Did You Know...
...that several people are credited with the invention of the flush toilet? Most people have heard of Thomas Crapper (1837-1910), the sanitary engineer who invented the valve-and-siphon arrangement that made the modern toilet possible. Another claimant to "the throne" was British inventor Alexander Cumming who patented a toilet in 1775. Then there's a nameless Minoan (a native of ancient Crete) who lived 4,000 years ago who supposedly was ahead of his time and created the first flush toilet!
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| Application No. | Application Title | Issue Date |
| 20110029486 | SYNCHRONIZATION OF COMPUTER DATABASES USING CACHING AGENTS A method and system for synchronization of computer databases using caching agents. In one embodiment, information is accessed from a first database. The information is stored into a persistent store, which may be a permanent media, such as a magnetic disk. The informat... | 02/03/2011 |
| 20110029390 | SYSTEM, METHOD, AND COMPUTER PROGRAM PRODUCT FOR SELECTING AND PRESENTING FINANCIAL PRODUCTS AND SERVICES An apparatus and method are provided that receive client data for a plurality of clients and financial product data at a processor. The processor prepares a client communication for some of the clients. The client communication incorporates a portion of the client data ... | 02/03/2011 |
| 20110026694 | METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR INTEGRATING PHONE AND PDA USER INTERFACES ON A SINGLE PROCESSOR Separate processors, a PDA processor, and a baseband processor are maintained in a PDA having an integrated telephone device. The PDA processor runs PDA related programs and a user interface for the telephone device. A link between the PDA processor and baseband process... | 02/03/2011 |
| 20100332450 | N-WAY SYNCHRONIZATION OF COMPUTER DATABASES A method and system for N-way synchronization of computer databases. Synchronization of computer databases is structured into three rounds, namely an agenda round, a query round and a report round. In the agenda round, a synchronization agent software module inquires of... | 12/30/2010 |
| 20100323680 | METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR SINGLE-STEP ENABLEMENT OF TELEPHONY FUNCTIONALITY FOR A PORTABLE COMPUTER SYSTEM A method and apparatus for automatic delivery of a phone call on an electronic device regardless of whether other tasks are running on the operating system. A separate background task (“thread”), independent of the operating system, enables telephony functionality w... | 12/23/2010 |
| 20100318415 | System and method facilitating purchase of goods and services by pre-payment via a universal gift or other pre-paid card with incentives A system and method for facilitating purchase of goods and services by pre-payment via a universal gift or other pre-paid card with incentives. The universal gift or other pre-paid card provides incentives to vendors and consumers that use it. It permits flexible purcha... | 12/16/2010 |
| 20100299726 | SECURITY TECHNIQUE FOR CONTROLLING ACCESS TO A NETWORK BY A WIRELESS DEVICE The present invention relates to a method for protecting the security of a computer network which is accessed through the use of wireless devices, among other means. Specifically, the present invention pertains to a method of using user-specific biometric data to identi... | 11/25/2010 |
| 20100287139 | METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR PARALLEL EXECUTION OF CONDUITS DURING SIMULTANEOUS SYNCHRONIZATION OF DATABASES Sharing information between a host computer system and a peripheral computer system. Conduit programs running simultaneously on the host computer system synchronize information between the two computer systems. The conduits initiate multiple time multiplexed transfers a... | 11/11/2010 |
| 20100268848 | CONTENT ACCESS FROM A COMMUNICATIONS NETWORK USING A HANDHELD COMPUTER SYSTEM AND METHOD A handheld computer including a wireless communications link with a wireless server is disclosed. The wireless communications link allows browsing of information provided through the wireless server which is coupled to a communications network. A user of the handheld co... | 10/21/2010 |
| 20100254376 | BRANCH CALLING AND CALLER ID BASED CALL ROUTING TELEPHONE FEATURES A caller ID based call routing feature is described for blocked and non-blocked caller ID's. A processing system in the public switched telephone network (PSTN) receives first identifying information for identify the source of a telephone call and associates additional ... | 10/07/2010 |
| 20100235601 | METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR ENABLING PERSONAL DIGITAL ASSISTANTS AND PROTECTING STORED PRIVATE DATA A method and system for enabling personal digital assistants (PDAs) and protecting stored private data. Specifically, one embodiment in accordance with the present invention includes a removable expansion card about the size of a postage stamp which plugs into a slot of... | 09/16/2010 |
| 20100235358 | TIME BASED PROFILE MANAGEMENT ON PALMTOP COMPUTER A personal information manager or other software program, preferably residing within a palmtop computer, uses a time of day profile to establish a default data category. When the user wishes to enter or edit data or retrieve data, the personal information manager or oth... | 09/16/2010 |
| 20100233327 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR FORMULATING COMPOSITIONS OF CONCENTRATED LIQUID SWEETENERS FOR INDIVIDUAL SERVINGS IN RECYCLABLE AND COMPOSTABLE PACKAGING A system and method for formulating compositions of concentrated liquid sugar that are provided in individual serving sizes in recyclable and compostable packaging, which are configured for ease of use. In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention, the liq... | 09/16/2010 |
