Patents Represented by Attorney, Agent or Law Firm Floyd A. Gonzalez
  • Patent number: 6748460
    Abstract: Apparatus, method and program product for use in passing initiative to a processor for handling an I/O request for an I/O operation for sending data between a main storage and one or more devices. A hierarchy of vectors registers I/O requests by the devices to send or receive data from the main storage. The hierarchy of vectors has one or more lower levels and a highest level. Each device sets a vector in the lowest level of the hierarchy for registering an I/O request, the setting of a vector in the lowest level being reflected up the hierarchy to the highest level, thereby registering I/O requests on any lower level of the hierarchy in the highest level. A dispatcher polls the hierarchy in high to low order with the dispatcher passing initiative to the processor to handle I/O requests registered in said hierarchy responsive to registering of an I/O request on the lowest level as reflected to the highest level of said hierarchy.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2001
    Date of Patent: June 8, 2004
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Frank W. Brice, Jr., Steven G. Glassen, Donald W. Schmidt, Harry M. Yudenfriend
  • Patent number: 6742055
    Abstract: A data transmission system dynamically re-enumerating end points that are not used at the same time when the number of end points supported by a USB controller chip is insufficient, so that hardware costs can be considerably reduced. The data transmission system comprises a USB device controller which can be connected, via a USB interface, to a PC, which is a host and which enumerates, as USB functions, a plurality of functions selected from a function group; and a RAM, which is used to store order information in accordance with which functions should be enumerated as USB functions. Based on the order information stored in the RAM, the USB device controller can select a predetermined number of functions, can enumerate, as the number of USB end points, the functions that can be supported by the USB device controller, and can transmit the configuration of the USB functions to the PC.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 8, 2001
    Date of Patent: May 25, 2004
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventor: Haruko Matsunaga
  • Patent number: 6738921
    Abstract: A clock controller and clock generating method are provided for AC self-test timing analysis of a logic system. The controller includes latch circuitry which receives a DC input signal at a data input, and a pair of continuous out-of-phase clock signals at capture and launch clock inputs thereof. The latch circuitry outputs two overlapping pulses responsive to the DC input signal going high. The two overlapping pulses are provided to waveform shaper circuitry which produces therefrom two non-overlapping pulses at clock speed of the logic system to be tested. The two non-overlapping pulses are a single pair of clock pulses which facilitate AC self-test timing analysis of the logic system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 20, 2001
    Date of Patent: May 18, 2004
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Tinchee Lo, John D. Flanagan
  • Patent number: 6728772
    Abstract: Channel-to-channel communications is provided by integrating channel-to-channel functionality into one or more communication channels of a computing environment which may include heterogenous computer systems. The one or more channels having the integrated CTC function are non-dedicated channels also capable of conventional channel functionality. Work units at such channels are forwarded to either the CTC function or the channel function based on work unit type. Further, a facility is provided for. automatically deciding which of the first channel and the second channel is to provide the CTC function for a CTC connection. Partition-to-partition communication can also be accomplished using the integrated CTC function by establishing an internal logical path between a first logical partition and the CTC function and a second logical path between a second logical partition and the CTC function.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 12, 2000
    Date of Patent: April 27, 2004
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Patricia G. Driever, John R. Flanagan, Robert P. Jewett
  • Patent number: 6721335
    Abstract: Defines and handles segments in messages to place pauses and interruptions within the communication of a message between transmitted segments of the message. A common link switch is used in a network to connect links to all nodes, the segment structures in each message is preserved when packets of each message are passed within the switch to a switch transmitter connected to the destination node indicated in each packet of the message for transmitting each of the message segments. Each transmitter stores the source identifier of the first packet it transmits for a segment and then gives priority to transmitting packets which contain source and destination identifiers which match the current transmitter stored source identifier and match the destination node connected to the transmitter. This priority enables each switch transmitter to interleaves segments of concurrent messages while preserving the segmentation of transmitted packets to maintaining a maximum network communication rate for the messages.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 12, 1999
    Date of Patent: April 13, 2004
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventor: Thomas Anthony Gregg
  • Patent number: 6711610
    Abstract: A system and method is provided for initiating an activation script of commands that create a connection between the host system and the Internet. A user at a remote computer system initiates a request over the Internet to a intermediary computer system associated with a host system for a remote connection thereto. The intermediary computer system is geographically located in the local telephone calling area of the host computer system and has a continuous connection to the Internet. The intermediary computer system initiates an asynchronous call to the host computer system via modem to transmit the request. The host computer system receives this request to connect to the Internet from the intermediary computer system. This request contains the remote requestor's identity for the purposes of feedback. Authentication of the remote requestor is performed and the host computer system acknowledges the request.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 10, 1999
    Date of Patent: March 23, 2004
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventor: Clifford V. Harris
  • Patent number: 6704753
