Patents by Inventor Todd Ward

Todd Ward 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: 11769007
    Abstract: An approach for generating synthetic treebanks to be used in training a parser in a production system is provided. A processor receives a request to generate one or more synthetic treebanks from a production system, wherein the request indicates a language for the one or more synthetic treebanks. A processor retrieves at least one corpus of text in which the requested language is present. A processor provides the at least one corpus to a transformer enhanced parser neural network model. A processor generates at least one synthetic treebank associated with a string of text from the at least one corpus of text in which the requested language is present. A processor sends the at least one synthetic treebank to the production system, wherein the production system trains a parser utilized by the production system with the at least one synthetic treebank.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 27, 2021
    Date of Patent: September 26, 2023
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Yousef El-Kurdi, Radu Florian, Hiroshi Kanayama, Efsun Kayi, Laura Chiticariu, Takuya Ohko, Robert Todd Ward
  • Publication number: 20230267301
    Abstract: One or more computer processors responsive to neural network run-time, reduce one or more sets of maximum activations along a hidden dimension respectively associated with one or more activation tensors and one or more layers of a neural network. The one or more computer processors compute an interquartile range (IQR) clip threshold for each reduced set for each sequence dimension in the neural network. The one or more computer processors clip one or more activations based on respective computed IQR clip thresholds. The one or more computer processors quantize the clipped activations.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 23, 2022
    Publication date: August 24, 2023
    Inventors: YOUSEF EL-KURDI, Jerome L Quinn, Robert Todd Ward
  • Publication number: 20220382972
    Abstract: An approach for generating synthetic treebanks to be used in training a parser in a production system is provided. A processor receives a request to generate one or more synthetic treebanks from a production system, wherein the request indicates a language for the one or more synthetic treebanks. A processor retrieves at least one corpus of text in which the requested language is present. A processor provides the at least one corpus to a transformer enhanced parser neural network model. A processor generates at least one synthetic treebank associated with a string of text from the at least one corpus of text in which the requested language is present. A processor sends the at least one synthetic treebank to the production system, wherein the production system trains a parser utilized by the production system with the at least one synthetic treebank.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 27, 2021
    Publication date: December 1, 2022
    Inventors: YOUSEF EL-KURDI, Radu Florian, HIROSHI KANAYAMA, Efsun Kayi, LAURA CHITICARIU, Takuya Ohko, Robert Todd Ward
  • Publication number: 20220138559
    Abstract: A method of using a computing device to improve an answer generated by a natural language question and answer system includes receiving, by a computing device, multiple questions in a natural language question and answer system. The computing device further generates multiple answers to the multiple questions. The computing device still further constructs a new training set with the generated multiple answers, where each answer is compared with a corresponding question of the multiple questions. The computing device additionally augments the new training set with one or more tokens delimiting a span of one or more of the generated multiple answers. The computing device further trains a new natural language question and answer system with the augmented new training set.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 5, 2020
    Publication date: May 5, 2022
    Inventors: Revanth Gangi Reddy, Rong Zhang, MD ARAFAT SULTAN, Efsun Kayi, Avirup Sil, Robert Todd Ward, Vittorio Castelli
  • Patent number: 9418061
    Abstract: Techniques for translating and presenting text in a structured document are provided. A structured document including text to be translated is received. At least one portion of the text to be translated is translated into at least one representation of translated text of a specific language. The translation is carried out in accordance with a prioritization schedule. Further, the representation of translated text is provided by at least first and second servers, the first server independently providing the representation of translated text of a first quality and the second server independently providing the representation of translated text of a second quality, the first quality being different than the second quality. As the text is translated, the representation of translated text is presented immediately when available.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 14, 2007
    Date of Patent: August 16, 2016
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Abraham P. Ittycheriah, Leiming Qian, Robert Todd Ward, Jian-Ming Xu
  • Patent number: 7946086
    Abstract: A system for constructing masonry block walls having spaced-apart pilasters and panels supported by and extending between the pilasters. In certain embodiments, the pilasters are constructed from stacks of pilaster blocks which are secured together using at least one vertical, post-tensioned reinforcing member, without the use of grout to connect the reinforcing members to the pilaster blocks. The pilasters are constructed from at least two laterally spaced-apart stacks of pilaster blocks positioned on opposite sides of the wall. The panels are constructed from courses of panel blocks, and do not require the use of mortar to connect adjacent blocks. The pilasters provide an arrangement in which a panel can supported in an upright position by virtue of one end portion being positioned between two stacks of blocks of a first pilaster and the opposite end portion of the panel being positioned between two stacks of blocks of a second pilaster.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 10, 2006
    Date of Patent: May 24, 2011
    Assignee: Westblock Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: James Hammer, Todd Ward
  • Patent number: 7783633
    Abstract: An improved method, apparatus, and computer instructions displaying search results. A query is received in a first language. A snippet in the document containing the word is selected in response to identifying a document in a second language in which the document contains a word matching a query word in the query. This snippet is translated into the first language.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 19, 2004
    Date of Patent: August 24, 2010