| 20100198879 | AUTOMATIC TRACKING OF USAGE OF A SOFTWARE APPLICATION HAVING DIFFERENT VERSIONS A method for automatically tracking application and content usage is disclosed. According to an embodiment of the present invention, a method first recites the step of accessing an application interface (API) call with a parameter specifying a first portion of content t... | 08/05/2010 |
| 20100198802 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR OPTIMIZING SEARCH OBJECTS SUBMITTED TO A DATA RESOURCE A system and methods for optimizing search objects submitted to a data resource is provided. These techniques are advantageous in reviewing vast collections of content data or documents to identify relevant data or documents from the collections. The advanced search tec... | 08/05/2010 |
| 20100153838 | ADAPTIVE CONTENT DELIVERY A method and apparatus that provides adaptation in the content delivered to a palmtop computer. Connections between a palmtop computer and the Internet can vary from low speed dial-up to very high speed. Also, a palmtop computer's display, memory and processing power ca... | 06/17/2010 |
| 20100153604 | DATA EXCHANGE BETWEEN A HANDHELD DEVICE AND ANOTHER COMPUTER SYSTEM USING AN EXCHANGE MANAGER VIA SYNCHRONIZATION A method and electronic system for exchanging data between a handheld device and another computer system are described. A data file is transferred to the handheld device using the install application of a synchronization manager. The transferred file is stored as a digi... | 06/17/2010 |
| 20100115525 | METHOD FOR DYNAMICALLY ENABLING THE EXPANSION OF A COMPUTER OPERATING SYSTEM A method for scheduling tasks in a computer operating system comprises a background task creating at least one registered service. The background task provides an execution presence and a data present to a registered service and ranks the registered services according t... | 05/06/2010 |
| 20100049759 | ONE-TO-MANY DEVICE SYNCHRONIZATION USING DOWNLOADED/SHARED CLIENT SOFTWARE A method and system for performing one-to-many synchronization using a central server and also using downloadable client software. The system includes a central server, e.g., a web server or an enterprise server, that synchronizes with multiple electronic devices includ... | 02/25/2010 |
| 20100036844 | SYSTEM AND METHOD OF USING CONFLICTS TO MAXIMIZE CONCURRENCY IN A DATABASE A first method includes requesting a modification of a data object within the data store using a first application process, establishing a read lock on the data object, initializing an object monitor adapted to detects changes to the data object and releasing the read l... | 02/11/2010 |
| 20100030802 | SYSTEM AND METHOD THA ALLOWS RELATIONAL DATA TO BE MODELED EFFICIENTLY AND SYNCHRONIZED WITHOUT CREATING DANGLING REFERENCES Methods and systems to maintain data integrity across a plurality of devices by reducing or preventing dangling references are provided. In one embodiment, all data objects are provided with reference IDs enabling reference to an extant version of an object. In another ... | 02/04/2010 |
| 20090327318 | INFORMATION EXCHANGE BETWEEN A HANDHELD DEVICE AND ANOTHER COMPUTER SYSTEM USING AN EXCHANGE MANAGER AND UNIFORM RESOURCE LOCATOR (URL) STRINGS A method and electronic system for exchanging data between a handheld device and another computer system using universal resource locator (URL) strings. With respect to sending information from the handheld, an application may define a URL string that may indicate 1) a ... | 12/31/2009 |
| 20090287796 | METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR DEVICE AND CARRIER INDEPENDENT LOCATION SYSTEMS FOR MOBILE DEVICES A method and system for a device and carrier independent geographic location protocol. Specifically, the present invention provides location information of a mobile device to third parties in a communication network through a protocol that is device and network carrier ... | 11/19/2009 |
| 20090220068 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR INITIATING A CALL USING A PHONE HARD-BUTTON AND A SCREEN DIALER OF A PERSONAL DIGITAL ASSISTANT A system and method is described for managing phone calls initiated from a phone device of a personal digital assistant. In one example, a system for managing a phone call is described. The system comprises, among other things, a personal digital assistant. The personal... | 09/03/2009 |
| 20090209244 | METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR SINGLE-STEP ENABLEMENT OF TELEPHONY FUNCTIONALITY FOR A PORTABLE COMPUTER SYSTEM A method and apparatus for automatic delivery of a phone call on an electronic device regardless of whether other tasks are running on the operating system. A separate background task (“thread”), independent of the operating system, enables telephony functionality w... | 08/20/2009 |
| 20090202153 | METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR USING PRESSURE INFORMATION FOR IMPROVED COMPUTER CONTROLLED HANDWRITING RECOGNITION DATA ENTRY AND USER AUTHENTICATION A method and system utilizing both (x, y) coordinate (“spatial”) stroke data and associated pressure information for improved handwriting recognition. The method and system can also be applied to all types of handwriting-based data entry applications and also to use... | 08/13/2009 |
