Patents by Inventor John R. Ehrman

John R. Ehrman has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 8583899
    Abstract: An instruction for parsing a buffer to be utilized within a data processing system including: an operation code field, the operation code field identifies the instruction; a control field, the control field controls operation of the instruction; and one or more general register, wherein a first general register stores an argument address, a second general register stores a function code, a third general register stores length of an argument-character buffer, and the fourth of which contains the address of the function-code data structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 12, 2011
    Date of Patent: November 12, 2013
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: John R. Ehrman, Dan F. Greiner
  • Patent number: 8392888
    Abstract: A method, article, and system for providing an effective implementation of assembler language translate-n-to-n instructions implemented on 21, 31, and 64-bit architectures, while maintaining backward compatibility with existing systems. The enhanced Extended-Translation Facility 2 (ETF2) instruction set introduces a new operand in an unused field (M3) that facilitates a change in the original instruction format and its intended function. With the ETF2-Enhancement Facility installed, a value of zeros in the M3 field indicates that instruction operation is to continue as originally defined. When a nonzero value is coded in the M3 field a new function is carried out. The assembler accommodates the changes by making the new M3 field optional when coding the instructions. If the M3 field is not coded, the assembler defaults to providing zeros in the M3 field (as found in the original instruction format), and backward compatible operation is provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2013
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: John R. Ehrman, Mike S. Fulton, Dan F. Greiner
  • Patent number: 8078841
    Abstract: An instruction for parsing a buffer to be utilized within a data processing system including: an operation code field, the operation code field identifies the instruction; a control field, the control field controls operation of the instruction; and one or more general register, wherein a first general register stores an argument address, a second general register stores a function code, a third general register stores length of an argument-character buffer, and the fourth of which contains the address of the function-code data structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 3, 2009
    Date of Patent: December 13, 2011
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: John R. Ehrman, Dan F. Greiner
  • Publication number: 20110271085
    Abstract: An instruction for parsing a buffer to be utilized within a data processing system including: an operation code field, the operation code field identifies the instruction; a control field, the control field controls operation of the instruction; and one or more general register, wherein a first general register stores an argument address, a second general register stores a function code, a third general register stores length of an argument-character buffer, and the fourth of which contains the address of the function-code data structure.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 12, 2011
    Publication date: November 3, 2011
    Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: John R. Ehrman, Dan F. Greiner
  • Publication number: 20100325401
    Abstract: A method, article, and system for providing an effective implementation of assembler language translate-n-to-n instructions implemented on 21, 31, and 64-bit architectures, while maintaining backward compatibility with existing systems. The enhanced Extended-Translation Facility 2 (ETF2) instruction set introduces a new operand in an unused field (M3) that facilitates a change in the original instruction format and its intended function. With the ETF2-Enhancement Facility installed, a value of zeros in the M3 field indicates that instruction operation is to continue as originally defined. When a nonzero value is coded in the M3 field a new function is carried out. The assembler accommodates the changes by making the new M3 field optional when coding the instructions. If the M3 field is not coded, the assembler defaults to providing zeros in the M3 field (as found in the original instruction format), and backward compatible operation is provided.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 31, 2010
    Publication date: December 23, 2010
    Applicant: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: John R. Ehrman, Mike S. Fulton, Dan F. Greiner
  • Patent number: 7810073
    Abstract: A method, article, and system for providing an effective implementation of assembler language translate-n-to-n instructions implemented on 21, 31, and 64-bit architectures, while maintaining backward compatibility with existing systems. The enhanced Extended-Translation Facility 2 (ETF2) instruction set introduces a new operand in an unused field (M3) that facilitates a change in the original instruction format and its intended function. With the ETF2-Enhancement Facility installed, a value of zeros in the M3 field indicates that instruction operation is to continue as originally defined. When a nonzero value is coded in the M3 field a new function is carried out. The assembler accommodates the changes by making the new M3 field optional when coding the instructions. If the M3 field is not coded, the assembler defaults to providing zeros in the M3 field (as found in the original instruction format), and backward compatible operation is provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 5, 2006
    Date of Patent: October 5, 2010
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: John R. Ehrman, Mike S. Fulton, Dan F. Greiner
  • Patent number: 7725894
    Abstract: A method is provided for recording a list of facilities available to a program executing on an information processing system. In such method a storage location and a length of data are defined for recording the list of facilities by a program being executed on the information processing system. An instruction is issued by the program for determining the available facilities and recording the list of available facilities in accordance with the defined storage location and data length. A processor executes the instruction to determine the available facilities and record the list of facilities in accordance with the defined storage location and defined data length. The recorded list of facilities can then be read by the first program.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 15, 2006
    Date of Patent: May 25, 2010
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Mark A. Check, John R. Ehrman, Mark S. Farrell, Mike S. Fulton, Charles W. Gainey, Dan F. Greiner, Damian L. Osisek, Peter J. Relson
