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John R. Smith

John R. Smith, Hillsboro, OR US

Patent application numberDescriptionPublished
20100287110ELECTRONIC EMPLOYEE SELECTION SYSTEMS AND METHODS - An automated employee selection system can use a variety of techniques to provide information for assisting in selection of employees. For example, pre-hire and post-hire information can be collected electronically and used to build an artificial-intelligence based model. The model can then be used to predict a desired job performance criterion (e.g., tenure, number of accidents, sales level, or the like) for new applicants. A wide variety of features can be supported, such as electronic reporting. Pre-hire information identified as ineffective can be removed from a collected pre-hire information. For example, ineffective questions can be identified and removed from a job application. New items can be added and their effectiveness tested. As a result, a system can exhibit adaptive learning and maintain or increase effectiveness even under changing conditions.11-11-2010
20100287111ELECTRONIC EMPLOYEE SELECTION SYSTEMS AND METHODS - An automated employee selection system can use a variety of techniques to provide information for assisting in selection of employees. For example, pre-hire and post-hire information can be collected electronically and used to build an artificial-intelligence based model. The model can then be used to predict a desired job performance criterion (e.g., tenure, number of accidents, sales level, or the like) for new applicants. A wide variety of features can be supported, such as electronic reporting. Pre-hire information identified as ineffective can be removed from a collected pre-hire information. For example, ineffective questions can be identified and removed from a job application. New items can be added and their effectiveness tested. As a result, a system can exhibit adaptive learning and maintain or increase effectiveness even under changing conditions.11-11-2010

John R. Smith, Pittsburgh, PA US

Patent application numberDescriptionPublished
20090092529SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR REMOVING GASEOUS POLLUTANTS FROM A GAS STREAM - Horizontal gas-liquid scrubbing systems and associated gas scrubbing methodologies are provided. In one embodiment, a horizontal duct scrubbing system includes a horizontally disposed housing having a waste gas inlet and a treated gas outlet, a liquid inlet manifold disposed within the horizontally disposed housing, the liquid inlet manifold comprising a plurality of nozzles oriented to spray a scrubbing liquor co-current to the flow of a gas stream flowing through the horizontally disposed housing, and a demister located proximal the treated gas outlet, where the horizontally disposed housing is substantially free of flow deflection members between the liquid inlet manifold and the demister. The gas stream may include sulfur dioxide, and the system may be capable of removing at least 71 vol. % sulfur dioxide from the gas stream.04-09-2009
20100175552SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR REMOVING GASEOUS POLLUTANTS FROM A GAS STREAM - Horizontal gas-liquid scrubbing systems and associated gas scrubbing methodologies are provided. In one embodiment, a horizontal duct scrubbing system includes a horizontally disposed housing having a waste gas inlet and a treated gas outlet, a liquid inlet manifold disposed within the horizontally disposed housing, the liquid inlet manifold comprising a plurality of nozzles oriented to spray a scrubbing liquor co-current to the flow of a gas stream flowing through the horizontally disposed housing, and a demister located proximal the treated gas outlet, where the horizontally disposed housing is substantially free of flow deflection members between the liquid inlet manifold and the demister. The gas stream may include sulfur dioxide, and the system may be capable of removing at least 71 vol. % sulfur dioxide from the gas stream.07-15-2010
20100276360METHODS, APPARATUS AND SYSTEMS FOR POLISHING WASTEWATER UTILIZING NATURAL MEDIA FILTRATION - Wastewater treatment systems, methods and apparatus for polishing a wastewater stream comprising a plurality of contaminants are provided. One system includes a vessel containing a plurality of natural media filtration agents selected to remove selected ones of the plurality of contaminants from the wastewater stream. In one embodiment, the vessel includes a bed of bauxite residue and at least one other natural media filtration agent. In another embodiment, the vessel includes a bed of compost and at least one other natural media filtration agent. The vessel includes a wastewater inlet that is in fluid communication with one or more of the natural media filtration agents. The vessel includes a wastewater outlet that is in fluid communication with one or more of the natural media filtration agents.11-04-2010
20110135554SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR REMOVING GASEOUS POLLUTANTS FROM A GAS STREAM - Horizontal gas-liquid scrubbing systems and associated gas scrubbing methodologies are provided. In one embodiment, a horizontal duct scrubbing system includes a horizontally disposed housing having a waste gas inlet and a treated gas outlet, a liquid inlet manifold disposed within the horizontally disposed housing, the liquid inlet manifold comprising a plurality of nozzles oriented to spray a scrubbing liquor co-current to the flow of a gas stream flowing through the horizontally disposed housing, and a demister located proximal the treated gas outlet, where the horizontally disposed housing is substantially free of flow deflection members between the liquid inlet manifold and the demister.06-09-2011