| 20090187916 | TASK SWITCHING WITH STATE PRESERVATION FOR PROGRAMS RUNNING ON AN ELECTRONIC DEVICE A method and system providing switching between a plurality of installed programs in a computer system. Embodiments include a jump function comprising the steps: (1) determining a jump program that is to be the next program to be run, possibly from a plurality of possib... | 07/23/2009 |
| 20090187814 | METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MANAGING CALENDAR INFORMATION FROM A SHARED DATABASE AND MANAGING CALENDAR INFORMATION FROM MULTIPLE USERS A method and system for synchronizing and using calendar information from a shared database is disclosed. Calendar information can be stored in a shared database, e.g., on a server system and accessed and synchronized with one or more portable computer systems. The cale... | 07/23/2009 |
| 20090187671 | METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR IMPLEMENTING URL SCHEME PROXIES ON A COMPUTER SYSTEM A method and system for implementing URL scheme proxies. Embodiments of the invention allow URL schemes that are not natively supported by a computer to be supported via proxy, e.g., using a URL scheme that is native to the computer to forward the non-native transport. ... | 07/23/2009 |
| 20090182895 | HANDHELD COMPUTER SYSTEM THAT ATTEMPTS TO ESTABLISH AN ALTERNATIVE NETWORK LINK UPON FAILING TO ESTABLISH A REQUESTED NETWORK LINK A computer system that attempts to establish an alternative network link upon failing to establish a requested network link is described. The computer system may encounter conditions where access to numerous networks, in particular wireless networks, is not available. R... | 07/16/2009 |
| 20090161922 | SECURITY TECHNIQUE FOR CONTROLLING ACCESS TO A NETWORK BY A WIRELESS DEVICE The present invention relates to a method for protecting the security of a computer network which is accessed through the use of wireless devices, among other means. Specifically, the present invention pertains to a method of using user-specific biometric data to identi... | 06/25/2009 |
| 20090158212 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR PRESENTING RECENTLY-USED AND IN-USE APPLICATIONS FOR EASE OF NAVIGATION ON AN ELECTRONIC DEVICE A system and method of providing a user interface jump list application is disclosed, which reduces multiple functions into a single user interface function for electronic devices such as portable or mobile devices having computing and communication capabilities. First,... | 06/18/2009 |
| 20090150545 | AUTOMATIC COLLECTION AND UPDATING OF APPLICATION USAGE A method and system providing automatic collection and updating of application usage on a large number of electronic devices without user intervention. The electronic devices may be a palm-sized computer systems, personal digital assistants (PDAs), or wireless telephone... | 06/11/2009 |
| 20090146969 | METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR NAVIGATING A DISPLAY SCREEN FOR LOCATING A DESIRED ITEM OF INFORMATION A method and a system for navigating a display screen to search for a desired item of information stored in an electronic device. The electronic device includes a novel fly over user interface (FOUI) capable of receiving commands from a user to provide a zoom out view o... | 06/11/2009 |
| 20090138722 | SECURE AUTHENTICATION FOR AUTHORIZATION FOR TRANSACTION PROCESSING A method and apparatus for authenticating and authorizing online transactions. An authentication cookie is transmitted to a client system. The authentication cookie includes a user encryption key and an encrypted buffer that contains user identification data and a profi... | 05/28/2009 |
| 20090087095 | METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR HANDWRITING RECOGNITION WITH SCROLLING INPUT HISTORY AND IN-PLACE EDITING A computer implemented method for a touch screen user interface for a computer system. A first touchscreen area is provided for accepting text input strokes. A second touchscreen area is provided for displaying recognized text from the text input strokes. The text input... | 04/02/2009 |
| 20090005026 | METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR ENABLING TIMED EVENTS OF A PORTABLE COMPUTING DEVICE TO TRIGGER REMOTE CONTROL OF EXTERNAL DEVICES One embodiment in accordance with the present invention includes using a portable computing device to remotely control devices and/or systems wirelessly. Specifically, a software timer application operating on the portable computing device enables its user to predefine ... | 01/01/2009 |
| 20080301197 | GENERATING COHERENT GLOBAL IDENTIFIERS FOR EFFICIENT DATA IDENTIFICATION A method and system thereof for identifying records are described. Records on a node are distinguished from other records on the node by assigning each record a unique local identifier. When a record is moved from one node to another node, a unique global identifier is ... | 12/04/2008 |
| 20080288892 | SYSTEM AND METHOD OF PRESENTING TELEPHONE FUNCTIONS AS INTERACTIVE ELEMENTS ON AN ELECTRONIC DEVICE A system, method, and user interface of presenting telephone functions as interactive elements on an electronic device with telephone capabilities such as a mobile device is disclosed. The system and method provides a user with a mechanism for focusing on a call, where ... | 11/20/2008 |
| 20080282205 | UNIFIED LAUNCHER USER INTERFACE SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR INTEGRATING MULTIPLE DISPARATE ENVIRONMENTS ON AN ELECTRONIC DEVICE A unified launcher user interface system and method for integrating a plurality of applications in different runtime environments on an electronic device, for example a mobile device is disclosed. The unified launcher user interface system includes a user interface pres... | 11/13/2008 |
