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Fang Lu, Billerica US

Fang Lu, Billerica, MA US

Patent application numberDescriptionPublished
20090006980METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR PROVIDING USER REPRESENTATIONS IN REAL-TIME COLLABORATION SESSION PARTICIPANT LISTS REFLECTING EXTERNAL COMMUNICATIONS TOGETHER WITH USER REPRESENTATIONS IN EXTERNAL COMMUNICATION APPLICATIONS INDICATING CURRENT REAL-TIME COLLABORATION SESSION PARTICIPATION - A system for providing user representations in real-time collaboration application participant lists reflecting external communications, together with user representations in external communication applications indicating current real-time collaboration session participation. A participant list in a collaboration session represents other participants with whom the local user has recently or frequently communicated in a visually separate area. User representations associated with messages, entries, or the like, and contained in applications external to the collaboration application are displayed in a way that visually indicates the user's current participation in a collaboration session.01-01-2009
20090016404INTELLIGENT THERMOMETER - A device for measuring the body temperature of a user is provided. The device comprises a casing having an opening; a sensing device extending from the opening of the casing, the sensing device configured for measuring the body temperature of the user and generating an output signal when the sensing device is received by the user, the output signal indicative of the body temperature of the user; and a controller in electrical communication with the sensing device, the controller configured to receive the output signal and to calculate a temperature reading representative of the body temperature of the user, the controller further configured to determine whether the temperature reading is within one of a plurality of temperature ranges based on the age of the user, and the controller further configured to generate a dosage amount of a plurality of medicines based on the age of the user and weight of the user.01-15-2009
20090037843METHODS FOR SPLITTING AND MERGING CALENDAR ENTRIES - A method of merging and splitting calendar entries is provided. The method of merging includes initiating a Personal Information Management (PIM) that is configured to manage a calendar, opening the calendar, selecting a first calendar entry and a second calendar entry, and selecting an owner action selection of the PIM. The owner action selection includes a merge and split selection. Selecting the merge selection combines information of the first calendar entry with information of the second calendar entry, such that a new calendar entry is created that includes the combined information of both the first and second calendar entries. A time and/or place is entered for the new calendar entry having the combined information. Additionally, selecting a split selection initiates a first and second pane where the second pane includes two subsections with original calendar entry information that may be amended and saved as two new calendar entries.02-05-2009
20090089062PUBLIC SPEAKING SELF-EVALUATION TOOL - A public speaking self-evaluation tool that helps a user practice public speaking in terms of avoiding undesirable words or sounds, maintaining a desirable speech rhythm, and ensuring that the user is regularly glancing at the audience. The system provides a user interface through which the user is able to define the undesirable words or sounds that are to be avoided, as well as a maximum frequency of occurrence threshold to be used for providing warning signals based on detection of such filler or undesirable words or sounds. The user interface allows a user to define a speech rhythm, e.g. in terms of spoken syllables per minute, that is another maximum threshold for providing a visual warning indication. The disclosed system also provides a visual indication when the user fails to glance at the audience at least as often as defined by a predefined minimum threshold.04-02-2009
20090112995E-MAIL AND FILE TRACKER - A method, system, and computer program product for tracking e-mail and e-mail attachment usage information is provided. A request to track an e-mail is received. The recipients of the e-mail are determined. E-mail usage information for the e-mail is determined for each recipient. A determination is made as to whether the e-mail comprises at least one attachment. Responsive to a determination that the e-mail comprises at least one attachment, attachment usage information for the at least one attachment is determined for each recipient. Recipients are grouped based on a location of each recipient. Path information for the e-mail is generated. Data, comprising the e-mail usage information, the attachment usage information, the path information, and grouping information, is sent to a remote data processing system. A visual representation of the data is displayed at the remote data processing system.04-30-2009
20090125477FOREIGN LANGUAGE ABBREVIATION TRANSLATION IN AN INSTANT MESSAGING SYSTEM - A system for automatically providing foreign language abbreviation translation in an instant messaging system that identifies a foreign language abbreviation translation database based on a user indicated source culture. The foreign abbreviation translation database stores abbreviation translations for foreign language abbreviations frequently used by people from the user indicated source culture. The system locates a candidate term in an instant message and compares the candidate term to the foreign language abbreviations in the foreign language abbreviation translation database. In the event that the candidate term matches one of the foreign language abbreviations in the identified foreign language abbreviation translation database, the corresponding translation is retrieved and displayed. The comparison of the candidate term with the foreign language abbreviations may include automatically obtaining a transliteration of the candidate term. The disclosed system advantageously enables translation of foreign language abbreviations to be performed in real-time.05-14-2009
20090138504ELECTRONIC CALENDAR SCHEDULING METHOD - A method of applying an action to an electronic calendar entry is disclosed. The method includes specifying a criteria and an associated event action and determining if the electronic calendar entry meets the specified criteria. In response to determining that the electronic calendar entry meets the specified criteria, applying the associated event action to the electronic calendar entry.05-28-2009
