Patents Examined by Richard Franklin
  • Patent number: 7970957
    Abstract: An apparatus, method and computer readable medium for disambiguating commands with respect to logical protocols is disclosed herein. In some embodiments, commands are disambiguated in accordance with an extent of device usage since a most recent device reset event. In some embodiments, commands are disambiguated in accordance with one or more command target parameters of a current command and/or one or more previous commands. In some embodiments, commands are disambiguated in accordance with a security policy and/or a data access policy and/or an indication of a data damage risk.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2007
    Date of Patent: June 28, 2011
    Assignee: SanDisk IL Ltd.
    Inventor: Amir Mosek
  • Patent number: 7937504
    Abstract: A method, apparatus, and computer program product for processing a chained-pair linked transport control channel program in an I/O processing system is provided. The method includes receiving a first command message at a control unit specifying that a device command word (DCW) list is encoded in a data message associated with the first command message as part of the chained-pair linked transport control channel program. The method further includes receiving a second command message chained-pair linked to the first command message, the second command message specifying data attributes associated with the DCW list. The method additionally includes extracting the DCW list from the data message in response to receiving the data message, and executing the DCW list.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 3, 2011
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: John R. Flanagan, Daniel F. Casper
  • Patent number: 7921240
    Abstract: Certain aspects of a method and system for supporting hardware acceleration for iSCSI read and write operations via a TCP offload engine may comprise pre-registering at least one buffer with hardware. An iSCSI command may be received from an initiator. An initiator test tag value, a data sequence value and/or a buffer offset value of an iSCSI buffer may be compared with the pre-registered buffer. Data may be fetched from the pre-registered buffer based on comparing the initiator test tag value, the data sequence value and/or the buffer offset value of the iSCSI buffer with the pre-registered buffer. The fetched data may be zero copied from the pre-registered buffer to the initiator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 17, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 5, 2011
    Assignee: Broadcom Corporation
    Inventors: Uri El Zur, Kan Frankie Fan, Scott Sterling McDaniel
  • Patent number: 7904606
    Abstract: A computer program product, apparatus, and method for processing a transport control channel program with chain linked branching in an I/O processing system are provided. The method includes receiving a command message at a control unit from an I/O subsystem to perform an I/O operation. The method further includes reading a chain linked flag in the command message indicating that a subsequent command message for the I/O operation follows the command message. The method also includes reading a serialization flag in the command message requesting that device status be returned to the I/O subsystem in order to select the subsequent command message. The method additionally includes executing one or more commands in the command message, and transmitting the device status to the I/O subsystem in response to executing the one or more commands in combination with the serialization flag.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 8, 2011
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Daniel F. Casper, John R. Flanagan
  • Patent number: 7886088
    Abstract: A mechanism is provided for locking an end device for the period of time that the device is needed, thus disabling access by any other application or process. Having the device locked, rather than the bus, allows other applications to use the bus to access other devices at the same time. This is achieved by providing a virtual bus arbitration, which arbitrates applications' use of the physical bus. The virtual bus arbitration algorithms allow bus operations from different applications to overlap on the physical bus as long as their target devices and associated bus locks are on different end devices.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 18, 2008
    Date of Patent: February 8, 2011
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Douglas Michael Boecker, Stephan Otis Broyles, Hemlata Nellimarla, Alwood Patrick Williams, III
  • Patent number: 7882275
    Abstract: An arrangement for a system for controlling, monitoring, communication etc. comprises locally deployed module units which each perform one or more local function(s). The system also comprises one or more system-functioning-determining unit(s) at a higher level than said module units. Also included are one or more connection(s) connecting said units. Each module unit is connected to the connection concerned via a connection facility or connection point. The facility or point comprises one or more microprocessor(s) (microprocessor setup(s)) arranged with compatibility with signalling appearing on the connection according to the rules of systems engineering which apply, and with a higher-level function in relation to the module unit. The invention also relates to a method for said system and a contact arrangement for connection of a module unit to the connection.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 24, 2002
    Date of Patent: February 1, 2011
    Assignee: Xinshu Management, L.L.C.
    Inventors: Lars-Berno Fredriksson, Kent Lennartsson, Joachim Fritzon
  • Patent number: 7873763
    Abstract: A system for managing a circular buffer memory includes a number of data writers, a number of data readers, a circular buffer memory; and logic configured to form a number of counters, form a number of temporary variables from the counters, and allow the data writers and the data readers to simultaneously access locations in the circular buffer memory determined by the temporary variables.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 26, 2010
    Date of Patent: January 18, 2011
    Assignee: Juniper Networks, Inc.