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Radu Florian, Martin Franz, Jeffrey Scott McCarley, Robert Todd Ward
  • Publication number: 20090158137
    Abstract: Techniques for translating and presenting text in a structured document are provided. A structured document including text to be translated is received. At least one portion of the text to be translated is translated into at least one representation of translated text of a specific language. The translation is carried out in accordance with a prioritization schedule. Further, the representation of translated text is provided by at least first and second servers, the first server independently providing the representation of translated text of a first quality and the second server independently providing the representation of translated text of a second quality, the first quality being different than the second quality. As the text is translated, the representation of translated text is presented immediately when available.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 14, 2007
    Publication date: June 18, 2009
    Inventors: Abraham P. Ittycheriah, Leiming Qian, Robert Todd Ward, Jian-Ming Xu
  • Patent number: 7464024
    Abstract: A parser is provided that parses a Chinese text stream at the character level and builds a syntactic structure of Chinese character sequences. A character-based syntactic parse tree contains word boundaries, part-of-speech tags, and phrasal structure information. Syntactic knowledge constrains the system when it determines word boundaries. A deterministic procedure is used to convert word-based parse trees into character-based trees. Character-level tags are derived from word-level part-of-speech tags and word-boundary information is encoded with a positional tag. Word-level parts-of-speech become a constituent label in character-based trees. A maximum entropy parser is then built and tested.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 16, 2004
    Date of Patent: December 9, 2008
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Xiaoqiang Luo, Robert Todd Ward
  • Publication number: 20060248778
    Abstract: The invention is an apparatus for automated jigging of a fishing pole. The apparatus includes: a base connecting to a support surface, an arm pivotally connected to the base at a first connection area, a fishing pole engaging element pivotally connected to the arm at a second connection area and at an operator selected and operator modifiable angle, an assembly for selectively pivoting the arm around the first connection area with the base, an assembly for selectively and adjustably controlling a minimum elevation occupied by the second connection area. The apparatus may further include: an assembly for automatically disengaging the assembly for selectively pivoting the arm responsive to a downward force upon the fishing pole and an assembly for jerking a line portion of the fishing pole upward responsive to a downward force exerted by a fish upon the fishing pole.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 3, 2005
    Publication date: November 9, 2006
    Inventors: Todd Ward, Brent Parker
  • Publication number: 20060201082
    Abstract: A system for constructing masonry block walls having spaced-apart pilasters and panels supported by and extending between the pilasters. In certain embodiments, the pilasters are constructed from stacks of pilaster blocks which are secured together using at least one vertical, post-tensioned reinforcing member, without the use of grout to connect the reinforcing members to the pilaster blocks. The pilasters are constructed from at least two laterally spaced-apart stacks of pilaster blocks positioned on opposite sides of the wall. The panels are constructed from courses of panel blocks, and do not require the use of mortar to connect adjacent blocks. The pilasters provide an arrangement in which a panel can supported in an upright position by virtue of one end portion being positioned between two stacks of blocks of a first pilaster and the opposite end portion of the panel being positioned between two stacks of blocks of a second pilaster.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 10, 2006
    Publication date: September 14, 2006
    Inventors: James Hammer, Todd Ward
  • Publication number: 20050057260
    Abstract: The present invention provides a voltage conditioning interface module to condition an electrical signal locally. This module receives the unsafe electrical signal at an input port. This input port is electrically coupled to an external sampling point on an electrical circuit or system under test. A conditioning circuit having both a voltage reducing circuit and a voltage limiting circuit provides a reduced voltage. The voltage limiting circuit is in parallel with the output terminals that output the reduced voltage. This arrangement ensures that when a circuit element within the voltage reducing circuit fails, an unsafe condition does not exist across these terminals.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 11, 2003
    Publication date: March 17, 2005
    Inventors: Ronnie Lindley, Todd Ward
  • Patent number: 5991710
    Abstract: A system for translating a first word set in a source language into a second word set in a target language, the system comprising: input means for inputting the first word set into the system; tagging means for tagging the first word set input to the system so as to at least substantially reduce non-essential variability in the first word set; translation means including a single a posteriori conditional probability model and a target candidate store for storing target language candidate word sets, wherein the translation means employs the single model to evaluate the target language candidate word sets in order to select the target language candidate word set having a best score with respect to the first word set; and output means for outputting the best scoring target language candidate word set as the second word set in the target language.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 20, 1997
    Date of Patent: November 23, 1999
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Kishore Ananda Papineni, Salim Estephan Roukos, Robert Todd Ward
  • Patent number: 5987404
    Abstract: The invention proposes using statistical methods to do natural language understanding. The key notion is that there are "strings" of words in the natural language, that correspond to a single semantic concept. One can then define an alignment between an entire semantic meaning (consisting of a set of semantic concepts), and the English. This is modeled using P(E,A.vertline.S). One can model p(S) separately. This allows each parameter to be modeled using many different statistical models.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 29, 1996
    Date of Patent: November 16, 1999
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Stephen Andrew Della Pietra, Mark Edward Epstein, Martin Franz, Joshua David Sherer Koppelman, Salim Estephan Roukos, Robert Todd Ward