  • Publication number: 20090193237
    Abstract: An instruction for parsing a buffer to be utilized within a data processing system including: an operation code field, the operation code field identifies the instruction; a control field, the control field controls operation of the instruction; and one or more general register, wherein a first general register stores an argument address, a second general register stores a function code, a third general register stores length of an argument-character buffer, and the fourth of which contains the address of the function-code data structure.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 3, 2009
    Publication date: July 30, 2009
    Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: John R. Ehrman, Dan F. Greiner
  • Patent number: 7516304
    Abstract: An instruction for parsing a buffer to be utilized within a data processing system including: an operation code field, the operation code field identifies the instruction; a control field, the control field controls operation of the instruction; and one or more general register, wherein a first general register stores an argument address, a second general register stores a function code, a third general register stores length of an argument-character buffer, and the fourth of which contains the address of the function-code table.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 10, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 7, 2009
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: John R. Ehrman, Dan F. Greiner
  • Publication number: 20080126763
    Abstract: A method, article, and system for providing an effective implementation of assembler language translate-n-to-n instructions implemented on 21, 31, and 64-bit architectures, while maintaining backward compatibility with existing systems. The enhanced Extended-Translation Facility 2 (ETF2) instruction set introduces a new operand in an unused field (M3) that facilitates a change in the original instruction format and its intended function. With the ETF2-Enhancement Facility installed, a value of zeros in the M3 field indicates that instruction operation is to continue as originally defined. When a nonzero value is coded in the M3 field a new function is carried out. The assembler accommodates the changes by making the new M3 field optional when coding the instructions. If the M3 field is not coded, the assembler defaults to providing zeros in the M3 field (as found in the original instruction format), and backward compatible operation is provided.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 5, 2006
    Publication date: May 29, 2008
    Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: John R. Ehrman, Mike S. Fulton, Dan F. Greiner
  • Publication number: 20080072224
    Abstract: A method is provided for recording a list of facilities available to a program executing on an information processing system. In such method a storage location and a length of data are defined for recording the list of facilities by a program being executed on the information processing system. An instruction is issued by the program for determining the available facilities and recording the list of available facilities in accordance with the defined storage location and data length. A processor executes the instruction to determine the available facilities and record the list of facilities in accordance with the defined storage location and defined data length. The recorded list of facilities can then be read by the first program.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 15, 2006
    Publication date: March 20, 2008
    Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventors: Mark A. Check, John R. Ehrman, Mark S. Farrell, Mike S. Fulton, Charles W. Gainey, Dan F. Greiner, Damian L. Osisek, Peter J. Relson
  • Patent number: 7278100
    Abstract: Provided are a method, system, and program for creating a string of Unicode characters stored in a memory of a computer. A constant is created whose data type is a non-Unicode data type, wherein the constant specifies non-Unicode data to convert to Unicode. A string of non-Unicode characters are stored in the constant which is stored in the memory of the computer. A specification of a code page is retrieved in which the non-Unicode character string is encoded. The non-Unicode character string stored in the constant is translated into a Unicode character string responsive to the specification of the code page and the Unicode character string is stored in the constant stored in the memory of the computer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 10, 2000
    Date of Patent: October 2, 2007
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventor: John R. Ehrman
  • Patent number: 7051278
    Abstract: Provided are a method, system and program for translating a source character string in a first character encoding into a target character string in a second character encoding. A plurality of specifications are maintained. Each specification has one of a plurality of scopes identifying at least one code page providing a mapping for source character strings in the first character encoding. The scopes specify different portions of the program to which the code page identified by the specification applies. The source character string for which translation is requested in the program is processed and a determination is made of one specification having one scope that is applicable to the processed source character string. The code page identified by the determined specification is used to translate the processed source character string in the first character encoding into the target character string in the second character encoding.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 10, 2000
    Date of Patent: May 23, 2006
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventor: John R. Ehrman
  • Patent number: 6400287
    Abstract: A data structure for specifying the types of constants whose character values are to be converted to Unicode; for specifying which code page or pages are used for specifying the character encodings used in the source program for writing the character strings to be converted to Unicode; and that can be used to perform conversions from SBCS, mixed SBCS/DBCS, and pure DBCS character strings to Unicode. A syntax suitable for specifying character data conversion from SBCS, mixed SBCS/DBCS, and pure DBCS representation to Unicode utilizes an extension to the conventional constant subtype notation. In converting the nominal value data to Unicode, currently relevant SBCS and DBCS code pages are used, as specified by three levels or scopes derived from either global options, from local AOPTIONS statement specifications, or from constant-specific modifiers. Global code page specifications apply to the entire source program.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 10, 2000
    Date of Patent: June 4, 2002
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventor: John R. Ehrman