20090144047METHODS INVOLVING TRANSLATING TEXT EMPHASIS - An exemplary method for translating emphasis in text, the method comprising, receiving text in a first language, determining a first emphasis associated with the first language in the text, comparing the first emphasis with emphases associated with a second language to determine a second emphasis associated with the second language corresponding to the first emphasis, converting the text in the first language having the first emphasis into text having the second emphasis associated with the second language, and outputting the converted text to a display.06-04-2009
20090150490METHODS INVOLVING ARCHIVING CHAT SESSIONS - An exemplary method for archiving chat sessions comprising, receiving text from chat sessions designated for archiving, requesting an identifier of a chat session archive file, receiving the identifier, determining whether a chat session archive file having the identifier exists in a memory, opening the chat session archive file having the identifier, responsive to determining that a chat session archive file having the identifier exists in the memory, adding the text from the designated chat sessions to the chat session archive file having the identifier, saving the chat session archive file having the identifier in a memory, creating a new chat session archive file having the identifier responsive to determining that a chat session archive file having the identifier does not exist., inserting the text from the designated chat sessions into the new chat session archive file, and saving the new chat session archive file in the memory.06-11-2009
20090150494JUST-IN TIME MAILING LIST TRAFFIC INDICATOR - Traffic of email messages sent to an email list is monitored, and a number of email messages sent to the email list per day is determined. An average number of email messages sent to the email list per day is determined over a number of days. The determined average number of email message sent to the email list per day is updated every day. In response to a user request to send an email message to the email list on a given day, the user is presented with a traffic indicator. The traffic indicator includes an updated average number of email messages sent to the email list per day and a number representing how many email messages have been sent to the email list on the given day at the time the user requests to send the email message.06-11-2009
20090150496AUTOMATED TRANSLATOR FOR SYSTEM-GENERATED PREFIXES - A method is provided for localizing a prefix in a subject header field of an incoming electronic message. The method comprises receiving a value string of a subject header in an electronic message; identifying a system-generated prefix in the value string by parsing the value string and accessing a database storing a plurality of system-generated prefixes and a corresponding comparable local prefix for each of the plurality of system-generated prefixes; and converting the system-generated prefix to its corresponding comparable local prefix in the database.06-11-2009
20090150774METHOD OF ORGANIZING APPLICATION SPECIFIC DOCUMENTS BASED ON DOCUMENT ATTRIBUTES - A method of organizing application-specific documents of a computer system includes receiving a user-based selection of at least one document attribute through an application residing on a processor of the computer system, searching currently open documents within the application to locate documents associated with the at least one document attribute, organizing a first attribute group based on results of the searching, and graphically representing the first attribute group as a group of application-specific documents. The searching includes retrieving status information from the currently open documents and the organizing includes categorizing documents associated with the at least one document attribute and grouping the categorized documents as the first attribute group.06-11-2009
20090164911SYSTEMS, METHODS AND COMPUTER PROGRAM PRODUCTS FOR CREATING PARENT/CHILD ENTRIES FOR A CALENDAR EVENT TO ENABLE CUSTOMIZATION FOR CALENDAR-EVENT ATTENDEES - Systems, methods and computer program products for a parent/child approach to calendar-event notices with user-set selective enabling of which child is displayed. Systems, methods and computer program products described herein include a method for generating a notice for a calendar-event, the method including identifying calendar event criteria and attendees for the calendar-event, creating a notice for the calendar-event including parent calendar event criteria, enabling child attachments for the calendar-event notice, setting preferences for the child attachments, creating the child attachment with child calendar event criteria and attaching the child attachment to the calendar-event notice, associating the parent calendar-event criteria with the child calendar-event criteria and selecting which child calendar-event criteria is displayed with the parent calendar-event criteria in response to displaying the parent calendar-event criteria on a computer.06-25-2009
20090172115NAME RESOLUTION IN EMAIL - An email recipient input name is received. It is determined if the email recipient input name is ambiguous. If the email recipient input name is ambiguous, one or more employee attributes of a plurality of possible intended email recipients are compared with one or more employee attributes of an email sender to determine a probable intended email recipient.07-02-2009
20090177974MULTIPLE PROFILES FOR A USER IN A SYNCHRONOUS CONFERENCING ENVIRONMENT - A method, system, and computer program product for managing multiple profiles in a synchronous conferencing system. A synchronous conferencing account is provided for a first user of the synchronous conferencing system. The synchronous conferencing account includes a plurality of user profiles for the first user. The user profiles identify the first user differently. Each user profile is associated with one or more data fields identifying the first user. The data fields may include any or all of a name, a nickname, a login name, and an avatar. A request from a second user of the synchronous conferencing system to communicate with the first user is received. The request includes an identification of the second user. One of the user profiles is selected based on the identification of the second user. The data fields associated with the selected user profile are transmitted to the second user.07-09-2009
