Nancy L Burns

US Patent:

47544090, Jun 28, 1988

Filed:

Jun 26, 1985

Appl. No.:

6/748789

Inventors:

Thomas J. Ashford - Austin TX
Nancy A. Burns - Austin TX
Richard L. Flagg - Round Rock TX
Christine T. Iwaskiw - Austin TX
Michael E. McBride - Austin TX
James T. Padden - Austin TX
Roberta P. Starbird - Austin TX

Assignee:

International Business Machines Corporation - Armonk NY

International Classification:

G06F 1518

US Classification:

364513

Abstract:

A method for solving problems using an expert system in which the Rulebase includes a section having specific definitions of processes or procedures which are available to the expert system as a data source. The method allows data to be collected dynamically in response to and in accordance with parameters supplied by the expert system and at a time determined by the expert system. The ability of the expert system to provide meaningful conclusions is considerably enhanced when such type of data is made available since any process or procedure that can be executed on the host for the expert system can become a source of current data for analysis by the expert system. Computer hardware diagnostic applications can include running self-diagnostic procedures even on the host system.

US Patent:

49722646, Nov 20, 1990

Filed:

Jun 19, 1989

Appl. No.:

7/368434

Inventors:

Mark S. Bishop - Austin TX
Nancy A. Burns - Austin TX
John J. Deacon - Austin TX
Steven C. Penn - Georgetown TX

Assignee:

International Business Machines Corporation - Armonk NY

International Classification:

H04N 5272
H04N 1387

US Classification:

358183

Abstract:

A method for viewing a representation of an overscanned captured image on a display that is incapable of displaying the full image as originally captured. The method comprises the steps of (1) digitizing the image to produce a first block of serial data elements where each data element represents at least one picture element of the image, (2) storing a first data block in a data processing memory, (3) computing a second data element block by removing every nth data element from the first data element block, where n is an integer less than the number of first data block elements and said second data block element represents a reduced size image, and (4) displaying the second data element block overlayed upon at least a portion of the digitized image. The invention also includes an apparatus for viewing a representation of an overscanned captured image. The apparatus consists of a camera for digitizing the image, a data processing means including means for storing a first block of data from the digitizing camera representing the captured and digitized image, computing a second data block from a first data block of the digitized image data by removing every nth data element of the first data block, where n is less then the number of elements in the first data block, and a display for accessing the data processor to display the second data block overlayed upon at least a portion of the digitized image.

US Patent:

52747581, Dec 28, 1993

Filed:

Dec 28, 1992

Appl. No.:

7/834922

Inventors:

Bradley J. Beitel - Woodside CA
Mark S. Bishop - Austin TX
Nancy A. Burns - Austin TX
John J. Deacon - Austin TX
Robert D. Gordon - Sunnyvale CA
Charles L. Haug - Santa Cruz CA
Kenneth B. Smith - Palo Alto CA
Lonnie S. Walling - Bon Lomond CA
Michael D. Wilkes - Austin TX
Peter C. Yanker - Mountain View CA

Assignee:

International Business Machines - Armonk NY

International Classification:

G06F 300

US Classification:

395154

Abstract:

A user/PC interface system is described which enables the creation and performance of a synchronized audio/visual story on the PC. The interface enables the initial storage of a plurality of visual images. Then, it enables the creation of an audio presentation which includes labels and time indications, certain of which are employed for synchronization purposes. The system is responsive to a label to execute a predetermined command upon the appearance of the label in the audio presentation. The PC is then operated to perform the audio presentation, that performance automatically causing the display of visual images upon the occurrence of labels and time indications. An improved, table-based authoring system is also described for preparation of both the above noted audio and visual presentations. The system relies upon columnar presentations of a tabular form, each column indicating a separate control function (or comment) relating to the audio/visual presentation.

US Patent:

48092193, Feb 28, 1989

Filed:

Jun 26, 1985

Appl. No.:

6/749076

Inventors:

Thomas J. Ashford - Austin TX
Nancy A. Burns - Austin TX
Richard L. Flagg - Round Rock TX
Christine T. Iwaskiw - Austin TX
Roberta P. Starbird - Austin TX

Assignee:

International Business Machines Corporation - Armonk NY

International Classification:

G06F 1518

US Classification:

364900

Abstract:

A method for running an expert system on a data processing system in which the Rulebase is segmented into contextual units so that the system memory can accommodate each unit. Portions of the Rulebase containing data or knowledge that is not needed in a particular application may then be eliminated. The segmenting of the Rulebase also allows the contextual units of the application to be paged into and out of the system as needed. The various intersegment relationships are managed by the system as units are paged into and out of memory. A second Rulebase unit may be called by the first unit and executed at any time during the processing of the first Rulebase. Provision is made in the form of a Global attribute to selectively identify and store the data that is relevant to the application and that has been accumulated up to the point where another unit is called so that at some time later in the process, when the system returns to the first unit, it can proceed from the last RULE node that was processed. Selected data that has been identified as global during processing of the first unit is used to update selected nodes in the second unit of the Rulebase after it has been paged into the system. Selected data collected during the processing of the second unit is passed to the first unit when the system returns to complete processing that unit.

US Patent:

51194740, Jun 2, 1992

Filed:

Jul 11, 1991

Appl. No.:

7/728866

Inventors:

Bradley J. Beitel - Woodside CA
Mark S. Bishop - Austin TX
John J. Deacon - Austin TX
Robert D. Gordon - Sunnyvale CA
Kenneth B. Smith - Palo Alto CA
Lonnie S. Walling - Ben Lomond CA
Michael D. Wilkes - Austin TX
Peter C. Yanker - Portola Valley CA
Nancy A. Burns - Austin TX
Charles L. Haug - Santa Cruz CA

Assignee:

International Business Machines Corp. - Armonk NY

International Classification:

G06F 300

US Classification:

395154

Abstract:

A user/PC interface system is described which enables the creation and performance of a synchronized audio/visual story on the PC. The interface enables the initial storage of a plurality of visual images. Then, it enables the creation of an audio presentation which includes labels and time indications, certain of which are employed for synchronization purposes. The system is responsive to a label to execute a predetermined command upon the appearance of the label in the audio presentation. The PC is then operated to perform the audio presentation, that performance automatically causing the display of visual images upon the occurrence of labels and time indications. A table-based authoring system is also described for preparation of both the above noted audio and visual presentations. The system relies upon columnar presentations of a tabular form, each column indicating a separate control function (or comment) relating to the audio/visual presentation.

US Patent:

47632771, Aug 9, 1988

Filed:

Jan 17, 1986

Appl. No.:

6/819663

Inventors:

Thomas J. Ashford - San Jose CA
Nancy A. Burns - Austin TX
Richard L. Flagg - Boeblingen, DE
Christine T. Iwaskiw - Columbia MD
Roberta P. Starbird - Pasadena CA

Assignee:

International Business Machines Corporation - Armonk NY

International Classification:

G06F 1518

US Classification:

364513

Abstract:

A method for use in an expert system which selectively allows the system to avoid asking the user a question by providing the answer to that question based on related information that may have been previously attained in the system. The method involves providing an action attribute that can be attached to any node in the rule tree. The attribute is assigned to a node in the tree which provides an answer to a class question based on processing various other dependent nodes. When the answer is obtained, the action attribute then causes all other nodes in the rule base referencing the same class question to be set to the same answer. The user is therefore only requested to supply information as a last resort.