    Abstract: A method of storage management in document databases wherein residence times are assigned to individual documents on entry to the database. Two different residence times are preferably assigned to the document. The first residence time (residual time) is defined as the time span between storage of the document in the document management system (DMS) and the time at which the document may be relocated for the first time. The second residence time (keep time) is defined as the time span between recall of the relocated document to the DMS and time at which it may be relocated again. A further feature of the invention subsists in the fact that the second residence time is only stipulated if the document is recalled to the first storage means following relocation. Assignment of the residual and keep time is effected on entry of the document into the DMS. Residence times can be assigned by the user or also by a program.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 22, 1999
    Date of Patent: March 9, 2004
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Michael Groetzner, Udo Guenthner, Heinrich Streckeisen
  • Patent number: 6698218
    Abstract: A refrigeration system for cooling a logic module includes an evaporator housing including an evaporator block in thermal communication with the logic module. The evaporator housing includes a humidity sensor for detecting a humidity within the evaporator housing. The system further comprises a controller for controlling a refrigeration unit supplying cold refrigerant to the evaporator block in response to the operating conditions of the logic module and the temperature of the evaporator block. In another aspect of the invention, two modular refrigeration units are independently operable to cool the evaporator block, and each refrigeration unit is controllable in various modes of operation including an enabled mode in which it is ready to cool the evaporator and an on mode in which it is actively cooling the evaporator. In another aspect of the invention, the evaporator block and a heater on a reverse side of the circuit board are particularly controlled during concurrent repair operations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 10, 2003
    Date of Patent: March 2, 2004
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Gary F. Goth, Jody A. Hickey, Daniel J. Kearney, Robert Makowicki
  • Patent number: 6698216
    Abstract: A refrigeration system for cooling a logic module includes an evaporator housing including an evaporator block in thermal communication with the logic module. The evaporator housing includes a humidity sensor for detecting a humidity within the evaporator housing. The system further comprises a controller for controlling a refrigeration unit supplying cold refrigerant to the evaporator block in response to the operating conditions of the logic module and the temperature of the evaporator block. In another aspect of the invention, two modular refrigeration units are independently operable to cool the evaporator block, and each refrigeration unit is controllable in various modes of operation including an enabled mode in which it is ready to cool the evaporator and an on mode in which it is actively cooling the evaporator. In another aspect of the invention, the evaporator block and a heater on a reverse side of the circuit board are particularly controlled during concurrent repair operations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 10, 2003
    Date of Patent: March 2, 2004
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Gary F. Goth, Jody A. Hickey, Daniel J. Kearney, Robert Makowicki
  • Patent number: 6696985
    Abstract: Key patterns configured to accommodate the handicaps of the disabled user are imprinted or embossed on a sheet of conformable material. A matrix of sensing circuits for a keyboard are placed under the sheet to detect when and where the sheet is depressed and provides an output to a keyboard controller indicating which portion of the keyboard has been contacted. The keyboard controller relates the position data to the keyboard pattern on the sheet and provides key signals to the computer interface connector of the keyboard that are indistinguishable by a computer system from the QWERTY outputs of a standard keyboard. This enables the disabled user to carry this keyboard from one computer system to another and simply exchange it for the standard keyboard for the computer. Since the keyboard can be configured to accommodate the users handicap, no changes need be made to the operating system or any software of the computer in order to allow the disabled user to use the computer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 24, 2001
    Date of Patent: February 24, 2004
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventor: John S. Houston
  • Patent number: 6697854
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for providing configuration information is provided in a network computing environment having a plurality of hosts and at least one Gateway attachment and a channel interface, using a QDIO device. A set of special tables and commands are provided at initialization time over the channel interface which provide all configuration information. The tables can map any Host images and Host Device Addresses which will be using the QDIO Interface to the specific bits defined in a SIGA vector, the SIGA Vector giving initiative to said QDIO connected Gateway device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 22, 1999
    Date of Patent: February 24, 2004
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Steven G. Glassen, Kenneth J. Oakes, Bruce H. Ratcliff, Michael E. Baskey, Stephen R. Valley
  • Patent number: 6687853
    Abstract: A method, program product and apparatus for checkpointing for recovery of channels in a data processing system using a protocol which allows for multiplexing operations at the frame level and streaming of commands and data. For unsuccessful retries, the correct primary CCW address is reported back to software indicating the extent to which the channel completed modifying and accessing S/390 storage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 2000
    Date of Patent: February 3, 2004
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Patricia G. Driever, John R. Flanagan, Paul S. Frazer, Catherine C. Huang, Bernhard Laubli, Louis W. Ricci
  • Patent number: 6684501
    Abstract: A design and method for fabricating a foil heat sink including a fin body, wherein the fin body includes a plurality of heat sink fins having a fin head and a fin foot and wherein the plurality of heat sink fins are disposed in a parallel fashion so as to form a plurality of horizontal channels between the plurality of heat sink fins, a fin support, wherein the fin support includes a plurality of fin support structures disposed between the plurality of heat sink fins so as to separate the plurality of heat sink fins and wherein the plurality of fin support structures are disposed adjacent to the fin head so as to form a plurality of vertical channels between the plurality of heat sink fins, and a fin base, wherein the fin base includes a plurality of fin spacers disposed between the plurality of heat sink fins so as to separate the plurality of heat sink fins and wherein the plurality of fin spacers are disposed so as to be adjacent to the fin foot.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 2002