Patent applications by John R. Smith, Pittsburgh, PA US

John R. Smith, Birmingham, MI US

Patent application numberDescriptionPublished
20090321244PROCESS FOR PRODUCING HYDROGEN - The present invention relates to the conversion of water into hydrogen and oxygen, and more particularly to a conversion of water into hydrogen and oxygen using sunlight and an inorganic catalyst. More specifically, the invention relates to systems and processes for generating hydrogen molecules from sunlight and water, such as a process comprising the steps of: i) contacting the water with nanoparticles of an inorganic photocatalyst compound in a reaction zone of a reaction chamber; ii) concentrating sunlight with an optical intensifier such that the intensity is increased by a factor greater than 2; iii) heating the reaction zone to one or more reaction temperatures greater than 140° C. using the concentrated sunlight; and iv) exposing water in the heated reaction zone and in the presence of the inorganic photocatalyst compound, while at the one or more reaction temperatures, to the concentrated sunlight so that a reaction occurs that generates hydrogen molecules from the water; wherein the photocatalyst includes an element selected from Cu, Al, Ti, Ga, Cd, Zn, W, Fe, Sn, Si, or any combination thereof, the water is in the form of water vapor, the step of heating the reaction zone includes a step of converting the sun light into thermal energy, the reaction zone is free of any electrode for a photoelectrochemical process; and wherein the photocatalyst is characterized by one of the following: (1) the nanoparticles are calcined nanoparticles; (2) the nanoparticles includes an element selected from Cu, Al, Ti, Ga, Cd, Zn, W, Fe, Sn, Si, or any combination thereof; or (3) both (1) and (2).12-31-2009

Patent applications by John R. Smith, Birmingham, MI US

John R. Smith, New York, NY US

Patent application numberDescriptionPublished
20080201195SYSTEM AND METOD FOR TRANSFORMING AN ENTERPRISE USING A COMPONENT BUSINESS MODEL - A system and method are described for using a Component Business Model (CBM) to transform a business. A CBM map is used to identify components that collaborate to provide a specified capability, and a repository supporting the CBM map is filtered to provide a view of the identified components that highlights how they collaborate. The view is used to identify component features contributing to the specified capability. The specified capability is then enhanced by a transformation strategy that includes re-engineering particular components, identifying a pattern characterizing the collaboration between components and adding a component to perform the collaborative pattern, and/or adding an additional feature to the collaboration and adding component to perform the additional feature. The CBM repository provides exemplar best practices that can be adapted for use in a re-engineered component.08-21-2008
20080215398SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR USING A COMPONENT BUSINESS MODEL TO MANAGE AN ENTERPRISE - A method and system are described for using the structure and relationships between components in a component business model of an enterprise to assign components providing monitoring data to a management component. In response to the monitoring data, the management component executes a business rule invoking a service that alters a behavior of the enterprise. The management component contains data rules limiting the information provided by the assigned components, analysis rules defining the interaction between components, and report rules for consolidating recommendations for altering behavior of the enterprise, including decisions to invest in certain aspects of the business, to reengineer certain processes of the business, and to alter operation of certain aspects of the business.09-04-2008
20080221940SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR USING THE COMPONENT BUSINESS MODEL TO ANALYZE BUSINESS VALUE DRIVERS - The method and system uses the component business model as a framework for locating business activities. Business value drivers are identified, related in an influence model, and structured into a prioritized driver tree. The driver tree is used to determine the relative contributions of leaf drivers to the overall value of the business. Business activities contributing to the leaf drivers are then identified, and the relative contributions of the leaf drivers are allocated to the business activities and then rolled up to the components for display as a heat map overlay on a component map.09-11-2008
20090037358Computer Program Product and System for Autonomous Classification - An autonomous classification device which enables the creation of autonomous classifiers that are easy to deploy, adapt and optimize in the environment in which they are used. The classifier is autonomous in that it can perform three functions that define autonomic systems: automatically configure itself in an environment, optimize its performance using the environment and mechanisms for performance, and continually adapting to improve performance and heal itself in a changing environment.02-05-2009
20090154806TEMPORAL SEGMENT BASED EXTRACTION AND ROBUST MATCHING OF VIDEO FINGERPRINTS - A computer implemented method, apparatus, and computer program product code for temporal, event-based video fingerprinting. In one embodiment, events in video content are detected. The video content comprises a plurality of video frames. An event represents discrete points of interest in the video content. A set of temporal, event-based segments are generated using the events. Each temporal, event-based segment is a segment of the video content covering a set of events. A time series signal is derived from each temporal, event-based segment using temporal tracking of content-based features of a set of frames associated with the each temporal, event-based segment. A temporal segment based fingerprint is extracted based on the time series signal for the each temporal, event-based segment to form a set of temporal segment based fingerprints associated with the video content.06-18-2009
20090157571METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MODEL-SHARED SUBSPACE BOOSTING FOR MULTI-LABEL CLASSIFICATION - A computer program product includes machine readable instructions for managing data items, the instructions stored on machine readable media, the product including instructions for: initializing a plurality of base models; minimizing a joint loss function to select models from the plurality for a plurality of labels associated with the data items; and at least one of sharing and combining the selected base models to formulate a composite classifier for each label. A computer system and additional computer program product are provided.06-18-2009
20090327200Method and Apparatus for Ontology-Based Classification of Media Content - A method and apparatus for ontology-based classification of media content are provided. With the method and apparatus, initial confidence values of classifiers in a hierarchical classification structure are modified based on relationships between classifiers. A confidence value for a classifier is boosted by a boosting factor based on a correspondence between the confidence value and confidence values of ancestor classifiers in the hierarchical classification structure. A confidence value for a classifier is modified by a confusion factor based on a correspondence between the confidence value of the classifier and the confidence values of mutually exclusive classifiers in the hierarchical classification structure. In this way, a more accurate representation of the actual confidence that media content falls within the classification associated with the classifier is obtained. From this improved classification mechanism, indices for media content may be generated for use in accessing the media content at a later time.12-31-2009