    Inventors: Juqiang Liu, Hua Ji, Haisang Wu
  • Patent number: 7865351
    Abstract: A USB peripheral device may automatically launch an application residing in its memory after it is connected to a host or after restarting the host if the USB flash drive has already been connected. Alternatively, the USB peripheral \device can automatically launch an application residing on the host or on a network, which is accessible by the host. The USB peripheral device has a USB interface and a controller, which is operative to execute instructions for sending and receiving messages through the USB interface. The controller is further operative, when executing the instructions, to send to a host a stream of emulated keystrokes, which emulated keystrokes cause the host to generate and execute a startup script. Embodiments of the invention include a USB peripheral device able to control a host and a method of using a USB peripheral device to control a host.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 30, 2007
    Date of Patent: January 4, 2011
    Assignee: SanDisk IL Ltd.
    Inventor: Eitan Mardiks
  • Patent number: 7840716
    Abstract: A communication method for storage device on the basis of file access is provided. When a storage controller is added with a nonstandard control function, a command file and a response file are virtually produced in the memory as the communicating interface with an application program. The virtual files can then be read and written using the standard storage control protocol. This avoids modifying the communicating interface between the driver program and the application program for the newly added nonstandard control protocol.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 15, 2005
    Date of Patent: November 23, 2010
    Assignee: Etrovision Technology
    Inventors: Fan-Sheng Lin, Chao-Kuei Chung
  • Patent number: 7831740
    Abstract: A control circuit used to transfer data to a programmable memory in an electronic device can be separate from a general operation processor circuit that controls general operations of the electronic device. The controller circuit may allow a transfer of data to the programmable memory without the use of Random Access Memory (RAM) or a Read Only Memory (ROM) that is under the control of the general operation processor circuit. The general operation processor circuit can be disabled by the controller circuit while data is transferred (i.e. programmed to) programmable memory.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 9, 2003
    Date of Patent: November 9, 2010
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Min-Su Kim, Sang-ha Hwang
  • Patent number: 7818477
    Abstract: When a control unit (160) in a storage device (100) detects that a write end command or a data amount to be written has been transmitted from a host device (110), the control unit (160) saves control information required for writing data in a control information save memory (142). The control unit (160) also saves data which has not been written in storage medium into a buffer save memory (152) from a data buffer (151) and releases the busy state for the host device (110). The control unit (160) writes the saved data into a storage medium (120). Even if the power is turned OFF before completion of write, write can be performed into the storage medium (120) by using the saved data when the power is turned ON next time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 24, 2006
    Date of Patent: October 19, 2010
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventors: Masayuki Toyama, Masahiro Nakanishi, Tomoaki Izumi, Tetsushi Kasahara, Kazuaki Tamura, Kiminori Matsuno, Manabu Inoue
  • Patent number: 7805552
    Abstract: A multi-queue memory system is configured to operate in a packet mode. Each packet includes a SOP (start of packet) marker and an EOP (end of packet) marker. A packet status bit (PSB), is used to implement the packet mode. The packet status bit enables partial packet write and partial packet read operations, such that a queue switch can be performed in the middle of packet write or packet read operations. The packet status bit also enables data filtering to be performed between an activated EOP marker and a subsequently received SOP marker (i.e., between the end of one packet and the start of the next packet). Packet mark and re-write and packet mark and re-read operations are also enabled.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 21, 2005
    Date of Patent: September 28, 2010
    Assignee: Integrated Device Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Mario Au, Jason Z. Mo, Hui Su
  • Patent number: 7802024
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a content distributing system, a content distributing method, a control apparatus, a control method, a playback apparatus, a playback method, and a program that are capable of improving operability of the control apparatus. A renderer 4 identifies a category of content to be played back and transmits an identification result of the category to a controller 2. In the controller 2, a receiving unit 21 receives the identification result transmitted from the renderer 4, and the display 27 performs a process of allowing a user to recognize a command to provide instructions about handling executable to the content to be played back among commands to provide instructions about handling of content in the renderer 4 based on the identification result. Also, the display 27, which has a function of a touch-panel, accepts an operation of specifying a command by the user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 6, 2006
    Date of Patent: September 21, 2010
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Mie Namai, Naoki Yuasa, Shuichi Otsu
  • Patent number: 7797465
    Abstract: A core of a network includes a storage unit to store a plurality of parameters to receive and transmit data packets in a communication system. A program controls transfer of the data packets between the core and a network node. The plurality of parameters in the storage unit controls the receiving and transmitting.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 10, 2005
