International Business Machines Corporation

Shannon Matthew Farrington

William Russell Belknap

Jacques Labrie

Sundar Veliah

Cary Lane Rohwer

Todd Robert Bender

Lucy Anita Taylor

Kevin Michael McBride

Mi Wan Shum

Tom William Jacopi

Wei Zhou

Cheung-Yuk Wu

Alexander Daniel Robinson

Linnette M Bakow

Thanh Vu Nguyen

Tracy Hutcheson

Pei-chen Liu

Diane Friedman

Disclosed are an apparatus, system, and method for visual contextual searching in a computer application that has a graphical user interface (GUI). The apparatus includes a selection module that defines a selection area of the GUI that is displayed on the computer display. The user provides the necessary input defining the selection area using an input device such as a mouse to define the boundary of the selection area. A topic module determines a set of topics related to the GUI elements that are displayed within the selection area defined by the user. The topic module may make the association using a visual map. A display module then displays these results for the user in a results section that is shown on the display. The apparatus may apply filter rules to restrict the number and types of topics that the display module lists. Users may also associate topics with a particular GUI element or disassociate topics with a particular GUI element.

Apparatus, system, and method for contextual visual search

The invention relates to a method and apparatus for specifying a criteria for searching an information hierarchy and displaying search results in a tree-based view that indicates the location of matching elements within the information hierarchy. The location of matching elements within the information hierarchy is emphasized using techniques that include highlighting instances of matching elements within a treeview display, graphically connecting a plurality of matching elements within a treeview display, and displaying a first matching element while presenting a graphical link to the next matching element within the treeview display. Search criteria can be specified using a pop-up search-test input window, or by simply right/left/double clicking upon an element within the information hierarchy. Search results are displayed within a treeview display that presents matching elements within the path-based context of the original information hierarchy but in which non-matching elements are selectively hidden based upon user configuration options selected.

Searching and displaying hierarchical information bases using an enhanced treeview

Systems, methods, and computer products that efficiently share and move data between different types of data storage formats. More particularly, the preferred embodiment of the present invention provides an easy to use graphical user interface (GUI) for displaying, navigating, and selecting hierarchical database segments and fields. The preferred embodiment of the present invention novelly uses a hierarchical tree structure that clearly represents the structures of a database and their mutual exclusivity, for easy understanding of and navigation through the various database structures. The user is prevented from selecting segments and fields that are not valid for the selected path thereby ensuring accuracy in the representation of the database data structures. Also, the user may select a path from the top of the hierarchical tree, the root, to a specific segment or field.

Systems, methods, and computer program products to display and select hierarchical database segments and fields

A multiple task wait system and associated method allow a client application to wait for multiple tasks to be successfully or conditionally implemented before running subsequent tasks. Two mechanisms can be used to accomplish this multiple wait process: The first mechanism uses a multi-wait grouping process that is visible to the client, and the second mechanism uses a graphical representation to identify the tasks to be completed. The multi-wait grouping process allows a client to group a related set of tasks together for both control and documentation purposes. The client can add as many tasks as the resources of the computer allow to a group while defining the data flows and control flows between the tasks in the group using various graphical tools. The multi-wait system allows the client to define the constraints and conditions for a set of tasks to be considered complete, and further allows the system to define the constraints and conditions for considering all the tasks within the group to be completed. By utilizing the group concept, the system can selectively control the tasks to be included in the completion decision based on predefined rules.

Multiple task wait system for use in a data warehouse environment

A process is provided for managing operations including encoding operations in a network system including an administrator terminal, at least one server communicatively coupled to the administrator terminal via a computer network, and at least one multimedia device operative to generate media data and being communicatively coupled with a corresponding one of the servers. Each of the servers is operative to selectively activate the corresponding multimedia device, and is also operative to encode media data received from the corresponding multimedia device, and is further operative to access a corresponding memory device for storing media data. The process includes the steps of: displaying a graphical user interface including a server select interface component enabling a user of the administrator terminal to select one of the servers, and a mode select interface component enabling the user to select between a manual encoding mode of operation enabling the user to manually start and stop a manual encoding process performed by a selected server, and a scheduled encoding mode of operation enabling the user to define a schedule for automatically starting and stopping a scheduled encoding process to be performed by a selected server. User input is received, the input including server identification information indicative of a selected server, mode information indicative of a selected mode of operation, and encoding operation information defined based on the selected mode of operation. Commands and associated parameters, generated based on the encoding operation information, are transmitted to the selected server via the network.

Graphical user interface for creating assets

A process of managing media data in a network is provided, the system including an administrator terminal, at least one media server communicatively coupled to the administrator terminal via a network, and a plurality of end user terminals, each of the media servers being operative to store media data, and to transfer portions of media data to selected locations via the network, at least one of the media servers also being operative to stream media data to selected ones of the end user terminals. The process provides a centralized user interface for scheduling and coordinating the execution of operations performed by the media servers. The process begins with a step of displaying a graphical user interface including a plurality of interface components on a display unit of the administrator terminal, the components enabling a user of the administrator terminal to define and schedule operations to be performed by selected ones of the media servers on corresponding portions of media data. User input includes: server identification information indicative of a selected media server; operation information specifying an operation to be performed by the selected media server on a selected portion of media data, and schedule information specifying a schedule for performing the specified operation. Commands and associated parameters are generated based on the operation information and schedule information, the commands and associated parameters for instructing the selected media server to execute the specified operation in accordance with the specified schedule.

Asset management and scheduling graphical user interface for media streamer

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Gilroy, CA, United States of America

Shannon Matthew Farrington