasleski, L. Scott Rich
  • Patent number: 7389492
    Abstract: Embodiments of the invention provide a dictionary, which may be modified by a developer, that provides a mapping of the generation routine to be performed and a pointer or identifier of the generator employed for the specified generation routine. As will be appreciated, embodiments of the invention may employ a dictionary which comprises a plurality of generation routine-code generator identity data pairs. A generator routine may be, for example, associated with the generation of source code associated with a particular object class, fields, methods, method bodies, procedures, comments, subroutines and the like. By modifying a generation routine-code generator identity data pair in a generator dictionary, a developer or user is able to modify the source code (e.g., the structure and/or content of the source) which is ultimately generated by the generator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 12, 2001
    Date of Patent: June 17, 2008
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Kenneth A. Chupa, Timothy M. Francis, Steven F. Wasleski, L. Scott Rich
  • Patent number: 7062529
    Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention separates raw server configuration data (data describing how the server is to operate—e.g., network port number, security settings, software drivers, etc.) from server instance data (data which describes where to run a server and how to process user code—e.g., which directories to access, where the user code is located, etc.). Embodiments of the present invention may have raw server configuration data and server instance data stored as, for example, text files. A file embodying raw server configuration data may be copied and reused on multiple computer systems. Similarly, a file embodying server instance data may also be copied and reused on multiple computer systems. Embodiments of the present invention process the raw server configuration data file and the server instance file to generate an overall server configuration file which configures a server to operate in the desired manner so that user code can be successfully deployed on the configured server.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 30, 2002
    Date of Patent: June 13, 2006
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Timothy G. Deboer, Timothy M. Francis, Sheldon B. Wosnick, Siu Chung Yuen
  • Publication number: 20040205696
    Abstract: Embodiments of the invention provide a dictionary, which may be modified by a developer, that provides a mapping of the generation routine to be performed and a pointer or identifier of the generator employed for the specified generation routine. As will be appreciated, embodiments of the invention may employ a dictionary which comprises a plurality of generation routine-code generator identity data pairs. A generator routine may be, for example, associated with the generation of source code associated with a particular object class, fields, methods, method bodies, procedures, comments, subroutines and the like. By modifying a generation routine-code generator identity data pair in a generator dictionary, a developer or user is able to modify the source code (e.g., the structure and/or content of the source) which is ultimately generated by the generator.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 12, 2001
    Publication date: October 14, 2004
    Applicant: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Kenneth A. Chupa, Timothy M. Francis, Steven F. Wasleski, L. Scott Rich
  • Publication number: 20040133665
    Abstract: The invention provides a mechanism for convenient management for configuring and selecting servers for running modules. The invention provides a method for managing a plurality of servers including receiving a request to configure a suitable server being suitable for running a module, locating an identifier of the suitable server from a table comprising identifiers of suitable servers, configuring the suitable server to run the module.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 21, 2003
    Publication date: July 8, 2004
    Inventors: Timothy G. Deboer, Timothy M. Francis, Sheldon B. Wosnick, Siu chung Yuen