    Date of Patent: September 14, 2010
    Assignee: Intel Corporation
    Inventors: Roger C. Jeppsen, Nathan Marushak, Brian J. Skerry, Jeffrey D. Skirvin
  • Patent number: 7774521
    Abstract: A method and article for reducing power consumption for isochronous data transfers are described. The method may include receiving packets of data having multimedia information with empty spaces. The packets of data may be stored in a first buffer having a first buffer size allocated for a universal serial bus processing stack. The empty spaces may be removed from the packets of data and the packets of data having the empty spaces removed may be copied to a second buffer having a second buffer size allocated for a media information processing stack. Other embodiments are described and claimed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2007
    Date of Patent: August 10, 2010
    Assignee: Intel Corporation
    Inventors: Ajay Gupta, Sanjay Bakshi
  • Patent number: 7769920
    Abstract: An information processing apparatus is connected to a recording or playback apparatus having a file system. The information processing apparatus includes a receiver for receiving a command provided by an operating system in response to a file operating request from an application, and a converter for converting the command provided by the operating system into a request which is to be converted into a command based on a communication protocol capable of handling the file system in communication with said recording or playback apparatus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 13, 2005
    Date of Patent: August 3, 2010
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Shin Kimura, Kazuhisa Tsuchiya, Nobuhiro Sakai, Kazuhiko Watanabe
  • Patent number: 7752358
    Abstract: The invention proposes a storage apparatus and conversion board that can increase the number of hard disk drive heads in a given, limited space for installation of disk units in the storage apparatus, and can consequently improve data read/write performance. A storage apparatus has a plurality of first disk units of a specific size, each removable, and a controller that controls data read/write from/to the first disk units, and the storage apparatus includes: external connectors, each provided in corresponding positions where the first disk units are installed, and physically and electrically connected with the first disk units installed in a specific state; and a removable conversion unit provided in one or more of the external connectors, and used for installing, in the position where one or more of the first disk units are to be installed, a larger number of second disk units, each smaller in physical size, than the one or more first disk units.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 13, 2006
    Date of Patent: July 6, 2010
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd
    Inventors: Tsutomu Koga, Mitsuru Inoue
  • Patent number: 7752345
    Abstract: Aspects of the invention relate to methods for automatically configuring a device and a device capable of being automatically configured. According to one embodiment the device is a printer and a dynamic IP address is obtained using a wired connection; a connection is established with a server using the wired connection and the dynamic IP address; configuration information is downloaded from the server; a static IP address is assigned to the printer using the configuration information; and a connection is established with a server using a wireless connection and the static IP address. The configuration information may include setting information and address information. The setting information may be used to configure the settings of the printer and the address information may be used to assign a static IP address to the printer. The configuration information may include information relating to a wireless network.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2007
    Date of Patent: July 6, 2010
    Assignee: Avery Dennison Corporation
    Inventor: Jeanne F. Duckett
  • Patent number: 7743174
    Abstract: An electronic device has a physical port, and a control circuit coupled to the physical port. The control circuit is arranged to electrically sense the physical port, and operate the physical port as one of an Ethernet port and an RS-232 port based on electrically sensing the physical port. In some arrangements, the physical port operates as an Ethernet port at one time and an RS-232 port at another time. In some arrangements, the electronic device senses for Ethernet signals and RS-232 signals concurrently. In other arrangements, the electronic device senses for Ethernet signals and RS-232 signals at different times in an alternating manner.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2007
    Date of Patent: June 22, 2010
    Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Phillip Remaker, Roger Karam
  • Patent number: 7743184
    Abstract: Methods and a device for performing coherent access requests are disclosed. The methods include receiving a first address associated with a first write or read request. During a write operation, if the first address is associated with a coherent access register, data to be written is stored at a data latch that is connected to a plurality of coherent data access registers. A second address and second data associated with a second write request are received. If the second address matches the first address, the second data and the latched first data are written to the coherent access register. By latching the first data and simultaneously writing the latched first data and the second data, overall coherency of the written data is maintained.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 25, 2006
    Date of Patent: June 22, 2010
    Assignee: Freescale Semiconductor, Inc.
    Inventors: James M. Sibigtroth, Michael W. Rhoades, Michael C. Wood, George E. Baker