Patent applications by John R. Smith, New York, NY US

John R. Smith, New Hyde Park, NY US

Patent application numberDescriptionPublished
20080222362Method and Apparatus for Execution of a Process - Techniques are provided for enabling execution of a process employing a cache Method steps can include obtaining a first probability of accessing a given artifact in a state S09-11-2008
20080281626Enabling Interoperability Between Participants in a Network - Interoperability is enabled between participants in a network by determining values associated with a value metric defined for at least a portion of the network. Information flow is directed between two or more of the participants based at least in part on semantic models corresponding to the participants and on the values associated with the value metric. The semantic models may define interactions between the participants and define at least a portion of information produced or consumed by the participants. The determination of the values and the direction of the information flow may be performed multiple times in order to modify the one or more value metrics. The direction of information flow may allow participants to be deleted from the network, may allow participants to be added to the network, or may allow behavior of the participants to be modified.11-13-2008
20080306925METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR AUTOMATIC MULTIMEDIA NARRATIVE ENRICHMENT - A method and apparatus is disclosed that receives an input narrative in a particular media format, and produces therefrom a multimedia enriched version of the input narrative. In one embodiment, a method is provided for enriching an input narrative with multimedia content, wherein the method includes the step of selectively segmenting the input narrative to form queries pertaining to different portions or elements of the input narrative. The method further comprises retrieving multimedia artifacts from one or more multimedia repositories, wherein each retrieved multimedia artifact is associated with one of the queries, and selecting a subset of the retrieved multimedia artifacts, wherein the subset includes artifacts comprising different types of multimedia content. The input narrative is then combined with respective multimedia artifacts of the subset, in order to provide an enriched and enhanced narrative.12-11-2008
20090204617CONTENT ACQUISITION SYSTEM AND METHOD OF IMPLEMENTATION - A system is provided which solves content acquisition issues by providing an automated method to acquire content in mass and maintain an association between available meta-data and the actual content, e.g., video file. The system includes a first component configured to log network traffic. The system also includes a second component configured to correlate downloaded content of the logged network traffic with an XML stream of URLs and respective content descriptions.08-13-2009

Patent applications by John R. Smith, New Hyde Park, NY US

John R. Smith, Ashland City, TN US

Patent application numberDescriptionPublished
20090064707FAST FREEZE SHELF - A refrigeration appliance includes an insulated cabinet forming an interior cavity and a refrigeration system for cooling the interior cavity. A thermally conductive shelf forms a support surface within the interior cavity, and a thermal sink is operatively coupled to the conductive shelf. The thermal sink is adapted to facilitate the transfer of thermal energy from the thermally conductive shelf. In one example, the thermal sink includes a plurality of thermal sinks operatively coupled to the conductive shelf. In another example, the thermal sink is removable from the interior cavity.03-12-2009