20090222255USING GENDER ANALYSIS OF NAMES TO ASSIGN AVATARS IN INSTANT MESSAGING APPLICATIONS - A method for displaying gender-based avatar representations of users in instant messaging communications comprises receiving a username for a first user having a first user account registered with an instant messaging system; performing an anthroponomastic analysis of the username to assign a probable gender for the first user selected from male, female, and neutral; displaying a current contact area in a communication session window of a user interface provided by an instant messaging application on a client system operated by a second user having a second user account registered with the instant messaging system; and displaying the username for the first user and an avatar representation indicative of the probable gender for the first user in the current contact area while the instant messaging application is accessing the instant messaging system to allow the second user to participate in instant messaging communication with the first user via the user interface.09-03-2009
20090222526USING GENDER ANALYSIS OF NAMES TO ASSIGN AVATARS IN INSTANT MESSAGING APPLICATIONS - A data processing system includes a processor, a memory, and computer readable instructions stored in the memory for execution by the processor to perform a method comprising receiving a username for a first user having a first user account registered with an instant messaging system; performing an anthroponomastic analysis of the username to assign a probable gender selected from male, female, and neutral; displaying a current contact area in a communication session window of a user interface provided by an instant messaging application on a client system operated by a second user having a second user account; and displaying the username for the first user and an avatar representation indicative of the probable gender in the current contact area while the instant messaging application is accessing the instant messaging system to allow the second user to participate in instant messaging communication with the first user via the user interface.09-03-2009
20090254615APPARATUS, SYSTEM, AND METHOD FOR MANAGING COLLABORATIVE SHARING BY INVITEES TO A MEETING OF THEIR MEETING STATUS - An apparatus, system, and method are disclosed for allowing a particular invitee to a meeting to control the distribution of information about the particular invitee's posture with respect to the meeting that determines a plurality of invitees to the meeting from a meeting invitation, selects invitees to the meeting from the plurality of invitees to the meeting based on criteria in a meeting profile unique to the particular invitee, generates a message to the selected invitees disclosing the status of the particular invitee relative to the meeting, and provides the message to the selected invitees.10-08-2009
20090254858DYNAMIC E-MAIL SIGNATURE MANAGER - A dynamic electronic mail signature manager for managing a user's electronic mail signatures inserted into electronic mail messages. An electronic mail signature is displayed within a message composition user interface such that each component of the electronic mail signature is displayed in either an “include” display state or a visually distinct “omit” display state. Electronic mail signature components that are in the “omit” display state at the time the user indicates that the electronic mail message is to be sent are not included in the transmitted message. The user can toggle signature components between the “include” and “omit” display states by selecting individual objects. The initial state of each component when the user begins to compose a message (e.g. a new message, a reply message, etc.) may be automatically determined based on user configuration information, and/or based on message history information with respect to an indicated destination.10-08-2009
20090271714IDENTIFYING MUTUAL FRIENDS IN ONLINE ENVIRONMENTS - The invention described herein detects an external user entering into a virtual world that includes a virtual area. In turn, the invention described herein identifies a plurality of joined users that joined each virtual area and computes a joined user weighting for each of the plurality of joined users. The joined user weightings include friend of a friend level weightings and commonality weightings. Next, the invention described herein computes a virtual area friendliness level for each of the virtual areas by aggregating each of the joined user weightings for each of the virtual areas, and provides the virtual area friendliness levels to the external user in order for the external user to select the appropriate virtual area.10-29-2009
20090273562ENHANCING COMPUTER SCREEN SECURITY USING CUSTOMIZED CONTROL OF DISPLAYED CONTENT AREA - A method, system and computer program product for enhancing the computer screen security. The gaze of a user on a screen is tracked. The locations of the screen other than the location of the gaze of the user are distorted. Information is displayed in an area on the screen (“content area”) at the location of the user's gaze. Upon receiving input (e.g., audio, touch, key sequences) from the user to tune the content area on the screen to display information, the received input is mapped to a command for tuning the content area on the screen to display the information. The content area is then reconfigured in accordance with the user's request. By allowing the content area to be customized by the user, the security is enhanced by allowing the user to control what information is to be kept private.11-05-2009
