| Patent application number | Description | Published |
| 20090057257 | PROTECTIVE SLEEVES FOR CONTAINERS - Aspects of the invention include a sleeve or wrap for protecting a container. In certain embodiments, the sleeve or wrap is a protective encasement for protecting a container, such as a bottle. In certain embodiments, the sleeve or wrap includes a body with a lumen, wherein the body is configured for holding and/or containing the container. For instance, in one embodiment, the protective sleeve includes a tubular body and at least a first opening in the protective body that is adapted for receiving the container. In certain embodiments, the body of the sleeve includes silicone. Accordingly, in certain embodiments, the sleeve is a protective silicone sleeve that is adapted to hold and/or contain a container, thereby protecting the container from damage (e.g., breaking). Also provided is a system for protecting a container that includes a protective sleeve, as described above, and a container that is configured for being associated, e.g., fit within, the protective sleeve. | 03-05-2009 |
| 20090069848 | ORAL STIMULATORY DEVICE FOR SOOTHING GUMS - An aspect of the invention includes an oral stimulatory device. In certain embodiments, the oral stimulatory device is configured for soothing gums, for instance, the gums of a teething infant. Accordingly, in one embodiment, the oral stimulatory device includes a tubular body. In certain embodiments, the tubular body is configured for being partially positioned in an oral cavity of a user, such as an infant, and is adapted for being deformed. Although the oral stimulatory device may be fabricated from any suitable material, in certain embodiments, the tubular body of the oral stimulatory device is fabricated from a material comprising silicone. For instance, in one embodiment, the tubular body comprises a material that is at least about 50%, that is at least about 60%, that is at least about 70%, that is at least about 80%, that is at least about 90%, such as 95%, or even 99% or 100% food grade silicone. In certain embodiments, the oral stimulatory device includes at least one stimulatory element, for example, a plurality of stimulatory elements, which elements may be adapted for soothing the gums of an infant when positioned in an oral cavity (e.g., mouth) of the infant. | 03-12-2009 |
| Patent application number | Description | Published |
| 20080313256 | Automatically Sharing a User's Personal Message - Described techniques enable a particular user to automatically share a piece of content with a group of users. To share the content, the particular user navigates to a Website or the like to identify the desired piece of content. The particular user then chooses to share the piece of content by actuating a button, an icon, or the like displayed within the content (e.g., Web content) or displayed within the browser's toolbar. In some embodiments, the users with whom the piece of content is then shared each include the particular user within a contact list. This document also describes techniques capable of enabling the particular user to allow a third party to select and share a piece of content. In some instances, the piece of content comprises an advertisement. This piece of content may be shared with a group of users that include the particular user as a contact. | 12-18-2008 |
| 20090063643 | Processing Data Obtained From a Presence-Based System - Functionality is described for collecting data from a presence-based system, such as an instant messaging system. The functionality can extract information from the collected data based on one or more rules. For instance, the functionality can identify presence data and/or message data that includes predetermined key words. The functionality can formulate result information based on the extracted information for presentation to a recipient. Based on these operations, the collected data supports a data-mining operation, as well as the traditional role of facilitating communication among the participants of the presence-based system. The result information can correspond to a report that presents aggregated findings, optionally organized into one or more demographic categories, or the result information can correspond to an advertisement, etc. | 03-05-2009 |
| 20090177695 | INTEGRATION OF SOCIAL NETWORKING AND MERCHANDISING - Described is a technology by which a social networking service is integrated with merchandising data (e.g., a wish list and/or registry) corresponding to a person registered with a merchandising website. The social networking service maintains buddy lists, and social networking service application provides a mechanism to obtain the merchandising data for buddies that are registered with a merchandising website. The buddy list also may be used to provide a notification upon a change to the merchandising data, to facilitate collaboration among buddies in making a joint purchase, and/or to advertise a product or service to one or more entities (e.g., individuals or groups) associated with the buddy list, including the owner of the list. End users can customize who can see what merchandising data regarding themselves. End users can also interact with accessible merchandising data, e.g., click on a buddy's wish list link to buy from a corresponding shopping site. | 07-09-2009 |
| 20100057754 | PERSISTING A GROUP IN AN INSTANT MESSAGING APPLICATION - A system described herein includes a receiver component that receives a request to create a persistent messaging group for an instant messaging application, wherein the request includes an indication of one or more entities that are desired to be members of the persistent messaging group. The system further includes a group creator component that creates the persistent messaging group based at least in part upon the received group creation request, wherein the persistent messaging group is persisted over multiple instant messaging sessions. | 03-04-2010 |