    Date of Patent: February 3, 2004
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Michael J. Ellsworth, Jr., Egidio Marotta, Budy D. Notohardjono, Roger R. Schmidt, Prabjit Singh
  • Patent number: 6686714
    Abstract: A method for electronically commutating a motor having a plurality of phase windings associated therewith is disclosed. In an exemplary embodiment, the method includes sensing a back electromotive force (BEMF) generated by each of the phase windings, and scaling the magnitude of the sensed BEMF values for each of the phase windings to a normalized value to produce gain corrected BEMF signals. The gain corrected BEMF signals are then used to determine a rotor position of the motor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 21, 2002
    Date of Patent: February 3, 2004
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventor: Timothy M. Trifilo
  • Patent number: 6687766
    Abstract: The present invention provides a method for fibre channel control units to execute commands locally when a channel sends a repeat execute indicator in conjunction with certain other field settings, wherein the control unit will repeat and chain control words until certain predefined conditions occur.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 12, 2000
    Date of Patent: February 3, 2004
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Daniel F. Casper, Robert J. Dugan, John R. Flanagan, Catherine C. Huang, Louis W. Ricci
  • Patent number: 6681238
    Abstract: This invention describes a method and system for virtualizing an internal capability of a computing system; specifically, the invention describes a method and system for establishing a virtual machine containing a programmed hardware-machine function that is normally executed natively as proprietary internal code in its own hardware environment, a Central Electronics Complex (CEC) or logical partition of a CEC. The code resides in a separate hardware domain of the CEC called the Service Element (SE). The IBM VM/ESA (VM) operating system requests the SE to transfer a copy of the code into a virtual machine that VM has initialized, where the machine function is provided (in the current embodiment) as an isolated and encapsulated part of a virtual Parallel Sysplex system comprising multiple virtual CECs in a testing environment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 24, 1998
    Date of Patent: January 20, 2004
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Frank W. Brice, Jr., Eugene P. Hefferon, Casper A. Scalzi, Richard P. Tarcza
  • Patent number: 6681258
    Abstract: A facility is provided to allow retrieval of specific parameters by a communications stack (e.g., TCP/IP) of a multi-partitioned processing system from a shared network adapter coupling the processing system to a network. The processing system includes multiple communications stacks, each of which registers internet protocol (IP) addresses with the network adapter in an address resolution table shared by the multiple communications stacks. The facility includes query request and reply commands for selectively retrieving specific data from the shared address resolution table, wherein the specific data can include: local registered IP addresses for a communications stack issuing a query request, network address resolution entries associated with a particular HOME IP address, HOME IP addresses of one or more other communications stacks sharing the network adapter, IP addresses owned by other entities on the network, IP addresses which are in the address cache, as well as other types of data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 2000
    Date of Patent: January 20, 2004
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Bruce H. Ratcliff, Arthur J. Stagg, Stephen R. Valley
  • Patent number: 6676259
    Abstract: A stereographic display system comprises a signal processing unit receptive of stereographic images originating from stereographic image sources at a prescribed frame rate. The stereographic display system is operative to generate a multiplexed image stream and a series of synchronization pulses. An image display device is receptive of the multiplexed image stream and operative to display the multiplexed image stream as multiplexed images. A phase-locked loop is receptive of the series of synchronization pulses from the signal processing unit. An optical signal filter system is coupled to the phase-locked loop and receptive of the multiplexed stereographic images. The optical signal filter system includes rotating polarization filters that alternately pass or block the passage of a first and second image of the multiplexed stereographic images. The stereographic display system may be made, in whole or in part, an integral part of an item of apparel such as a pair of glasses or a helmet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 21, 2002
    Date of Patent: January 13, 2004
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventor: Timothy M. Trifilo
  • Patent number: 6674297
    Abstract: A micro compliant, test probe interconnect apparatus for an integrated circuit device is disclosed. In an exemplary embodiment, the apparatus includes an elongated housing and a probe pin extending from a first end of the housing. A biasing mechanism holds the probe pin in a normally extended position, wherein the biasing mechanism is formed from a portion of the elongated housing. In a preferred embodiment, the biasing mechanism is a flexible tab, formed from a generally rectangular section of the elongated housing and bent inwardly therein to form a cantilever.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 9, 2002
    Date of Patent: January 6, 2004
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Robert F. Florence, Jr., Emanuele F. Lopergolo, Vincent P. Mulligan, Charles R. Tompkins, Jr.
  • Patent number: 6675149
    Abstract: A method, system and program product for matching the an information technology enhancement project with the resource and priorities of an enterprise is presented herein. A set of objectives for the information technology resources is defined and prioritized as to their importance to the enterprise. The information technology resources for the enterprise are partitioned into segments along a predetermined common property such as geography or skill-base. Each segment is compared to a set of desire information technology characteristics and a score for each characteristic is assigned to each segment and summed providing a total characteristic score for each segment. The total characteristic score is weighted in light of the prioritized objects by virtue of a correlation created between the objectives and the characteristics.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 30, 1999
    Date of Patent: January 6, 2004
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Michael Ruffin, Joseph L. Temple, III, Carlos A. Ordonez, Eva L. Yan, Allen H. Preston, Timothy I. Morrison