20090313240METHOD OF EDITING RECIPIENT HEADER FIELDS BASED ON EMAIL CONTENT - A method is provided for flagging email messages sent to a user containing inquiries directed to the user comprises defining a natural language model for a set of inquiring phrasal forms in a first data store; defining a list of terms used to identify a first user having an email address managed by a host system in a second data store; accessing the host system to retrieve an email message sent to the email address; parsing a textual content of a body of the email message to generate one or more natural language tokens each corresponding to a text string in the body; accessing the first data store to identify each of the one or more natural language tokens that matches with an inquiring phrasal form; accessing the second data store to determine if any of the text strings corresponding to the one or more natural language tokens that match with an inquiring phrasal form includes a term from the list of terms; and flagging the email message if any of the text strings in the message body corresponding to the one or more natural language tokens that match with an inquiring phrasal form includes a term from the list of terms.12-17-2009
20090327019MEETING SCHEDULING SYSTEM - A method, programmed medium and system are provided in which a user has an option to prioritize meetings and individuals who have access to the user's calendar. The disclosed exemplary embodiments provide for prioritizing meetings and allowing a certain set of favorite people see the availability based on priority. Users are enabled to designate specific individuals and corresponding priority levels for the designated individuals who have access to the user's calendar. A high priority user is enabled to schedule a meeting on other users' calendars based on the priority level of the scheduling user. The system automatically determines the priority level of the scheduling user and displays calendars of other invited users by displaying only other scheduled meetings which have a higher priority level thereby enabling automatic priority level scheduling for all users of the calendar system.12-31-2009
20100036917ELECTRONIC MAIL REPLY WITH UPDATE - When a user reading a received e-mail message selects a reply with revisions option, a user interface object is generated that allows the user to directly revise the contents of the received e-mail message, and to provide a reason for the revision. The resulting reply message is a revision of the original message, and is transmitted to original sender and all other recipients of the original message, with indications of how and by whom the original message was revised. When multiple revisions of a message are received, the multiple revisions are automatically merged into a single user interface object such that all the revisions can be read simultaneously by the receiving user. The user viewing the merged revisions can select a show revision details user interface option that causes the details of the merged revisions to be displayed.02-11-2010
20100070863 METHOD FOR READING A SCREEN - The present disclosure is directed to a method for reading a computer screen having a set of information and a button for submitting the set of information. The method may comprise collecting the set of information; determining a set of representative information, wherein the set of representative information is a subset of the set of information; concatenating the set of representative information to form a summarized context; associating the summarized context with the button; and producing audible sound reciting the summarized context when the button receives focus from a computer mouse.03-18-2010
20100083149REPLY TO MOST RECENT MESSAGE - A computer communication system that allows a user to conveniently display the most recent received messages associated with another user, and to directly initiate composition of a reply to a selected one of those displayed messages. When the user selects the disclosed “Reply to Most Recent” user interface element, a user name entry user interface object is generated that allows the user to specify the name of another user. A reply message user interface object is generated directly to the user interface, such that the reply message user interface object includes a message composition window that is automatically loaded with content from a most recent message from the specified user, and recipients for the reply message are loaded from that most recent message.04-01-2010
20100169828COMPUTER DESKTOP ORGANIZATION VIA MAGNET ICONS - Embodiments of the present invention provide a method, system and computer program product for computer desktop organization via magnet icons. In an embodiment of the invention, a method for computer desktop organization via magnet icons can include creating a magnet icon and placing the magnet icon on a graphical user interface (GUI) desktop. The method also includes selecting an object attribute for the magnet icon and filtering icons on the GUI desktop according to the object attribute. Finally, the method includes moving the filtered icons in proximity to the magnet icon on the GUI desktop. In one aspect of the embodiment, the method further includes receiving an operation to be applied to the magnet icon and concurrently applying the operation to the filtered icons in proximity to the magnet icon.07-01-2010
20110131523GROUPING OF WINDOWS BASED ON USER-DEFINED CONTEXTS - The grouping of windows based on user-defined contexts is disclosed. A computer-implemented method of grouping windows based on user-defined contexts in accordance with an embodiment includes: assigning a user-defined context to a plurality of elements in an environment; grouping the plurality of elements into at least one group based on the user-defined context assigned to each of the plurality of elements; and displaying a context window tab corresponding to each group of elements.06-02-2011
20110161437ACTION-BASED E-MAIL MESSAGE QUOTA MONITORING - E-mail applications can be extended to allow recipients to specify quotas indicating maximum numbers of e-mail messages from specific senders based on actions indicated for the recipients to take. A sender can set a quota specifying that no more than five action related e-mail messages should be sent by each sender per week. Quotas may also be set for a number of e-mail messages received that do not require action. Recipient quota information is accessible by senders' e-mail applications so that senders are aware of the quotas before sending an e-mail message. After determining recipients for an e-mail message, an e-mail application can determine quotas for the recipients based on an action indicated in the e-mail message for the sender. The e-mail application can determine if the e-mail message to be sent will approach or reach the quota, and display a notification before the sender sends the e-mail message.06-30-2011

Patent applications by Fang Lu, Billerica, MA US