| 20110072098 | PERSISTING A GROUP IN AN INSTANT MESSAGING APPLICATION - A system described herein includes a receiver component that receives a request to create a persistent messaging group for an instant messaging application, wherein the request includes an indication of one or more entities that are desired to be members of the persistent messaging group. The system further includes a group creator component that creates the persistent messaging group based at least in part upon the received group creation request, wherein the persistent messaging group is persisted over multiple instant messaging sessions. | 03-24-2011 |
| 20110106620 | Processing Data Obtained From a Presence-Based System - Functionality is described for collecting data from a presence-based system, such as an instant messaging system. The functionality can extract information from the collected data based on one or more rules. For instance, the functionality can identify presence data and/or message data that includes predetermined key words. The functionality can formulate result information based on the extracted information for presentation to a recipient. | 05-05-2011 |
| 20110184913 | DISTRIBUTED DATA BACKUP - One or more techniques and/or systems are disclosed herein for backing up in-memory working store data. A first server in a plurality of connected servers detects a data change for a key-value pair the distributed in-memory working store. The first server determines a backup location for storing a copy of the key-value pair, which is comprised on a backup location server from the plurality of connected servers, by using a key from the key-value pair to identify the backup location server, and determine if the backup location server is available to store the backup copy. The first server sends the backup copy to the backup location server without prior permission from the backup location server and without subsequent feedback from the backup location server concerning the sending of the backup copy. | 07-28-2011 |
| 20110185025 | FOLLOWING CONTENT ITEM UPDATES VIA CHAT GROUPS - A content item hosted by a content item source (such as a weblog post of a weblog) may receive updates (e.g., comments submitted by users), and may be discussed among users in a chat group of a chat service. The content item source and the chat service may coordinate to notify users of updates to the content item, and to share content regarding the content item. When a user requests to subscribe to updates of the content item, the content item source may invite the user to join a chat group of the chat service created for discussion of the content item. Additionally, updates to the content item received by the content item source may be automatically posted as messages in the chat group, and messages posted in the chat group regarding the content item may be automatically posted as updates to the content item at the content item source. | 07-28-2011 |
| Patent application number | Description | Published |
| 20110093613 | Routing Hints - An exemplary network gateway is capable of accepting a session-related message having a session identifier field; the network gateway is adapted to extract a host identifier from a value populating the session identifier field and to perform a routing operation for the session-related message using the host identifier. For an exemplary media implementation, processor-executable instructions direct a device to perform actions including: ascertaining a host identifier from a session identifier field of a session message; and routing the session message responsive to the ascertained host identifier. An exemplary apparatus includes: at least one processor; and one or more media including processor-executable instructions that are capable of being executed by the at least one processor to direct the apparatus to perform actions including: receiving a session message having a session identifier including a host identifier; and routing the session message responsive to the host identifier. | 04-21-2011 |
| 20110113315 | COMPUTER-ASSISTED RICH INTERACTIVE NARRATIVE (RIN) GENERATION - The computer-assisted rich interactive narrative generation technique described herein employs a Rich Interactive Narratives (RIN) data model to provide for the computer-assisted creation of rich interactive experiences called RINs. A RIN is a narrative that runs like a movie with a sequence of scenes that follow one after another. A user can stop the narrative, explore the environment associated with the current scene (or other scenes if desired), and then resume the narrative where it left off. The technique allows for the automatic and dynamic generation of RINs using very little input from a user—say, for example, a search query—whereupon the technique automatically generates a RIN. An author/user can guide the process of narrative creation by having portions of the creation process automatically performed by the computer-implemented technique and portions guided and assisted by one or more authors/users. | 05-12-2011 |
| 20110113316 | AUTHORING TOOLS FOR RICH INTERACTIVE NARRATIVES - A rich interactive narrative (RIN) authoring system and method for creating and generating RIN documents in a graphical and visual manner. RIN documents are documents that contain multimedia content and combine narrative with interactive exploration. Embodiments of the RIN authoring system and method facilitate the creation of RIN documents without the need for the author to program or write code. Embodiments of the system and method provide a user interface for an author to select an experience stream, and place the experience stream on a timeline to indicate a desired location in time when the experience stream should appear in the RIN document. The author can define keyframes in the experience stream and edit those keyframes to define a trajectory between multiple keyframes in the RIN document. Embodiments of the system and method also allow the preview the RIN document in a preview window. | 05-12-2011 |
| 20110113334 | EXPERIENCE STREAMS FOR RICH INTERACTIVE NARRATIVES - “Experience Streams” (ESs) are used by a “rich interactive narrative” (RIN) data model as basic building blocks that are combined in a variety of ways to enable or construct a large number of RIN scenarios for presenting interactive narratives to the user. In general various ES types contain all the information required to define and populate a particular RIN, as well as the information (in the form of a series of navigable states) that charts an animated and interactive course through each RIN. In other words, combinations of various ES provide a scripted path through a RIN environment, as well as various UI controls and/or toolbars that enable user interaction with the interactive narrative provided by each RIN. Example ESs include, but are not limited, content browser experience streams, zoomable media experience streams, relationship graph experience streams, player-controls/toolbar experience streams, etc. | 05-12-2011 |
| 20110119587 | DATA MODEL AND PLAYER PLATFORM FOR RICH INTERACTIVE NARRATIVES - A data model and player platform for playing rich interactive narratives (RINs) is presented. Together, they enable a very broad class of rich interactive applications in a device independent way that is also platform technology proof and can be extended to new kinds of interactive visualization technologies. The RIN data model includes a narrative having a prescribed sequence of scenes, where each scene is made up of one or more RIN segments. Each of the RIN segments includes one or more experience streams (or references thereto), and at least one screenplay. Each experience stream includes data that enables a user employing a RIN player to traverse a particular environment created by an arbitrary media type. In addition, each screenplay includes data to orchestrate when each experience stream starts and stops during the playing of the RIN and to specify how experience streams share display screen space or audio playback configuration. | 05-19-2011 |
| 20110219360 | SOFTWARE DEBUGGING RECOMMENDATIONS - Software debugging recommendation technique embodiments are presented that generally entails creating a database of characterized software bug descriptions and providing software debugging recommendations from the database in response to a query. This can employ a two-phased approach in the search for similar software bugs. The first is a search phase that takes a query as input and returns a ranked list of software bug descriptions that match the query. These bug descriptions can contain a mix of structured and unstructured data. The second phase is a related-information phase that uses the output of the first phase to retrieve a set of related recommendations such as for people, source files, functions and binaries. | 09-08-2011 |
| Patent application number | Description | Published |
| 20090195379 | ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING DEVICE - The disclosure is directed to a sensor device including processing circuitry, at least one sensor coupled to the processing circuitry, a serial data interface coupled to the processing circuitry and memory responsive to the processing circuitry. The memory includes a static unique identification number. The serial data interface provides access to retrieve the static unique identification number and sensed data measured with the at least one sensor from the memory. | 08-06-2009 |
| 20100138505 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR NETWORK DEVICE COMMUNICATION - The disclosure is directed to a method for communicating with a monitoring device. The method includes sending an unsolicited-type message from a client program resident on the monitoring device coupled to a first secure network. The unsolicited-type message is sent to a computing system coupled to a second network separated from the first secure network by a firewall. The method also includes receiving a response message to the unsolicited-type message from the computing system. The response message includes an embedded unsolicited-type message. The client program is resident on the monitoring device receiving the response message. The method further includes providing the embedded unsolicited-type message to a server program resident on the monitoring device. | 06-03-2010 |
| 20100182201 | DIRECTIONAL BEACON DEVICE - A beacon device includes a control circuitry, a window, and a plurality of sets of illumination sources. The window includes a prismatic structure forming a ring from a planar perspective. The prismatic structure defines an inside surface and an outside surface from the planar perspective. The plurality of sets of illumination sources are coupled to the control circuitry. Each set of illumination sources includes a first illumination source disposed proximal to the inside surface of the prismatic structure and includes a second illumination source disposed proximal to the outside surface of the prismatic structure. The control circuitry is to illuminate a first set of the plurality of sets of illumination sources to transmit a signal in a first direction. | 07-22-2010 |
| 20110128129 | ASSET TRACKING SYSTEM INCLUDING A TAG CONTROLLER - A tag includes a processor, a radio frequency transmitter coupled to the processor, and a capacitively driven communication circuitry coupled to the processor. The processor is to energize the capacitively driven communication circuitry to receive a serial set of binary bits via the capacitively driven communication circuitry. | 06-02-2011 |
| 20110318013 | ASSET TRACKING SYSTEM FOR RACK-BASED ENCLOSURES - A system includes a beacon device including a communication strip having a plurality of directed light emitters distributed along the communication strip. The beacon device can transmit a directed light signal via the directed light emitters. The system further includes a tag including a processor, a radio frequency transmitter coupled to the processor, a directed light receiver coupled to the processor, and a lens having first and second major surfaces and a side surface, the tag to receive the directed light signal via the side surface and to transmit a radio frequency tag message via the radio frequency transmitter. The system also includes a radio frequency reader to receive the radio frequency tag message. | 12-29-2011 |